Farm Fun on a Tuesday!

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Old McDonald Had a Farm…….we are enjoying our Farm Theme currently in our classroom.  We are working on learning different animals that are on the farm and what they look like and sound like.  We also did some discussions today on what the farmer’s job is on the farm.  As I stated last week we will continue this theme as long as the students are interested in it.  Our centers will revolve around the Farm as well as the toys and other activities in the classroom.  Our preschool classrooms here at Zion run somewhat in this manner and I am trying my best to tailor my classroom close to how the preschool classrooms are ran here at Zion to help your child’s transition from PDO to Preschool a smooth and pleasant experience.   Even if your child will not be attending Preschool next year they are still be introduced to the same ideas and concepts that will help them when they are ready to go to Preschool. 

We did not go out early this morning because it was a little more brisk and chilly, but we did spend a long expanded time outside later in the day.  As a reminder though…  On the days that it is warm and dry we will spend as much time as we can outside if the playground is not in use.  Outdoor play is so very important at this age and so we want to help promote that in our program and make sure we are getting outside and playing! 

We also did a lot of talking today about using our walking feet in the classroom as well as keeping our hands to ourselves.  Also, when we are sitting on the stage for Morning Meeting, Circle time or Closing circle we are working really hard at keeping our bottoms glued to the floor as well as our feet so they don’t touch or bother anyone else.  These are all things that we work on all year and continue to work on as we move onto preschool. 

Below is our Schedule

8:00-8:30 Free Choice Time inside the classroom

8:30-9:00 Outside Weather permitting (if it is raining our Free choice time will be extended during this time period)

9:00-9:20 Free Choice/ Painting activities or some center will take place

9:20-9:45 clean up time and Morning Meeting

9:45-10:05 Bathroom and Snack Time

10:05-10:30 Circle Time and A Center will take place

10:30-11:00 Outside Time (students may be pulled inside to do a center)

11:00-11:10 Wash Hands Large Group Activity

11:10-11:45 Center Time

11:50-12:05 Final Circle of the Day

12:05-12:10 Bathroom/Wash Hands

12:10-12:25 Lunchtime

12:25-12:30 Pack up to go home

Enjoy reading about our day!

This week's Bible Story comes from John 21.

Fish For Breakfast

(From The Beginner's Bible)

Late on day, Peter, James and John, and some of Jesus' other friends were together by the Sea of Galilee.

"I'm going fishing," said Peter.

"We will go with you," said the others.

They sailed out in their boat. They threw their net into the water.

And they waited and waited and waited. All night they fished, but they did not catch anything.

Early in the morning, they saw someone standing on the shore. He called, "Have you caught any fish?"

"No," they replied.

"Throw your net on the other side of the boat," the man called.

So they threw the net on the other side.

All at once, fish filled the net. John looked at Peter.

"It's Jesus!" he said.

Peter was so excited, he jumped into the water. He swam to the shore. It WAS Jesus! He made a little campfire. He cooked fish and bread on it.

"Come and have some breakfast," Jesus called.

They did not have to ask who he was. They knew he was their best friend Jesus. He was alive!!

During our Center Time we each painted a fish to help us remember the Bible story.  We then displayed our fish were our ducks use to be.  Be sure and check out our sea of fish!  

Number:  During our morning meeting we talked about the number 9!  We counted clapped our hands nine times, jumped up and down nine times and stomped our feet nine times.  We then counted 9 farm animals and talked about what the different animals were and how they were a like and different.

Shape:  During Morning Meeting we also talked about the shape of an OVAL.  We decided that an oval looks like an Easter egg.  It kind of looks like a circle but it is taller and skinny, not short and fat. We looked at some of the Easter eggs in our classroom today and decided if they are the shape of an Oval.

We had the opportunity during our free choice time and center time to work on putting Easter eggs together to help us with what the shape of an oval is.   

Color: Purple is the color we are learning about during the month of April.  We had objects to put on our purple board today. 

During our center time we worked on our fine motor skills but using scissors to cut a strip of purple paper to decorate a cross that are nicely displayed in our hallway.  We are doing really well with cutting with scissors I am so pleased by how much some of us have gotten with the scissors.

Music and Movement: We sang Jesus Loves Me, and our ABC’s.  We also did Five Days Old, The Wheels on the Bus, We also continued singing 5 Little Ducks. Our music time was a little shortened today, as we were able to play outside a little more. 

Outside Time:  We did go outside today.  We had such a good time playing on the playground it was so beautiful that we stayed out extra long.  We had a lot of fun playing with all our friends today.

Patterning:  We continued our pattern today of pink and purple bunnies.

During our center time we made a pattern of Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies.  I would start the pattern for the student and then they would tell me what would come next we then glued them on a piece of paper repeating the pattern again.    

Sensory and Science led us to the sensory table to play with the CORN!   We had so much fun scooping, digging, pouring and just feeling the corn.  We had fun putting the tractors and animals in the corn and exploring this new fun thing in our table!   We also had the opportunity to play and created with purple play dough.

Pre-Reading: We have been signing the song 5 Little Ducks over the course of the year and today we sang it during our Circle time and then during our center time we worked on our 5 Little Ducks Story Board to help us finish up our little study on Ducks.

Farm Theme: As we have been talking about the farm and learning about the different farm animals today we made some pink pigs to add to the barn that has been placed on the wall where our spring scene was at.  We had our pigs roll (marble paint) in some brown mud before we displayed them with our barn.  We talked about how pigs like to play in the mud and an often time that make them feel cool.  Be sure and check in to see what animals are added to our farm over the next couple days.

Enjoy the pictures for Today!   

Free Choice

Today we listened to a variety of music during our free choice time and enjoyed exploring around the classroom. 

Purple Play Dough Fun! 

.Sorting and Matching

We had the opportunity today to sort colored bears into the right colored cups as well as sort and match and put together different colored Easter eggs. 

.Imaginative Play

It is great to see the students playing and interacting together.  Lots of different things happening and so neat to watch and observe them at play.  

.Sensory Table 

We are loving playing in the corn! 

.More Imaginative Play

.Artist in the making

The art easel has not been quite as popular as it has been but that changed today. It was a flurry of activity with different children drawing, creating and cleaning.  We love using marker and drawing with chalk. 

**wish list** if anyone has some old washable markers they are looking to get rid of I will gladly take them off your hand.  Our marker supply is slowly dwindling down**

.Sophia busy using the magnifying glass to inspect the corn in the sensory table 

.Morning Meeting 

.This book was so funny it was about a Cow who wanted to be a singer but was down right awful and her farm friends were trying to cover it up by them all singing as well. 

Transition and Snack

.Circle Time

Instead of another farm story we did this little farm story board.  

.They love this flannel board poem 

.Each child was given a farm animal and we sang Old McDonald as they brought up their farm animal. 

Outside Play 

.Center Time

Making a Muddy Pig

.Hard Work exploring and having fun 

.Landry was on a mission on the horse

.Five Little Ducks Story Board

This activity was great way to work on the song, our memory skills, our counting skills, and fine motor skills. 

.Bible Story Activity

Painting a Fish

.Cutting with Scissors 

.Soaking in the last few minutes of play before lunch 

.Patterning

.Music and Movement 

.We read this book about a cat and her three baby kittens. 

.Transition and Lunch Time 

.We had a busy day on the Farm.  We did a lot heard a lot and lots of fun.  I hope you all have enjoyed viewing our day and find our blog helpful as it is the window into what we do in PDO.  Please feel free to share this blog with friends and family who are considering Zion for their children.  Have a wonderful evening and I look forward to seeing you later this week!