March was a busy month for us. The children had fun talking about Dr. Seuss, learning about different artists, and exploring the Rainforest. We also had fun celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day.

The first week was all about Dr. Seuss. Throughout the week the children came to school dressed in crazy & mismatched socks and hats and backwards clothes! The first few days we concentrated on rhyming activities; the first activity was a rhyming ball game. I placed different words onto a ball and the children had to throw the ball to one another. When a friend caught the ball they were able to pick out a word and identify another word that rhymes with it. The children loved this activity! During the second activity, I wrote out a number of sentences from The Cat In The Hat and placed notecards at the end of every other sentence. The children had to guess what word was under the notecard that

   

rhymed with the last word of the sentence. I was super impressed at how well they knew the rhyming word! Throughout that week we went down in the kitchen and cooked green eggs and ham and then had a taste test. We then graphed who liked what better. For the last activity we focused on four sight words, “I, and, the, & that.” Four students came up at a time. As I was reading The Cat In The Hat my four friends had to keep a tally on the sight words that we were looking for. At the end of the book we counted up the tally marks to see which sight words were used most in the story. At the end of the week the children made a Cat In The Hat hat to celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday. It was a very fun week!

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The theme for our second week was, Art Appreciation. This week we focused on different artists and their works. The children were able to create their own works from the artists they learned about. The first day we learned all about Claude Monet. We discussed landscapes and why he chose to only draw them. We also learned about oil pastels and how to blend them. The children then created their own landscape while using oil pastels. On the second day, we discussed Pablo Picasso and his different Periods. The children learned about his Blue period and how he was very sad. We also talked about his Rose period where he fell in love and became very happy and all of his paintings were a rosy hue. We then went over his angry period, where all of his paintings were a bit scary. I showed them how he would drew faces in a different way and how all of his drawing were different. The children then drew self-portraits of themselves, cut their pictures up and created their own Picasso. The next thing we learned about was Mosaic art. The children learned the history behind the art, why they did art this why, and the different materials people used to make a mosaic. The children then made a mosaic heart out of little colored paper squares. They turned out fantastic! The children also had a lot of fun learning, exploring, and doing different types of art with Ms. Ashley!

  

Then we had fun exploring the Rainforest. The children learned about the four layers of the rainforest which are the Forest Floor, the Understory Layer, the canopy Layer, and the Emergent Layer. The children learned about which animals and creatures lived in which layer. We also went over the insects and animals they would find and why they are becoming extinct. Throughout this lesson we also talked about things that we use that come from the rainforest such as wood for our furniture, fruits, coffee beans, and rubber to make rubber bands. For the preschool lesson, Ms. Ashley did awesome rainforest art projects! We also had a very special leprechaun visit our room. The children had so much fun going on a shamrock hunt and finding all of his gold coins he left for them!

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The last week of March we had fun learning about our five senses. The first day the children learned about hearing and how the ear works. We also listened to an awesome cd that played different environment sounds where the children had to guess what the sounds were. We then learned about touch and the children had to place their hand in the mystery bag and guess the item that they were touching. We also had fun learning about taste where the children got to taste something sweet, salty, sour, and bitter! We then played a take away game that explained all about sight, and lastly the children had to place a blindfold on while smelling different smells such as coffee grounds, pepper, a lemon slice, onions, cilantro, and cinnamon. I loved seeing all the children’s facial expressions!

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Ms. Ashley’s Corner 

Science

This month of science was full of fun and discovery. We started the month off with Floating rasions.
Carbon dioxide gas dissolved in soft drinks gives them their fizz. You can use the carbon dioxide fizz from a soft drink to make raisins dance.For this experiment you will need is a Can of colorless soda (e.g., 7-Up or Sprite) a tall, clear glass or plastic cup and several raisins (fresh raisins work the best). Next, Pour the can of soda into the tall glass. Notice the bubbles coming up from the bottom of the glass. The bubbles are carbon dioxide gas released from the liquid.Drop 6 or 7 raisins into the glass. Watch the raisins for a few seconds. Describe what is happening to the raisins. Do they sink or float? Keep watching; what happens in the next several minutes? Raisins are denser than the liquid in the soda, so initially they sink to the bottom of the glass. The carbonated soft drink releases carbon dioxide bubbles. When these bubbles stick to the rough surface of a raisin, the raisin is lifted because of the increase in buoyancy. When the raisin reaches the surface, the bubbles pop, and the carbon dioxide gas escapes into the air. This causes the raisin to lose buoyancy and sink. This rising and sinking of the raisins continues until most of the carbon dioxide has escaped, and the soda goes flat. Furthermore, with time the raisin gets soggy and becomes too heavy to rise to the surface.
The next experiment was experiment was sink or float paper. First, Fill two glasses equally full with water.

