Sunday, March 30, 2008

Spring Flowers!

This week we have been talking about the season of Spring and how we know it is here. On Wednesday we made these flowers from coffee filters, a spray bottle and a pipe cleaner.
First the flattened out their coffee filter and then added different colors with the markers.

Then they took the spray bottle and sprayed the filter. The colors bled together. After they were dry, we squeezed and twisted in the center to create the base of the flower to which we twisted the pipe cleaner for the stem. It was a fun craft and the children loved using the spray bottle!

Monday, March 24, 2008

It finally came!

After waiting many months of waiting it finally came! All the goodies I ordered with my grant money arrived! I have slowly added the large items into the classroom with the exception of a large sand/water table. I just don't know where to put it!

We got a nice set of wooden blocks that Chase and Trent are using for a road in this picture:)


We also got 2 low shelves. The blocks do not stack that well so I will get some bins for the odd shaped ones. I love these shelves because they divide up the space, are great for storing manipulatives, and also are just the right height for the children!


Another item we received was this great library book display shelf. This is my favorite item because it got the books out of the 'pool' and up where the children can see the titles. On the back of the shelf is a white board where the children can draw and write.


We also received a nice easel with a double, magnetic white board. I love this because of the storage on the bottom and also because it rolls!

Friday, March 14, 2008

Fire Safety

This week we have talked about Fire Safety. Here are some pictures and highlights of our week!First we started by reading some books about firemen and what they do to keep us safe. Here Chase is coloring his fireman hat. Then the children glued their hats on a white circle and then added their eyes, nose and mouth. I had the children tell me one way the Fireman keeps them safe and I wrote it on the back of their firemen.

We also talked about "Stop, Drop, & Roll" and learned a song to help the children remember what to do if their clothes catch on fire. This was a scary concept for some of the children. We also did an experiment with a candle to show what fire needs to burn.

Here the children are showing their fire trucks they made.


Thursday the children were visited by Lt. Knight from the LaGrange Fire Dept. He reviewed a little about fire safety with the children and brought them these cool hats.

Then we stepped outside where there was a real fire truck! The children enjoyed learning all about the different equipment the fire truck has on it that keeps us safe. Some children were very nervous about everything but I think they really enjoyed it!

Here is Kylie taking the truck for a drive:)


And Patrick is ready to roll! Later I asked Patrick what he thought about getting to "drive" the fire truck... he replied "but it didn't move":)

Thanks to the firemen who keep us safe!!

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Let's talk about Safety!

This week we have been discussing Safety-what it means to be safe, what items around our house help us be safe, what is a stranger, etc.
The children colored a "Stop" and "Go" sign. Then I read some scenarios (a stranger at the park asks if you will help him find his dog...what should you do?) and they held up the sign that best answered the scenario.
We also talked about traffic lights and road signs. Here the children are playing with some road signs I bought at Toys-R-Us. We drew a rode and railroad tracks on the driveway with chalk and they had so much fun driving around!