E is for . . .

. . . Elephants
We read Elmer which is a story about an elephant who finds out how important it is to be true to yourself and made elephant masks.
To make the mask, I started with the idea on this site but made the mask by cutting out the pieces from a paper plate and painting it gray. I also added tusks. I had to tweak the size of the ears to make it work, but they turned out cute.
. . .Elves
We watched a little clip on the computer about painting elves here. Then we painted our own pictures that mimicked the picture at the end of the clip.
. . . Exercise
We read the book Skip to My Lou and learned how to skip using a step, hop, step, hop pattern. We talked about keeping our bodies healthy by getting exercise every day and did other forms of exercise like running, dancing, jumping jacks, sit-ups, etc.

Teddy Bear Picnic Tues./Thurs.

(I promised Gracie's mom I would take a lot of pictures, so be ready for it!)

For letter B week we had a teddy bear picnic and we had so much fun! We were glad that Miranda and Trevor were able to come and that we were joined by our moms, dads, and grandparents. I hope everyone else had as much fun as I did!
Before we went to the park, we sang "Cool Bear Hunt" by Dr. Jean and did a few other letter "b" activities:

Books

Blocks - Miranda even made a Boat for her Bear

Button & Bead friendship Bracelets
At the park we did a few teddy bear and letter "b" activities:

• teddy, teddy, bear (duck, duck goose)
• pass the button (We had a button on a string tied in a loop. Each person held onto the string and we sang a song. As we sang, we passed the button from one person to the next and whoever had the button when the song ended, answered a question about their teddy bear.)
• We read the book "Where's my Teddy?" which is one of my favorites to read out loud.

The kids had a lot of fun on the playground.
Their favorite activities were climbing up and down the barsand the slide
Miranda even got everyone making snow sand angels. She was nice enough to let her teddy go first.
We also had a teddy bear lunch: honey & peanut butter sandwiches cut in the shape of a bear, teddy grahams, & strawBerry juice.
Thank you to all the family who came and helped make this day a lot of fun!

Teddy Bear Picnic Mon./Wed.

For Letter B week we had a Teddy Bear Picnic! All the kids had so much fun doing activities with their teddy bears in class and at the park. When everyone arrived, we sang "Cool Going on a Bear Hunt" by Dr. Jean and we had lots of "b" activities to do with our teddies:

Books

Blocks

Button & Bead friendship Bracelets

At the park we did a few teddy bear and letter "b" activities:

• teddy, teddy, bear (duck, duck goose)
• pass the button (We had a button on a string tied in a loop. Each person held onto the string and we sang a song. As we sang, we passed the button from one person to the next and whoever had the button when the song ended, answered a question about their teddy bear.)
• We read the book "Where's my Teddy?" which is one of my favorites to read out loud.

We also had a teddy bear lunch: honey & peanut butter sandwiches cut in the shape of a bear, teddy grahams, & strawBerry juice. After the kids ate, they played with their bears on the playground. Their two favorite things to do were having Noe's dad help them across the monkey bars and making a train down the slide. It was a very fun day. The kids were exhausted by the end, but there were smiles on their faces.

B is for Button

We focused on buttons for one of the days during letter B week.

We sorted buttons by shape, size, color, or number of holes.

We read the book Corduroy and made lift the flap, hiding button pictures. Here's how we did it:

Each child got a small rectangle of paper and drew a place that a button might be hiding. The kids drew things like beds, tables, closets, etc.

They glued a button in the middle of another paper that said, "My button is hiding under the. . .
They glued the edge of their picture next to the button so the picture covered it up. Then we wrote where the button was under the picture.

Tip of the Month: Preschool Math

Although you might not realize it, math is a natural part of a young child's play and daily activities. They explore mathematical concepts as they sort, classify, compare quantities, balance blocks, notice shapes, and find patterns.

There are 5 main areas of math development that are focused on during preschool years:

• Numbers (counting objects and working with numbers)
• Geometry and spatial relations (shapes and sizes or comparisons of shapes, direction)
• Measurement (comparing weight or height, calendar, measuring)
• Patterns
• Analyzing data (sorting, comparing, graphs, charts)

Here are some ways that you can work on math concepts at home:

1. Show how we use math every day. Have them help you measure when you cook or figuring out is a container is big enough for their toys.
2. Play board games and count the spaces with them or play simple games like "Go Fish"
3. Count things at home and on the street: how many cars, tress, pieces of snack, etc. Count things in book illustrations. Find numbers in your surroundings.
4. Talk about the different patterns and shapes you see around you: plaid, polka dot, triangles, rectangles, etc.
5. Use math terms: above, below, beneath, larger, smaller, equal, horizontal, vertical, perpendicular, parallel. Ask them to bring you the smallest cookie or when they pick up toys, ask for specific toys and use math terms to describe where the toy is: the toy beneath the chair.
   
6. When shopping at the store, talk about and compare prices.
7. Explain what you are doing when you balance your checkbook or pay bills.
8. Have them watch you count money at home or at the bank.
9. Weigh and measure your child and chart their growth.
10. Provide hands on materials like a set of blocks to build with.