 

In one of the cups, add about 1 oz (30 mL) of dish soap and gently stir the solution. Create two identical balls of paper that can fit into your glasses of water. Gently drop one paper ball into the plain water and drop the other paper ball into the glass with the soapy water solution.You will quickly observe that the paper balls react differently to the two fluids. In fact, one paper ball begins to sink while the other sits atop the water! HOW DOES IT WORK? It may appear that one paper ball is floating on the water while the other ball sinks, but it isn’t entirely about density. Instead, what you are observing is a difference in the surface tension of the water. Soap is a surfactant, or a compound that lowers the surface tension of a liquid. Soap, in particular, decreases the surface tension of water by weakening the hydrogen bonds that make water such a special substance.This lower surface tension has two direct effects when it comes to the paper ball. First, the lower surface tension means that the paper can’t sit atop the water’s surface, allowing more of the water to come in contact with more of the paper. Second, the weakened hydrogen bonds mean that the water is more likely to soak into the porous paper, making the paper much more dense and causing it to sink.

The last experiment was a density water experiment and we had the help of a fellow alumni Tyler Franks. He was trying to do a hot and cold density experiment with the children. With all science things don’t always work out and this experiment did not. Mr.John always tells the kids that scientists are not always right as they are wrong more then they are right, and this was proff. The kids still had a blast trying to figure it out.

Music

Mrs.Lisa lead the kids with fun music by playing the piano. She would play different sounds and have the children guess what sound the heard. Then they played a fun cat and mouse game. When  the heard the high sounds the mice could come out of their house to get food and when the heard low music the cats would try to catch the mice. This is one of the kids favorite music games, and they laughed and laughed. It is a great way to mix music with movement! The children had a great time taking turns and discovering the keys on the key board and learning about it.

Art class

This month the children had a chance to use their creativity by using mosaic art. Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It is a technique of decorative art or interior decoration. Most mosaics are made of small, flat, roughly

square, pieces of stone or glass of different colors, known as tesserae; but some, especially floor mosaics, may also be made of small rounded pieces of stone, and called “pebble mosaics”. The kids really enjoyed explaining their story of what they created. The children also discovered how to draw their own robot. They really had to use their imagination to come up with an idea and use their creativity to put it on paper. Our students made the coolest robots ever and really enjoyed giving them names. They really liked how they were able to explain what their robots were doing in their picture. The last thing the kids did this month was put on the most beautiful Art Extravaganza for their family and friends. They were able to showcase all the art work they have done over the past year of school. It was so great to see how proud the students were of their work. They worked so hard to be able to share their art with you all. Great job kiddos and we are so proud of our future artist’s!

Themes of the Week  (in addition to Montessori Work time)

4/06: All About North America

• Introduction to the seven continents
• North America: countries, culture, climate
• United States, the flag and it’s history, Christopher Columbus
• South America: countries, climate, culture, landmarks, The Equator, The Andes Mountains
• The Amazon/What is found in the Rainforest (animals, products we use that come from the rainforest)

Afternoon Group Lesson: All about sports and fitness

4/13: Africa and Asia

• Africa: countries, culture, climate and animals! We will also learn about some African cuisine and languages
• Three regions of Africa (Savannah, Desert, Rainforest)
• Nile River, Sahara Desert
• Asia: countries, culture, climate, languages and cuisine. We will cover historical landmarks like the Great Wall of China, and locating natural landmarks like the Himalayan Mountains on a map.

Afternoon Group Lesson: Variety of activities and crafts about the different countries.

