Dear Families,
It has been another fun week in the Owl classroom, as we have continued our study of bread. We have baked two more kinds of bread: crumpets and pretzels. Our crumpet recipe uses a lot of baking powder and gets very puffy! This was a great way for the children to see how baking powder reacts in baked goods, creating bubbles and air. The children also enjoyed sculpting their own pretzels into various shapes. They feel a great sense of pride in being able to create something “real.” As four- and five-year-olds grow and build new skills, they often develop a renewed interest in doing things independently. Allowing children to do “real work,” such as cooking, setting a table, or working with real tools, can nurture this independence.
The children are very curious about yeast, and we have read several non-fiction books about how bread is made and sold. On Wednesday, we began an experiment with the yeasted pretzel dough. We measured it during our project time, and discovered that it was two inches high. We are curious about how big it will be when we come to school on Thursday! The children are learning that an experiment is “what we do when we want to learn about something.” They have each made a hypothesis about what they think will happen. Some of the children thought the dough would grow to be four inches, and others thought it might become a million inches high!
The children continue to enjoy playing in the “bakery” that we have set up in dramatic play. This week, we added a new set of toy cupcakes that the children can decorate with wipe-off markers. These have been quite a hit! We decided to name the bakery, and the children generated a few ideas based on places that they had been. We wrote down all of the ideas and then voted. The winner was “The Cheesecake Factory.” The children then collaborated on a sign to hang up in the dramatic play area. Collaborative art opportunities help children to learn how to cooperate on a task. They also nurture the way that young children learn from each other. For example, one child might experiment with a particular technique using glitter glue, and another might learn from this experiment through verbal interactions as well as imitation.
We have also added change purses with pennies in them to the dramatic play area, so that the children can pretend to pay for things at the bakery. Learning about money is one of the Massachusetts state standards for math education in prekindergarten. Introducing it during dramatic play was a fun way for the children to learn to recognize a coin and to practice their counting. We also played a matching game one morning using photocopied images of coins and real coins. The children selected dimes, nickels, and pennies, and tried to match them to their image on a piece of paper. This helped the children to notice the different sizes of the coins as well as the different images on each coin. Finally, a new favorite game to play at Circle Time or Morning Meeting is a visit to “Morah Larissa’s World Famous Bread Bakery.” The children are individually invited to sit in the middle of the circle, and to select one or two kinds of toy bread. They are then told the price, such as “five cents.” When they select two kinds of bread, they need to add together the price of each kind of bread to arrive at the total. This has been much fun for everyone, as the children enjoy an opportunity to pretend. It has also been a great way to challenge the children by trying out some simple addition!
We have continued to learn new ways to “calm down” at school. During Morning Meeting and Circle Time, the children take turns picking a card out of the “calm down” bag. We have introduced a few different techniques, such as a chart that tells them to count slowly and calmly, a series of pictures that show them how to take deep breaths, and muscle relaxation techniques. Using a “calm down card” before a group time helps the children to transition to a quieter time of the day. They learn to become aware and mindful of their bodies. These cards also teach them routines that they can use throughout the day. Four- and five-year-olds can often become too active (running or moving too fast) or too loud at school, and when this happens we invite them to take a break. Teaching a variety of “calm down” techniques teaches the children self-regulation. In many ways, children’s ability to calm down and regulate their activity level is more important than knowledge of concepts in terms of kindergarten readiness.
We were very sad to say good-bye to Arturo this Wednesday. We gave him a book filled with photographs of his time at the Trust Center and pictures created by the children. We have told the children that he is not going to come back this year, and that we are all sad about that. Additionally, we told them that we would all always remember the nice times that we had with him, and that he would always be our friend. We had a great time reminiscing over some of our favorite times with Arturo. He and his family will be missed, and we wish them the best as they settle back into life in Italy.
We wish you the best for the vacation. Happy 2011!
-Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Bread Making!
Dear Families,
We have enthusiastically begun our new unit this week, “Bread Around the World.” This unit will grow to incorporate science, mathematics, literacy, and social studies as the children explore the different processes used to make bread, different types of bread, and the different ways that bread is eaten around the world. We would love to include some of your own family traditions surrounding bread into our studies. Please e-mail Morah Larissa at LHalfond@ohabei.org if you would like to get involved! You could share a family recipe for a bread product (such as banana bread, muffins, pita, pizza, rolls, or bread) or even come in to prepare your recipe with the children. We will continue with this unit on the week that we return from vacation.
This week, our conceptual focus has been to introduce the children to the unit and to introduce them to two of the processes by which adults make bread: quick breads and yeast breads. We launched our unit with a wonderful book, Bread, Bread, Bread, by Ann Morris. This book uses photographs and text to teach children about the many ways that bread is prepared and eaten by children throughout the world. We have also read an old favorite, Bread and Jam for Frances, by Tana Hoban, as well as It’s Challah Time, by Latifa Berry Kropf. Now that it is December and the children are increasingly able to sit and attend during read-alouds, we have begun to ask the children more questions about the texts that they listen to during these times. The children are invited to make predictions about the books, to talk about how a character might be feeling, or to share what they remember about the text. These questions help us to build the children’s comprehension skills. Comprehension is equally important to decoding (the ability to sound out words) in the children’s success as future readers.
The first kind of bread that we prepared together as a class was corn bread! Morah Larissa demonstrated how adults use a table of contents in a large book to find the right page. We read the recipe together, and then wrote a list of all of the things that we needed. This was a wonderful opportunity to teach the children the ways that adults use writing. Then it was off to the kitchen for the ingredients! The children carefully carried everything back to the classroom, and enjoyed preparing the cornbread together. Cooking and baking in the classroom offer so many rich opportunities for learning. The children practice sequencing and measuring. They experience text outside of the more familiar realm of picture books. Cooking and baking can also be a rewarding sensory experience, as the children look at and smell the ingredients while they are preparing them.
The children noticed how much the cornbread rose as we cooked it, and we explored the science behind quick breads. We tried mixing vinegar with baking soda, and the children loved watching their cups overflow as the mixture reacted. We also experimented with vinegar and baking soda in a pitcher of water with corn kernels. The children loved watching the corn kernels dance!
We have begun to transform our dramatic play area into a bakery. We have added bowls, mixing spoons, aprons, menus, pretend bread, and additional cooking tools. It has been wonderful to watch the children become excited about this area of the room. Dramatic play supports the children’s social and emotional skills as they learn to negotiate with each other over roles and the sharing of materials. It also nurtures their growing ability to engage in abstract thinking.
To support the children in their excitement over the new materials in dramatic play, Morah Larissa created a “Social Story” for the class. This is a teacher-made book written from the children’s perspective that introduces, step-by-step, the expectations for this area. For example, the children learn that while there are some toys where there is enough for everyone to use at once, there are other toys where the children need to take turns. The book reads: “We can tell our friends that we are waiting for a turn. Then we can ask a teacher to help us make a waiting list.” This is a direct way of introducing the children to the routine of waiting for a turn with a toy. By creating a routine around what is sometimes a stressful situation for children, we can alleviate the anxiety and excitement that can result in grabbing and hurt feelings.
We have also introduced a new routine about “calming down” in the classroom. We’ve posted a “Calm Down” chart in the book area, where children are often invited to take a break if they become too loud or active in the classroom. This chart gives the children a series of steps, in text and in pictures, to calm themselves down. The children are asked to take three deep breaths and count slowly to ten. We have also introduced this routine (using the chart) as we begin Morning Meeting and Circle Time. This is a great tool to teach the children to become aware of their own bodies and excitement level, and to learn to develop self-control.
On Thursday, we began making challah, and are looking forward to finishing it Friday morning. The children will each take home their own small loaf of challah to share with you during your family Shabbat dinners. The children will also make a challah plate on Friday. We will keep these at school until all of their Shabbat items are ready to be taken home.
We are sad to be saying good-bye to Arturo and his family on December 22nd. The children know that this will be his “good-bye day.” We are preparing a small gift for him and will have a small party on his last day.
Finally, we are looking forward to sharing some pajama day pictures with you next week! The children could not possibly be more excited!
L’shalom,
Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
We have enthusiastically begun our new unit this week, “Bread Around the World.” This unit will grow to incorporate science, mathematics, literacy, and social studies as the children explore the different processes used to make bread, different types of bread, and the different ways that bread is eaten around the world. We would love to include some of your own family traditions surrounding bread into our studies. Please e-mail Morah Larissa at LHalfond@ohabei.org if you would like to get involved! You could share a family recipe for a bread product (such as banana bread, muffins, pita, pizza, rolls, or bread) or even come in to prepare your recipe with the children. We will continue with this unit on the week that we return from vacation.
