Hippos

Hello Hippo Families!

We had a wonderful week with your children in the Hippo room!  We are learning and practicing the the classroom routine, working on transitions, being safe on the stairs and going over the class rules. We are also learning our daily schedule. It is posted on our white board and we check it each day as well as discuss or show pictures of the expectations involved.  This week we began our classroom jobs. The students get jobs every other day and get to choose which job they'd like.  Jobs include calendar, electrician, line leader, caboose, weather, door holder and bell ringer. (goals: responsibility, accepting transitions, listening, following rules)

In the hippo room, we encourage self help skills.  It begins by following the morning routine when entering the classroom.  When the children need help with anything, we ask that they try it first themselves.  The students practice unzipping and getting their snacks out as well as packing up to go home.  We have the hippos put their backpacks on the floor, unzip their backpacks, check their cubbies for papers, load their belongings and zip up their backpacks.  

Our theme this week was "Hippos".  We learned a few hippo facts, practiced some "Hippo" songs, watched a video of real hippos and even learned how to spell hippo to the tune of "BINGO".  We discussed the letter H is the beginning letter in the word Hippo.

The hippos went to art for the first time with Ms. Tara! We learned some rules in art, watch a video about colors and then painted using a variety of materials.  Art provides many opportunities for fine motor practice, making decisions and using language.

The children really enjoyed learning about Fiona, a hippo from the Cincinnati Zoo.  We read a book about Fiona when we visited the library. During snack, we watched a video from when she was a little baby. The doctors took such good care of her so she could then be reunited with her parents.  During story time we also talked about real hippo books and make believe hippo books. 

This week in our 2nd steps social/emotional skills curriculum, we met Susie.  Susie was very excited to start school.  We talked to her about the listening rules and then she was ready to learn.  We practiced singing the listening rules and using hand motions to help us remember.  We also played a listening game in which we heard a sound and had to guess what it was (cow, water running, train, clapping, bell ringing, sheep, birds, cat, door bell, etc.).  During snack time, each student told the group which was their favorite sound. (recall)

Our centers included: playing with hippos and scoopers in moon sand(sensory), going on a Hippo word hunt for the word HIPPO (recognizing letters, word), playing with hippos in playdoh, painting our hippo masks (fine motor, making decisions), using props to go with the book, You Can't Move a Hippo (comprehension, sequencing), playing with hippos and the doctor toys based on the book,Dr. Hippo (pretend play, taking turns), cutting grass which hippos eat- green yarn and construction paper (cutting, holding scissors correctly, using helper hand), counting pretend chocolate chip cookies based on the book, Chocolate, Chippo, Hippo, painting with hippo footprints and answering where the hippo tracks took them...(sensory, following directions, using language), making spots using daubers on the letter H (recognizing the letter H), making pretend gum out of model magic and a pink marker that was the spot in the book, Hippospotamus. (fine motor, strengthening fingers), matching cookie shapes (learning shapes), playing Hungry Hippos game (taking turns, waiting patiently, fine motor), using plastic hippos to practice positional concepts and playing with cars, trains, tools, doll house, legos, etc. (taking turns, using language, resolving conflict when it arises)!  We were busy hippos this week!!!

Books we read:
You Can't Move a Hippo
Hippospotamus
Here Comes Dr. Hippo

Chocolate Chippo Hippo

Fiona the Hippo

Song: (tune to BINGO)
There is a class at LECC
and Hippo is its name oh
HIPPO, HIPPO, HIPPO
and Hippo is its name oh
(take a letter away and clap)

Hippo Song: (tune..Are You Happy and You Know It)
Oh, I wish I was a hippopotamus! (clap, clap)
Oh, I wish I was a hippopotamus! (clap, clap)
I'd jump and I'd dive,
do a happy little jive
Oh, I wish I was a hippopotamus! (clap, clap)


Questions to ask your child:
1.  What new special did we go to this week? (art)
2.  Ask your child what job he/she did this week.
3.  When do hippos eat, during the day or at night?  (at night)
4.  How long can hippos hold their breath underwater?   10 minutes or 5 minutes? (5 minutes)
5.  What do hippos eat?  (plants and grass)
6.  What did you do in the garden?
7.  In the book, You Can't Move a Hippo, what did the mouse say to get the hippo to move off the             bridge? (he said please)


Things to Practice At Home
Please practice self help skills at home. Self help skills contribute to independence and self esteem. Have your child practice unzipping their backpack, loading their own snack and zipping it up by themselves so they are ready for school. It is easier for them to do this when the backpack is on the floor.

Coming up next week:
All About Me and Family Traditions


Important Dates

9/18  School Pictures

9/18  Please send to school 6 apples, preferably different colors for sorting

9/20 Parent Open House 5:30-6:30

9/28 Wear Your Favorite Color Day

10/11 Vision screening during school

10/16 Parent Teacher Conference week

10/18 & 11/2 Hearing screening during school

Enjoy our busy hippos!!!  

      

It was fun to paint with hippo feet and answer the question of
where the hippo tracks would take them.

We went on a HIPPO word hunt in the classroom!

Fun with cars and ramps.

We all took turns pretending to be hippos bouncing
around in the water. This worked our gross motor muscles as well as balancing!

After reading, Hippostopomus, we using pink
circles to represent the bubble gum that was stuck 
on the hippo.  We used playdoh to make it stick.

We practiced our listening skills during group time.  We listened
to sounds and picked out the picture that matched the sound. 

We colored parts of our hippo mask!

We used props when reading You Can't Move A Hippo!

It was so much fun to watch a video of the real Fiona from the Cincinnati Zoo!

During library time we read a book about Fiona, the hippo.

The book center is always open!

We worked on our fine motor skills and letter recognition to string letters!

Kinetic sand is always a hit!

Garden fun! We learned the rules then explored!

Step one in making a hippo mask!

Everyone loved playing the Hungry Hippo Game!

Our sensory table included hippos, moon sand and scoopers.

We enjoyed learning our hippo song!

Each child had 2 turns getting a job this week.

Art class with Ms. Tara!

We made spots on the letter H just like the spot in our book.

We met Susie our puppet and helped her calm down with our
listening song.

The students had a chance to use the props from our story.

We practiced using the correct grip and our helper hand
as we practiced cutting pretend grass that hippos eat.

Sorting, weighing and patterning bears.

Our little hippos are so cute!!

After reading Dr. Hippo, we pretended to be doctors caring for our hippos.

After we were done painting, Ms Tara provided clip boards, paper and markers to
make pictures.

Look what I made!

That hippo has lots of spots!

We used a pink marker and model magic to make pretend bubble gum.
After making pink marks on the model magic, we then mixed it
in with our hands.

Here we matched numbered keys to locks, then opened
and closed them.  An activity to match numbers and
provide fine motor practice!