4/20: Australia, Antarctica and Oceans

• Antarctica: The Arctic region, animals, landforms and plant life
• Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and the Southern Ocean, ocean life
• Australia: Desert, Outback, Rainforest, Great Barrier Reef, culture and climate
• Australian cuisine and language

Afternoon Group Lesson: Having fun learning about the different states of the USA.

4/27: All About Europe

• Different European countries and their culture
• Different climates, landmarks and landforms
• Gondolas, Olympics, Running of the Bulls, Windmills, Eiffel Tower etc.
• Highlight a few languages spoken in these countries. We will learn the days of the week in Italian and common sayings in French (Good Day, Thank You, Good Evening, etc.)

Afternoon Group Lesson: Flags of the world.

For the month of April, we will be concentrating on preparing your child for the international festival and will resume letters and words of the week in May.

Things to do at Home this Month to reinforce our themes:

• While reading a book have your child point to all of the letter of the week she/he can find. Have them do this with the sight words as well. Play I‐Spy using things that only start with the letter of the week/ sight words.
• As a family, come up with a food or dessert that authentic from a different country and make it together.
• Pretend to go on a trip. Place chairs in the middle of the room (as your plane), bring a map! Point to a country and fly there! 
Talk about the animals you would see, the weather, people and anything else you would see or experience!
• We will be practicing individual lines and songs in class in preparation for the Festival, please practice your line at home too!

What I will learn at school this month in Ms. Kate’s Class…

Themes of the Week (in addition to Montessori Work time)

3/02: All about Dr. Seuss

1. Making and eating green eggs and ham together with graph
2. Reading the “Cat in the Hat” and making a craft
3. Rhyming word activities, mystery word activities using Dr. Suess books
4. Silly Socks coloring graph

Afternoon Group Lesson: Reiterating the letter and calendar of the week. A variety of fun crafts and activities with Dr. Seuss.

3/09: Art Appreciation

1. Claude Monet and his use of pastels
2. Pablo Picaso and his collages
3. Jackson Pollack and abstract expressionism
4. History of Mosiac Art and sculptures

Afternoon Group Lesson: Reiterating the letter and calendar of the week. Learning all about art with Ms. Ashley

3/16: Rainforest

1. Location of Rainforest and Rainforest themed experiments, activities and crafts
2. Layers of the Rainforest (Emergent, Canopy, Understory and Forest Floor)
3. Animals found in the Rainforest
4. Products that come from the Rainforest

Afternoon Group Lesson: Reiterating the letter and calendar of the week. Learning all about the rainforest, animals and crafts with Ms. Ashley.

3/23: My Five Senses

1. Hearing with a sound match game
2. Sight observation and memory game
3. Touch mystery bag game
4. Taste test
5. My sense of smell game

Afternoon Group Lesson: Reiterating the letter and calendar of the week. Having fun with my five senses with Ms. Ashley.

3/30-4/7 SPRING/EASTER BREAK

Letters of the Week: Try to find objects that begin with each letter wherever you go with your child. 3/02: Vv

3/09: Ww

3/16: Xx

3/23: Yy

Sight Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

3/02: this


3/09: they


3/16: said

3/23: from

Things to do at Home this Month to reinforce our themes:

1. While reading a book have your child point to all of the letter of the week she/he can find. Have them do this with the sight words as well. Play I‐Spy using things that only start with the letter of the week/ sight words.
2. Make “Cat and the Hat” Cookies together! Follow this link: http://familycrafts.about.com/od/drseusscraftprojects/a/ CatHatCookie.htm
3. Create a family portrait together using the material discussed in class (oil pastels, mosaic, etc)
4. Take a walk outside or in your home. Talk about the different colors you see all around you. Then create a picture of the colors 
and patterns you saw.
5. Is there a Jungle in your Kitchen? Follow this link http://www.animaled.com/actrain.htm to find how many items in your kitchen come from the Rainforest!

The winter months are flying by and hopefully spring will be upon us soon! This month the children have been enjoying our different themes and working hard on all of the works and our different practical life activities!

