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This third week of March we will be looking at colors. We will talk about rainbows, the sun in the sky, and clouds. There will be a rainbow of colors in the sensory table, at the the play dough table and at the art table. The children will have an opportunity to mix colors and to talk about colors they see in the classroom and outside. The spring flowers are one way you can talk with your child about colors as you walk around your neighborhood. The daffodils are out and the tulips are getting ready to bloom – lots of colors to talk about and to practice “focus”. You can play ‘I SPY’ as you walk: spy something___(insert a color)…children love this game and then you can let them take turns being the leader and the one who gets to find something for you to ‘spy’.

Other ways you can work on focus – switch words to a familiar song and see if your child notices (wheels on the train instead of bus). This is a fun and creative way to sing songs that encourages focus and listening skills. Play a sorting game when you clean up toys – let’s find all the blue toys, put all the round toys in the basket, who has a soft toy? Try singing a song while waiting in a line or at a restaurant. It gives the child a tool for managing a situation that they cannot control and allows them an outlet to deal with frustration that they might have waiting in a line for food to come, sitting at a table, etc.

 

 

Songs:
Great Big Rainbow 
There’s a great, big rainbow
In the sky,
With pretty colors
Way up high.
When it starts to rain
And the sun comes out-
A beautiful rainbow
Will pop out!

I See Rainbows 
I see rainbows, I see rainbows,
Way up high in the sky.
They are red and orange,
Yellow, green and blue.
Purple, too. What a view!
I see rainbows, I see rainbows,
Way up high in the sky.
They are made from sunshine,
Shinning through the rain.
What a view in skies so blue!

Rainbow 
Red and orange, green and blue
Shiny yellow, purple, too
All the colors that we know
Live up in the rainbow.
Red and orange, green and blue
Shiny yellow, purple, too

Here is a bunny with ears so funny
And here is her hole in the ground
When a noise she hears, she pricks up her ears
And jumps in her hole in the ground.

Baby Bird
A mother bird laid an egg with care
And when it hatched a baby was there
She ate and she ate
And she grew and she grew
And then one day away she flew

Story of Colors (similar to Brown Brown Bear)
Red kite, orange butterfly, yellow sun, green grass, blue bird, purple flower, rainbow

This second week in March we will be exploring clouds, colors, science, and colloidal suspension (a big word for messy fun at the art table).

Colloidal Suspension:
– A mixture having particles of one component, with diameters between 10 ⁻⁷ and 10 ⁻⁹ metres, suspended in a continuous phase of another component. The mixture has properties between those of a solution and a fine suspension.
– A colloid that has a continuous liquid phase in which a solid is suspended in a liquid.

As we talk about clouds outside there are several ways you can bring that learning inside. One of them is to make ‘goop’ to explore – as we will at the art table.  By combining cornstarch and water you get a mixture that is both solid and liquid – and lots of fun to play with. It is both a messy, sensory experience as well as a clean, messy project to clean up. The cornstarch just brushes off clothing, wipes up off floors and disappears off of hands when they are dipped in water. Clean, messy, fun!
We will be discussing shapes, texture and colors at school this week. Our story will talk about different shapes you see in the cloud formations. Ask your child what they see in the sky, in a reflection in a puddle or in a nature book. You can increase their vocabulary with ‘big’ scientific words as well as adjectives that describe shapes, textures, and colors. At home you can make the goop mixture with color and make a rainbow in the clouds.

We will all read It Looked Like Spilt Milk…https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Looked_Like_Spilt_Milk…during Circle Time. The Pre-3s classes will be talking about what they see when we read the book Look, Look, Look at Circle Time. This book has them look close at a picture, then with a verbal cue try to figure out what the ‘big’ picture is. At the art table they will be using eye droppers to drop white paint onto blue paper then fold the paper in half to make clouds in the sky. We will be asking them what they see in the cloud shape.

