This week we dove into learning about penguins!! We started by asking the students what they already knew about penguins. Then each child came to the front of the class to share his/her penguin picture and facts! This skill worked on voice volume, confident behavior, language and respectful behavior towards others by listening to others. After reading If You Were A Penguin, we wrote in our journals about what we would do if we were a penguin. The hippos enjoyed making Antarctic with a variety of materials. (making decisions independently, fine motor) After completing this, the fun began with lots of penguins! We also had fun adding penguins, blocks and stones in our play-doh! Our sensory table contained blue water, styrofoam icebergs, pipettes and little penguins (sensory). In addition, the hippos used penguins with a variety of different blocks. (fine/gross motor, taking turns, respectful behaviors) The students also rolled dice and covered the number rolled with fish. (recognizing numbers) Our sensory table contained blue water, styrofoam icebergs, pipettes and little penguins.
The hippos played The All Gone Game in which they rolled a dice and ate that many fish from the penguins belly. This game worked on meaningful counting. We also went fishing on the carpet, practiced positional concepts using penguins, sequenced the life of a penguin, made patterns and played with penguins in shaving cream. The students signed in by choosing which penguin they liked then counting and comparing the numbers. We also matched upper and lower case lettered penguins. In addition, we rolled penguin dice and picked the number that was more and the one that was less. The students cut out a penguin, glued the eyes, nose and feet, then painted the belly white. (cutting, fine motor, following 2 step directions, sequencing, patterning, comparing numbers, making decisions independently)
During group time we discussed how the penguins stay warm in the cold temperatures. One way is by huddling close together. We watched a video of real penguins huddling to stay warm. Another way penguins stay warm is due to the fact they have blubber. To show this, we had each child put one hand in ice cold water. We then had them put their other hand in a blubber mitt (made with shortening and plastic bags). The children discovered theirs hands stayed warm in the blubber when inserted in cold water.
During our gym time, we pretended to be penguins by waddling, flapping, swimming, jumping and belly sliding. The hippos placed penguin eggs (bean bags) between their knees and waddled. We then huddled like penguins do when it gets really cold! It was fun to be a penguin and toboggan by laying on scooters and moving them around our igloo arch. (gross motor)
Books Read
Little Penguin
If You Were A Penguin
Grumpy Penguin
Where is Home Pip?
Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8qilxaBR20 All About Penguins for Kids
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0u67Wk_hJ0&feature=emb_rel_end Baby Emperor Penguins emerge from their shell
Emperor Penguins Huddle for Warmth
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00l4gdz It is about a penguin getting rocks for his nest and when he turns away another penguin takes the rocks and uses it for his nest.
I am sure the kids would love to see these videos again.
Song- (I'm a little teapot tune)
I'm a little penguin
white and black.
White on the front,
black on the back.
Look how I can waddle
as I go by.
I am a bird
but I can't fly.
Questions to Ask
1. Do penguins fly? (no)
2. What do penguins do to stay warm? (huddle)
3. What do penguins eat? (fish, shrimp and krill)
4. What happens to baby penguins feathers as they grow bigger? (they loose their feathers and begin looking like their parents)
5. What do penguins use to build their nest? (rocks)
6. What do you like about penguins?
Next Week
Construction
Reminders
***Please send in a shoe box Monday, Feb 5th to collect your child's valentines
***Send Valentines in by Monday, February 12th 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.
2/14 Friendship Party-Wednesday at 11:00 All are invited
2/19 No School Presidents Day
Enjoy the pictures!!
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| We practice writing our names each week. |
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| We began cutting out our penguins! |
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| ABC penguin game! |
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| Which penguin is your favorite? The Little Blue penguin1 |
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| We mixed glue and shaving cream to paint the body of the penguin! |
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| Fishing for letters on the carpet! |
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| The hippos made a habitat for our penguins using a variety of materials! |
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| Penguins huddle to stay warm. |
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| Show and Tell |
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| Show and Tell |
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| The students answered these questions! |
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| We rolled dice and picked out the number that was more and less. |
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| Counting penguins! |
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| Playdoh, penguins and rocks. |
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| It was fun to play with penguins and all types of blocks! |
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| Here the students sequenced how to build a snowman! |
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| Everyone loved contributing to our penguin habitat! |
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| Teamwork!! |
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| Each student came to the front of the class to talk about their penguin! |
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| If you were a penguin, you would..... Journal entry |
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| Penguins in ice and shaving cream, a cold but fun sensory experience! |
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| Our sensory tub contained penguins, icebergs, water and pipettes! |
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| The hippos loved looking at different penguins in our view finder! |
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| Each child was able to put their hand in the mitt that was immersed in cold water. They could not feel the cold. |
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| Music fun! |
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| We rolled dice and placed that many fish on our penguin. Great practice in recognizing numbers and meaningful counting. |
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| Show and Tell |
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| We practiced positional concepts with penguins and blocks. |
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| We made textures in art class! |
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| We watched a teddy bear parade put on by pre-k classes. |
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| We huddled like penguins. |
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| We placed a bean bag between our knees and waddled as we walked. We did a great job of not letting it fall out. |
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| We are penguins tobogganing. |
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| We worked on patterns with goldfish! |
