From Halloween to Thanksgiving

Wow! I just realized that I totally missed out on posting the rest of our Halloween fun!  The week of Halloween we did a few book related projects that turned out GREAT!  This first picture is a class project.  We read Ten Timid Ghosts (and a few other books with a haunted house, too!)  then I told the kids I wanted to draw a Haunted House but I didn't know where to start! So they gave me every detail---right down to what shape of windows I should use and even an "Olaf" trick-or-treater at the door! They did a great job using their knowledge of our stories and their imaginations to create this with me. They were also given 3 Triangles and a semi-circle to create Jack-o-Laterns.  There was no preset pattern to use.  They just had to go for it! They did wonderful work!

We also spent a lot of time investigating pumpkins.  We did one week of pumpkin study during Halloween and the next week we did the first week of November with our Thanksgiving kick-off!  After reading SEVERAL "From seed to pumpkin" type stories, the kids got to use sequencing cards to create the life cycle of a pumpkin. And of course we used a real, BIG pumpkin to explore.  We investigated the inside and outside.  Weighed it and measured it.

As a fun inside recess project the morning class got to create these super fun PAPER bag pumpkins from brown paper bags and some newspaper for stuffing.  The corn was made after reading a book about growing corn and talking about how the Native Americans taught the pilgrims how to grow corn and squash.  The kids really seemed to enjoy learning about the Thanksgiving story.  BUT of course they enjoyed it much more from PETE THE CAT.  I am so very thankful that they are making Pete the Cat stories to engage kiddos in a variety of holidays!

I also decided this month to try something totally new.  I found these free Printable books from 1+1+1=1 Preschool Packs.  This site has TONS of FREE printables that are just great for PreK-ers.  (*Click the picture to get the pack THIS book is in)  Well we copied the books but it looked like we weren't going to have time to do them in class.  SO....I made them into a take home book project! I sent home instructions on how to do the book together as a family and how to encourage some pre-reading skills with it!  From the kiddos that brought their book back to share it with me, they seemed to LOVE getting to do this.  ((((So much so, that I already have a CHRISTMAS family book project ready to send home)))  I really enjoyed how the kiddos enjoyed this take home activity.

From one turkey project to another, this one just happens to be my FAVORITE turkey project maybe ever.  Using paint strips create a fanned out turkey tail and staple it together.  Then give the kiddos the other pieces to create an awesome turkey!  We crinkle folded (or accordion folded) the legs.  Then they were given their color words that they had to match to the right color on the tail (as you can see...we are still workin on that!) BUT the kids had a blast creating their special turkeys.

 Using their handprints they got to make Mayflower ships! Getting preschoolers to learn the name of the "BIG BOAT with those one people on it" is hard work!

They also really enjoyed getting to use shapes to create their Pilgrims and Native Americans.  Each character was made entirely from different shapes the kids identified as they were creating.

All in all I would say I am thankful for my little friends who make each day such a wonderful voyage. 

Thanksgiving Songs for Preschool

It's tricky to find songs that are easy enough to learn for preschool but still let you have some fun with Thanksgiving!  We have a few that we have enjoyed so far that I would like to share.

5 Little Turkeys

(*This is much like 5 little pumpkins, which is helpful so it's easy to learn) 

5 little turkeys sitting on the ground. (Hold up one hand with 5 fingers spread out)

The first one said "Oh my! We're getting round! (take your hand and make a big belly motion) 

 The second one said, "I smell Pumpkin Pie!" (sniff with your nose)

The third one said, "But we won't cry!" (shake head back and forth and use hand in a crying motion)

The fourth one said, "Let's run! Let's run!" (running motion with your arms)

The fifth one said, "Thanksgiving isn't fun." (Look scared or sad and shake your head)  

Then out came the farmer with all his might! (march with arms and make an angry face)

And the 5 little turkeys RAN out of sight! (run in place)  

10 Pumpkin Pies on the Wall

(*this was found in a story called Pumpkin Countdown)

10 pumpkin pies on the wall

!0 pumpkin pies!

Take one down pass it around 

8 Pumpkin pies on the wall.

8 pumpkin pies on the wall 

8 pumpkin pies!

...you see where this is going right????? 

Finish the song down to zero!    

10 little Pilgrims 

(or you can sing it with pumpkins or Indians *please note that I have tried to sing it with the term "Native American" but it just doesn't work with the cadence of the song so please do what you feel comfortable with.)

1 little, 2 little, 3 little Pilgrims

4 little, 5 little, 6 little Pilgrims

7 little, 8 little, 9 little Pilgrims

10 little Pilgrim Boys and Girls!   

 *if you sing it with pumpkins you would say 10 little pumpkins in the pumpkin patch! ALSO you can use these songs to count backwards which is still a harder concept for preschool kiddos!

