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Weekly Plan for Jenn's 3pm class
May 24 - May 27th, 2010
Lead Teacher: Marie

Overview and Goals
~The seasonal arrival of the tent caterpillars has sparked in-depth inquiry and investigation out on the playground! Many of the children have excitedly collected the caterpillars and brought them back into the classroom for observation. This week we plan to develop and strengthen the children's scientific thinking and problem skills by asking thought provoking questions such as "How are these caterpillars different from the Painted Lady caterpillars?" and "Do all caterpillars become butterflies?" The children will have opportunities to extend and utilize their scientific reasoning and problem solving skills elsewhere in the classroom as they explore the pre-mathematical concepts of conservations and measurement at the sand table, investigate sequencing at the manipulatives center, and explore part-to-whole relationships as they create insects at the clay table. We will conclude our week with a field trip to the Como Park Conservatory! We hope that our trip will provide the children with an exciting opportunity to extend their knowledge regarding plants and the growth cycle.
Expressive Arts
~ The watercolor paints and oil pastels continue to be available at the art center. Many children have created detailed mixed-media art pieces by utilizing both mediums and adding collage materials. This week we will be adding arrangements of fresh cut flowers to the art table. By providing a still life in the art center we hope to inspire more symbolic representation in the children's art
~The small brushes and 12 colors of tempera paint are once again available in the art center. Having a wide array of colors provides ample opportunity for children to express themselves in unique and creative ways.
Sensory Materials
~The sand table has been a popular choice this week! We will be adding measuring cups to the array of tools available at the table. Children will have the opportunity to develop their mathematical and logical thinking skills as they explore the physical properties of sand and experiment with basic measurement concepts such as conservation and fractions.
~The clay will continue to be available this week. We will be adding collage materials and bug "models" to the center in an effort to encourage the children to express themselves through representational art. By encouraging children to sculpt specific parts of the insect models before recombining them into a whole, we hope to promote their understanding of part-to-whole relationships.
Math and Manipulatives
~The puzzles have been very popular this past week. To support this interest and promote children's understanding of part-to-whole relationships we will be adding a greater variety of puzzles and sequencing games to the manipulatives center. We hope to promote higher-level thinking and to support the inquiry and exploration taking place elsewhere in the room by providing children with the opportunity to explore simple sequencing games such as "Curious George; Beginning, Middle, and End."
Language and Literacy
~The children enjoyed our field trip to the library this past week! The books that they checked out at the library will be available in the literacy center for the rest of the school year. We hope to capitalize on the children's energy and interest in this area by providing opportunities for them to create their own stories. We plan to promote the development of children's emergent reading and writing skills by providing children with opportunities to dictate narratives and create their own storybooks at both the computer and writing centers.
~The writing center continues to be a popular choice for many children. We have noticed several students using the stamps and writing materials to create pictures and picture stories at the center. We hope to bring more of a focused narrative to the children's explorations and interest by providing them with the materials to create simple comic strips. We have posted models of comic strips and added paper and comic strip templates to foster the children's interest and awareness of this unique and accessible method of storytelling. Children will have the opportunity to explore sequencing and develop their pre-/early-literacy skills as they create their own picture narratives.
Science Center
~The science center is crawling with activity! The grow window had provided children with an opportunity to observe the developing root systems of our bean plants. Children continue to hone their mathematical and scientific thinking skills as they observe and measure the differences between the roots and stems of the maturing plants. This week we will add tomato, watermelon, avocado, and apple seeds to the center. We hope to promote the development of children's inquiry and investigation skills by encouraging them to examine the similarities and differences between various types of seeds and food plants. A seed-matching game will be available to provide children with the opportunity to utilize their knowledge regarding plants and the growth cycle.
~ The children have taken and active interest in insects over the past few weeks as they have collected caterpillars from the playground and observed our growing ladybug larvae. To reflect this interest we will be adding caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, and other insect figurines to the science cave this week to provide children with the opportunity to extend their investigation of insects through symbolic play.
Dramatic and Symbolic Play
~The open-ended materials that we added to the bakery last week were very popular! The children explored part-to-whole relationships and utilized their knowledge regarding cooking and baking as they followed "recipes" combining polyfill, cotton balls, packing peanuts, and felt pieces. Many children have been "baking" cookies and cakes and inviting teachers and peers to purchase them. This week we will expand on their interest and exploration by adding restaurant props such as menus, cookbooks, and a wider variety of cooking ingredients. Many opportunities for social and emotional development arise as the children play cooperatively, work together to create various narratives, and listen and respond to each other's ideas.
Block Area
~Activity in the block area exploded this week as children constructed boats, airplanes, and other transportation vehicles out of the large hollow blocks. The construction has fostered a lot of wonderful cooperative play as children invite others to join them by issuing tickets and passing out traveling props (suitcases, binoculars, etc.). We will expand on this interest and foster children's emerging print awareness by providing maps, travel brochures, and other props that have a literacy focus.
~Children have enjoyed exploring the musical instruments that were added to the block center last week. Several children formed a parade and used the microphones, tambourines, bells, and drums to create their own music. This week we will continue to promote the children's creative development by enriching the environment with a wider array of musical instruments.
Large Motor
~ The children were excited to be back out on the playground enjoying the beautiful weather last week! The children are increasing their large-muscle coordination as they run, jump, and climb amongst the equipment. The swings have been very popular and provide children with the opportunity to develop both their propulsion and social skills as they take turns pushing one another and wait in line for an opportunity to use the swings. We will continue to support the children's full-body coordination by inviting children to participate in teacher-directed games at the end of the day. Games such as "Red Light, Green Light," "Animal Action" and "Sleeping Children" promote cardiovascular endurance, spatial awareness, and locomotion skills.
~The gym set up remains the same this week. We haven't explored the new materials available in the gym since we were so eager to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather! The current set up provides many opportunities for children to develop their large and perceptual motor skills as they climb the monkey bars, jump from the A-frame, utilize the running lane, and navigate the raised walkway. In addition the large open space in the center of the gym provides us with the opportunity to incorporate teacher-directed music and movement activities into the gym curriculum. Songs and activities such as parachute play, "Animal Action," and "Shake Your Sillies Out" promote creative development as the children explore the capabilities of their bodies in conjunction with music!
Snack
Monday: Pretzels and Apple
Wednesday: Sunflower Butter Sandwiches
Thursday: Rice Cakes & Banana
Special Announcements
~Please return permission slips for our field trip to Como Park Conservatory.
~The All-School Pizza Party is this Tuesday, May 25th from 6-7:30pm.
~We will be closed for Memorial Day (Monday, May 31st).
~We will have a special event on Wednesday, June 2nd to celebrate the end of the school year.
~The last day of spring session is Thursday, June 3rd!