Focus is one of 7 Essential Skills in Mind in the Making by Ellen Galinsky…https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/mind-in-the-making/id360624694?mt=11.
Looking at things closely helps children develop focus. True focus means they are alert, engaged and able to stay attentive during the activity. As they experiment with the goop this week they will be focusing on shape, texture, and design; and then during circle time they will be focusing on similar shapes in the story It Looked Like Spilt Milk. This will encourage their working memory.  ‘Working Memory’ allows you to take information you already have and connect that information with new information or experiences. This happens when they sing a familiar song, remember what comes next and can make a prediction based on existing information. They will use both focus and working memory at preschool this week.

Songs:
Did You Ever See a Cloud?
Did you ever see a cloud, a cloud, a cloud?
Did you ever see a cloud that looked like a bear?
A big one, a little one, a quiet one, a loud one?
Did you ever see a cloud that looked like a bear?
Did you ever see a cloud, a cloud, a cloud?
Did you ever see cloud that looked like a plane?
A big one, a little one, a fast one a slow one?
Did you ever see a…?

Clouds
The clouds are passing by,
The clouds are passing by,
Way up high in the sky,
The clouds are passing by.

The clouds are passing by,
Way up in the sky,
Sometimes fast, sometimes slow,
The clouds are passing

5 Little Clouds
Five little clouds up in the sky,
Drifting, floating way up high,
One disappeared from the sky so blue,
When a big gust of wind came blowing through.

Everyone make blowing wind sounds

Four little clouds…
Three little clouds…

This first week in March  we will be learning about dinosaurs, bones, and volcanoes. The children will be building a volcano and adding dinosaurs to the volcano before it ‘blows up’. We will use descriptive words while we discuss big and little, loud and quiet and in and out. The kids will be using tools (technology) as they add dino-bone powder to the volcano, dig for bones in the sensory table, and examine fossil prints at the playdough table. They will be paleontologists in the sandbox and in the sensory table using tools to find the hidden bones. At table toys there will be little dinosaurs hatching out of eggs, and in the blocks area we will have dinosaurs stomping around the neighborhood. At home you can talk to your child about size and comparisons. You can ask questions that compare things the child is familiar with: big as an elephant, small as a kitten, etc. Talk about the difference of loud and quiet. When is a cat loud? What is loud in the house – the vacuum? the hair blower? the blender? Give them an opportunity to make loud sounds and quiet sounds with a tool that can do both. A tooth brush can make both loud and quiet sounds. The soft brush side of a tooth brush will make one sound while the plastic handle side makes another sound.  What can you use a tooth brush for? At preschool we will be using it as a tool to brush off the ‘dirt’ from our bones. You can talk about how they use it as a tool to brush food off of their teeth. Dinosaur Week will be filled with STEM activities – Science: study of dinosaurs/volcanoes, Technology: paleontologist tools, Engineering: building the volcano, Math: adding/counting/comparing/categorizing. All of this while we play with dinosaurs!

Songs:
Counting Dinosaurs
Five little dinosaurs sitting in a swamp.
The first one said, “Let’s stomp, stomp, stomp!”
The second one said, “Time for lunch!”
The third one said, “Let’s munch, munch, munch!”
The fourth one said, “Let’s stomp some more!” 
The fifth one said, “Let’s all roar!” GRRRR!

Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs
Eating fruits and leaves
Take a bite, chew it up
Their lunch is in the trees.

The Dino Ditty
Here he comes just a stomping with his feet
Singing Dino, ditty, ditty-dum, ditty do
Searching all around for something to eat
Singing Dino, ditty, ditty dum ditty do
He’s huge (echo) He’s strong (echo) He’s huge, he’s strong
Wont be hungry very long
Singing Dino ditty, ditty dum, ditty do
Singing Dino ditty, ditty dum, ditty do

5 Dinosaurs
One dinosaur went out to play
upon a giant fern one day.
He had such enormous fun
he called for another dinosaur to come!
Two dinosaurs went out to play…
Three dinosaurs…
Four dinosaurs…
Five  dinosaurs went out to play
upon a giant fern one day.
They had such enormous fun
they played and played ’till the day done.

