Mammal Week and Field Trip!

Since we learned about fish and reptiles earlier in the month, and then we have been learning all about mammals this week, it was perfect timing for a field trip to BYU's Bean Museum to see so many of the animals we learned about!

 We even got to see some live animals including these amazing reptiles!

 The children really liked seeing these reptiles up close!  They saw their scales and even got to gently touch some of them!

 

 We also got to see some animals that we haven't learned about yet.  We will be learning about insects and spiders later on in April.

  We learned some very interesting facts about these cockroaches--they can survive without a head!  Don't worry, we did not touch these critters! : )

It was neat to see the ocean display at the museum with so many different types of fish and sea life that we learned recently. 

   Time for the mammals!  

These boys were so darling the entire field trip!  They stuck together the whole time and excitedly visited each display intrigued by the animals they saw! 

 This week was "Z" week.  We learned about zebras in particular so it was pretty neat to see them at the museum! 

Each class went on a scavenger hunt for different animals throughout the museum. 

 I love field trips!  I love the opportunity field trips provide to open our minds and see so many new things up close!

 This class got to learn about birds and nests in one of the museum's discovery classes.  This was a perfect introduction for when we learn about nests, birds, and eggs in March!

 A herd of "Z" zebras!

We also got to enjoy a visit from our beloved Suzy Safari!  She taught us about owls this week!  As Suzy Safari always says to us: 

"Animals here, animals there, 

Animals, animals everywhere!

Hundreds of animals,

Thousands of animals,

Millions and trillions and billions of animals!"

(adapted from "Millions of Cats" by Wanda Gag)

We had a terrific week filled with ANIMALS!  

Thank you to all the wonderful parents who helped out with the field trip!  I know your children absolutely loved sharing that special time with you and I appreciate it too!

"R" Week--Reptiles!

We jumped right back into animals this week learning about REPTILES!

Specifically, we learned about snakes, turtles, alligators and crocodiles, and chameleons.

 The children loved making their own "Reptile" book!  We learned that books have a title.  After the kids cut out the pages of their book, they put their books in order making sure the title was at the front.

We learned that reptiles have dry, scaly skin and have lungs.  After looking at real pictures of alligators and crocodiles, the kids enjoyed meeting Mr. Alligator!

 Putting together a dinosaur puzzle as part of reptile week!


 
 To test the children's understanding of which animals were reptiles, we played a game where the children acted like the animal if it was a reptile and froze in place if it was not a reptile.  Here we've got some impressive reptiles being acted out such as snakes, alligators, tortoises and even sea turtles!

 To practice counting, we sang and acted out a little alligator song:
"Five little monkeys swinging in the tree
teasing Mr. Alligator can’t catch me….can’t catch me
along came Mr. Alligator quiet as can be
and snapped that monkey right out of that tree..."



The 3-year-olds were thrilled as one-by-one their monkeys were snatched out of the "tree"!

After learning the song about the monkeys and the alligator, the children were very excited to color and make their own alligator puppet.  I imagine they've been singing this little song at home with their puppet!

It is amazing to see how the children's social skills have developed and grown throughout this year of preschool. The way they play and interact with one another is so much more mature than just a few months ago.  Sharing, turn-taking, and patience are all on the rise!  I love seeing their progress!  Way to go kids!  You parents must be doing something right at home too!

Alphabet puzzle center!

This week we learned the letter R!

We made our own 2-person boats and sang "Row, Row, Row Your Boat". 

Varying our mediums used, we used toothpicks to punch holes along the letter "Rr".  This is what our letter "R" project for the Pre-K classes turned out like.   

Since we were learning about "R", we introduced rhymes to the Pre-K classes this week.  Each child got a card with a picture on it and then they mingled together to find who had a picture card that rhymed with their card.  We had cat-bat, bee-key, rain-train, moon-spoon, etc.  Some of the kids picked up on rhyming down rather quickly!  Rhyming with kids is so much fun!  Be sure to enjoy some rhyming time with your preschoolers!

Next week we will be learning about mammals.  We are all looking forward to our field trip next week!  We'll get to see many of the animals we've been learning about this month that have been so well preserved!  Check back next week for our field trip pictures!

Valentine's Week!

We took a little break from our animal theme and focused on Valentine's, the color pink, and reviewing our letters.

 Playing a matching game on our class whiteboard.  We matched capital and lowercase letters and reviewed their sounds.  These kids are getting their letters down and getting ready to read!

Miss Emily led the children in a music and movement game to review letters as well!

 Before we started our color pink lesson, I had the kids guess which 2 colors we would mix together in order to make pink.  They came up with some pretty interesting color combinations! 

 They loved helping to mix red and white together to magically make...

the color PINK!

 Since we were learning about pink, we had fun reading "Pinkalicious and the Pink Drink."

For one of our projects this week, we made little Valentine's books!  Their favorite part was the "secret pockets" for their love notes!

They turned out quite LOVELY!

 The children really enjoyed decorating their own Valentine to give to someone they love.

I love how diligent this little guy was as he wrote his thoughtful love-note to his mom! 

 This was a fantastic activity to encourage more practice with writing letters and words.  They did a terrific job!

 Thanks to one of our wonderful mothers for making a fun Valentine Shape Twister!  The kids had a blast playing together during our Valentine's day party!

 A big thanks to another amazing mom for providing the Valentine's party treats!

  This was the most anticipated part of the Valentine's day party! They were thrilled to pass out the Valentine's they brought for all of their friends!

 Valentine memory match!  Learning through playing games is very effective.  "Memory" is a brilliantly fun way to encourage children to pay close attention to detail and remember where each card is. 

We had a great week preparing for and celebrating Valentine's day!  These kids are so loving, thoughtful, and kind!  I love them very much!  And I know my assistant teachers feel the very same way!  Thanks for letting us love them!

Another lively music and movement game where the children acted out a specific animal and led their class in that action! 

 I love this joyful grin!

 Caring for a cute little kitty!

 Pairing items that go together!

Celebrating another birthday together!

Next week we will continue learning about animals as we focus our week on REPTILES and the letter R!

 

Animals are fascinating to play with and learn about!!