Our little builders worked hard again this week as we created and built a variety of structures. During center time we hammered golf tees into styrofoam, made buildings with foam blocks and shaving cream, patterned with construction trucks, found hidden alphabet letters in rice using tongs, strung wooden shapes with metal S hooks, sequenced 5 pictures of building a house, made a zoo for our animals using blocks, made homes with Lincoln logs, put small construction puzzles together, built with little legos and much more. The next day we discussed skyscrapers. I showed them different pictures of skyscrapers and we used a variety of recycled materials to make our own class skyscraper!
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.
The hippos signed in to what they would like to build. 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.
Our letter this week was R for rainbow. We went over the sound, things that start with the letter R, and built the R using magnet pieces. We practiced tracing the letters R on sandpaper. Our 2nd steps lesson focused again on the four steps to calming down. The lesson stressed using these steps over yelling or hurting the other person. To calm down we touch our stomach and say stop. Then we name the feeling and take belly breaths to calm down.
Our new character word is Be Brave. We listened to a book about trying new things and we sang the brave song. Next week, we will bring the students to the front of the class and go over the brave hearts that were sent home in your child's backpack.
Learning goals this week: cutting, learning personal information-last names, 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
Mighty Dads
Construction Demolition Site
I Try New Things
YouTube video of a wrecking ball
YouTube video of a wrecking ball
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?
3. If you were to build something, what would it be?
4. What is your last name?
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.
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.
Reminders
***Send Valentines in by Monday, February 11th 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-Thursday at 11:00! All are invited.
2/27 Bring a small box (shoe box or smaller) with 3-5 rocks for our rock unit!
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| Happy Birthday, Charlie! |
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| Building a zoo for our animals! |
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| Here is our wrecking ball! The kids had a ball knocking their towers down! |
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| Painting crowns in art class. |
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| We worked our upper body pretending to be construction trucks. |
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| We copied block formations then used a wrecking ball to knock it down. |
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| Show and Tell |
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| Show and Tell |
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| Show and Tell |
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| Here is our skyscraper we built! |
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| Working hard! |
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| We colored with sidewalk chalk under the covered area since it was raining outside. |
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| What would you build? |
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| It was fun to wash the construction trucks! |
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| Music fun with drums.... |
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| .....and shakers! |
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| We built a house with windows and a door, then painted it using the paint sticks |
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| The students traced the letter R on sandpaper. |
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| Little construction trucks with foam blocks! |
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| What do you want to build? |
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| Hammering tees into styrofoam. |
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| Making patterns |
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| Building towers with foam blocks and shaving cream. |
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| Making structures out of packaging noodles. |
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| What are the 5 steps in building a house? The students sequenced these pictures. We discussed there needs to be drawings before you can begin to build. |
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| We went fishing for letters with tongs in rice. |