Five Dinosaurs Driving in Cars
There were five dinosaurs ridin’ in cars (pretend to be driving)
Havin’ a “wheely” good time
They said, “step on the gas” (step forward with one foot)
We’ll go really fast! (push one hand out in front of body)
And they did until one had a flat tire
Ca-chunk, ca-chunk, ca-chunk, ca-chunk (roll hands unevenly as if rolling a flat tire)
Whoosh (sink down to crouch position while making air sound)
And he said, “go on without me!” (cup hands around mouth and shout upward)
Repeat with 4, 3, 2 and 1 dinosaur

Last time – speak the following in a rhythmic, almost rapping way:
And he said, “I know what I’ll do, I’ll change the tire”
So he jacked up the car (pretend to work a jack while making whoosh sound)
And he took off the flat (pretend to lift off heavy tire as you say “uh!”)
And he put on the spare (pretend to put on spare as you say, “uh!”)
And he said, “I’ll pick up my friends!”

Then there were five dinosaurs, ridin’ in cars
(stand back up and repeat original motions)
Having’ a wheel good time
They said, “step on the gas, we’ll go really fast!”
And they did and down the road they went flyin’

This second week in February we will be having our Friendship Party. The children will pass out their Friendship Cards on Tuesday (Bears, Eagles), Wednesday (Owls, Orcas) and Friday (Otters). The children will have a bag with their name on it that will be placed on the floor, in a circle, in the room next to the blocks area. During class the children will deliver their Friendship Cards and they will take their bag home with them. At home, you can look over the items in the bag to determine if there are things you would prefer your child not to have.

* Valentine Envelope:
Send in an addressed, stamped envelope and your child will make a Valentine to send to a special someone (Grandma, Dad/Mom at work, favorite relative…you choose). We will have the child make as many as needed and all month long.

* Friendship Card Bags:
We will have the bags set out in a separate room. During Free Play (Small Group/Bears) the kids will deliver their cards.

* Friendship Cards:
Bring in 20-22 cards (depending on your class roster) that are “signed,” but not addressed. We will deliver them after snack during free play. If you will not be in class, you can send the cards to class and we will deliver them for you.

Songs:
Teddy Bear
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear turn around
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear touch the ground
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear show your shoe
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear down goes you.

Wishy Washy Washer Woman
Way down in the jungle where nobody goes
Theres a wishy washy washer woman washing her clothes
She goes – oooh aaaaah, ooooh, aaaaah
That’s how the washer woman washes her clothes
Waddily ah-cha a goochie goochie gooh
Waddily ah-cha a goochie goochie gooh
That’s how the washer woman washes her clothes.

We will be having a Teddy Bear Party this first week in February!
(The themes on the calendar have been changed – this week is Teddy Bear Week and next week Friendship Week).

The children can bring their favorite stuffed animal for a picnic in the blocks area.  We will have blankets and little snacks to share with our favorite animal friends.
(Orcas will have their picnic on Wednesday, Bears on Thursday, Eagles on Friday).

We will be talking about places we like to go when they go for walks in the neighborhood.  As we all know Bear likes to go to the Library.  He will surprise the children with other places he likes to go.

As you talk with your child about places in the neighborhood, you can also talk about the people in the neighborhood they see.  You can ask them questions about the people and places in their neighborhood.  What jobs are people doing?  Where do they like to go to play, to eat, to be with their friends?  It is fun to hear what they think about the world around them.

Songs:

Here is a cave (make a fist),
Inside is a bear (put a thumb inside fist).
Now he comes out
To get some fresh air (pop out thumb).
He stays out all summer
In sunshine and heat.
He hunts in the forest
For berries to eat (move thumb in circle).
When snow starts to fall,
He hurries inside
His warm little cave,
And there he will hide (put thumb back inside fist).
Snow covers the cave
Like a fluffy white rug.
Inside the bear sleeps
All cozy and snug (cover fist with other hand).

Teddy Bear
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear turn around
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear touch the ground
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear show your shoe
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear down goes you.