November 

*sing to Clementine
(p.s Totally found this on the internet!)

Leaves are falling!

Winter's calling!

We are thankful for our friends!

NOVE-M-BER

It's November once again!  

Hope you can use and enjoy these songs in your classroom or in your home with your kiddos! 

Transportation and Hallowen

I'm not gonna lie...doing Transportation in the middle of October was hard.  I felt like we should still be doing some activities that related to the Halloween holiday.  SO, I got creative.  :) Here were a few of our Transportation Centers.  Fire Safety Matching, Firetruck with Firefighter Puppets, Magnatrucks and maps, and our really awesome Sensory Table. 

 The Transportation Sensory Table was full of black beans, small numbers, sandpaper numbers, Construction vehicles, and different road signs to match. 

Now...how did I mix Halloween and Transportation together?   WELL...we did a day airplanes so we made an air plane AND an owl.  Because they both fly of course! 

Then we made Bats and Boats.  Because they both start with B and bats are nocturnal like owls are!











Our letters of the week were letter T and letter C.  T for Transportation obviously and T for Triangle and C for CANDY CORN!

And of course we did school buses.  SO we made a school bus AND we learned The Spooky Wheels on the Bus.  Click the image to get your copy from Amazon.com

 

This song is GREAT! A counting, "spooky" spin on the Wheels on the Bus.

Total credit goes to the author of this story for these great lines.

1 spooky bus goes rattle and shake (shake your arms then bottom)
rattle and shake, rattle and shake.

1 spooky bus goes rattle and shake

All through the town.

2 white wipers go creak, creak, creak. (spread fingers apart and wave whole arm back and forth)

creak, creak, creak.

creak, creak, creak. 

2 white wipers go creak, creak, creak.

All through the town.

3 noisy cats go meow, hiss, hiss. (make hands into claws and swipe them up and down)

meow, hiss, hiss.

meow, hiss, hiss.

3 noisy cats go meow, hiss, hiss.

All through the town.

4 glowing wheels roll round and round. (standard wheels roll around maneuver)
round and round. round and round.
4 glowing wheels roll round and round.
All through the town.

5 big spiders spin their webs. (dance your arms around back and forth)
Spin their webs. Spin their webs.
5 big spiders spin their webs.
All through the town.

6 singing mummies hum, hum, hum. (hands pressed together, sway body back and forth)
hum, hum, hum. hum, hum, hum.
6 singing mummies hum, hum, hum.
All through the town.

7 silly monsters wiggle and waggle. (wiggle arms above head, wiggle arms down low by legs)
wiggle and waggle.  wiggle and waggle.
7 silly monsters wiggle and waggle.
All through the town.

8 wacky witches cackle and howl (let students howl at the moon)
cackle and howl. cackle and howl.
8 wacky witches cackle and howl.
All through the town.

9 magic brooms go swish, swoosh, swish. (pretend to hold a broom and sweep back and forth)
swish, swoosh, swish. swish, swoosh, swish.
9 magic brooms go swish, swoosh, swish.
All through the town.

10 goofy ghosts say BOO! BOO! BOO! (hold up ten fingers and open close them on each BOO!)
BOO! BOO! BOO!
BOO! BOO! BOO!
10 goofy ghosts say BOO! BOO! BOO!
All through the town.


*And that is how I sneaked in some Halloween during our Transportation unit!

Apples!

We have been working on Apples for the past two weeks.  Learning the lifecycle.  When we pick apples.  What can be made with Apples. The parts of an apple.  We read lots of nonfiction stories about apples and apple orchards.  We also read The Apple Pie Tree and Ten Apples Up On Top!

Here's a few of the projects we made!

First we worked in the math center on Patterning.

 Then we took those patterns and used them to create a sequencing activity for The Apple Pie Tree story.

 We did lots of group writing about the things we were learning about apples.  We also made Glitter Apples.  This is a great sensory type activity.  I make the kids spread the glue with their fingers and hands before we sprinkle on the glitter!

 We did an apple tasting! Each child got at least one slice of each color of apple then we voted on which one we liked best.

 We read Ten Apples Up On Top (like ten times!)  Then the kids got a picture of themselves and had to count out ten apples to glue them up on top of their picture!  They loved this project!

 We also cut apple cores.  They had to follow the curved lines, then color and draw seeds, to create an apple core!

I think we enjoyed our unit on apples.  This week we will focus on Transportation (and fire safety).  THEN we will get to do PUMPKINS and Halloween! 

Preschool Fall Songs and Projects

One of the things I absolutely LOVE about preschool is the songs we get to sing.  I have an old favorite and a NEW favorite! I'm an Autumn Tree is my old favorite.  The Leaves on the Tree is my new favorite.


