Happy New Year!

Happy 2012-the children celebrated by making New Year hats.

Spring is here!

Pre-K has been enjoying the warmer weather and getting outside as often as we can. This means an extra recess in the afternoon to run, relax and explore our world. The excitement of new spring growth is evident in dandelion stained fingers and, muddy sneakers and happy grins.

We have been learning about how plants grow and what they need to live. A beautiful tree adorns our hallway with sponge painted leaves with pink blossoms and a garden on flowers beneath it. The flowers show the parts of the plants:seed, root, stem. leaves and flower with sun and rain and earth helping them grow.

Many experiments have been happening to demonstrate these concepts. Celery and daffodils were placed in different colored water so we could observe then drinking-the leaves and petals turned blue, green, yellow and green-WOW! Then we started some bean seeds in their own little baggie greenhouse on the window to be sure they got enough sunlight. Later this month we will sprout alfalfa seeds, plant sunflowers and visit Longfellow’s Greenhouse in Manchester.

WE GOT OUR GRANT!!!!! The children are overjoyed to learn we got our grant for monies to plant trees on our playground. Now we are just waiting for details from the Forestry Service, so stay tuned as we might need some diggers.

Earth Day bulletin board

"The Stump" where we'd like to plant our "friendship" tree

Learning and growing together

Making a web like "The Very Busy Spider"

Nursery Rhymes, Eric Carle and  Dr. Seuss are just a few of the ways  Pre-K has been learning about rhyme, story components, authors and illustrators. We were so excited to meet Maine author Lynn Plourde when she visited Turner Primary School last month.

The whole school has been working on positive behavior in the hallway. We know to show RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY and to be SAFE by staying to the right ( right is polite), looking straight ahead to our destination, keeping our arms down and off the walls and to ourselves and using a zero voice.

Our classroom community is developing strong bonds of friendship and kind words and deeds are being exhibited on a daily basis. Academic skills continue to grow as my wonderful students move closer to Kindergarten.

Valentine Day Greetings With Love

Friendship, sharing, caring and love has been the topic in Pre-K . How to be a good friend along with words, voice and tone have been discussed and practiced. Greeting, charts and songs like “Hello-Hello”, “Let’s Be Friends” , “Hello Neighbor” and “Make New Friends” have been added to our end of the day Friendship circle as well as to Morning Meeting. The children have heard many stories about friendship and have written about how they can be a good friend. How we are each special was also explored. You may hear your child singing “I Am Special”.

Valentine’s Day was celebrated with songs, games and of course  cards were exchanged. I was impressed by how many children wrote not just their name on the cards but also their friend’s names-that is quite an accomplishment for Pre-K students. In keeping with Dental Health month we made healthy Valentine People as our special snack. The students cut bread using a heart cookie cutter and then cut cheese to top it. Next popcorn hair was added and carrot and/or pretzel stick arms and legs  were added; last of all Cheerio eyes, nose and mouth finished our edible creation. It was all washed down with fresh cool water-Yum!

Below are some picture highlights of this fun time of year. The soda bottle tooth to brush with shaving cream toothpaste was an especially popular center.

Have a happy winter vacation:-)

Ice-Snow-and Polar Bears, Oh My!

Our classroom had been turned into the arctic. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, besides the cold temperatures outside we have been experimenting with ice and snow inside. Our water table had floating iceburgs; many experiments happened using different temperature of water; next we will observe what happens when we add salt. Our “blubber” paw demonstrated how actic animals stay warm in their frigid habitat. The children have made sugar cube igloos, penguin cookies, a polar animal quilt, and fingerpaint polar bears to name a few. We dance like snowflakes, melt like snowmen and act out being penguins in a huddle. Toy cars slip on shaving cream ice and we catch real snowflakes on black paper to observe. The winter fun continues into the month of February and then we’ll talk about friendship and love.

Maine Animals

Pre-K has been learning about how Maine animals get ready for winter. Migration and Hibernation have been discussed as well as staying out in winter to look for food. The highlight of our unit was a visit by Ranger Bruce Farnum from Mount Blue State Park. He brought native animals, skulls and even an owl pellet the children could look at and touch.

Also pictured is the fur, feathers and fin (scales) bulletin board the children created. The bears were fingerpainted then the fur was scratched in using a drinking straw. The owl is perched on  real branch and has colorful feathers and our “Rainbow Fish” have beautiful colored scales as well as glitter ones.

We are thankful for…

Pre-K’s have been learning about nutrition and the food pyramid. After cutting pictures of food from newspapers and gluing them onto a large pyramid the children had the opportunity to “play store” using real food boxes and a play cash register. The unit culminated with a visit to our school kitchen to see where our yummy lunches are made.

All this talk of food turned to the discussion of family foods served at Thanksgiving. What we are thankful for was discussed and everyone added a verse to our song. We then made bread in a bread machine and shook cream into butter as our own celebration. We heard from lots of friends how wonderful our end of the building smelled.

Animals getting ready for winter will be our next theme with a special surprise visitor to assist in our learning.

Fire Safety Fun

Last week several Turner firefighters and EMT members visited our Pre-K to tell us about how to be safe. The highlight was meeting Sparky the Fire Dog and going inside the ambulance.

Sparky

Hurray for Pre-K

Monday and Wednesdays welcome 12 enthusiastic 4 year olds to Turner Primary room 125. Tuesday and Thursdays welcome a second group of  eager 4 year olds. Mrs. Prince’s old kindergarten room has been transformed into a haven for these newest learners. There are new “poka-dot” rugs, small round tables, a baby doll center, kitchen area, writing center, blocks of all sorts, a large farm complete with animals, a 3 sided easel, cars, a tool center, science/discovery area, puzzles, games, playdoh, a big sand table,dollhouse, library area, birds to watch, a fish to feed and  lots of fun and inviting multi sensory activities. Be on the lookout for pictures very soon to show you just what fun learning we are doing.