For the first week the children learned about whales. I introduced a whale book to them and then we started a chart called a “KWL” which stands for “What We Know, What We Want to Know and What We Learned.” It always amazes me how much information the children already know about a particular subject and the questions they come up with during lessons. They are fantastic questions! Some of the questions the children wanted to know were, “How far can they swim? What are some of the things whales eat? How many babies can they have? How long are whales?” At the end of the week we had a discussion about everything we learned. For example, the Blue Whale is the largest whale and is as  long as a football field. And the humpback is as long as a basketball court! The children also learned about the whales’ blowholes and how they have one baby who stays with the mom for up to a year.

During that week the children did two science experiments. The first one was about how such a heavy animal like a whale could stay afloat. This activity reinforced how salt water is more dense than fresh and helps objects stay afloat. The second activity was all about blubber. We took two zip lock bags and filled one with lard and covered that with the second bag. The children then stuck their hand inside the bag and dipped it into ice-cold water. The children noticed that their hand never got cold. We discussed what blubber is and what it does for animals. The last day we discussed the different types of whales such as the Toothed Whale, Baleen Whale, the Blue Whale, and the Humpback.

The second week sparked a lot of interest in the children. We learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The first activity we did was called “Being Treated Equally.” Now, before I lead any type of discussion I passed out a snack to just the boys. I then started reading the book, Happy Birthday Dr. Martin Luther King. All through the book the girls were wondering why I wasn’t giving them any snack, and a few became upset. I didn’t explain to them why I did what I did until the story was over. I then asked the girls how they felt not receiving a snack. Sophia said, “I really felt left out.” Another child yelled out, “I felt mad when you didn’t give us anything!” I then talked about how at one point in our country’s past, African Americans were not able to do the same things that white people were able to do and further explained that this is how they felt. I then shared that a man named Martin Luther King changed all of this! I loved this activity because I think it really got the children interested in who he was and how things were back then.

The second activity was called, “We’re all the same on the inside.” This was a simple exercise on how we can look different on the outside, yet are the same on the inside. I first showed the children a brown egg and then a white egg. I asked them to describe what they saw. I then asked what they think each egg will look like on the inside. Almost all of them said the brown egg would be brown in the inside. I then cracked open both and the children were amazed to see that both eggs looked the same. After the activity we talked about how all of us look different but we think and feel the same things on the inside! It was an awesome activity!! The next day we discussed Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement. We also listened to a song called “We Shall Overcome,” a powerful song about what Martin Luther King wanted for himself and others.

We also did a fun project called “I have a dream hand-prints.” The children dipped one hand in brown paint and the other in pink paint and then made prints looking like two people who are holding hands. We then placed a heart in the middle of the hand-print. Afterwards the children wrote down the dreams that they have. On the last day I showed a clip of the “I Have a Dream” speech. After the speech we discussed what was said and what he wanted in life. It was a powerful week!

The third week we discussed Alaska and different types of Polar animals. The first day I came in dressed in my winter coat, boots, mittens, flashlight, a protein bar, a polar bear stuffed animal, and a map. I then had the children to guess my destination. I was going to Alaska! I showed the children a map and showed them where Alaska was located. I then provided Alaska coloring pages for the children to color while I read them a book about Alaska. Throughout the week the children learned fun facts about polar bears, walruses, and seals. The children learned that a walruses’ tusk are made out of ivory and are about two to three feet long.

The last week was all about Penguins. The first day each child had to pick an animal name card and keep it a secret. Once everyone had a name card they were able to walk around the room and make their specific animal sound. Once the child found their partner that was making the same sound they had to stand next to each other and be silent. Once everyone found their partner, I explained to them that in order for penguins to find their partner among hundreds of other penguins they must call for each other and locate them by their sound. Throughout the week the children learned that the Emperor Penguin is the biggest penguin and is about the size of a six year old! They also learned that they form groups called Rookeries and that they only lay two eggs except for the Emperor that lays only one. We also talked about molting, why they fly, how they swim, incubation, and how the male penguin pretty much looks after the egg while the female is gone for two months hunting for food. The children loved learning about penguins! I hope everyone stays nice and warm and we will see you in February!!!

