Week Two

Theme: "All About Me"
We had some wonderful discussions about what kinds of things we like to do, what foods we like to eat, and how some of us have straight hair, while others have curly or spiky hair. My husband came to visit 2 classes and told how he lost his arm in a car accident when he was 5 years old. We practiced saying, "prosthetic," and we had fun watching him use his prosthetic to carry things, pick up children, tie a shoe,....No matter if we have glasses, wear braces, have prosthesis, or are in a wheelchair, we are each special and amazing! People who seem different on the outside have similar feelings on the inside.

Letter: M
Hopefully some children can recognize the letter M. All of them know what sound it makes, and many of them can write it.
Some of us made "mitten M's". We had to choose the "M" sounding pictures to cut out and glue onto our mittens.

Choosing Time:
Music:

• Monkeys Swinging in a Tree
• Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
• ABC's
• Muffin Man
• P-O-P-C-O-R-N
• 5 Little Ducks
• I Am Special (Sung to Are You Sleeping?)

I Am Special, I Am Special
Yes, I Am, Yes, I Am
I am Very Special, I am Very Special
Yes, I Am! Yes, I AM!

Art:

• Name Plates--Many skills were used to make these...(letter recognition, cutting, patterns,...)
• Germ Puppets
• Self Portraits--We had fun talking about all the features we have on our faces and the many ways we can choose to draw them.

Science:

• Weight & Height--It was fun to get measured and compare our heights with our friends.
  
• Microscope Observations--We looked at fingernail clippings, hair, and ear wax under the microscope.

• Soap Creations--We each took turns putting a Hard cube of Glycerin into a pan immersed in a pan of boiling water. We watched the hard cube melt into a liquid. We added scent and color. We poured the hot liquid into a square or circle mold and added one eyeball. We waited to see what would happen. We were surprised to see that the liquid had hardened again, but this time it was smoother than it was. (The eyeball in the soap is to watch us to make sure we do a good job washing the germs away)

• Lesson About Germs--I had a handful of red glitter that I pretended to sneeze out all over the children. They were in awe to see how the glitter went everywhere. I explained that we cannot see the germs like we can see the glitter, but they are still everywhere. I showed them how my hand still was covered in glitter and how each time I touched someone or something some of that glitter would rub off on them. We had a good time sharing our pretend germs and then practicing washing our hands the right way.
  

• More Mud--I am truly sorry that our mud play got out of hand on Monday!!!
  

Movement:

• Oh, What A Miracle
• Hokey Pokey
• (Child's Name), Goes Round the Circle ( I chose each child to take a turn to go around our circle in any moving way he/she wanted)
• Jumping Song
• Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Games:

• Children, Will You Please Share....? This game is similar to "Mother, May I?" I would invite them to share their toys...and then they could take one step forward to me. However, if I asked them to share a "toothbrush..." then they would answer, "No, Teacher, NO!" When the children came close to me, I would tickle them and they would run away begging to play again.

Show 'N Tell:

• We saw a Mermaid and a special bag. :)
• Don't forget to send something every Monday and Tuesday to share!

Snacks:

• Juice Boxes, Strawberries, & Crackers
• Marshmallow Pops & Mini Muffins
• Mandarin Oranges, Micky Mouse Cheese, Crackers
• Fruit Snacks & Cookies
  
• Popcorn, Mini Oranges, Cheese Sticks
• M & M's, Bananas, Pretzels

Birthday:
Thank you for sharing your birthday with us and a special treat!

Writing:
We continued to practice "M." We also enjoyed writing "me."

Reading:
We are feeling really smart as we can read all of the words on our word wall. Our focus word has been "me." For a follow-up exercise, have your children point out the word "me" in the stories you read to them. Also, have them point out the letter "M." This helps to build their confidence and enthusiasm for learning.

Books:

• Germs Are Not For Sharing by Elizabeth Verdick
• Monkey Makes Music
• I Like Myself! by Karen Beaumont
• What I Like About Me! byAllia Zobel-Nolan