This week, our conceptual focus has been to introduce the children to the unit and to introduce them to two of the processes by which adults make bread: quick breads and yeast breads. We launched our unit with a wonderful book, Bread, Bread, Bread, by Ann Morris. This book uses photographs and text to teach children about the many ways that bread is prepared and eaten by children throughout the world. We have also read an old favorite, Bread and Jam for Frances, by Tana Hoban, as well as It’s Challah Time, by Latifa Berry Kropf. Now that it is December and the children are increasingly able to sit and attend during read-alouds, we have begun to ask the children more questions about the texts that they listen to during these times. The children are invited to make predictions about the books, to talk about how a character might be feeling, or to share what they remember about the text. These questions help us to build the children’s comprehension skills. Comprehension is equally important to decoding (the ability to sound out words) in the children’s success as future readers.
The first kind of bread that we prepared together as a class was corn bread! Morah Larissa demonstrated how adults use a table of contents in a large book to find the right page. We read the recipe together, and then wrote a list of all of the things that we needed. This was a wonderful opportunity to teach the children the ways that adults use writing. Then it was off to the kitchen for the ingredients! The children carefully carried everything back to the classroom, and enjoyed preparing the cornbread together. Cooking and baking in the classroom offer so many rich opportunities for learning. The children practice sequencing and measuring. They experience text outside of the more familiar realm of picture books. Cooking and baking can also be a rewarding sensory experience, as the children look at and smell the ingredients while they are preparing them.
The children noticed how much the cornbread rose as we cooked it, and we explored the science behind quick breads. We tried mixing vinegar with baking soda, and the children loved watching their cups overflow as the mixture reacted. We also experimented with vinegar and baking soda in a pitcher of water with corn kernels. The children loved watching the corn kernels dance!
We have begun to transform our dramatic play area into a bakery. We have added bowls, mixing spoons, aprons, menus, pretend bread, and additional cooking tools. It has been wonderful to watch the children become excited about this area of the room. Dramatic play supports the children’s social and emotional skills as they learn to negotiate with each other over roles and the sharing of materials. It also nurtures their growing ability to engage in abstract thinking.
To support the children in their excitement over the new materials in dramatic play, Morah Larissa created a “Social Story” for the class. This is a teacher-made book written from the children’s perspective that introduces, step-by-step, the expectations for this area. For example, the children learn that while there are some toys where there is enough for everyone to use at once, there are other toys where the children need to take turns. The book reads: “We can tell our friends that we are waiting for a turn. Then we can ask a teacher to help us make a waiting list.” This is a direct way of introducing the children to the routine of waiting for a turn with a toy. By creating a routine around what is sometimes a stressful situation for children, we can alleviate the anxiety and excitement that can result in grabbing and hurt feelings.
We have also introduced a new routine about “calming down” in the classroom. We’ve posted a “Calm Down” chart in the book area, where children are often invited to take a break if they become too loud or active in the classroom. This chart gives the children a series of steps, in text and in pictures, to calm themselves down. The children are asked to take three deep breaths and count slowly to ten. We have also introduced this routine (using the chart) as we begin Morning Meeting and Circle Time. This is a great tool to teach the children to become aware of their own bodies and excitement level, and to learn to develop self-control.
On Thursday, we began making challah, and are looking forward to finishing it Friday morning. The children will each take home their own small loaf of challah to share with you during your family Shabbat dinners. The children will also make a challah plate on Friday. We will keep these at school until all of their Shabbat items are ready to be taken home.
We are sad to be saying good-bye to Arturo and his family on December 22nd. The children know that this will be his “good-bye day.” We are preparing a small gift for him and will have a small party on his last day.
Finally, we are looking forward to sharing some pajama day pictures with you next week! The children could not possibly be more excited!
L’shalom,
Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
Friday, December 10, 2010
The Toy Jar for Good Choices
Dear Families,
It was with great joy that we continued to study Chanukah this week. We continued to reinforce the story of the Maccabees, and the children have enjoyed pretending to be Maccabees by fleeing Antiochus and “defending themselves” with invisible shields. They have also enjoyed pretending to build the ancient temple in Jerusalem in the block corner and trying to defend it from “Antiochus” (also known as Morah Kate). These games are a fun way for the children to deepen their understanding of the story of Chanukah, but we do continue to reinforce classroom rules such as “no pretend fighting” and “no pretend shooting.”
We also explored various elements of the Chanukah story and celebration this week. We recalled that the Maccabees burned oil (not candles) when they re-dedicated the temple and we experimented with oil and water in the water table. The children noticed that the oil floated on top of the water!
We examined Chanukah candles in further detail this week. The children used them to do “relief” paintings with watercolors at the art table. First, they drew a picture on paper using a Chanukah candle. Then, they used watercolors to paint on top of it. They were excited to discover that they could see the picture once they painted on the paper, and we noticed how the water and the wax (from the candle) did not mix. This was a great way to make a connection to our earlier experiment with water and oil in the water table. The children also used candles to draw in trays of salt. Salt trays are a fun sensory experience, but they can also be a great way to practice writing. For some children, the tactile stimulation of touching salt supports the learning of letters more so than papers, pencils, and books. This can be a fun activity to try at home!
In addition, we created a Venn diagram at Morning Meeting on Monday, comparing a Havdalah candle to a Chanukah candle. This was a fun way to learn to use a Venn diagram to build critical thinking skills. We also tried organizing Chanukah, Havdalah, and Shabbat candles into size order, examining both length and thickness. This activity built connections for the children across Jewish celebrations, and also reinforced math skills including size, measurement, and vocabulary words including “longer,” “shorter,” “thinner,” and “thicker.”
Latkes were an important part of our week. On Tuesday, we used paper shreds (recycled from the Temple office) to make paper maché latkes. On Wednesday, we discovered a new favorite book, The Flying Latke, by Arthur Yarkins. This book has funny photos combined with illustrations, and a hilarious storyline about a latke being mistaken for a UFO. It had the children and the teachers on the floor in laughter! Come in and check it out. We enjoyed this book so much that we read it twice in a row! Later Wednesday morning, we made real latkes. The children grated the potatoes, cracked the eggs, and stirred away. They even ate appetizers in the kitchen (while seated in chairs far away from the pan) while Morah Larissa fried the latkes. Later we tasted them with applesauce.
This week we have introduced the children to two strategies to help them when counting and doing mathematical word problems. On Tuesday, the children found a challenging question posed to them on the wipe-off board at Morning Meeting: “How many candles are there in two Chanukiot?” They each made a guess, and then learned to draw a simple picture of two Chanukiot to find the answer. On Thursday, we played dreidel, and learned to use tally marks to count how many times the dreidel landed on each letter.
We have introduced a new positive reinforcement strategy with the children as they work hard to master sharing, turn taking, helping, and other social skills important to them as they become part of a community. We have introduced a “Good Choices Jar.” Each time the children are spotted by a teacher (or by each other) making a good choice, they get to put a small toy in the jar. When they have so many small toys in the jar that it fills up to a tape line created by Morah Larissa, they will get to have a pajama day at school. They are very excited by the prospect of wearing pajamas at school. This behavior management strategy helps the children to focus on the positive and to come together as a team to work towards a common goal. It also helps them to learn more concretely how to make “good choices” in their interactions with each other. We use the phrase “good choices” because it reinforces the notion that children can think about their behaviors. It also places the emphasis on children’s behaviors and away from whether or not they are “good” or “bad” girls and boys.
Next week, we are kicking off a study of “Bread Around the World.” Do you have any family recipes for bread that you might want to share or even demonstrate? We would love to have some parent participation in this unit!
Shabbat Shalom,
-- Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
It was with great joy that we continued to study Chanukah this week. We continued to reinforce the story of the Maccabees, and the children have enjoyed pretending to be Maccabees by fleeing Antiochus and “defending themselves” with invisible shields. They have also enjoyed pretending to build the ancient temple in Jerusalem in the block corner and trying to defend it from “Antiochus” (also known as Morah Kate). These games are a fun way for the children to deepen their understanding of the story of Chanukah, but we do continue to reinforce classroom rules such as “no pretend fighting” and “no pretend shooting.”
We also explored various elements of the Chanukah story and celebration this week. We recalled that the Maccabees burned oil (not candles) when they re-dedicated the temple and we experimented with oil and water in the water table. The children noticed that the oil floated on top of the water!
