Music in Motion follow up

Thanks to the Van Wert Independent for running the follow up article about music in motion!

Check it out!

http://www.thevwindependent.com/news/2013/10/lesjak-gives-presentation-at-te-preschool/

Scholastic Pumpkin Life Cycle

I found this on Pinterest tonight and will use this with the kids this week!  It's a digital issue of a Scholastic News about pumpkins and the life cycle.  It also has games and videos for the kids to watch as we read.  Click to view!

http://sni.scholastic.com/SN1/10_03_12_SN1/book

In the bottom left hand corner, click on the button with the house.  That takes you to the home page and more digital copies of Scholastic News.  The Home page is awesome!  There are more digital issues, printables, teacher resources, and the digital poster for each issue.  Click the archives tab and get even more. The grade levels are mixed together, so pick the one you think is appropriate for your class or students.  You can also take one of the issues for older students and take it down so younger students are able to understand.

Reminders and a look at this week

~ Monday is the last day of the Book Fair.  If you haven't stopped by and still want to, come tomorrow and see the great selection!  We have sold a lot and some titles are limited!

~ Thank you SO much to all the Grandparents and Special Guests that came to school last week!  The kids had a blast and I enjoyed talking to everyone!

~ There is no school this Friday, October 25th due to Early Childhood Testing.

~ Letter Muncher is eating the letter G this week!  The students can bring their G pictures to feed her! :)

~ This week's theme is "G is for Ghost!"  Look for a ghostly craft and ghostly stories!

~ We are also continuing our pumpkin life cycle unit.

New pictures

Check out the pictures tab for more pictures from this week!  On Friday. the students made cute Frankenstein foam craft projects.  They also participated in a process art project by painting with marbles. This week, we will trace a pumpkin on the back and the students will cut out the shape.  The students also used apple cookie cutters and glitter paint to make an apple picture.  We have also been playing a game called  Find the Worm.  The students take turns picking an apple to find the one that has the worm on the back.  During free play time and center time, I let the students play by themselves and let them lead the play between each other.  They take turns being the "teacher" and "students" by hiding the worms and looking for them.  They are having a blast! :)

Pumpkins

This week, we started an experiment with a pie pumpkin.  As the students watched, I cut the top off a pie pumpkin, added some potting soil, water, and placed it in the window sill.  As we keep the pumpkin watered, eventually the seeds in the pumpkin will sprout and grow!  I did this experiment last year and the students loved watching the new plants grow in the pumpkin!

We have been talking about the life cycle of a pumpkin and this way, the students can see how a pumpkin starts as a seed and sprouts into a plant, in a fun way!  The students touched the inside of the pumpkin and described what they felt.  We talked about the seeds and the students were able to look inside the pumpkin.  Several of the students were making connections between this activity and the jack-o-lantern we carved last year.  The students are very excited see the seeds sprout!  I will post more pictures!  

Check out the pictures from last year!

I found the experiment on the blog below.  It  is a great blog!  It even has the Indian Corn experiment.  Click below!

http://www.growinginprek.com/apps/blog/categories/show/1107488-pumpkins

Friday Favorites: Week 4

This week's Friday Favorites focuses on the website, The Virtual Vine.

http://www.thevirtualvine.com/

I have used this site for several years!  I LOVE it!  She has very creative ideas and I like the fact that she posts pictures of the projects and lessons she completes in the classroom.  The site is filled with so many great ideas and helpful tips.  My favorite part of the site is the themes and units tab.  So many great ideas and lots of fun themes!  Go check it out!

Oct 15-18

For the rest of the month, the students are going to learn about fall, pumpkins, and apples.  We are also going to complete some Halloween themed projects, sing songs and read books about this fun holiday. The Tuesday class read both of the books pictured below and today's class read "Big Pumpkin".  Go to the books tap to find the book on tape version of "Big Pumpkin" on Youtube.

The Tuesday class dipped pumpkin cookie cutters in orange and white paint to make a pumpkin picture.

This weeks letter of the week is F.  The students are making a flower out of the letter.

Do you remember the picture of the pumpkins and the ear of Indian Corn?  Yesterday, we talked about how pumpkin plants and other plants grow.  The students were able to tell me plants need sun, water, and air to grow.  One student even said plants need love to grow! :)  I took the ear of corn and placed it in a container filled with water and sat it in the window sill.  The students will watch the corn over the next few weeks to see what will happen.  Many have predicted the corn will "grow".  

Here is a picture of our corn. We are hopping it will grow! :) I will keep you up dated!

Here is the link to Things to Share and Remember.  This teacher completed the experiement and posted the results.  I hope ours is this good!

http://www.thingstoshareandremember.com/will-it-grow-update/