        

Ashley’s corner

Music

The month of January was a fun packed month with learning about different instruments through the story of Peter And The Wolf. The children had an opportunity to listen to all the instruments while connecting them to the different animals in the story. They loved hearing all the beautiful sounds put into a exciting action packed story.  The children loved hearing the entire story put together and enjoyed the happy ending.

Art

This month in Art class was based on using their imagination and making their own mystical imaginary creatures. Ms. Michelle talked a lot about a famous artist that goes by the name of Yoko D’ Holbachie. He loved to take different animals and turn them into a mythological creatures. This art project was intended for the children to dig deep and use their imagination to make their own creature. They first painted their creature, then sculpted it with clay and finally painted it. It was so neat to see their great ideas used to make such an awesome piece of art!

Science

In Science class this month, Mr. John conducted a fun experiment using a diaper! First he displayed his materials: a diaper, measuring cup with water, measuring cup without water, and paper towels. Then, he placed a paper towel in the empty measuring cup, and poured three ounces of water over top of the paper towel. He asked the children to form their hypothesis and determine if they thought the water would stay in the paper towel if he turned the measuring up upside down over his head. It poured onto Mr. John’s head!  The paper towel could not hold all of the water.

Next, he placed the diaper into the empty measuring cup, and poured water over top of the diaper. Did the water stay or pour out onto Mr. John’s head? It stayed! The diaper has a special chemical that absorbs and holds water.  After this demonstration it allowed Mr. John to explain to his scientists the properties of absorption.

Themes of the Week (in addition to Montessori Work Time)

2/02: Coldacott Week

Introducing award winning books such as Make Way for Ducklings, The Snowy Day, Blueberries for Sal, The Lion and the Mouse, and other various Caldacott award winning books. The children will do different activities with each book.

Afternoon Group Lesson: Reviewing the letter of the week. Reiterating the calendar. Fun activities with Caldacott books.

2/9: Community Helpers: All about Doctors, Mail Carriers, Fire Fighters, and Police Officers

• How Doctors help us and the special tools they use
• Fire Fighters and Fire Safety and Stop, Drop & Roll
• All about the Post Office, mail carriers
• Learning our phone number and address/ How 911 is important to us
• How do Police Officers protect us?

**Valentines Day Party: Friday the 13^th

Afternoon Group Lesson: Reviewing the letter of the week, the calendar and fun community worker themed activities & crafts.

2/17: Community Helpers: All about Construction Workers, Soldiers, Chefs and Bakers

• Learning about measurement and different tools.
• Soldiers, different branches of the military, jobs they do and places they travel
• Who works in a Restaurant/ Bakery?
• What does a Chef/ Baker do, different types

*Monday 2/16– No School (President’s Day)

Afternoon Group Lesson: Reviewing the letter of the week, the calendar and fun community worker themed activities & crafts.

2/23: Community Helpers: Dentists, Teachers, and Veterinarians

• How a Veterinarian is different from a Doctor
• All about the importance of brushing, flossing and the different tools they use.
• Charting what you want to be when you grow up.

Afternoon Group Lesson: Reviewing the letter of the week, the calendar and fun community worker themed activities & crafts.

Letters of the Week: Try to find objects that begin with each letter wherever you go with your child.

• 2/02: Rr 

• 2/09: 
Ss
• 2/17: Tt
• 2/23: Uu

Sight Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

• 2/02: go

• 2/09: can

• 2/17: my
• 2/23: this

Things to do at Home this Month to reinforce our themes:

• While reading a book have your child point to all of the letter of the week she/he can find. Have them do this with the sight words as well. Play I‐Spy using things that only start with the letter of the week/ sight words.
• Write a letter to a family member or special friend. Have your child help you address the letter, stamp it and mail it.
• Invent your own cake or cookie together…get creative!
• Create a fire escape plan together or make a blue print of your dream house with your child!