We examined Chanukah candles in further detail this week. The children used them to do “relief” paintings with watercolors at the art table. First, they drew a picture on paper using a Chanukah candle. Then, they used watercolors to paint on top of it. They were excited to discover that they could see the picture once they painted on the paper, and we noticed how the water and the wax (from the candle) did not mix. This was a great way to make a connection to our earlier experiment with water and oil in the water table. The children also used candles to draw in trays of salt. Salt trays are a fun sensory experience, but they can also be a great way to practice writing. For some children, the tactile stimulation of touching salt supports the learning of letters more so than papers, pencils, and books. This can be a fun activity to try at home!
In addition, we created a Venn diagram at Morning Meeting on Monday, comparing a Havdalah candle to a Chanukah candle. This was a fun way to learn to use a Venn diagram to build critical thinking skills. We also tried organizing Chanukah, Havdalah, and Shabbat candles into size order, examining both length and thickness. This activity built connections for the children across Jewish celebrations, and also reinforced math skills including size, measurement, and vocabulary words including “longer,” “shorter,” “thinner,” and “thicker.”
Latkes were an important part of our week. On Tuesday, we used paper shreds (recycled from the Temple office) to make paper maché latkes. On Wednesday, we discovered a new favorite book, The Flying Latke, by Arthur Yarkins. This book has funny photos combined with illustrations, and a hilarious storyline about a latke being mistaken for a UFO. It had the children and the teachers on the floor in laughter! Come in and check it out. We enjoyed this book so much that we read it twice in a row! Later Wednesday morning, we made real latkes. The children grated the potatoes, cracked the eggs, and stirred away. They even ate appetizers in the kitchen (while seated in chairs far away from the pan) while Morah Larissa fried the latkes. Later we tasted them with applesauce.
This week we have introduced the children to two strategies to help them when counting and doing mathematical word problems. On Tuesday, the children found a challenging question posed to them on the wipe-off board at Morning Meeting: “How many candles are there in two Chanukiot?” They each made a guess, and then learned to draw a simple picture of two Chanukiot to find the answer. On Thursday, we played dreidel, and learned to use tally marks to count how many times the dreidel landed on each letter.
We have introduced a new positive reinforcement strategy with the children as they work hard to master sharing, turn taking, helping, and other social skills important to them as they become part of a community. We have introduced a “Good Choices Jar.” Each time the children are spotted by a teacher (or by each other) making a good choice, they get to put a small toy in the jar. When they have so many small toys in the jar that it fills up to a tape line created by Morah Larissa, they will get to have a pajama day at school. They are very excited by the prospect of wearing pajamas at school. This behavior management strategy helps the children to focus on the positive and to come together as a team to work towards a common goal. It also helps them to learn more concretely how to make “good choices” in their interactions with each other. We use the phrase “good choices” because it reinforces the notion that children can think about their behaviors. It also places the emphasis on children’s behaviors and away from whether or not they are “good” or “bad” girls and boys.
Next week, we are kicking off a study of “Bread Around the World.” Do you have any family recipes for bread that you might want to share or even demonstrate? We would love to have some parent participation in this unit!
Shabbat Shalom,
-- Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
Friday, December 3, 2010
Learning by Making a Web
Dear Families,
Happy Chanukah! We have had so much fun with the beginning of our study of Chanukah in the Owl Room this week. The major concepts that we focused on were the story of the Maccabees, who fought for the freedom of the Jewish people, and the fact that we celebrate Chanukah with our family and friends.
On Monday, we began our study of Chanukah by using a web to record what the children already knew and remembered about Chanukah. They remembered many details, including some of the songs that we sing. Perhaps not surprisingly, they easily remembered that on Chanukah last year they received chocolate gelt at school! Using a word web helps children to broaden and deepen their vocabulary and to see the way that ideas are related to one another. It is an excellent tool to help children learn to organize their thinking.
We have been very busy preparing for our Chanukah party that we had at school today! The children made cinnamon-scented Stars of David, using cinnamon sticks to draw on sand-paper. We even incorporated our study of Chanukah at the easel, where the children tried painting with Chanukah candles instead of paintbrushes. At the art table, the children used oil pastels to decorate paper dreidels. They then painted over the dreidels with oil, creating a beautiful stained glass effect. This was a great way to introduce the children to oil, a substance that plays a major role in the story of Chanukah. The children also built an exceptionally long paper chain. Making paper chains builds children’s fine motor skills and coordination, as they must try to coordinate both hands. In addition, the children explored important math concepts including patterns, measurement, and comparing objects of different sizes.
Chanukah provides many wonderful and fun opportunities to practice counting skills. One day at the math table, the children used index cards, each labeled with a numerical digit and a corresponding number of dots. They used that number to set up the Chanukiah (Hebrew word for a Chanukah menorah) for that night of Chanukah. For example, when they picked the number two, they would set up the Chanukiah with two candles (counting out two) and then add the Shamash (or “helper candle”). Another day, the children practiced counting out paper latkes and gluing them onto plates labeled with numerical digits from 1-10. We have even learned the fun poem,“Five Little Latkes” and have used felt latkes to practice counting backwards from five to zero. It is important for children to have many experiences counting objects both forwards and backwards before kindergarten to develop their number sense. Felt sets are a fun way to do this!
Exchanging gifts has become a very traditional way to celebrate Chanukah in the United States. The Owls have been very busy preparing gifts and cards for their family members this week. They take great pride in creating real things that adults can use. This nurtures the way that fourand five-year-olds feel independent and like “big kids.” The children were very excited to decorate an apron to create a Chanukah gift for Morah Kate one morning before she arrived at school. It turns out that there are some major security leaks among the Owls. Morah Larissa “hid” the gift in the teachers’ closet and as soon as Morah Kate entered the room, the children immediately starting telling her NOT to look in the closet. Luckily, Morah Kate delivered a performance worthy of an Oscar and feigned surprise when opening her present before the first night of Chanukah.
We have been having a lot of fun building phonemic awareness this week (the awareness ofthe many different sounds in spoken language). We are always listening for rhyming words in poems and generating our own rhymes. The children are often invited to line up or take a turn by using rhyming (for example, you may line up if your name rhymes with “Pashley”) or words that begin with the same initial sound (you may line up if your name starts with the same sound as “apple’). The children also have been using a fun new phonemic awareness set to find rhyming words, to count out syllables, and to match beginning sounds. Being aware of the different sounds that words make builds a great foundation for the children’s reading skills.
We are all so excited to welcome Noah Grossman and his family to our classroom. It has been so much fun to have him here! It is wonderful to see all of the children building their senses of empathy as they invite him to play, show him where to find things in the classroom, and explain their favorite games to him. His enthusiasm for school and joyful nature, make Noah a wonderful addition to our classroom community.
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
Happy Chanukah! We have had so much fun with the beginning of our study of Chanukah in the Owl Room this week. The major concepts that we focused on were the story of the Maccabees, who fought for the freedom of the Jewish people, and the fact that we celebrate Chanukah with our family and friends.
On Monday, we began our study of Chanukah by using a web to record what the children already knew and remembered about Chanukah. They remembered many details, including some of the songs that we sing. Perhaps not surprisingly, they easily remembered that on Chanukah last year they received chocolate gelt at school! Using a word web helps children to broaden and deepen their vocabulary and to see the way that ideas are related to one another. It is an excellent tool to help children learn to organize their thinking.
We have been very busy preparing for our Chanukah party that we had at school today! The children made cinnamon-scented Stars of David, using cinnamon sticks to draw on sand-paper. We even incorporated our study of Chanukah at the easel, where the children tried painting with Chanukah candles instead of paintbrushes. At the art table, the children used oil pastels to decorate paper dreidels. They then painted over the dreidels with oil, creating a beautiful stained glass effect. This was a great way to introduce the children to oil, a substance that plays a major role in the story of Chanukah. The children also built an exceptionally long paper chain. Making paper chains builds children’s fine motor skills and coordination, as they must try to coordinate both hands. In addition, the children explored important math concepts including patterns, measurement, and comparing objects of different sizes.
Chanukah provides many wonderful and fun opportunities to practice counting skills. One day at the math table, the children used index cards, each labeled with a numerical digit and a corresponding number of dots. They used that number to set up the Chanukiah (Hebrew word for a Chanukah menorah) for that night of Chanukah. For example, when they picked the number two, they would set up the Chanukiah with two candles (counting out two) and then add the Shamash (or “helper candle”). Another day, the children practiced counting out paper latkes and gluing them onto plates labeled with numerical digits from 1-10. We have even learned the fun poem,“Five Little Latkes” and have used felt latkes to practice counting backwards from five to zero. It is important for children to have many experiences counting objects both forwards and backwards before kindergarten to develop their number sense. Felt sets are a fun way to do this!
