The children have been exploring using different musical instruments, adding them to songs and song based picture books that Diane has been singing with them.  Music time includes singing, dancing, playing instruments, moving to music, and following action based songs.  Here are some photos of our music class:
 
Thank you to Marcia, Gabriella's Mom, for washing our dress up clothes!

If you are able to, we still need families to do our dress up laundry on the following weekends:

Morning Parents:
  • February 21
  • March 21
  • April 15

Afternoon Parents:
  • October 4
  • November 29
  • January 10
  • February 7
  • March 7
  • April 11
  • May 9

Thank you so much for your help and thank you to the parents who have already signed up for a weekend! 
 
On Monday the morning class had the opportunity to visit the PEDS 293 class, which is a course run by the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation.  The purpose of our visit was to allow undergraduate students the opportunity to work with small children in a gymnasium setting.  The 'big kids' experienced what it is like to plan physical activities and lessons and then actually teach them to young children.  I'm certain they learned a great deal from us! 
The visit started out with helping the 'big kids' create their name tags.  This allowed our children to meet them and feel comfortable around their new buddies.  The students then moved around the open spaces like different animals - first we followed a storybook and then we thought of other animals we could move like.  For the last part of the visit, we engaged in free play with a variety of equipment.  The children had a blast and it was really neat for Jenn and I to observe them interacting with their big buddies and participate in these activities!  
 
The weather outside is quickly changing as fall approaches.  We have been reading fictional stories about leaves and animals as well as reading non-fiction books explaining the changes we observe in fall.  In our play area, we have been looking at the plants, flowers, and leaves for signs of fall with magnifying glasses. 

After reading many books about leaves, we went outside to collect some and make leaf rubbings.  Your child’s first creation using this art technique was sent home for your family to enjoy. 

On Thursday we went outside to again use this technique, now that the children were more familiar with it.  This time children were given the following instructions:
  • You must complete at least five rubbings.
  • You must change crayons after each rubbing.

After completing the leaf rubbings the teachers interviewed the children about their art.  Unfortunately I could not get good photographs of the artwork with the descriptions.  So below you will see a photograph of your child's artwork.  Please come to the music and movement room to have a better look of the artwork and what your child had to say!
 
In October the children and I will begin planning some of the learning projects they would like to explore this year.  To get them thinking about their learning we have been discussing the following questions:
  • Why do we go to school?
  • What do we do at school?

Over the course of the week we returned to these questions and their responses.  The following documentation contains the children's ideas of why we go to school and what we do here.

 
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Last week the children worked very hard creating their 'Bean Names'.  The teachers helped the children by first printing their names, then by putting the glue on the lines (from left to right and from top to bottom, just as we would print our names).  The children were to place their beans on the lines of glue.  This activity took some children one day to complete, while others worked on it over two or three days.


This activity is designed for children to become more familiar with their names – what they look like, the letters in their names, and how to form these letters.  This task required fine motor skills and allowed the teachers to observe each child’s fine motor development.

This board will soon become our ‘Community of Learners’ as we complete self-portraits each month over the course of the year!  We will begin working on our self-portraits next week.  


 
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We have spent time exploring our outdoor play space while the weather is still (mostly) warm and sunny.  

The children and I were delighted to find stones which have been painted to identify the perennials planted in the flower beds.  The children used magnifying glasses to look closely at the flowers and leaves.  We have begun reading books about leaves changing colour in the fall as well as discussing what other seasonal changes are upon us.


In a couple of weeks we will walk around the university campus to observe the changes.    


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This vapour trail caught the attention of a few students from our afternoon class.  Airplanes seem to fascinate almost all children!  We could also hear one in the distance, but we never got to see it.  I am sure this topic will arise again, so I read up on vapour trails. 
For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrails

 
     The first days of school were absolutely fantastic!  I am truly impressed with how well the children did when their parents left the classroom on that first day!  Thank you again to everyone for allowing Jenn and I to come visit your family in your homes prior to school starting.  We enjoyed meeting the children in the context of their home lives.  The Open House had a great turn out, and I know the children liked exploring their new classroom with their families. 
    Our Split Entry went really well!  We began the day by reading "The Kissing Hand" by Audrey Penn.  It is about a little raccoon named Chester and his first day of school.  Chester doesn't want to go to school until his mom tells him about the secret 'kissing hand'.  She places a kiss on the palm of his hand so that he can feel her love while he is at school.  We then passed around Chester (a raccoon stuffie) and shared how we felt about our first day of school.  Photos of your child and what they shared during this circle time are posted on the wall behind our printing table.  
     The children spent the rest of the day playing at learning centres, eating snack, and making a person to look like them.  Their people are displayed in our classroom, so come see if you can tell which one is your child's.  We ended the day with a community circle, where we all shared our favourite part of the day and then headed outside to play!