I love this time of year! The pretty lights, fun music, everyone smiling, and the children full of excitement!! Even though we were only in school for just a few short weeks the children were busy getting ready for our annual holiday program, making fun holiday crafts, and enjoying the hustle and bustle of the classroom! Throughout the month of December our class had fun learning about how children and their families celebrate Christmas from around the world! The first country we talked about was Mexico. We began by reading the story The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie de Paola, and then created our own poinsettia craft out of paint, glitter, markers, and grocery bags. For preschool lesson, Ms. Ashley had the children make Ojos de Dios, which are Christmas ornaments made with yarn. The second country we visited was Germany. The children learned that the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree originated from Germany and that the trees were decorated with candles, apples, and spiced cookies. The children them created their own tree by dipping a toilet paper roll into paint and making prints onto paper. They also used glitter, colored paint, and stickers to decorate their tree. The children also had a blast with Ms. Ashley making and decorating gingerbread cookies!

  

“ Joyeux Noel” is how you say Merry Christmas in French. In France, the traditional Christmas Eve meal, Le Reveillon, means “ waking up” and includes many courses of food. The children created their own Le Reveillon menu out of magazines. They cut out foods that they would like to eat on Christmas eve night, pasted them on a folded menu they created and labeled what they glued on. They turned out fantastic! The following country we had fun with was Italy. The children had a blast doing the traditional Italian art of curling paper called Quilling. They learned that the Italians created beautiful quilled ornaments to decorate their ceppos, which is a small triangular ladder. The last country was England. The children thought it was so funny that after children wrote their letters to Santa they then threw them into the fireplace hoping that they would go up the chimney so that all their wishes would come true. I then explained to them that an English tradition included caroling from house to house and that the families would come in for Wassail. The children had fun combining cranberry juice and apple juice together and sprinkling a little cinnamon on top and going from classroom to classroom singing Christmas songs!

  

The children really loved learning about the different traditions. They couldn’t believe how people in different countries celebrated Christmas. Throughout December our class made different holiday crafts, gingerbread houses, and playing different games from around the world. The last week before our break our theme was all about giving not receiving. The children did different acts of kindness throughout the last week. The children constructed a “lovie” for children’s hospital, wrote letters to a nursing home. Learned about donating and what it means to give. I really enjoyed seeing the children grasp the concept of giving.

  

I hope that everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday! See you in the new year!

Ashley’s Corner 

Music class in December was filled with a lot of fun songs and dances with Ms. Lisa. She got all of the kids into the Holiday joy of what the season brings. They sang a Varity of interactive and fun Christmas songs, such asFeliz Navidad, Jingle Bells and many others. Ms.Lisa also went over the different music notes that are used when we sing our songs. Their faces were filled with joy as they sang along. I can’t wait to see what next month of music will bring.

Our scientists had a favorite experiment this month! Mr. John made Green Goo with the kids in a fun filled science experiment. The kids got to help Mr. John pour in the ingredients (glue, Borax, green dye and water) into a bowl and watched the magic happen. The were amazed by how the mixture turned into a slimy substance that they called Goo. The kids were so excited and some kind of grossed out by the slimy green goo. Each child got to take their own bag of Goo home and enjoy it with Mom and Dad. What a fun science class we had!

Art class has been so much fun learning about many new artists this month. They learned about Kandinsky and his Concentric Circles and Pablo Picasso and his portrait of Dora Maar. The kids were able to use their own amazing creativity in drawing self portraits and had a chance to use pastels and paint. Our students are really learning a lot of their creativity and how each students art is different in a wonderful way, just they are as a person. These little artists are really starting to shine!

Themes of the Week (in addition to Montessori Work Time)

1/5: Whales

• Facts about Whales and different types of Whales
• Create a Whale Chart
• How do Whale’s float? “Staying Afloat” Science experiment on density

Afternoon group lesson:
All about the artic: Various crafts, location of the artic on the map, its inhabitants and arctic resources. 

1/12: History of Martin Luther King Jr.

• Similarities and Differences(hair color, eye color, likes, dislikes)
• Egg experiment (brown egg vs. white egg) discuss their differences on the outside– discover how they are the same on the inside.

Afternoon group lesson:
Variety of crafts and activities to learn more about MLK JR. 

1/19: Polar Pals

• Monday 1/19 ‐NO SCHOOL (MLK Day)
• The Arctic Climate, Map of the Arctic
• Exploring the worlds of the Polar Bear, Seal and Walrus.