Exchanging gifts has become a very traditional way to celebrate Chanukah in the United States. The Owls have been very busy preparing gifts and cards for their family members this week. They take great pride in creating real things that adults can use. This nurtures the way that fourand five-year-olds feel independent and like “big kids.” The children were very excited to decorate an apron to create a Chanukah gift for Morah Kate one morning before she arrived at school. It turns out that there are some major security leaks among the Owls. Morah Larissa “hid” the gift in the teachers’ closet and as soon as Morah Kate entered the room, the children immediately starting telling her NOT to look in the closet. Luckily, Morah Kate delivered a performance worthy of an Oscar and feigned surprise when opening her present before the first night of Chanukah.
We have been having a lot of fun building phonemic awareness this week (the awareness ofthe many different sounds in spoken language). We are always listening for rhyming words in poems and generating our own rhymes. The children are often invited to line up or take a turn by using rhyming (for example, you may line up if your name rhymes with “Pashley”) or words that begin with the same initial sound (you may line up if your name starts with the same sound as “apple’). The children also have been using a fun new phonemic awareness set to find rhyming words, to count out syllables, and to match beginning sounds. Being aware of the different sounds that words make builds a great foundation for the children’s reading skills.
We are all so excited to welcome Noah Grossman and his family to our classroom. It has been so much fun to have him here! It is wonderful to see all of the children building their senses of empathy as they invite him to play, show him where to find things in the classroom, and explain their favorite games to him. His enthusiasm for school and joyful nature, make Noah a wonderful addition to our classroom community.
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
Friday, November 19, 2010
Indian Corn, Popcorn Kernels, Table Centerpieces & More!
Dear Families,
We have had so much fun this week as we have begun to study Thanksgiving. While we have read some books discussing the history of why we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States, we have largely focused on the concepts related to Thanksgiving that are most relevant to young children. We are learning that Thanksgiving is a time to be with special friends and family members; that we “feast” on Thanksgiving; that we celebrate the harvest and eat related foods on Thanksgiving; and that we feel and express thankfulness on Thanksgiving.
We began our studies by creating centerpieces that will first adorn our tables at our feast in school (with the “Bears” classroom) and perhaps later adorn your own Thanksgiving tables. The children first painted Indian corn with acrylic paint, and then glued on some glitter. The centerpieces look beautiful, and the children are feeling very proud!
The Indian corn piqued our interest in corn. On Wednesday, we studied popcorn kernels. The children first touched them on tray, scooping them and moving them with their hands. This is a soothing sensory activity that also builds fine motor skills, as the children learn to use a pincer grip to pick up the tiny seeds. At Morning Meeting on Wednesday, Morah Larissa had the children close their eyes and then placed a popcorn kernel in each of their hands. The children then each used a word to describe the kernels. They noticed that they were hard, round, gold, and had a pointed tip at one end. Discussions like this rooted in observations not only build the children’s observational skills, but also build their vocabularies. In the Owls Room, we are constantly introducing new vocabulary words, as recent research studies have shown that having a broad and deep vocabulary in preschool is an even greater predictor of later reading success than letter knowledge.
The popcorn kernels later appeared at the Math Center this week, where the children used tweezers to count out popcorn kernels and place them on a small plate with a number (1-10) written on it. The children had much fun pretending to shop at the “Popcorn Store.” The activity supported the children’s ability to recognize written digits, to count with one-to-one correspondence, and also helped the children to strengthen the hand muscles used for writing.
We also did an experiment with the popcorn kernels. We placed a small handful of popcorn kernels in plastic bags with some vinegar and food coloring. The children each made a hypothesis about what would happen to the popcorn kernels and were generally in agreement that they would change colors because of the food coloring. The popcorn kernels are still drying, but the children (and teachers!) have begun to wonder if the kernels will be different colors when popped!
We could not really wait to try popping some popcorn of course, and on Wednesday, we all walked to the kitchen and brought along some chairs. The children listened and watched as Morah Larissa read the popcorn recipe on the popcorn jar. They then watched and listened as the popcorn popped on the stove. A few pieces even jumped right out of the pot. This was hilarious for all of us, and there was much, much laughter. Later, after eating our healthy choices at lunch, the children enjoyed tasting the popcorn. They were amazed to discover how the popcorn increased in volume. We popped just 3 Tablespoons, and yet there was enough for everyone to try! On Thursday, Morah Kate read us one of her very favorite books, The Popcorn Book, by Tomie DePaola.
On Thursday, we cooked something else with corn…corn muffins for our Thanksgiving feast next week. The children all read and studied the simple recipe first. Morah Larissa wrote out the recipe for the children with very simple illustrations so that they could “read” it with the adults. Reading recipes supports children’s learning in so many ways. The children learn to sequence (what they should do first, second, and third). This helps them to learn how to organize their thinking to complete more complex tasks. They also engage in a rich literacy experience that is different from the fiction texts they are more familiar with. Finally, there is much math involved in recipes! The children practice measuring and counting. We made mini-muffins, and had to count out 24 muffin wrappers to place in the tin.
With so much cooking happening at school (and perhaps at home too), we placed some cookbooks in the Dramatic Play area. This is a wonderful way to expose the children to the different ways that adults use text. At home, you might try showing and reading to children text outside of the typical bedtime stories. Children might help write or read a shopping list, look at a synagogue newsletter that has arrived in the mail, look at a catalog, or even look at instructions on how to use a new appliance.
We have also begun to study another popular Thanksgiving food in class this week: cranberries! The children painted with the cranberries by coating them in paint, and then using a tray to roll them on paper. They also tasted three different kinds of cranberry juice: cran-apple, cran-grape, and cran-strawberry. They wrote their initials down on charts to indicate whether or not they liked each kind of juice. We counted out how many children liked and disliked each kind. Finally, the children voted on their favorite juice by using a graph. Graphing is fun for four-year-olds because they can express their own preference, but it also allows them to write their names, to read other’s names, to count, and to compare quantities. On Friday, we will experiment with cranberries in the water table and see if they float or sink!
This week we began writing in journals. The children loved receiving their very own journals, and keep asking when they can write in them again! The journals have a space for a picture at the top, and a space for writing at the bottom. We will use these for both teacher-directed writing and drawing (for example, children might be asked to draw their families or themselves) and for self-directed work.
Shabbat Shalom, and best wishes for the weekend,
Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
We have had so much fun this week as we have begun to study Thanksgiving. While we have read some books discussing the history of why we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States, we have largely focused on the concepts related to Thanksgiving that are most relevant to young children. We are learning that Thanksgiving is a time to be with special friends and family members; that we “feast” on Thanksgiving; that we celebrate the harvest and eat related foods on Thanksgiving; and that we feel and express thankfulness on Thanksgiving.
We began our studies by creating centerpieces that will first adorn our tables at our feast in school (with the “Bears” classroom) and perhaps later adorn your own Thanksgiving tables. The children first painted Indian corn with acrylic paint, and then glued on some glitter. The centerpieces look beautiful, and the children are feeling very proud!
The Indian corn piqued our interest in corn. On Wednesday, we studied popcorn kernels. The children first touched them on tray, scooping them and moving them with their hands. This is a soothing sensory activity that also builds fine motor skills, as the children learn to use a pincer grip to pick up the tiny seeds. At Morning Meeting on Wednesday, Morah Larissa had the children close their eyes and then placed a popcorn kernel in each of their hands. The children then each used a word to describe the kernels. They noticed that they were hard, round, gold, and had a pointed tip at one end. Discussions like this rooted in observations not only build the children’s observational skills, but also build their vocabularies. In the Owls Room, we are constantly introducing new vocabulary words, as recent research studies have shown that having a broad and deep vocabulary in preschool is an even greater predictor of later reading success than letter knowledge.
The popcorn kernels later appeared at the Math Center this week, where the children used tweezers to count out popcorn kernels and place them on a small plate with a number (1-10) written on it. The children had much fun pretending to shop at the “Popcorn Store.” The activity supported the children’s ability to recognize written digits, to count with one-to-one correspondence, and also helped the children to strengthen the hand muscles used for writing.
We also did an experiment with the popcorn kernels. We placed a small handful of popcorn kernels in plastic bags with some vinegar and food coloring. The children each made a hypothesis about what would happen to the popcorn kernels and were generally in agreement that they would change colors because of the food coloring. The popcorn kernels are still drying, but the children (and teachers!) have begun to wonder if the kernels will be different colors when popped!
We could not really wait to try popping some popcorn of course, and on Wednesday, we all walked to the kitchen and brought along some chairs. The children listened and watched as Morah Larissa read the popcorn recipe on the popcorn jar. They then watched and listened as the popcorn popped on the stove. A few pieces even jumped right out of the pot. This was hilarious for all of us, and there was much, much laughter. Later, after eating our healthy choices at lunch, the children enjoyed tasting the popcorn. They were amazed to discover how the popcorn increased in volume. We popped just 3 Tablespoons, and yet there was enough for everyone to try! On Thursday, Morah Kate read us one of her very favorite books, The Popcorn Book, by Tomie DePaola.
