Our little builders worked hard again this week as we created and built a variety of structures. During center time we made buildings with foam blocks and shaving cream, patterned with construction trucks, sequenced 5 pictures of building a house, washed construction trucks with toothbrushes and soapy water, built with blocks then knocked them down, built with Lincoln logs and magnatiles, put small construction puzzles together, built with little legos, built letters using wooden pieces after reading a construction ABC book, connected real and plastic nuts to bolts, laced construction trucks, sanded a block, used unifix cubes to measure tape lengths, patterned with nails (different colored golf tees) by hammering them into egg cartons, painted a house by cutting paint swatches and glueing them on to a house, copied pictures to make structures using blocks, wrote in our journals about what we would like to build and made structures out of packaging noodles.
It was fun to watch a video of a building getting demolished using a wrecking ball. During center time, everyone enjoyed making tall towers and using the wrecking ball to demolish it. We also used a smaller wrecking ball to knock down towers made with little blocks. We followed the card that showed us how to build different towers. In addition, we experimented with ramps and a variety of items. We discovered that the round items rolled and the square and flat times just slid down the ramp.
After watching a video about bridges and what makes them strong, we showed pictures of the different types of bridges. During center time we made our own bridges using a variety of materials. We discovered which materials made a strong bridge and which materials made a weak bridge. The students used little bears to test the strengths of their bridge.
The hippos signed in to what truck they liked the best. The students also made a house out of cardboard in which they cut the roof out, added doors and windows and painted it using paint sticks. After it was completed we wrote the students addresses on them. We will work on learning the street number and name during our opening time. In addition, we are working on recognizing our last name and our birthdates.
Our letter this week was K for Koala. We went over the sound, things that start with the letter K, and built the K using magnet pieces. We reviewed letter R and B by tracing them on sandpaper. We did not have a 2nd steps lesson due to two birthdays this week.
Learning goals this week: cutting, learning personal information-last names and birthdays, fine and gross motor, recognizing and comparing numbers, making decisions independently, alphabet recognition and sounds, patterns, letter formation, persistent behaviors, curiosity, sequencing, resolving conflicts when they arise, respectful behaviors and having FUN!!
Books We Read
Pete the Cat Construction Destruction
Dig Dogs Dig
Construction Demolition Site
ABC Construction
YouTube video of a wrecking ball
YouTube video -What Makes Bridges so Strong?
Questions to ask your child:
1. What did we knock down with our wrecking ball? (blocks/towers)
2. Do construction trucks work as a team? (yes)
3. If you were to build something, what would it be?
4. What is your last name? When is your birthday?
5. What did Pete the Cat construct? (a playground)
Things to do at home:Play a game where you roll a dice and add that many blocks to a structure. Practice counting the blocks. Take turns with a sibling or parent in making one structure instead of separate structures. This way you are using teamwork to make a structure like the construction trucks do when they build a home or building. In addition, experiment with different types of ramps and items
Reminders
***Love YourSELF family event hosted by the LPA 2/7 3:00-5:00 at LECC
***Clothing Drive for St. Louis Children's Hospital Feb. 2-Feb. 27. Please send items to the classroom.
***Send Valentines in by Monday, February 9th to school. Please sign your child's name on each card. Please do NOT write who it is going to. This will help tremendously when passing out the cards to others. Also, please do not send food with your valentine cards.
***Friendship Party is Thursday, February 12th at 11:00 in the Hippo room, all are welcome
***No School, Monday, February 16th- Presidents Day
***Passport Day, March 7th
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| We experimented to see which objects would roll down the ramp. |
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| The students drew a few pictures in their city. |
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| Which rolls down the ramp and why? |
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| The students constructed alphabet letters. |
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| What would you like to build? |
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| Big Room Fun |
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| We experimented with bridges. |
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| We discovered this type of bridge was weak. |
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The hippos measured painters tape with unifix cubes.
They then counted the cubes and worked on writing the number. |
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| Screwing nuts on bolts, real and plastic. |
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| We laced construction trucks. |
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| We traced the B and R on sandpaper. |
