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The month of January is supposed to be our ‘cold weather’ month.  Although the forecast is for warmer and wetter rather than cold and snow. This week we will be talking about cold weather, snow and snowmen.  If the chilly weather returns you can point out the frost to your child. We will be introducing Bear and getting him dressed for warmth.  

Winter Songs and Poems

It is Snowing

It is snowing, it is snowing

All around, all around

Soft and pretty snowflakes

Soft and pretty snowflakes

On the ground, on the ground.

Snowman

I’m a chubby snowman short and fat

Here is my broomstick and here is my hat

When the sun come out and shines all day

I just start to melt away….

Oh no I’m a puddle!

Little Snowman

A chubby little snowman with a carrot nose

Along came a bunny and what do you suppose?

That hungry little bunny looking for some lunch

Ate that snowman’s carrot nose crunch, crunch, crunch

Mitten Song

Thumbs in the thumb place, fingers all together.

This is the song we sing in mitten weather

When it is cold it doesn’t matter whether 

mittens are wool or finest leather.

Thumbs in the thumb place fingers all together

This is the song we sing in mitten weather.

Robin

The cold wind doth blow

And we shall have snow

What will poor robin do then, poor thing?

She will sit in the barn

And keep herself warm

And hide her head under her wing. Poor thing.

SNOW WEEK

Welcome back to school.  I hope you have enjoyed time with family, friends and had some time to get outside to enjoy the breaks in the rain and wind..

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.  If you have any snow pictures / family pictures it would be great to post them on the bulletin board in the Snack/Lunch Room.

This week looks like it will be a mix of rain, sun, clouds and chilly weather.  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.

Just as no two snowflakes are alike your child is not like any other child.  Yes, they may have family similarities, or are right on target with other children their age on the development charts, but they are all unique little people.  Enjoy those special qualities that make your child a ‘snowflake’ – unique and one-of-a-kind!

This week we will be talking about snowflakes.  

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! 

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.
I shook that tree as hard as I could.
Down came the snowflakes
They are cold!

It is hard to believe that December is here. We will be singing a lot of bell songs this week. We will introduce sounds from musical instruments as well as sounds that they hear at home, in nature and while outside on a walk.

As we start the ‘holiday season’ (even though the stores have been in holiday mode since Halloween or before!)  we will be staying “the same” at preschool.  We will start singing our bell songs but Jingle Bells will be the only ‘holiday’ song we sing.  It is nice for the children to know that preschool will be the same as always – familiar and what they expect.  It may be comforting for you, as well, to know we will be low key and without a lot holiday hubbub going on.  We will switch from gobble- gobble to ring-ring.    It is an exciting time of the year and hopefully we can catch some of that excitement while maintaining a calm atmosphere at preschool.

Bell Songs:

Ring, ring, ring your bells

Ring them loud and clear

To tell the children everywhere

That Circle Time is here.

Ring Ring Your Bells

Did you ever ring your bells, your bells, your bells

Did you ever ring your bells over  your ______

….under your ______, on your ______, next to your ______

Jingle Bells

Dashing through the snow
On a one horse open sleigh
O’er the fields we go,
Laughing all the way
Bells on bob tail ring,
making spirits bright
What fun it is to laugh and sing
A sleighing song tonight

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh

Motion Rhyme

Shake, shake, shake and stop

Shake, shake, shake and stop!

Stop, stop, stop and SHAKE!

This week, we will have turkeys, feathers and lots of ‘gobble, gobble, gobble’ at preschool.  The kids will be painting our papier mache turkey at the art table.  

In the sensory table they will continue using the ‘alligator’ tongs and small black tongs to find hidden items in the sensory table.   Tongs are a fun way to work on fine motor skills.   

There will be farm animals at playdough and in the sensory table. In the blocks area there will also be farm animals – both plastic and soft.   We will have a special guest animal when we sing Old McDonald. Gobble, gobble, gobble.

