Mr. Owl, What Time Is It?

Dear Parents,

We began our week brainstorming animals we know that live in the city. We wondered what each animal ate and looked up owls, raccoons, and ducks. We played our Mr. Wolf game but switched it to Mr. Owl. We knew that owls eat mice so we pretended to be mice. Needless to say, the owl was famished and had many mice for lunch. 

On Wednesday, while half the class tumbled with Casey, the rest of us played a counting bingo game. We practiced one-to-one correspondence, which takes time. 

On Thursday and Friday, we added our plastic pigs to our dirt bin. We added water. The pigs didn’t seem to mind being buried in piles of mud. 

We played with magnets. The children spent time figuring out how to make them attract and repel each other. Some children built small structures, while others spent time picking up paper clips. 

The easel has been getting lots of use this week. 

We read books about birds and made feather art. When we read our bird books, we looked to see if we could find all the colors of feathers we had used. We found all but purple. 

In the big room we have been using a tetherball to hit back and forth. We hung it from the ceiling in the block area. It was a big "hit" with lots of laughter and a little bit of chaos.

Have the best weekend possible,

Therese

Pets We Know

Dear Parents,

We began our week making a list of pets we know. Many children named their own pets first. One person said his dog had died and so he was extinct, like the dinosaurs. We talked about how we feel when our pets die. Someone said it was sad. 

We asked what do our pets need? The children listed everything in our book What Do We Need, and more. They said pets need water, food, a walk, love, a home, to be petted, a dog bowl, a cat bowl, a park, and for you to let them lick you. 

After reading books about dogs and wolves we played a wild animal game. We worked in groups of four using bingo boards with pictures of animals. We listened to a tape with the animal sounds and matched them with their pictures. We heard elephant, rattlesnake, lion, hyena, cobra, and zebra sounds. 

We talked about the difference between domestic and wild animals. The children knew not to go near a wild animal, and that the wild animals are scared of us too. 

In the big room we played Mr. Wolf, What Time Is It? It’s a game of practicing listening, counting, taking turns, and running. It involves wolves and some sheep for dinner.

On Wednesday, we played another animal bingo game while half the class was tumbling with Casey. The children identified animals in four different habitats. The next day we sorted all our play animals into groups by animal, and then into bigger groups by habitat. We had farm, jungle, savanna, and forest animals. 

In the yard we have been swinging up a storm, digging down in the sandbox, and noticing buds on our tree. On Friday, we saw our first bumblebee. Someone said, "Don't try to smash it," and then told us the story of how she did that one time and got stung. 

Have a warm spring weekend,

Therese