3-Day: Dino-Days
3-Day paleontologists (a new word we discussed) are really enjoying the study of dinosaurs. We started the week by carefully hatching dinosaur eggs made of baking soda and water. The children used vinegar in spray bottles and sticks to carefully dissolve and break apart the eggs to make a dinosaur discovery! Other activities this week included making dinosaur feet. We painting all the tissue boxes Monday and Wednesday and on Friday we added sharp claws. We plan to use Laurie Berkner's We Are the Dinosaurs to choreograph a dinosaur parade through 5-Day and Pre-K, wearing our new dinosaur feet!
On Wednesday at Music we sang our new Dinosaur song:
Oh, I want to be a great big dinosaur
That's really what I want to be
For if I was a great big dinosaur
Everyone would run away from me!!
We read some fun fiction and nonfiction dinosaur stories including Dinosaurs, and Danny and the Dinosaur.
We explored some prehistoric-looking dough at our sensory table this week. Some children made fossils with the mini dinos, some made dino footprints and others enjoyed manipulating the dough, strengthening their tiny fingers! We also made dinosaur fossil rubbings, and practiced stringing dinosaur beads. Some children were even able to count the beaded dinosaurs using one to one correspondence up into the teens!
On Friday we also made some dinosaurs using all kinds of shapes. Children made stegosauruses, brontosauruses and triceratops complete with googly eyes!
We closed the Bowen Hospital and added a cozy corner to our dramatic play area. Children were excited to start serving up our pretend food again, dress baby dolls and snuggle up on the beanbag chair with some new calming jars!
Next week we plan to share the love and focus on some Valentine's Day fun. We will also raise awareness about Black History Month by adding some literature to our classroom library, talking a little bit about the differences in our skin color and celebrating our individuality!
A few folks have inquired about valentines in 3-Day. This is an exchange that is typically done in 5-Day and Pre-K classrooms where children make mailboxes and distribute valentines to friends. If your child would like to make valentines for their friends at school please make sure that they make one for all 16 students. We also ask that parents or caregivers distribute the cards in the children’s blue baskets outside our classroom.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Karen and Emily