SONGS AND RYHYMES

Funny Fellow

The turkey is a funny fellow, his head goes wobble, wobble.

He only says but just one word: gobble, gobble, gobble.

Hello Mr Turkey

Hello, Mr. Turkey how are you? Hello, Mr. Turkey how are you?

With a wobble, wobble and a gobble, gobble

Hello Mr. Turkey how are you?

(Good bye Mr. Turkey see you later.)

Mr. Turkey

Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble says the turkey (2x)

His head goes wobble, wobble, wobbles and he says a gobble gobble.

Gobble, gobble, gobble says the turkey.

My Turkey

I have a turkey big and fat

He spreads his wings and he walks like that

His daily corn he would not miss

And when he talks he sounds like this:

Gobble gobble gobble

This week we will talk about farms, animals, seeds, plants and dirt.  They will harvest the seeds from the pumpkins brought to school.  We will take out the seeds and talk about the seeds and why we need them to grow a pumpkin.  We will fill the pumpkins with dirt and turn them into planters for pansies and other winter plants to decorate our garden area.  The carved pumpkins will go in the garden to provide food for the birds, squirrels, slugs and snails.  We will watch as they decompose in the garden beds. The little pumpkins will continue to be out in the play area to hide, make dinner with and stack on wood the blocks.  During Circle Time we will be talking about where animals live and what the ‘say’. This is time to work on descriptive vocabulary – colors, sounds, textures, similarities and differences.  

. 

Over In The Barnyard
Over in the barnyard
Early in the morning,
See the yellow chickies
Standing in a row.
See the busy farmer
Giving them breakfast.
Cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep.
Off they go.
Substitute other barnyard animals.

FARM ANIMALS
The cow in barn goes moo, moo, moo,
Moo, moo, moo. Moo, moo, moo,
repeat
All around the farm.
The pig in the pen goes oink, oink, oink,………..
The hens in the coop go cluck……….
The lambs on the hill go baa,……..
The ducks on the pond go quack……

We will be looking at animals that live in our area.  We will be learning aobut where they live and what they do during the winter.  The children will add bird feed to our bird feeder and add liquid to the hummingbird feeder.  It will be their job to watch the feeders and add food when needed. We will have a water feeder in the garden area as well so that the birds have a source of water during the winter months.

At home your child where animals live, where they see animals and how they get their food.  During your walks outside you can point out animals that are ‘wild’ and animals that are ‘pets’, animals that live on the ground and ones that live in trees, animals that live at the zoo, on farm or in someone’s home. We will talk about animal homes, how they communicate and what they eat during class this month.

Reflect on your own attitudes toward specific animals and insects. Children readily pick up the attitudes of the adults around them. Try not to let your own likes and dislikes influence theirs. If you are very uncomfortable around specific animals / insects, help children learn to appreciate them from a safe distance OR find another adult that is comfortable with that animal or insect and have them be the person that introduces your child to that animal / insect. Just remember that the most important thing you can do is instill curiosity and appreciation of the nature that surrounds us. 

FARM ANIMALS

The horse in barn goes neigh, neigh, neigh

neigh, neigh, neigh.

neigh, neigh, neigh

The horse in barn goes neigh, neigh, neigh

All around the farm.

The cow in the barn goes moo, moo, moo

ARE YOU LISTENING?

Are you listening, are you listening 

to the horse, to the horse

Hear the horse calling, hear the horse calling

Neigh, Neigh, Neigh 

Cow, Pig, Ducks, Dog, Cat

OLD MACDONALD 

FIVE LITTLE DUCKS

THE BIG GREEN FROG

HOME for ME

Here is a nest for a birdie

Here is a hive for a bee

Here is hole for bunny 

SPIDER WEEK

During the day we will introduce spider songs/finger plays and continue singing pumpkin songs.