Weekly Plan for Jenn's 3PM Class
May 17th - May 20th, 2010

Overview and Goals:
It is hard to believe that we only have three more weeks of school! As the end of the school year approaches, we will continue to challenge the children's mathematical and scientific reasoning skills as they participate in activities throughout the classroom. We have added the sand table to provide further opportunities for the children to experiment with premeasurment skills and conservation. We will continue to focus on the life cycles of plants and insects at our science center and during our time outdoors. The bakery continues to be a popular place where the children use measuring cups to scoop ingredients, create their own recipes, sort and classify ingredients, and exchange money as they purchase baked goods.

Expressive Arts
 Last week the children began experimenting with oil pastels at the easels. This week, the oil pastels will be available in conjunction with watercolor paints at the art table. In providing these two art mediums, side by side, we hope to encourage the joint usage of the materials while also providing opportunities for the children to add greater detail to their creative artwork.
 Tempra paint will be returning to the easels this week. We will again offer 12 different tempra paint colors to encourage a more meaningful and rich experience as the children freely choose their colors and add detail to their creations.

Sensory Materials
 The sand table will be in our classroom for the remaining three weeks of the session. The children will have opportunities to develop skills in mathematics, creativity, and science as they engage in sand play. Clear containers of various sizes, funnels, sifting dishes, and scooping/measuring tools provide opportunities for the children to experiment with the physical properties of sand and further refine premeasurement concepts (i.e. full/empty, weight, motion, and conservation).
 Clay is back! The children will be able to draw upon their prior knowledge and experiences as they return to working with clay in the classroom. This week we will provide some basic sculpting tools and encourage the children to think critically about how they have used the clay in the past and what they might do differently now.

Math & Manipulatives
 We will continue to promote the exploration of part-to-whole relationships in the manipulatives center. Peg boards, puzzles, and pattern-block pictures will remain available for children to use as they investigate how different parts work together to function as a whole.

Language & Literacy
 The writing center continues to be a popular choice for many children. Children have been developing their fine motor skills as they practice writing, tracing and drawing. Card stock, stamps, and other materials continue to be available for the children to use as they make special pictures and cards for friends and family members.
 Shared enjoyment of books and story discussions continue to be a favorite activity in the classroom. We will continue to support this interest by making books readily available throughout the room as well as providing a new selection of books in our library.

Science Center
 The science center continues to be a busy location as children observe and care for our plants and the insects they have collected on the playground. This week, we will continue to view the growth of our bean plants (above & below soil) by observing our grow window and by discussing and recording the changes we see as the plants continue to grow. Our ladybugs have also arrived and joined our collection of living things at the science center!
 The science cave continues to house various materials such as string, pipe cleaners, and plastic flowers to provide the children with an additional opportunity to explore and experiment with the various parts of plants. The cave also offers a comfortable, quiet space for children to look at special books about planting and gardening.