Afternoon group lesson:
All about hibernation: information, activities, and crafts to teach us about hibernation.

1/26: Penguins

• Facts about Penguins, why don’t they fly?
• How Penguins communicate
• Where Penguins live

Afternoon group lesson:
All about snow: how snow is formed, different activities, crafts and science experiments to help us learn about snow.

Letters of the Week: Try to find objects that begin with each letter wherever you go with your child.

• 1/05: Nn

• 1/12: Oo

• 1/19: Pp
• 1/28: Qq

Sight Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

• 1/05: am

• 1/12: go

• 1/19: at
• 1/26: they

Things to do at Home this Month to reinforce our themes:

• While reading a book have your child point to all of the letter of the week she/he can find. Have them do this with the sight words as well.
• Play I‐Spy using things that only start with the letter of the week/ sight words.
• Go on a whale hunt! Draw whales or print out whale pictures and hide them around your house. Have your child count out how many whales they have found, or place them in different categories.
• While reading to your child have him/her pick out the sight word “am.”
• Go outside in the snow, fill a spray bottle with food coloring and water. Have your child spray out the letters and sight words we have been talking about all month. Also your child can create an Alaska theme using seals, polar bears, walruses, and penguins.

Themes of the Week (In addition to Montessori Work Time)

12/01 Christmas around the World

• Taking a look at the Christmas traditions in Mexico, France, Germany, Italy, and England
• The legend of the Poinsettia, tradition of the Christmas Tree, Le Reveillon (traditional Christmas Eve meal) and many other traditions.
• How to say “Merry Christmas” in different languages

Afternoon group lesson: Ms. Ashley will be offering crafts, games and activities to enhance the children’s understanding of traditions around the world.

12/08 All about giving.

• This week we will be doing a variety of activities that teach the children about the act
• of giving. These activities include: wants vs. needs collage, a giving circle time
• activity, the construction on a “lovie” blanket and sending it to Children’s Hospital,
• talking about the importance of donations and lastly, we will be writing and drawing
• letters to send to a nursing home.

Afternoon group lesson: Ms. Ashley will be providing a variety of holiday crafts.

12/15 Holiday Crafts

• We have planned fun Christmas themed crafts and activities (Letters to Santa, Gingerbread houses, Reindeer hats and much more!)
• Ashley will be focusing on making holiday ornaments, telling classic Christmas stories, and having fun at movie & PJ day!

Christmas Show Rehearsal (not a dress rehearsal)
Wednesday, December 17th 6:00– 7:00pm
Cuyahoga Falls Hgh School
431 Stow Ave. Cuyahoga Falls, OH  44221

Christmas Show
December 19th 6:30pm
Cuyahoga Falls High School
431 Stow Ave. Cuyahoga Falls, OH  44221

 **  All students arrive by 6:00pm
** Doors will open at 6:00pm

12/22—
1/4 Christmas Break—School Resumes Monday January 5^th

Things to do at Home this Month to reinforce our themes:

• Make cookies together. Deliver them to your friends, families and neighbors.
• Practice the spirit of giving or donation.
• Sing Christmas Songs together!

Cuyahoga Falls Preschool

I can’t believe how fast the month of October went by. Our class was super busy this month learning about apples, being on the farm, all about leaves and chlorophyll, the life cycle of the pumpkin, and the history of Halloween. We also had an amazing Halloween party!

The first week I began by showing the children a variety of apples such as the granny smith, golden delicious, and the red delicious. The children were able to feel and smell the different apples and then we grouped the apples by size and color. Throughout the week I introduced Johnny Appleseed. We discussed how he was a pioneer who traveled throughput the American frontier by planting apple seeds. We also discussed how he helped people along the way. The children really loved talking about him as they continued to ask questions about him throughout the week! The next day we created a chart from seed to apple: The life cycle of an apple. I started out by cutting an apple in half and showing the children the seeds, which are called pips, the core of the apple, the flesh, and the leaves. The children were able to pass around the apple so they were able to see the different parts of the apple. We then drew the inside of the apple and labeled the different parts. We also had a blast making apple prints and other apple projects with Ms. Ashley! On the last day we had an apple taste test. The children tasted ten different types of apples and then we graphed the ones we liked best. The Gala apple won!

