Transportation!

 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 J for jump. We practiced tracing last weeks letter S.
• 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 watched a video of all the different types of real trains.
• We made trains by cutting shapes and painting with rectangular sponges. (shapes, cutting)
• On Thursday we signed in to our favorite train (passenger, diesel, or steam engine).  We counted and compared the numbers.
• 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!
• In addition, we made hot air balloons! (fine motor)
• Journal question...Where would we go on an airplane? The students drew wings, windows and people. (fine motor, answering questions)
• We played with shaving cream and pretended it was clouds.
• The hippos loved building airports with blocks and flying the planes around. (gross/fine motor, taking turns, using language, resolving conflicts if they arise, working together).
• 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, and then landed at the gym. During our flight the flight attendant passed our snacks. (pretend food) We also used our backpacks as our luggage! (following 2 step directions)

We did not begin our transportation unit Wednesday after the snow day. Monday we had an alphabet day. Activities included: ABC puzzle train, ABC stamps, stringing ABCs, moon sand and ABC cookie cutters, naming ABC letters on bean bags, finding letters on a poster, building with ABC letters, using a wand in the sensory table to collect ABC magnet letters and dump trucks with ABC blocks!

During our 2nd steps lesson we learned another step to calming down. It is to name our feeling. When we have an uncomfortable feeling, we first touch our stomaches, say stop, then name the feeling. This helps us to calm down. Next week we will learn another step.

Books We Read:
Terrific Trains

The Airport Book

ABC to the Rescue

Pete the Cat's Train Trip

Questions to Ask:
What is your favorite transportation vehicle?
Which is your favorite train? (steam, diesel, passenger)
Is a steam engine new or old? (old)

Is a passenger a person or an animal?

Do we have to pay to use the train and fly in an airport?
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:

PJ Day Thursday 12/18-please have your child wear school shoes, no slippers please.

Winter Class Party Thursday 12/18 at 11:00, all are welcome
Winter Break 12/-1/3  School resumes Thursday 1/4

Enjoy the pictures!

The students loved playing in our train with
seats, tickets and hole punchers.

Building airports with blocks and little airplanes.

We made hot air balloons by cutting out the basket
 and using paint sticks to color our balloon.

We played and sorted with airplanes.

Which is your favorite?

Where would you go on an airplane?

Shaving cream and cars.

Here we are on our airplane having pretend snack.

Getting ready for takeoff. We buckled our
seatbelts and talked about what we saw out of the windows.
Students said....the sky, birds, parts of the airplane,
clouds and the sun!!

We just bought our ticket for the airplane.
We also used our backpacks as luggage.

Making hot chocolate in art.

Little transportation puzzles.

We made trains by cutting out shapes, sponge painting the 
cars and adding the wheels and tracks.

Here we decorated our paper airplanes.

Everyone enjoyed flying them around the room!

Here is a mini pretend hot air balloon.

Flying the planes!

The hippos love to watercolor. They are 
learning to choose different colors, stay in the 
lines and write their names on their papers.

Here the students pulled apart cotton balls and glued them
on to resemble steam for the steam engine (our arch).

At the easel the students matched the letters.

The hippos experimented with ramps,
bears and trains. How many bears could a train knock over?

The hippos were asked what vehicles take us 
places. Great list with no help from us!

Music with snowflakes!

We practiced cutting and naming shapes for our train.

Cylinders and cars.

ABC stamps

Naming the letter then tossing it in the bucket.

Letters and dump trucks.

I spy the letter....

Stringing ABC letters.

Completing ABC puzzles.

ABC cookie cutters in moon sand.

ABC building blocks

We worked as a team putting the ABC train puzzle together.

ABC tracing!