I'm an Autumn Tree
(*Sing to the tune of I'm a little Teapot)
I'm an Autumn tree all orange and brown (Have your arms up in the air like a tree)
I shake my roots and my branches, too! (shake your legs "roots" and then wave your arms"branches")
On a windy day there's a howling sound! (continue to wave your arms back and forth)
WOOOOOO!!!!
And then the leaves fall down! (wave your arms down to the ground)

The Leaves on the Trees
(*sing to the wheels on the bus)
The leaves on the tree turn orange and brown (hold arms up in the air)
Orange and Brown
Orange and Brown.
The leaves on the tree turn orange and brown.
All through the town.

The leaves on the tree come tumbling down. (wiggle your arms and bend down)
Tumbling down.
Tumbling down.
The leaves on the tree come tumbling down.
All through the town. 

The leaves on the ground go crunch, crunch, crunch. (march in place)
crunch, crunch, crunch.
crunch, crunch, crunch.
The leaves on the ground go crunch, crunch, crunch.
All through the town.

The leaves on the ground go swish, swish, swish. (squat down and wiggle your arms/fingers back and forth)
Swish, swish, swish.
Swish, swish, swish.
The leaves on the ground go swish, swish, swish.
All through the town!


We have also made the PRETTIEST fall trees! We used a di-cut tree, drew a shape so the kids had a different shape on each tree to stay inside with their paint.  THEN we made a color/number key and made it into a Paint by Numbers activity! The kids loved it, and these trees are always my favorite project!

We are currently studying apples! I am excited to share all the cool work we have been doing and a few more cool fingerplays/songs we have learned!

Apple Seed Counting Book

So I searched to find activities to go with our Apple Unit starting on Monday.  I found the idea to make a "book" for them to count and draw apple seeds on an apple.  After searching I could only find them in places where you have to pay a membership every year to be a part of their teacher website. 

With TeachersPayTeachers, there is NO membership fee.  You just log in and look around!  So I made my own apple seed counting book! There is a title page, a page for them to write their name, and numbers are from 1-10.  This gives them a chance to do number recognition as well as hands on 1to1 counting experience for your math centers.


You can get your copy on my teacherspayteachers website! Click the link or the picture to purchase this item!

Happy Fall! :)

Sensory September

The new curriculum we have been using this year has been shifting our focus a bit to be able to provide sensory learning experiences for our students.  Basically they are getting a 360 full senses experience.  They get to see, hear, touch, smell, and taste a variety of things each day. 


In our science center, I have made a magnet sensory box.  There are different things for them to touch and learn with to figure out which things are magnetic or not.  Inside the box we have: feathers, pompoms, paper clips, popsicle sticks, jingle bells, buttons, and binder clips. The plastic horseshoe magnets came from Dollar Tree! :)

 

In our actual "Sensory Table" we have dry noodles and foam magnet letters.  The pizza pan is one from Dollar Tree that has just been spray painted to look neat! The students actually had the chance to help me dye the noodles to add to the sensory table!  We did that project during inside recess one day! We used sandwich bags, 2 drops of food coloring, and 2 pumps of hand sanitizer! They got to shake the bags and watch the magic happen!  They loved getting to be a part of making their center!

The kids love and learn from activities that engage their whole bodies, not just their brains!

Happy Fall Y'all!

In the fall lots of exciting things happen! There is Grandparent's Night at our school.  The kiddos get to make special projects for their grandparents (we painted grapes with the saying "I love you bunches!") and the kiddos can bring their whole family in to school to see our classroom and all the cool things they learn with each day.  They made cute shape houses during our "home" unit and they did a reading comprehension bag activity with our story The Bag I'm Taking to Grandma's.

With the people that signed in to my classroom for Grandparent's Night, I had 146 people attend!
IT was AWESOME! :) 

 Fall is one of my favorite times of year to plan activities.  Our curriculum had a great idea to use leaves to pattern with.  I was able to find these awesome (and durable!) leaves from Dollar Tree! I also added some leaf  number cards in the bucket so they can either patter or count the leaves!

Today, we took a field trip Bennett Springs!  We went on a nature"Adventure" in the woods and became real explorers! We found all kinds of mushrooms, plants, and even a snake skin!  We walked the whole trail with my afternoon class! It was 3/4 mile and the kids did a GREAT job!  They really got into looking around and seeing all the things on our trail!

We have some more exciting projects we will be doing this week so I will post more pictures of our awesome projects as we get them done!

HAPPY  FALL Y-ALL! :)

Attention Getters

It's already that time of year. 
When the first attention getter has worn off and it's time to learn something new.

We have been practicing, "Criss Cross! Hands in Lap! BUBBLES IN YOUR CHEEKS!"  It was not only my attention getter but also a directive to learn how to sit on our rug.  VERY effective during the first month of preschool.