On Thursday, we cooked something else with corn…corn muffins for our Thanksgiving feast next week. The children all read and studied the simple recipe first. Morah Larissa wrote out the recipe for the children with very simple illustrations so that they could “read” it with the adults. Reading recipes supports children’s learning in so many ways. The children learn to sequence (what they should do first, second, and third). This helps them to learn how to organize their thinking to complete more complex tasks. They also engage in a rich literacy experience that is different from the fiction texts they are more familiar with. Finally, there is much math involved in recipes! The children practice measuring and counting. We made mini-muffins, and had to count out 24 muffin wrappers to place in the tin.
With so much cooking happening at school (and perhaps at home too), we placed some cookbooks in the Dramatic Play area. This is a wonderful way to expose the children to the different ways that adults use text. At home, you might try showing and reading to children text outside of the typical bedtime stories. Children might help write or read a shopping list, look at a synagogue newsletter that has arrived in the mail, look at a catalog, or even look at instructions on how to use a new appliance.
We have also begun to study another popular Thanksgiving food in class this week: cranberries! The children painted with the cranberries by coating them in paint, and then using a tray to roll them on paper. They also tasted three different kinds of cranberry juice: cran-apple, cran-grape, and cran-strawberry. They wrote their initials down on charts to indicate whether or not they liked each kind of juice. We counted out how many children liked and disliked each kind. Finally, the children voted on their favorite juice by using a graph. Graphing is fun for four-year-olds because they can express their own preference, but it also allows them to write their names, to read other’s names, to count, and to compare quantities. On Friday, we will experiment with cranberries in the water table and see if they float or sink!
This week we began writing in journals. The children loved receiving their very own journals, and keep asking when they can write in them again! The journals have a space for a picture at the top, and a space for writing at the bottom. We will use these for both teacher-directed writing and drawing (for example, children might be asked to draw their families or themselves) and for self-directed work.
Shabbat Shalom, and best wishes for the weekend,
Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
Friday, November 12, 2010
Goodbye to Eytan
Dear Families,
Our week began by saying a sad good-bye to Eytan and his family on Monday. Cecile brought in a delicious chocolate layer cake, much enjoyed by children and adults alike. We presented Eytan with an album of photos and artwork created by the children, so that he can bring his memories back to Paris with him. Eytan gave us a set of picture flashcards so that we can continue to practice our French! We sang “Make New Friends” together, and all of the children gave Eytan a hug before he left. We will be sure to keep in touch through writing letters, and perhaps even Skype!
We have begun to incorporate Havdalah, the religious ceremony marking the end of Shabbat, into our Monday Morning Meeting routine. We light the braided candle and enjoy smelling the spice box while singing the blessings. The children especially love listening to the sound of the candle sizzling as we dip it into the grape juice to extinguish the flame. We then wish each other a “Shavau Tov,” or a “Good Week.”
We have continued to notice signs of fall this week. While the rainy weather has kept us indoors, signs of nature were plentiful in the classroom. The children practiced cutting leaves, and then gluing them on paper. We added more leaves to the sand table. The children have enjoyed the rich sensory experience of crumbling and crunching the leaves. We also painted with acorns this week, and then conducted an experiment. We tried planting an acorn in some soil. The children made hypotheses, and learned that the word hypothesis means “a prediction,” or “a guess about what will happen.” Here are our predictions:
Nicholas: I think the acorn tree is going to grow in it.
Shayna: I think the acorn will grow into a plant like pumpkins or pineapple or clementines.
Ashley: It’s going to grow into a tree.
Julia: It’s gonna grow into a tree like an apple tree.
Matthew: When it grows to be an acorn tree, acorns will fall off of it.
Arturo: Grow.
We also had fun exploring with a pumpkin this week. We guessed at how many seeds would be inside, and then scooped them out. We counted up to 67 seeds…but alas, there were more seeds than we had the patience to count! We then rinsed and toasted the seeds, which made for a delicious snack after lunch on Wednesday.
The numerous rainy days that we had this week gave us several opportunities to play a fun new game, “Hullabaloo.” This game is a little bit like a cross between “Twister” and “Simon Says.” There are sixteen “pads” (small vinyl mats) with multiple attributes (different shapes, pictures, and colors). The children follow directions to move in different ways (bouncing, skipping, crawling, etc.) to particular pads. The children love this game, and it allows them to have some intense gross motor activity indoors. Furthermore, it supports them in developing listening comprehension, following multi-step directions, practicing knowledge of shapes of colors, and noticing multiple attributes of one object.
We have had some fun writing activities out in the classroom this week. The children loved creating their own books at the Writing Center. By drawing pictures and dictating words to teachers, the children develop their understanding that printed letters communicate specific meanings. Furthermore, when children write their own books, it supports their reading development because they can often “read” what they have composed. In the Dramatic Play Area this week, we have added wipe-off board “grocery lists” and cards displaying words and pictures relating to food. The children had a great time creating their own grocery lists. It is common for four-year-olds to use a combination of letters and scribbles when they are “writing,” and this is an important part of their development as writers. Many of the children, however, have enjoyed asking for help replicating the letters that they see in the flash cards. Adding writing materials to the Dramatic Play Area is a way to engage children in writing in a way that is different from the Writing Center – it becomes integrated into their play. This ignites their curiosity and helps build an understanding of how adults use writing.
The children are enjoying collecting tzedakah on Fridays. If any of you wish to send in a roll or two of pennies in a zip-lock bag, we will be happy to store them in the classroom and give them to the children to donate during Shabbat on Fridays.
Next week we will begin talking about Thanksgiving. We are planning on creating a feast for the children, in combination with the “Bears” classroom, on Wednesday, November 24th. There will be much cooking and preparation happening in the week ahead!
Shabbat Shalom, and best wishes for the week ahead.
Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
Our week began by saying a sad good-bye to Eytan and his family on Monday. Cecile brought in a delicious chocolate layer cake, much enjoyed by children and adults alike. We presented Eytan with an album of photos and artwork created by the children, so that he can bring his memories back to Paris with him. Eytan gave us a set of picture flashcards so that we can continue to practice our French! We sang “Make New Friends” together, and all of the children gave Eytan a hug before he left. We will be sure to keep in touch through writing letters, and perhaps even Skype!
We have begun to incorporate Havdalah, the religious ceremony marking the end of Shabbat, into our Monday Morning Meeting routine. We light the braided candle and enjoy smelling the spice box while singing the blessings. The children especially love listening to the sound of the candle sizzling as we dip it into the grape juice to extinguish the flame. We then wish each other a “Shavau Tov,” or a “Good Week.”
We have continued to notice signs of fall this week. While the rainy weather has kept us indoors, signs of nature were plentiful in the classroom. The children practiced cutting leaves, and then gluing them on paper. We added more leaves to the sand table. The children have enjoyed the rich sensory experience of crumbling and crunching the leaves. We also painted with acorns this week, and then conducted an experiment. We tried planting an acorn in some soil. The children made hypotheses, and learned that the word hypothesis means “a prediction,” or “a guess about what will happen.” Here are our predictions:
Nicholas: I think the acorn tree is going to grow in it.
Shayna: I think the acorn will grow into a plant like pumpkins or pineapple or clementines.
Ashley: It’s going to grow into a tree.
Julia: It’s gonna grow into a tree like an apple tree.
Matthew: When it grows to be an acorn tree, acorns will fall off of it.
Arturo: Grow.
We also had fun exploring with a pumpkin this week. We guessed at how many seeds would be inside, and then scooped them out. We counted up to 67 seeds…but alas, there were more seeds than we had the patience to count! We then rinsed and toasted the seeds, which made for a delicious snack after lunch on Wednesday.
The numerous rainy days that we had this week gave us several opportunities to play a fun new game, “Hullabaloo.” This game is a little bit like a cross between “Twister” and “Simon Says.” There are sixteen “pads” (small vinyl mats) with multiple attributes (different shapes, pictures, and colors). The children follow directions to move in different ways (bouncing, skipping, crawling, etc.) to particular pads. The children love this game, and it allows them to have some intense gross motor activity indoors. Furthermore, it supports them in developing listening comprehension, following multi-step directions, practicing knowledge of shapes of colors, and noticing multiple attributes of one object.
