3-Day: The World of Todd Parr
3-Day made the best of another short week. Caroline and I are so pleased with how your children enter the room each day, eager to participate. They have been doing a fabulous job separating from you in the morning and we rarely have tears any more. We are watching your children emerge as learners and become friends. Caroline and I have also been thrilled to see your children trying new things. Those who were solely focused on blocks and trucks are making their way over to the light table or trying a puzzle. Children who spent most of their day in dramatic play are now discovering how much fun the art table can be! We talked about the words “I can’t” and explained to the children that it's important to try. Once they try, they quickly learn that “they CAN”!
This week, we studied the author Todd Parr. He uses bold, colorful illustrations and humor in his stories. We were lucky enough to read several of his stories. On Wednesday, we read Be Who You Are, The OK Book and Let’s Fix Dinner, and, on Friday, we read The Thankful Book and The Family Book. Our goal this week was to introduce a variety of stories written by one author. We explained the difference between an author and an illustrator; Todd Parr is both! We also discovered that Todd writes a letter to his readers at the end of every story and he has a dog!
On Wednesday, we asked the children to draw a picture with black sharpie markers. We told them they could draw whatever they liked and encouraged them to think of some ideas on their own. On Friday, we added bright, bold colors to our work to create illustrations similar to Todd Parr’s!
This week, we also worked with shapes and colors and we reinforced one-to-one correspondence skills. Our goal is to introduce your children to a variety of tools and materials that they will use as they become emergent readers and writers. We used black playdoh and black Gak as a backdrop to colorful manipulatives, similar to Todd Parr’s style. Children also stacked beads on long skewers, suspended in playdoh. On Friday, children used our create-a-creature body parts in bold black Gak to create some imaginary friends!
Our discovery table changed from frozen water beads and scoopers to the dark night sky with colorful family members and animals to sort through.
Next week, we plan to learn all about the season of winter. We are hoping for some fluffy snow and will hopefully be outside on the playground on Monday and Wednesday. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, we will have lots and lots of snow inside our room!
On Fridays, we will continue to remain inside for Creative Movement. Please remember to check your child’s blue basket for work to take home. Also, please make sure you have a couple of pairs of socks and seasonally appropriate spare clothing. During the winter months, it’s also nice to have an extra pair of shoes or slippers to leave at school. This way, children enter the classroom with dry, cozy feet.
Caroline and I hope you have a great weekend and look forward to seeing all our 3-Day friends on Monday!
Karen and Caroline