With the spider we will be talking about webs – home for a spider.  We will talk about other homes for animals – nests, holes, caves, etc.  We will talk about their home.  During the week you can show your child webs outside in the garden. With the morning dew it is a perfect time for finding webs outside.  The dew drops will highlight the webs in the gardens. It is a good time to look for nests in the trees now that the leaves have fallen.  Ask your child where he/she thinks the birds live during the winter, where do the spiders go when it is cold and what kind of homes different pets have.  We will continue to talk about homes as we move into Thanksgiving and family celebrations.

Songs and Rhymes

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Little Miss Muffet

Spider on the Floor
There’s a spider on the floor, on the floor.
There’s a spider on the floor, on the floor.
There’s a spider on the floor,
Who could ask for anything more?
There’s a spider on the floor, on the floor.

(There’s a spider on my leg, on my arm, etc.)

Spin Spin Little Spider

Spin, spin little spider. Spin, spin little spider.  

Spin, spin little spider. Spin a web today.

(Spin, spin higher higher.  Spin, spin lower lower.)

•  

PUMPKIN WEEK

This week there will be pumpkins at preschool – in the play area, at the art table and in the sensory table.  We will have orange playdough and cookie cutters at the play dough table.   

A pumpkin is a sensory experience in an orange ball (or other colors and shapes!)  Talk to your child about the color, the size, the shape, the texture. You can scoop out the seeds and roast them or buy some at the store and talk about where they come from.  There will be farm and garden books in the library area.  Talk to your child about where our food comes from and how plants grow.   Remember that some children love to explore and get messy while others will just want to look at the pumpkin.  Either way the child is learning and developing new informational pathways in the brain.  These early experiences are stored and used to build the foundation for later learning

Developing and Cultivating Skills with a Sensory Table

By Danielle Steinberg

Is it smooth and wet or bumpy and dry? Is it sticky and gooey or slippery and fluffy? Does it tickle? Can it change shape? These are just a few of the questions that children can explore while using a sensory table. Learning with a sensory table is more than a fun time-filler; it allows them to gain insight and information about the world around them by providing essential hands-on experiences. Investigating materials with no preconceived knowledge also helps develop and refine cognitive, social and emotional, physical, creative and linguistic skills.  Remember, there is no right or wrong way to use a sensory table; they are appropriate for all ages, genders and races. Encourage your child to explore: don’t overwhelm him with tasks and don’t be too quick to answer his questions

http://www.pbs.org/parents/child-development/sensory-play/developing-and-cultivating-skills-with-a-sensory-table

Pumpkin Songs and Rhyme

We are pumpkins big and round, big and round, big and round. We are pumpkins big and round.  Sitting on the ground.                                                                      (We are pumpkins, little and round)

Pumpkin, pumpkin, round like a ball.  Pumpkin, pumpkin, high on the wall.  Pumpkin, Pumpkin, sit up tall.  Pumpkin, pumpkin, tip and FALL!

Have you ever seen a pumpkin, a pumpkin, a pumpkin,
Have you ever seen a pumpkin, that grows on a vine?
A round one, a tall one, a bumpy one, a squashed one.
Have you ever seen a pumpkin, that grows on a vine?
(You can add your own adjectives to describe it)

Leaf Week 

This week we will be learning about leaves – colors, sizes & where they come from.  At the art table the children will be painting leaves.  There will be leaf and tree cookie cutters at the playdough table. We will have magnifying glasses out to examine leaves.  As you go for walks this week ask your child to find leaves of different colors, shapes and sizes.  

Leaves

Leaves are falling to the ground, to the ground, to the ground.

Leaves are falling to the ground. Pretty Autumn leaves.

The leaves are falling down.
 The leaves are falling down.
 Red, yellow, green and brown.
 The leaves are falling down.

The leaves on the trees turn orange and brown. . .orange and brown. .. .orange and brown
The leaves on the trees turn orange and brown
In the town. 

The leaves on the ground go crunch crunch crunch,  crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch
The leaves on the ground go crunch crunch crunch
Down to the ground
The leaves on the trees come tumbling down, tumbling down, tumbling down
The leaves on the trees coming tumbling down
Down to the ground