We have had some fun writing activities out in the classroom this week. The children loved creating their own books at the Writing Center. By drawing pictures and dictating words to teachers, the children develop their understanding that printed letters communicate specific meanings. Furthermore, when children write their own books, it supports their reading development because they can often “read” what they have composed. In the Dramatic Play Area this week, we have added wipe-off board “grocery lists” and cards displaying words and pictures relating to food. The children had a great time creating their own grocery lists. It is common for four-year-olds to use a combination of letters and scribbles when they are “writing,” and this is an important part of their development as writers. Many of the children, however, have enjoyed asking for help replicating the letters that they see in the flash cards. Adding writing materials to the Dramatic Play Area is a way to engage children in writing in a way that is different from the Writing Center – it becomes integrated into their play. This ignites their curiosity and helps build an understanding of how adults use writing.
The children are enjoying collecting tzedakah on Fridays. If any of you wish to send in a roll or two of pennies in a zip-lock bag, we will be happy to store them in the classroom and give them to the children to donate during Shabbat on Fridays.
Next week we will begin talking about Thanksgiving. We are planning on creating a feast for the children, in combination with the “Bears” classroom, on Wednesday, November 24th. There will be much cooking and preparation happening in the week ahead!
Shabbat Shalom, and best wishes for the week ahead.
Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
Friday, November 5, 2010
Observational Drawings, Number Hunts, and More!
Dear Families,
As signs of fall are now more than plentiful, many of our activities in the Owl Room this week have reflected the signs of the changing seasons. This week at the art table, the children engaged in observational drawings of pumpkins. When we engage in observational drawings in the classroom, we first sit at Morning Meeting and talk about the objects we are observing. In the case of the pumpkins, we noticed the color, texture (smooth with ridges and bumpy on the stem), and shape. The children were then encouraged to draw what they saw. We make the distinction for the children that while we sometimes draw what we imagine, there are other times when we practice drawing what is real and what we can see.
Observational drawings are frequently used in the Reggio Emilio approach to early childhood education. They are valued because they support children in learning to slow down and carefully observe the world around them. They also encourage children to learn to use writing and drawing to communicate their experiences. Observational drawings also encourage children to notice new details. In this case, the texture of the pumpkins was very interesting to the children. This detail might have gone unnoticed if we had not stopped to carefully observe and draw the pumpkins.
We then took our growing observational skills out to the playground, where the children used crayons and paper on clipboards to record what the playground looks like in the fall. They noticed leaves and acorns on the ground, and a few flowers still growing across the street. They discovered the blue sky above them, and the dark color of the bark on the trees. It will be interesting to compare our outdoor observational drawings for fall, winter, spring, and summer. We brought some of our fall discoveries indoors by collecting leaves and acorns. It is fun to cut the dried leaves (and additionally, a great new way to practice with scissors). Later this week and next, the children will work on sorting some of our fall discoveries.
A big highlight of the week for the children was using the listening center to listen to books read aloud while following along with printed copies. This is a fun way to support children’s engagement with books, and supports their listening comprehension as they learn to turn the pages so that the words and pictures correspond. We have also been using our Morning Meeting time this week to go on “Picture Walks.” When we go on a picture walk, we first look at the cover of a book that we have yet to read, and make predictions as to what it might be about. We then study each page of the book, and the children take turns making predictions about what is happening based on what they see. Picture Walks are frequently used in pre-kindergarten and early elementary classrooms as they support the children in developing reading comprehension skills. The children learn to use the pictures to understand the plot. By making predictions, they build critical thinking skills. Picture Walks can be fun to do at home too – please see Morah Larissa if you’d like some help trying this out with your child!
We have also been going on some “number hunts” this week, corresponding with the numbers that the children see on the classroom calendar. (For example, on
November 3, we went on a “number three” hunt.) The children go off into the classroom and are asked to come back with a collection of that quantity of toys. In particular, we are practicing pointing to each object as we count them in order to reinforce counting with one-to-one correspondence.
We so enjoyed meeting the donors visiting for the Trust Center Gala on Thursday. The children sang with smiles on their faces. It was, of course, very exciting to sing to Jerry Stiller right in our own classroom!
We are sad to say good-bye to Eytan. His last day will be Monday, November 8th. The children know that that is Eytan’s “Good-bye Day” – our day to say good-bye to him. They have been hard at work making pictures to put into an album for him (and have miraculously kept their work a surprise). We have talked about how much we will miss Eytan, but that we will find ways to keep in touch, such as by sending letters and pictures through the mail. We wish his family a bon voyage,
shalom v' kol tov שלום ו כל טוב and a safe journey home.
Morah Larissa had a lovely meeting with a kindergarten teacher in the Brookline Public Schools this week. Although it is still early in the year, we are already working hard to ensure that the children make a smooth transition and are prepared for the kindergarten curriculum. We will continue to communicate with you about this preparation throughout the year.
Shabbat Shalom, and best wishes for the weekend!
-Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
As signs of fall are now more than plentiful, many of our activities in the Owl Room this week have reflected the signs of the changing seasons. This week at the art table, the children engaged in observational drawings of pumpkins. When we engage in observational drawings in the classroom, we first sit at Morning Meeting and talk about the objects we are observing. In the case of the pumpkins, we noticed the color, texture (smooth with ridges and bumpy on the stem), and shape. The children were then encouraged to draw what they saw. We make the distinction for the children that while we sometimes draw what we imagine, there are other times when we practice drawing what is real and what we can see.
Observational drawings are frequently used in the Reggio Emilio approach to early childhood education. They are valued because they support children in learning to slow down and carefully observe the world around them. They also encourage children to learn to use writing and drawing to communicate their experiences. Observational drawings also encourage children to notice new details. In this case, the texture of the pumpkins was very interesting to the children. This detail might have gone unnoticed if we had not stopped to carefully observe and draw the pumpkins.
We then took our growing observational skills out to the playground, where the children used crayons and paper on clipboards to record what the playground looks like in the fall. They noticed leaves and acorns on the ground, and a few flowers still growing across the street. They discovered the blue sky above them, and the dark color of the bark on the trees. It will be interesting to compare our outdoor observational drawings for fall, winter, spring, and summer. We brought some of our fall discoveries indoors by collecting leaves and acorns. It is fun to cut the dried leaves (and additionally, a great new way to practice with scissors). Later this week and next, the children will work on sorting some of our fall discoveries.
A big highlight of the week for the children was using the listening center to listen to books read aloud while following along with printed copies. This is a fun way to support children’s engagement with books, and supports their listening comprehension as they learn to turn the pages so that the words and pictures correspond. We have also been using our Morning Meeting time this week to go on “Picture Walks.” When we go on a picture walk, we first look at the cover of a book that we have yet to read, and make predictions as to what it might be about. We then study each page of the book, and the children take turns making predictions about what is happening based on what they see. Picture Walks are frequently used in pre-kindergarten and early elementary classrooms as they support the children in developing reading comprehension skills. The children learn to use the pictures to understand the plot. By making predictions, they build critical thinking skills. Picture Walks can be fun to do at home too – please see Morah Larissa if you’d like some help trying this out with your child!
We have also been going on some “number hunts” this week, corresponding with the numbers that the children see on the classroom calendar. (For example, on
November 3, we went on a “number three” hunt.) The children go off into the classroom and are asked to come back with a collection of that quantity of toys. In particular, we are practicing pointing to each object as we count them in order to reinforce counting with one-to-one correspondence.
We so enjoyed meeting the donors visiting for the Trust Center Gala on Thursday. The children sang with smiles on their faces. It was, of course, very exciting to sing to Jerry Stiller right in our own classroom!
We are sad to say good-bye to Eytan. His last day will be Monday, November 8th. The children know that that is Eytan’s “Good-bye Day” – our day to say good-bye to him. They have been hard at work making pictures to put into an album for him (and have miraculously kept their work a surprise). We have talked about how much we will miss Eytan, but that we will find ways to keep in touch, such as by sending letters and pictures through the mail. We wish his family a bon voyage,
shalom v' kol tov שלום ו כל טוב and a safe journey home.
Morah Larissa had a lovely meeting with a kindergarten teacher in the Brookline Public Schools this week. Although it is still early in the year, we are already working hard to ensure that the children make a smooth transition and are prepared for the kindergarten curriculum. We will continue to communicate with you about this preparation throughout the year.
Shabbat Shalom, and best wishes for the weekend!
-Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
Friday, October 29, 2010
Transportation Week
Dear Families,
We continued to have a blast studying transportation in the Owl Room this week! At the art table, the children transformed old egg cartons into trains. They each selected a name for their train. We made Circus Trains, the TGV (the French high speed train), and even the T. Another big hit at the art table this week was making train whistles using paper towel tubes and waxed paper. As you can see, we make great use out of recycled items. Please feel free to share your own recycling with us – we are always looking for “beautiful junk.”
