Pre-K: We're Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo!
"Zz" week was all things ZOO!
Language and Literacy
This week, we introduced ending sounds of words as well as continuing to practice beginning sounds. We started by looking at our morning message each day and discussing beginning and ending sounds of more familiar words. We, then, moved on to zoo animals and made sure to say the name of the animals out loud before identifying the first and last noise our mouths made. We worked under the table to color and trace a zoo sheet, and we made polar dens out of toothpicks and marshmallows to strengthen our fine motor muscles. We have started working in our weekly journals during Friday group time. It has become a chance for children not only to practice writing letters, but also for them to listen and follow step by step lessons very carefully. It’s worth practicing that important skill at home, especially if it means that you get some help with chores!
Math and Science
We spent a good portion of our week building our own zoo from recycled materials. It is on display in our Big Room, along with Pre-K’s own version of Eric Carle’s 1, 2, 3 to the Zoo. We also played "subtraction squish" with play dough balls that the children created and "Race to 20" with zoo animals as counters. These games are an easy, fun way to introduce children to the concepts of addition and subtraction, without them even realizing it. A few members of our class loved "Race to 20" so much that they asked for a challenge and played "Race to 50" and even "Race to 100"! On Friday, we finished our zoo unit by putting out a bunch of different zoo animals and asked the children to measure (length and height) using tiny little colored cubes as well as small number lines. We overheard lots of great math language being used during the conversations that ensued.
Rowen led our Science Thursday this week and showed the class how to make a zip line! He and Martine built one from string, tape, a small cup and a butterfly clip and then demonstrated it in our classroom. The children LOVED it, and we have a feeling that they might want to try it at home. Thank you, Rowen!
Art
In addition to using play dough and finger paint, for our February self portraits Pre-K decided to get a little bit silly; we asked each child to imagine themselves as their favorite zoo animal...how would they look? Everyone did a great job combining their own features with that of the animal they chose. The self portraits are now on display above our cubbies. We also had a few parents in our classroom helping to create exciting projects for the Spring Fling - we can't wait to see the finished products, and thank you for all of your hard work!
Have a great weekend, the weather is looking promising!
Emily and Martine