The following week was all about the farm! We started out by discussing the different types of animals that you would find on a farm. We also had an exciting time discussing the different foods that you would see in a grocery store that came from a farm. Throughout our week we talked about the different machines that the farmers use on a daily basis and their purpose. The last two days we talked about the life of a farmer. The children loved hearing about how the farmer has to wake up when it is still dark outside just so s/he can get all of their farm chores done before the day is done. We also had fun with farm songs and finder plays!

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The third week was all about fall! The children had so much fun with one of our student teachers who read them a book all about the different colored leaves they would find outside. The children then were able to do leaf rubbings on those leaves they read about. At the beginning of the week I read the book Leaves Leaves Leaves! By Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. We then talked about the four seasons and what happens to the leaves at each season. I then asked what they thought Chlorophyll was. Ainsley shouted out “ It makes the leaves green!” I explained to them that Ainsley was right it does keep the leaves green. I also explained to them that when our days get colder and shorter the chlorophyll exits the leaves and the green goes away and the color starts to show. The children enjoyed discussing that so much that they wanted to review it all week! Lastly, we went on a nature walk where the children were able to collect different leaves and then lead a discussion about the different types of leaves they found. It was a super fun week!

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Lastly, our theme was pumpkins! This week we created a chart of the life cycle of the pumpkin. The pictures showed that first you have to plant the seed. Then the seed turns into the seedling, and then the seedling turns into a huge vine that can be big as a house! Then a flower grows onto the vine. On the bottom of the flower a pumpkin starts to appear. The pumpkin starts out green, then yellow, then light orange, and then finally orange. The following day the children used their 5 senses and language to observe and communicate about a pumpkin. The children were able to touch, look at, smell, weigh, and measure the pumpkin. After they did this I charted their thoughts and comments. The next day I asked the children what they thought the inside of a pumpkin looks like inside. After our discussion I cut open the pumpkin and had the children use their senses to explore the pumpkin. After I removed the pulp we weighed the pumpkin so we could compare the weight from before we gutted it. On our last day we did a sink and float activity. The children created a graph with paper pumpkins. If they thought the pumpkin would sink they placed the pumpkin in the correct category and same if they thought the pumpkin would float. We placed the pumpkin in a tub of water and the pumpkin floated!! We then discussed the concept of buoyancy.

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At the end of our month we had a wonderful Halloween party. A big thanks to all of the parents that helped out with all of the food, activities, and such wonderful helping hands!

Ashley’s Enrichment Corner:

This month of school flew by and the kids have had so much fun in their enrichment activities. They have learned so much.

In Art class Ms. Michele taught her students more about their primary colors and color matching. The first week the children used primary colors to make shapes out of popsicle sticks and painted inside of them. The second week the students got to make a animal tissue paper collage with different textures and worked hard on cutting and gluing them on the paper. The third week the children got to use their imagination and made a cool 3D art project and paper. Then week four the children were excited to take objects from their home they gathered up to make an amazing art project using popsicle sticks and using what they had learned about complementary colors.

In Science class, Mr. John and the kids had so much fun getting their hands on experience with his amazing experiments. The first experiment was oil and water. Mr. John showed how oil and water separate themselves from each other because water was more dense then oil. Students discovered no matter how much they shook the two together they will never mix. They thought it was amazing. Then the next experiment was The Ketchup Submarine. Mr. John poured water into a bottle and made sure it was completely full and then dropped a ketchup packet into the water and closed the lid. When he squeezed the bottle the packet would sink and when he let go it would float. This experiment displayed that when water was squeezed it would create an air bubble that would help the packet travel down to the bottom and came back up when released because the ketchup was less dense then the water.

Music class was so much fun this month. Students get excited when they begin with their favorite song ” Its Music Time Today”. They have learned many knew songs such as ” I’m a little teapot” and “ABC.”  They love to play many instruments such as, tambourines, shakers and rhythm sticks to all their favorite songs. Ms. Lisa is starting to talk to our students about different music notes, and the children each get a turn in front of class and clap the note they are learning about. The kids love Ms. Lisa and get so excited for every music class!