We played a few new fun inside games this week. “Car, Car, Truck,” a variation on “Duck, Duck, Goose,” was a fun way for the children to get moving and to practice with turn-taking. The children also enjoyed making a “train” with the classroom chairs, and using tickets with numbers to find the right seat. This was a fun way for the children to practice counting using one-to-one correspondence (counting an item accurately while pointing to it). We are also practicing vocabulary words for ordinal numbers, such as “first,” “second,” and “third.”
Some new songs and poems also addressed this week’s theme. We sang “T-R-A-I-N,” to the tune of “B-I-N-G-O.” This is a fun way to practice letter recognition. We have begun to reinforce for the children the sounds that correspond with each letter. For example, before eliminating “T” when singing the song, we might note aloud that T makes a /T/ sound. We also learned a new poem about a train, “Engine on the Track.” This was a great opportunity to point out rhyming words, such as “train” and “rain” and to introduce the concept that rhyming words “sound alike.” Morah Kate and the children had great fun teaching Morah Larissa “Hinei Rakevet,” an Israeli folk song about trains that the children learned last year.
Learning about vehicles that travel such long distances was a great opportunity for us to learn and practice “T’filat HaDerech,” the prayer said before taking a long journey.
We have also begun to discuss with the children the environmental consequences of vehicles. We have talked about how we often need to ride in cars, trains, planes, and boats. But overusing these vehicles is not good for the Earth! We talked about how cars create air pollution that is not good for trees and animals. The children learned that we can perform the mitzvah of repairing the Earth by sometimes choosing to walk or ride bikes when possible. During the weeks to come, we would love for you to help the children to perform this mitzvah and to share it with the class! We will hang a poster outside the Owl classroom for you and your child to write down places that you have gone to by walking or riding bicycles instead of driving. It will be wonderful for the children to learn about each other’s experiences.
Morah Larissa will look forward to speaking with all of you by phone over the next week or two to check in about the children’s adjustment to the preK class and their growth and development. Please feel free to let us know at drop off or pick up if there is a particularly good time to chat, or if there are particular concerns that you are having.
Thank you all, and Shabbat Shalom.
-Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
We continued to have a blast studying transportation in the Owl Room this week! At the art table, the children transformed old egg cartons into trains. They each selected a name for their train. We made Circus Trains, the TGV (the French high speed train), and even the T. Another big hit at the art table this week was making train whistles using paper towel tubes and waxed paper. As you can see, we make great use out of recycled items. Please feel free to share your own recycling with us – we are always looking for “beautiful junk.”
We played a few new fun inside games this week. “Car, Car, Truck,” a variation on “Duck, Duck, Goose,” was a fun way for the children to get moving and to practice with turn-taking. The children also enjoyed making a “train” with the classroom chairs, and using tickets with numbers to find the right seat. This was a fun way for the children to practice counting using one-to-one correspondence (counting an item accurately while pointing to it). We are also practicing vocabulary words for ordinal numbers, such as “first,” “second,” and “third.”
Some new songs and poems also addressed this week’s theme. We sang “T-R-A-I-N,” to the tune of “B-I-N-G-O.” This is a fun way to practice letter recognition. We have begun to reinforce for the children the sounds that correspond with each letter. For example, before eliminating “T” when singing the song, we might note aloud that T makes a /T/ sound. We also learned a new poem about a train, “Engine on the Track.” This was a great opportunity to point out rhyming words, such as “train” and “rain” and to introduce the concept that rhyming words “sound alike.” Morah Kate and the children had great fun teaching Morah Larissa “Hinei Rakevet,” an Israeli folk song about trains that the children learned last year.
Learning about vehicles that travel such long distances was a great opportunity for us to learn and practice “T’filat HaDerech,” the prayer said before taking a long journey.
We have also begun to discuss with the children the environmental consequences of vehicles. We have talked about how we often need to ride in cars, trains, planes, and boats. But overusing these vehicles is not good for the Earth! We talked about how cars create air pollution that is not good for trees and animals. The children learned that we can perform the mitzvah of repairing the Earth by sometimes choosing to walk or ride bikes when possible. During the weeks to come, we would love for you to help the children to perform this mitzvah and to share it with the class! We will hang a poster outside the Owl classroom for you and your child to write down places that you have gone to by walking or riding bicycles instead of driving. It will be wonderful for the children to learn about each other’s experiences.
Morah Larissa will look forward to speaking with all of you by phone over the next week or two to check in about the children’s adjustment to the preK class and their growth and development. Please feel free to let us know at drop off or pick up if there is a particularly good time to chat, or if there are particular concerns that you are having.
Thank you all, and Shabbat Shalom.
-Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
Friday, October 22, 2010
10/22/10
Dear Families,
This week in the Owl Room, we have begun a study of vehicles, including trains, trucks, cars, boats, and planes. We began by asking the children to tell us what they knew about one specific mode of transportation: trains. It was amazing to hear how much the children knew: that trains drive on tracks; that some trains use coal for energy, etc. The next day, we asked the children to discuss some of the things that they are interested in learning about trains. This enables us to develop an emergent curriculum that balances the skills that four-year-olds need to acquire with their own interests and curiosities.
Vehicles have begun to appear throughout the room and curriculum. The children have cut out trains, planes, and trucks from play-dough using cookie cutters. This strengthens the muscles in their hands, which is important as they develop fine-motor skills for writing. The children played with new boats in the water table, and enjoyed the challenge of nesting the boats in size order. At the art table this week, the children created many steering wheels. They had a fabulous time bringing the steering wheels to the dramatic play area, which they have used to pretend to be airplane pilots.
The children also enjoyed playing with new foam train tracks and new toy cars. It is always a challenge for four and five-year-olds to share toys, and with so many new, appealing toys in the room this week, we have focused on ways to use language to negotiate sharing. At Circle Time this week, the children participated in brief puppet shows (“performed” by Morah Larissa). We used puppets to demonstrate problems that happen when children struggle with sharing (for example, one puppet might grab a toy). The children then worked together to discuss a better solution to the problem. We talked about how to ask for a toy (“May I please use the car when you are done with it?”) and that sometimes children have to wait for a friend to be all done, but that they can find a different toy to play with while they are waiting. Having an opportunity to discuss a puppet’s problems gives them an opportunity to do their own problem solving when they are not in the thick of an argument, and it allows them to learn the language needed for negotiation with peers.
Related to our study of vehicles this week, we also took some time to talk about safety – what children do to stay safe in cars or when walking near busy streets with adults. We followed this conversation with an opportunity to do some observations of real vehicles on Beacon Street. The children sat on the front stairs of the synagogue, and we saw many kinds of vehicles! There were SUVs, cars, trucks, bicycles, and of course, the T! The children drew their observations and dictated some thoughts about their work to teachers. It is wonderful to have an opportunity to learn about vehicles in action! Bringing crayons and clipboards to do observations allows the children to communicate their own interests, as well as to build their fine motor skills.
Enjoy the weekend, and we will see you next week when we continue our study of vehicles!
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
This week in the Owl Room, we have begun a study of vehicles, including trains, trucks, cars, boats, and planes. We began by asking the children to tell us what they knew about one specific mode of transportation: trains. It was amazing to hear how much the children knew: that trains drive on tracks; that some trains use coal for energy, etc. The next day, we asked the children to discuss some of the things that they are interested in learning about trains. This enables us to develop an emergent curriculum that balances the skills that four-year-olds need to acquire with their own interests and curiosities.
Vehicles have begun to appear throughout the room and curriculum. The children have cut out trains, planes, and trucks from play-dough using cookie cutters. This strengthens the muscles in their hands, which is important as they develop fine-motor skills for writing. The children played with new boats in the water table, and enjoyed the challenge of nesting the boats in size order. At the art table this week, the children created many steering wheels. They had a fabulous time bringing the steering wheels to the dramatic play area, which they have used to pretend to be airplane pilots.
The children also enjoyed playing with new foam train tracks and new toy cars. It is always a challenge for four and five-year-olds to share toys, and with so many new, appealing toys in the room this week, we have focused on ways to use language to negotiate sharing. At Circle Time this week, the children participated in brief puppet shows (“performed” by Morah Larissa). We used puppets to demonstrate problems that happen when children struggle with sharing (for example, one puppet might grab a toy). The children then worked together to discuss a better solution to the problem. We talked about how to ask for a toy (“May I please use the car when you are done with it?”) and that sometimes children have to wait for a friend to be all done, but that they can find a different toy to play with while they are waiting. Having an opportunity to discuss a puppet’s problems gives them an opportunity to do their own problem solving when they are not in the thick of an argument, and it allows them to learn the language needed for negotiation with peers.
