Newsletter 1/29/18

The kids had a great time building animal lairs out of marshmallows and toothpicks.

They worked hard at figuring out how to support and balance their structure’s second

floor. We will be building snow people and forts with them this week.

If you have not returned your “intent to return” slip for next year, please do so. They are

due by Friday.

We will be shifting gears and talking about snow people this week. We will spend a lot of

time with Lois Ehlert’s book Snowballs. The kids will be making snow people inspired by

the pictures in the book. We will also be sorting small, medium, and large snowballs, and

making a step-by-step guide book on how to make a snowman.

Arctic Block Area

Bear Snores On in the house area

Science Area

Full size bear and moose tracks and track cards for matching in the science area

Sent from my iPad

Winter Song Lyrics

Here are the lyrics to some of the songs we are singing this month:

Greeting: The Mitten in the Snow

The Mitten in the snow.

The mitten in the snow.

Help us please so we don’t freeze.

The mitten in the snow.

_____ squeezes in.

_____ squeezes in.

Help us please so we don’t freeze.

The mitten in the snow.

I'm A Little Groundhog

I'm a little groundhog

Furry and brown

When winter comes

I sleep underground.

I'm curled up

As cozy as can be.

When it's spring,

Please wake up me!

Grizzly Bears Are Sleeping

Grizzly bears are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping.

Grizzly bears are sleeping in the woods.

Please be very quiet, quiet, quiet.

Please be very quiet in the woods.

Wake them very gently, gently, gently.

Wake them very gently in the woods.

Grizzly bears are ________, ________, _________.

Grizzly bears are ________ in the woods.

Actions: jumping, spinning, clapping, crawling, etc

I’m a Great Big Snowman

I’m a Great Big Snowman

Tall and fat

Here is my tummy

Here is my hat

Raisins for my eyes

And a carrot nose

I’m all snow

From head to toe!

SnowFlake, snowflake

Snowflake, snowflake

Twirl around

Snowflake, snowflake

Touch the ground

Snowflake, snowflake

Land on my nose

Snowflake, snowflake

Freeze my toes

Snowflake, snowflake

In the air

Snowflake, snowflake

Everywhere!

Newsletter January 22, 2018

The kids had a great time making animal tracks in playdough and paint last week.

We discussed the different ways animals get ready for winter. There are three things

that animals can do: hibernate, migrate, or adapt. We also enjoyed a visit from Ms. Pam

from the Burnham Library. She read several stories to the children and did movement

songs. The kids love it when she visits. It was so good to get back outside! The kids

missed the gross motor opportunities the playground has to offer. I can not replicate

them in the classroom no matter how hard I try.

This week we will explore more in depth what it means to hibernate, migrate, or

adapt.  The house area will be changed into a cave. The children will have the

opportunity to act out the book Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson. This story is

about some animals who stop by Bear’s cave and what happens while he sleeps.

It is a great book! We will be making marshmallow and toothpick animal dens.

Thank you again to everyone who contributed supplies. I think the kids will really

enjoy this project.

Dates to remember:

Book Orders due Friday, January, 26th.

School is closed Weds., February 7th for teacher in-service.

Animal Tracks

The kids strapped on sponge animal footprints and made tracks across the paper. They could choose deer, Canadian goose, or bobcat footprints.

Roasting marshmallows by the fire

Making animal tracks

Ms. Pam from Burnham Library visited!!

Making tracks in the "snow"

Sewing Mittens

Book Orders

Book orders are due Friday, January 26, 2018. Thank you for your support with book orders. The program is able to order free books from Scholastic for our classrooms because of your orders.

Books for week January 8, 2018

This week's books

Art work inspired by Ezra Jack Keats' The Snowy Day

Happy New Year! I hope you had a restful and relaxing vacation. I am looking forward to getting back to school and seeing your children again. Our theme for January is Winter. Specifically, we will be discussing weather, clothing, and animals. We will be doing projects with marshmallows (regular size and minis) and cotton balls. I am also looking for small and medium sized, sturdy, cardboard boxes to add to our block area. If you have any extra that you would be willing to donate to our class it would be greatly appreciated.