Now we know how to sit on the rug.  Now we have a friend that we sit by.  Now it's time for the teacher to get creative and teach them something NEW. 

I found this pack of printable attention getter sheets from http://firstgradecharades.blogspot.ca/2012/09/first-day-fun.html! It was free to me, so if you click the image above it will be FREE to you, too! 

Parents: These will work at home, too!  Pick some that might work for you and give them a try!  I would reccomend "Holy Moly! Guacamole!" ,"Macaroni and Cheese! FREEZE!" , and "Yackety Yak! Don't talk back." REMEMBER: you will have to teach how to use the phrase AND practice it. Also remember, these are to grab their attention! Unless you choose, "Yakety Yak! Don't talk back!" and that can be effective for redirecting them when they may be making sad choices with you.

So 3 pigs and a wolf...

Our newest unit will be about "homes."

So what better story to use than the 3 Little Pigs? 

Click the picture to see the story we will be reading in class.  That way you will know the story and can share the story with your child, too!

After we read this story today, I will be introducing some different versions.
Some of my favorites will include:
The Three Little Gators and the Big Bad Boar.
The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig.
The TRUE Story of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf.

Look for some pictures this week as well! We will be performing the 3 Pigs Play!

Recess and Summer Days

Normally, every child is all about recess! 
The kids are all about recess. Seriously-the kids will ask from the minute they get to school til the minute you actually line up to go outside, they will ask if we are going outside today.

Usually teachers really like recess, too!  It gives us a chance to take a break, get some fresh air, and let them run their wiggles out!  I go over the weather report every morning with the students and we will talk about if recess is an option for the day.  This week is quite a different summer scenario than most summer days.

According to KSPR, our county is under a Heat Advisory.
If it is dangerously hot, we will NOT be going outside.  Their little bodies are easily overheated (especially when they run and jump and swing!)

PARENTS---Please talk to your child about the heat and what it can do to your body.  They need to know that excessive temperature is just as bad as when it's really cold.  Also, please make sure to dress them accordingly!  Short sleeves, tank tops, shorts or capris. 
NO LONG SLEEVES, JACKETS OR COATS OR STOCKING HATS are necessary right now.  They will want to wear them and it's too hot for that. Also please dress them in LIGHT COLORS!  Dark colors attract light/heat and can make them even hotter, even faster!

Here are two examples of PERFECT outfits for this week!

 

KIDDING! JUST KIDDING! It would be both adorable and hilarious if you sent them to me like this however, this is not what I mean! ;)

 

Also, tell them not to be mad at their teachers when they say we have to stay inside because it's too hot to play! :) 

Our first project of the year

Can I just take a moment to stop and say...
Paper plates are AWESOME.

You can just do so many different things with them!!!!

Our first curriculum unit of the school year is "Same and Different." It's really more like an "All About Me" type unit that most of us preschool teachers may do.  The kids really seemed to enjoy making their "Plate Face!" 

It has been a very busy first full week of school but I can't wait to continue to share more of their work as we go along!

HAPPY BACK TO SCHOOL!

Facebook!

So not many preschoolers are on facebook, right?

THEY ARE NOW!!!

Not only will they get a chance to blog with me, but they will also get to decide things that will get posted and shared on our facebook account!  I believe most of them will have probably heard of it through either their parents or siblings, so I think this will be something they will be excited to share in as well.

Find and like us on our facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/mrschristysclassroom!

Western Theme Back to School Bulletin Boards

Our Back to School and PBIS Theme of the year is a western theme.  After searching pinterest and googling for days, I think I found some ideas with a little modification to make them work for me!

 This board IS NOT a bulletin board set!  This was made on my computer by finding a font that looked "old western" style and then by googling "wanted posters."  COST: $0 :)

 This board was a pinterest inspiration.  The phrase with it said "Lasso a Good Read" but I thought "Ropin a Good Read" had a better flow.  The rope AND the bandannas came from Dollar Tree.  The bandannas were actually a 2 pack so I got them for $0.50 each!  Cost: $5

This board is made from a cricut and really cool background bulletin board paper!  You can order premade background bulletin board paper that fits a standard bulletin board from almost any classroom supply catalog now.  The boots were cut from my mom's Cricut machine!  Thanks Mom and Lori for having these supplies for me! :)

This board was also created from a Cricut machine.  The little people and the horseshoes were cut and placed together for our "3 B's" Esther Expectations Board.  I thought it turned out CUTE!

I will blog about our outside bulletin board after it is finished tonight.  I have created an interactive bulletin board for Open House!  The kids will get to chose what shape their name will go on (hat, star, or boot) then they will color it and it will get hung up during open house!  That way they are already a part of our classroom.