Related to our study of vehicles this week, we also took some time to talk about safety – what children do to stay safe in cars or when walking near busy streets with adults. We followed this conversation with an opportunity to do some observations of real vehicles on Beacon Street. The children sat on the front stairs of the synagogue, and we saw many kinds of vehicles! There were SUVs, cars, trucks, bicycles, and of course, the T! The children drew their observations and dictated some thoughts about their work to teachers. It is wonderful to have an opportunity to learn about vehicles in action! Bringing crayons and clipboards to do observations allows the children to communicate their own interests, as well as to build their fine motor skills.
Enjoy the weekend, and we will see you next week when we continue our study of vehicles!
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
Friday, October 15, 2010
The Owls 10-15-10
Dear Families,
In the Owl Room this week, we have enthusiastically continued our study of apples, building upon the children’s knowledge of different kinds of apples and the ways that apples are used. At the art table this week, the children have glued tissue paper squares onto wax-paper apples. We have hung the finished products up on the window, and they look beautiful with the light shining through them. Come and check them out! The children have also made “apple pie” collages. First, they glued paper apples onto a plate, followed by paper strips arranged to create a “crust.” The final
(and most favorite) step was shaking some cinnamon on top of the paper crust to make the collage smell delicious! This multi-sensory activity supports the children in building their fine motor skills as well as their abilities to follow sequential multi-step directions.
Cooking and tasting have been a big part of our curriculum this week. On Tuesday, the children sliced and peeled apples using the apple peeler machine. We put them on a pot on the stove, and when they were soft and cooled, the children mashed them and stirred them to make applesauce. On Thursday, we observed and tasted three different kinds of apples: Granny Smith, Gala, and Red Delicious. The children had wonderful observations of the differences in the apples, noting the different colors and shapes, as well as the different flavors. They all tasted all of the types of apples and then used charts to record their likes and dislikes. Finally, we used a graph to vote for our favorite apples. Granny Smith was the most popular apple! On Friday, we will make a yogurt-honey dip to taste with apples for snack. Eating so many apples has given us the opportunity to practice the blessing that we say for fruit that comes from trees!
The books that we’ve read this week include Where is Ben? (by Marisabino Russo), Apple Farmer Annie (by Monica Wellington), and From Apples to Applesauce (by Kristin Thoennes Keller). A new song (to the tune of the Itsy Bitsy Spider) has encouraged the children’s curiosity in the apple life cycle:
Once a little apple seed was planted in the ground
Down came rain, falling all around.
Out came the sun as bright as it could be
And that little seed
Grew up to be an apple tree
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
In the Owl Room this week, we have enthusiastically continued our study of apples, building upon the children’s knowledge of different kinds of apples and the ways that apples are used. At the art table this week, the children have glued tissue paper squares onto wax-paper apples. We have hung the finished products up on the window, and they look beautiful with the light shining through them. Come and check them out! The children have also made “apple pie” collages. First, they glued paper apples onto a plate, followed by paper strips arranged to create a “crust.” The final
(and most favorite) step was shaking some cinnamon on top of the paper crust to make the collage smell delicious! This multi-sensory activity supports the children in building their fine motor skills as well as their abilities to follow sequential multi-step directions.
Cooking and tasting have been a big part of our curriculum this week. On Tuesday, the children sliced and peeled apples using the apple peeler machine. We put them on a pot on the stove, and when they were soft and cooled, the children mashed them and stirred them to make applesauce. On Thursday, we observed and tasted three different kinds of apples: Granny Smith, Gala, and Red Delicious. The children had wonderful observations of the differences in the apples, noting the different colors and shapes, as well as the different flavors. They all tasted all of the types of apples and then used charts to record their likes and dislikes. Finally, we used a graph to vote for our favorite apples. Granny Smith was the most popular apple! On Friday, we will make a yogurt-honey dip to taste with apples for snack. Eating so many apples has given us the opportunity to practice the blessing that we say for fruit that comes from trees!
The books that we’ve read this week include Where is Ben? (by Marisabino Russo), Apple Farmer Annie (by Monica Wellington), and From Apples to Applesauce (by Kristin Thoennes Keller). A new song (to the tune of the Itsy Bitsy Spider) has encouraged the children’s curiosity in the apple life cycle:
Once a little apple seed was planted in the ground
Down came rain, falling all around.
Out came the sun as bright as it could be
And that little seed
Grew up to be an apple tree
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
Friday, October 8, 2010
A Message from "The Owls" 10-8-10
Dear Families,
In the Owl Room this week we have been using all of our senses to
study a favorite fall fruit: apples. In the dramatic play (or housekeeping)
area, we have introduced toy apples and pears. The children have been
making pretend apple juice, pretend apple pie, and even pretend kugel! The
children all had a chance to try their hands at some real cooking this week as
they helped to prepare snack on Tuesday. We used an apple
peeler/corer/slicer machine to slice and peel apples. We then sprinkled a
little lemon juice on top, and the children learned that this would keep the
apples from browning. Finally, we sprinkled on a little cinnamon and sugar.
The apple snack was a big hit!
We have also encountered apples at the art table, where we have
printed and painted with apples sliced in half. Some of the children even
noticed the interesting pattern that the seeds create in the center of an
apple.
We have also added a few new math activities this week, focusing on
apples. Morah Kate and Morah Larissa introduced a matching game, in which
the children matched an apple with a numeral (such as 7) to an apple with
that number of apple stickers on it. We have worked with numbers 1-10 in
this way. We also have introduced an apple sorting activity. The children
have been sorting red, yellow, and green paper apples. They have learned
that sorting means creating collections that match each other (in this case
that match by color). Finally, at a new circle time activity, we have been
chanting a new poem called “Down Around the Corner,” in which the children
pretend to go to a “grocery” store to pick out one of 7 apples. This allows us
to practice counting 1-7 as a group.
We have also learned a song about apples to the tune of “B-I-N-G-O,”
and it has become very popular and frequently requested! The books that we
have read this week have included Apples and Pumpkins, Amazing Apples, and
Red Are the Apples. Through the study of apples in so many parts of the
curriculum, the children are able to acquire and practice a variety of
concepts (such as counting, sequencing, letter knowledge) through familiar
and interesting experiences.
Another project that we have been busy working on this week has
been the collaborative art project that we are making as a gift to the Trust
family at the gala next month. Collaborative art projects are wonderful
ways for children to learn new skills from each other, and to tangibly see the
rewards of working together in a group.
Shabbat Shalom, and best wishes for the weekend.
-- Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
In the Owl Room this week we have been using all of our senses to
study a favorite fall fruit: apples. In the dramatic play (or housekeeping)
area, we have introduced toy apples and pears. The children have been
making pretend apple juice, pretend apple pie, and even pretend kugel! The
children all had a chance to try their hands at some real cooking this week as
they helped to prepare snack on Tuesday. We used an apple
peeler/corer/slicer machine to slice and peel apples. We then sprinkled a
little lemon juice on top, and the children learned that this would keep the
apples from browning. Finally, we sprinkled on a little cinnamon and sugar.
The apple snack was a big hit!
We have also encountered apples at the art table, where we have
printed and painted with apples sliced in half. Some of the children even
noticed the interesting pattern that the seeds create in the center of an
apple.
We have also added a few new math activities this week, focusing on
apples. Morah Kate and Morah Larissa introduced a matching game, in which
the children matched an apple with a numeral (such as 7) to an apple with
that number of apple stickers on it. We have worked with numbers 1-10 in
this way. We also have introduced an apple sorting activity. The children
have been sorting red, yellow, and green paper apples. They have learned
that sorting means creating collections that match each other (in this case
that match by color). Finally, at a new circle time activity, we have been
chanting a new poem called “Down Around the Corner,” in which the children
pretend to go to a “grocery” store to pick out one of 7 apples. This allows us
to practice counting 1-7 as a group.
We have also learned a song about apples to the tune of “B-I-N-G-O,”
and it has become very popular and frequently requested! The books that we
have read this week have included Apples and Pumpkins, Amazing Apples, and
Red Are the Apples. Through the study of apples in so many parts of the
curriculum, the children are able to acquire and practice a variety of
concepts (such as counting, sequencing, letter knowledge) through familiar
and interesting experiences.
Another project that we have been busy working on this week has
been the collaborative art project that we are making as a gift to the Trust
family at the gala next month. Collaborative art projects are wonderful
ways for children to learn new skills from each other, and to tangibly see the
rewards of working together in a group.
Shabbat Shalom, and best wishes for the weekend.
-- Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
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