Wishy Washy Washer Woman
Way down in the jungle where nobody goes
Theres a wishy washy washer woman washing her clothes
She goes – oooh aaaaah, ooooh, aaaaah
That’s how the washer woman washes her clothes
Waddily ah-cha a goochie goochie gooh
Waddily ah-cha a goochie goochie gooh
That’s how the washer woman washes her clothes

This last week in January and for the month of February we will be talking about friendship, family and people in our neighborhood.  We will learn some silly songs, rhymes and poems about love.  At the art table the children will be using glue and paper to make cards for family and friends.
As they create their cards they will be:
*developing fine motor skills. 
*learning about shapes and colors.  
 *talking about letters and names.
We will be talking about neighborhoods and who lives in their neighborhood.
As you walk around your neighborhood you can ask them:  What do you see when we go for a walk around our neighborhood?  What places do you like to visit?  Who do you see working in the neighborhood?
It is a way to have your child connect to the community they live in – their family, their neighbors and the people who work in their neighborhood.

Songs:
Skidamarink
Skidamarink a dink a dink, Skidamarink a doo,
I love you.
Skidamarink a dink a dink, Skidamarink a doo,
I love you.
I love you in the morning. And in the afternoon. I love you in the evening. And underneath the moon.
Oh, Skidamarink a dink a dink, Skidamarink a doo,
I love you!

Love Somebody, Yes I Do
Love somebody, yes I do
Love somebody, yes I do
Love somebody, yes I do
Love somebody, and I’ll tell you who.
(Love my Daddy,…my Mommy,… My Grandma,…)

Bubble Gum Poem
I love you
I love you
I love you divine
Please give me some bubblegum
You’re sitting on mine!

Thumbs in the thumb place…
We haven’t had a lot of time to wear our mittens this year but we can still sing about mittens!
We will be working on colors with a mitten story this fourth week in January. The children will be talking about textures in the art room, there will be an assortment of warm clothing in the dramatics area, and we will have books about weather in the library. We will be dressing Bear, mostly in a raincoat, but we do have mittens for Bear. This will be a good week to add to your child’s vocabulary –  words that describe the weather, colors, temperature and textures. Our children have lots of words for wet and rain, but not as many about cold weather. If you have a chance, try to get up to the mountains to play in the snow and use those mittens!

Songs:
Mittens on My Hands
(Sung To: ‘Wheels on the Bus’)
The mittens on my hands
Keep me warm
Keep me warm
Keep me warm
The mittens on my hands
Keep me warm
All Winter long!

The socks I wear will…
The boots on my feet…
The hat on my head…
The scarf around my neck…
The coat I wear will…

Mitten Song
Thumb in the thumb place (give Thumbs Up with both hands),
Fingers all together (hold fingers together like in mittens with thumbs out).
These are the things we wear in mitten weather (move mittens back and forth).
When it’s cold, it doesn’t matter whether (shrug shoulders),
Mittens are wool or made of finest leather (rub hands).
Thumb in the thumb place, fingers all together.

Mittens for Snow Time
Mittens, mittens for the snow time, when the world is white.
Mittens for my two hands (hold up hands),
Mittens left and right (show left and right),
Mittens with a thumb place (show thumb),
Mittens warm and snug.
Mittens make me feel like giving a hug (hug self).

Mitten Story:
My poor little kitten lost her mitten and started to cry, “boohoo”,
So I helped my kitten to look for her mitten, her beautiful mitten of blue.
I found a mitten just right for a kitten, under my mother’s bed.
But alas the mitten was not the right mitten, for it was colored red.
I found a mitten just right for a kitten
…under my father’s pillow…yellow.
…on the hand of my brother’s clown…brown.
…under the laundry so clean…green.
…inside a grocery sack…black.
…under the kitchen sink…pink.
I found a mitten just right for a kitten inside my favorite shoe,
And this time the mitten WAS the right mitten, for it was colored blue!

