The Solar System

Hello Everyone!

We had such a fun and exciting week learning about rockets, planets, the sun and our solar system. The Hippos began the week looking at pictures of planets, watching a few short videos, using a globe, exploring a model solar system and singing our planet song!   We also saw a video of a rocket taking off!

This week we turned our arch into a rocket.  We painted our rocket using red and blue paint.  We then cut out American flags, pasted them on the rocket and made our own rockets out of paper towel tubes (fine motor with scissor skills). It was fun to play in our rocket ship with headphones, computer keyboards, calculators and control panels, which we made with a variety of recycled materials (developing relationships, fine motor, making decisions independently, showing persistence, taking turns, using language). We practiced counting backwards from 10 to 1 and shouting BLAST OFF!! After reading books, we recalled facts about the sun and the other planets including Earth and Mars (answering who, what, where, when questions, listening skills). When signing in, the students decided what they liked the best, the moon, the sun or the stars.  We then counted the columns and compared the numbers (one to one counting, recognizing and comparing numbers).  In addition, we played with galaxy play dough with planets, took turns with a sit and spin (representing the Earth spinning) made our own rockets, painted the sun, made a rocket by tracing our names and counted stars and placed a cube on the correct number on the rocket. It was fun to make Earth using a ziplock bag with paint and using our fingers to spread the paint (fine motor, meaningful counting, recognizing numbers).  The students also enjoyed building rocket ships and other items with our small legos and tangram pieces. We used a pie pan with a sun taped to the middle of it and a ball.  The students moved the pie plate so the ball would rotate around the sun.  The sensory table contained pebbles, planets and plastic letters to be put in cups using tongs. We also made control panels out of recycled materials. Our study of the solar system will continue next week.

As we read  Trip to Mars, we used props from the story.  The children answered questions about the story and then used these props (backpacks, flashlights, paper and crayons, pretend food, mop, teddy bear, space suit and gloves) to enhance recall.  We also wrote in our Hippo journals about what we would bring if we went to Mars. 

All the hippos enjoyed the rocket stomper during gym time.  We worked on our jumping and coordination skills.  During center time it was fun to make our very own rocket and travel to other planets! 

Our letter this week was the letter T. We made the T sound and named pictures that started with the letter T. In addition, we showed how to make the T using magnet pieces.

Books We Read This Week
My Book of Planets
Trip to Mars
Me and My Place in Space
There's No Place Like Space

Questions to As Your Child
1.  How many planets are there, 8 or 6? ( 8 - make an 8 with your hands-circle on top and a circle on the bottom.
2.  Which planet is the biggest, Jupiter or Earth?
3.  How many moons does Earth have?
4.  What planet do we live on? (Earth)
5.  Is the sun a planet or a star? (star)

6. Does it rain on Mars? (no)

7. What kind of rings does Saturn have? Dusty or icy? (icy)

Below is our Planet song and pictures of all the fun things we did this week!  Thank you so much for sharing your child with us!  It is such a joy to watch them explore, discover, play and learn together!!

Planet Song (tune to Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)

Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, are closest to our yellow star.

Next comes Jupiter the king, and Saturn with its icy rings,

Uranus next rolls along and Neptune is the planet that ends our song!!

What you can do at home:
Crouch down and practice counting backwards from 10 and then blasting off like a rocket by jumping into the air.

Reminders:

Parent Teacher Conferences-Monday, Oct. 19th and Tuesday, Oct. 20th Please sign up if you have not done so.

Theis Pumpkin Farm field trip Wednesday Oct. 28th from 9:30-11:30- An adult must accompany your child. We will meet at the pumpkin patch not at school.

We made fall leaves during art class.

Show and Tell

The children made the earth go around the sun.

Planet puzzles

We built rockets with tangram shapes.

It was fun to use our fingers to spread green
and blue paint to make the planet Earth.

We used stickers to decorate our rockets.

We were spinning like the Earth spins.

The students investigated the globes with magnifying glasses.

After counting the stars, we placed the cube
on the correct number on the rocket.

We counted backwards 10-1 to blast off.

Everyone loved jumping to make the rocket fly into outer space.

Here is our rocket ship.

Here are the control panels the students
made out of recycled materials.

Show and Tell

Show and Tell

We drew the planet Mars and something we would bring to Mars.
It was on the book we read in class.

The students liked using the recycled materials
to make control panels.

Building with little legos was a hit. 

Everyone loved playing with slime, scissors
and milk caps that represented planets.

We counted the columns, practiced recognizing the number
and comparing the columns. 

Music Fun

Here we made a rocket by tracing our names and cutting out the cone.

Happy Birthday, Hana!

The hippos painted planets with a friend. We taped the planets
to our cabinets.

Our sensory table contained black and colored pebbles, cups, tongs
pictures of planets and plastic letters. 

Our rocket ship is filled with astronauts. 

We painted the sun.

We practice tracing and writing a letter in
our name a few times a week.

Happy Birthday, Liam!