This week we dove into learning about penguins!! We started by asking the students what they already knew about penguins and showed pictures of different penguins. After reading If You Were A Penguin, we wrote in our journals about what we would do if we were a penguin. We 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)
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 ice blocks, sequenced the life of a penguin, 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 and flippers, 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. It was fun to be a penguin and toboggan by laying on scooters and moving them around our igloo arch. (gross motor)
Our letter was D this week. Our 2nd steps focused on belly breathing when we have an uncomfortable feeling. We also looked at feeling faces and decided if the face was uncomfortable or comfortable.
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)
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 Tuesday, Feb 4th to collect your child's valentines
***Send Valentines in by Tuesday, February 10th 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.
2/13 Friendship party at 11:00 All are invited
Enjoy the pictures!
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| Creating at the writing center. |
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| The hippos loved playing with playdoh, blue rocks and penguins. |
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| We went over the letters in our names. |
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| Everyone loves to watercolor penguins. |
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| We toboggan like penguins. |
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| New foam blocks in the gym. |
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| We rolled the dice and decided which number was more and which was less. |
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| We caught fish because penguins love fish! We matched the numbers on the fish. |
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| We put penguin eggs (bean bags) between our knees and waddled. |
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| A cutting tub with special curvy scissors in art class. |
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| The hippos enjoy coloring, cutting and taping. |
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| We decorated our mugs from last week, painted and added steam. |
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| It was fun to build letters with wooden pieces. |
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| We used a mitt made out of crisco to represent blubber, put our hand in it and placed it in the ice water. We then put our other hand in the ice water. We could feel what ice water is like for the penguins by using this blubber mitt. |
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| We watched a video on how penguins stay warm in the frigid temperatures. The penguins huddle. We were penguins huddling together to stay warm. |
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| The students made homes for the penguins with ice blocks. |
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| We are writing our names without a model. |
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| Show and Tell |
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| Show and Tell |
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| We counted goldfish in the penguins tummy, then ate the fish. |
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| We counted penguins on icebergs. |
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| Show and Tell |
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| Shaving cream and penguins |
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| We rolled the dice, recognized the number and ate that many goldfish. |
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| Music fun |
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| Each student helped sequence the life cycle of a penguin. |
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| We practiced positional concepts with plastic ice cubes. |
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| The hippos followed 2 step directions to make their penguins. |
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| Journal....If I were a penguin I would... This journal entry was based on our book. |
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| Penguins and blocks |
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| We had blue water, penguins, icebergs and pipettes in the sensory table. |
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| Balancing penguins on the iceberg. |
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| We rolled the dice and found the number. |
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| We looked at winter animals through our view finder. |
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| We cut out our penguins and added feet, nose and eyes. |