Your child is not like any other child.  Yes, they may have familiar similarities or may be right on target with other children their age on the development charts but they are all unique little people.  It fascinates me to listen to the children as they explain a thought, watch as they work with the play dough, and see their creativity as they explore the materials in the outside play area. 
Even though two snowflakes may form in the same cloud, their different journeys to the ground will affect their shape and size, giving each snowflake its own unique identity. You may never find an identical pair of snowflakes, but they can be grouped by similarities in their patterns.
https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-are-all-snowflakes-different
And just as two children are interacting with similar materials at preschool they will have a different interpretation of that item or activity and how it effects their world.  Enjoy those special qualities that make your child a ‘snowflake’ – unique and one-of-a-kind!
This second week in January we will be talking about snowflakes.  The children will be dipping snowflake shapes in watercolor to make “rainbow” snowflakes.  We will be using magnifying glasses to look and make tiny things look bigger.

The Science of Snowflakes: Facts and Activities for Children
Laure Latham
December 9, 2015
Six is the magic number for snow – did you know that? If you had a big magnifier and stepped outside with your children on a cold winter day to watch snow fall from the sky, here is what you might observe – six-sided hexagonal crystals, needles or flat six-sided crystals, and a wide variety of six-sided shapes. All snowflakes are a combination of the number six for simple chemical reasons – they’re all variants of the water molecule. Despite all snowflakes having six sides, not two snowflakes are exactly identical. How crazy is that? Here are a few more fun facts about snowflakes as well as simple science activities you can do with your children.

Where Do Snowflakes Come From?
As obvious as this may sound, snowflakes—or more scientifically, snow crystals—are formed in clouds. However they are not frozen raindrops, as that’s called sleet or hail. Snowflakes are a different cold weather phenomenon formed from water vapor that condenses around a tiny particle—the seed crystal, usually a speck of dust—in clouds. Cloud droplets condense around the seed crystal and freeze on the surface of the particle, patterns emerging as the crystals grow.
The shape of snowflakes is determined by the altitude and temperatures at which they are formed. When several crystals stick together or create puffy white balls, they become snowflakes. Once the snowflakes are heavy enough, they fall to the earth. The average snowflakes fall at an average speed of 3.1 miles per hour!

Songs:
Snowflake Song
Snowflakes, snowflakes, dance around.
Snowflakes, snowflakes, touch the ground.
Snowflakes, snowflakes, in the air.
Snowflakes, snowflakes, everywhere.
Snowflakes, snowflakes, dance around.
Snowflakes, snowflakes, touch the ground.

Five Little Snowmen
Five little snowmen riding on the sled (pretend five fingers are sledding),
One fell off and bumped his head (pretend one finger falls off…rub head).
I called Frosty and Frosty said (dial imaginary telephone),
“No more snowmen, riding on that sled” (say in a deep voice)!
Four little snowmen…etc.

Winter Song
Way up high in the snowy tree,
Lots of little snowflakes smiled at me.
So I shook that tree as hard as I could.
Down came the snowflakes
Brrrr
They’re cold!

Welcome back to school.  I hope you have enjoyed time with family, friends and had some time to get outside to play in the snow.
We will be talking about snow, snowflakes and snowmen in the next several weeks.  We will have songs, poems and stories about cold weather and snow.  I love that the children have had a chance to see actual snow…and maybe had an opportunity to make a snowman.
This week looks like it will be sunny and cold.  Please, be sure to dress for chilly outside play – both for you and your child.  😉
At home you can talk about ice, cold, water, snow, snowflakes and warm clothing.

 

SUNDAY WAS A SUPERMOON!
When the “Full Cold Moon” rises on Sunday night (Dec. 3) it will also mark the first (and last) “supermoon” of 2017. Supermoons happen when a full moon approximately coincides with the moon’s perigee, or a point in its orbit at which it is closest to Earth. This makes the moon appear up to 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than usual.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2017/12/03/tonight-supermoon-supermoon-2017/#2b9182553fac
This week the moon will be visible in the late afternoon/early evening and in the early/late morning.  With the skies being mostly clear it will be a great week for ‘moon-gazing’.  We will continue talking about the stars, the moon, shiny things and light.