All Aboard! It is Transportation time! -3 day class

 Hello all! We had a great week learning about and exploring different types of transportation! Below is a list of the activities and pictures centered around our theme.

• We used our smart minds to brainstorm different vehicles that take us places. (contributing as a member of a group).  We showed pictures of the different types of  trains, boats and airplanes.  We discussed the differences between all the different types of trains, planes and boats. 
• Our letter of the week was S for sun and snake.
• On Tuesday, during center time, we pretended to be conductors as we turned our arch into a train by making wheels and a smoke stack with steam.  It was fun to use a hole puncher when collecting tickets. (fine motor, developing relationships with peers)
• We enjoyed experimenting and exploring with hills, trains and bears.  The students predicted if the train would knock plastic bears off the track.  Some students placed big bears on the track, different amount of bears, little bears and some used two train cars instead of one.  So much discovery going on!! (showing curiosity, taking turns)
• We made trains by cutting shapes and painting with rectangular sponges. (shapes, cutting)
• On Wednesday we signed in to our favorite train (passenger, diesel, or steam engine).  We counted and compared the numbers.
• During our water vehicles day, the students used boats out of swim noodles, popsicle sticks and styrofoam triangles! The students added little bears to see if the boat would float or sink.  You can do this activity with the boats the children brought home.  (fine motor, following 2 step directions, making discoveries)
• We sorted different colored airplanes. (sorting)
• After reading The Airport Book, the students answered questions recalling facts from the story and sequenced steps on going on a trip by plane.
• During center time the students loved decorating paper airplanes and flying them in the room!
• We traced stencils of a car, boat, or train and practiced writing our name. (fine motor)
• During group time we made predictions on which items (pencil, feather, spoon, penny, rock, ping pong ball) would float and sink! We discussed why some items floated while others sank. (participating as a member of a group, answering questions, making predictions)
• The hippos loved building airports with blocks and flying the planes around. (gross/fine motor, taking turns, using language, resolving conflicts if they arise).
• After reading,  Who Sank the Boat, we added animals to a styrofoam boat in water.  We placed many farm animals in the boat but it did not sink!  Finally, we added a few heavier animals and that did it! The boat sank! 
• Thursday we pretended to go on a trip on an airplane during gym time.  We paid money for a ticket, used our boarding pass to find the correct seat on the plane, buckled up our seat belts, took off, had and then landed at the gym. During our flight the flight attendant passed out snacks. (pretend food) We also used our backpacks as our luggage!

During our 2nd steps lesson we learned about the feeling of being worried and how that is an uncomfortable feeling.  When this happens we can talk to a teacher, parent or other adult about our feelings.

Books We Read:
Trains

Who Sank the Boat
The Airport Book

Pete the Cat's Train Trip

Questions to Ask:
What is your favorite transportation vehicle?
Name a type of train, a type of water vehicle and a type of air vehicle.
What object sank and which object floated? (sank-penny, rock, spoon/floated-feather, ping pong ball, block, plastic spoon)
When reading Who Sank The Boat, which animal sank the boat? (the mouse)
What do we do at the airport? (check our bags, go through security, board the plane and store our carry ons, eat on the plane, land, and go to the carousel to pick up luggage)

Reminders:

Winter Class Party  Thursday 12/19 at 11:00, all are welcome
Winter Break 12/20-1/6 School resumes Tuesday, 1/7

Next Week: More Transportation!!

What to practice at home:
You and your child find different objects around the house to test in the bathtub/sink to see if they sink or float.  Discuss why some objects sink and why others float.  Have fun in the tub! 

We sequenced the steps of going on a trip by plane.
This was part of the book we read about the airport.

Sorting airplanes

We decorated our paper airplanes.

Making airports with airplanes and blocks.

We used paint sticks to make another type of airplane.
We glued pictures of ourselves as pilots.

We drew windows on our airplane and dictated
where we would go on the airplane.

Our sensory table contained bears, pipettes and boats.
How many bears would sink the boat.

We pretended the shaving cream was clouds.

We are on our airplane having pretend snack time.

We boarded our plane by matching out tickets
with the seat number.

We hung our luggage (backpack) on the hook.

Here is the money we used to buy our airplane ticket.

Building in art class

We made a tissue collage.

We glued on curvy lines to resemble snow.

Show and Tell

Here is a pretend hot air balloon. We discussed that just a few
people could ride in it. It is also goes slow compared to the speed 
of an airplane.

We practiced cutting on the line to reach the train.

Transportation stamps

Tracing stencils

Show and Tell

Show and Tell

Transportation puzzles

We went fishing and matched the numbered fish.

It was fun to see how many bears would fit on our boat and
if it would sink.

After reading, Who Sank the Boat, each child
had a chance to put an animal on the boat to see if it would sink it.
It took a heavy lion to sink the boat.

We experimented with a few object to see if they would sink or float.
We all took guesses.

Outside fun!

After making our trains, we connected the cars with couplers.
We then drew a track and wheels before answering where our 
trains would take us.

Here is out train. We pulled apart cotton balls to make the steam for the steam engine.
We also cut white strips to make the wheels.

We experimented with lining up bears and 
seeing if the train would knock them over. 
The kids placed many bears on the tracks.

The hippos love to watercolor!

Cutting strips for the train wheels.

Here are our passengers on the train. They
used hole punchers for the tickets.

Name practice