Dramatic & Symbolic Play
 The children's dramatic play in the bakery continues to expand as they mix open-ended materials and bake their creations. Cakes, pizzas, and cookies are some favorite foods to make. The children will often carry their foods to other areas of the classroom to share with others. Deliveries are often made to the block area and across the room for tea parties. We have added additional mixing bowls and open-ended materials to further promote the children's creative thinking as they combine, mix, and arrange materials to create their own foods.
 Recently, the children have enjoyed constructing boats, airplanes, and other modes of transportation in the back of the classroom. Several children have been encouraging others to join in their play by passing out tickets and inviting children around the classroom to board their airplane, boat, bus, etc. The children will often gather together aboard the large vehicle of choice and sing songs or read a story together as a group. Dress-up clothes and several traveling props (bags, clothes, suitcases, airline tickets) remain available to support the children's dramatic play in the back of the classroom.

Block Area
 Open-ended materials such as, cylinders, tubing, fabric, cones, and unit blocks remain available for the children to use as they creatively construct buildings and symbolically represent their ideas through play. These materials are frequently used to add more elaborate and specific detail to larger structures built with the hollow blocks.
 The marble/ball tracks and ramps continue to inspire the children's creative thinking as they construct different cause/effect structures. The children use their higher-level thinking and problem solving skills as they design these structures and test how they work.

Large Motor
 We have a new gym set-up this week. The A-frame climber supports skills such as eye-foot coordination, spatial awareness, grasping, balancing, and locomotion. The children are able to climb down an incline between the two A-frames and then climb up to a jumping platform. From here, the children can jump into the large donut, strengthening skills such as body awareness, jumping & landing skills, and depth perception. Climbing up and across the wooden monkey bars promotes the development of upper body and core body strength. A running lane is available to promote a large variety of locomotion skills (i.e. running, hopping, skipping, etc.). Various activities and types of races will promote balance, coordination, body awareness, and propulsion skills. An elevated walkway is available for the children to walk back to the beginning of the running lane. This provides opportunities to build directional skills, practice sequence of motion, and further refine balance and spatial awareness skills.
 We are hoping for warm, sunny weather this week so that we might spend a greater amount of time playing outdoors! Many of the children have enjoyed digging for insects or playing games of chase. The tricycles and swings are always a popular choice as well. The children continue to challenge their muscular strength and endurance as they climb up and down the climbing equipment, use the large shovels to dig in the sand, and play various games while on the playground.

Snack
Monday: Fruit & Oat bars made by class & Banana
Wednesday: TLC crackers & Cheese
Thursday: Cheeze Its & Pears
Special Announcements:

 The Lab School's annual All-School Pizza Party will be held on Tuesday, May 25th from 6-7:30pm.

 We will be closed for Memorial Day (Monday, May 31st).
 We will have a special event on Wednesday, June 2nd to celebrate the end of the school year.

 The last day of spring session is Thursday, June 3rd!

Jenn's Classroom Newsletter
May 2010

Happy May! The session has flown by and it's hard to believe that summer is right around the corner. The beautiful weather has allowed us to extend our classroom into the great outdoors. The students have enthusiastically expanded their explorations and investigations into the natural world as they search for bugs on the playground, discuss where snow goes when it melts, and explore the many transformations that come with spring! During the final five weeks of the session, teachers will provide opportunities for children to deepen their explorations. We will be closely observing how children explore and experiment with the open ended materials we have provided, and we will ask though-provoking questions that challenge children to describe, predict, and reflect as they continue to develop their higher level thinking skills. We hope to further promote new and creative thinking by providing children with a number of teacher-directed opportunities to utilize their newly acquired knowledge. Children will be able to plant seeds and monitor their growth, create their own narratives as they write or dictate stories, and explore the community on field trips. These opportunities will have a strong focus on science and literacy concepts and will provide an intellectual challenge for our students.

Enjoy the sunshine!

~Marie

REMINDERS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Weather and Clothing: Spring in Minnesota can mean many different things with regard to the weather! We will be getting outside as much as possible, in (warm) rain or shine. Please make sure your child has their change of clean clothes with them everyday or stored in their cubby. If you child has rain gear, please send it on days that are wet or have a chance for rain. We have ponchos and extra rain boots at the school that your child can use if you do not have access to rain gear!

IMPORTANT DATES

May 25th (Tuesday): All-School Pizza Party! Please join us as we celebrate the end of another wonderful session! Our annual all-school pizza party will be held at the school on May 25th from 6-7:30. We hope to see you there!
May 31st (Monday): NO SCHOOL! We will be closed for Memorial Day.
June 2nd (Wednesday): We will be planning a special event to celebrate the end of the school year as a class. Families will be invited to attend so please mark your calendars!
June 3rd (Thursday): Last day of session!

Weekly Plan for Jenn's 3PM Class
May 10th - May 13th, 2010
Marie & Jenn Co-Teaching This Week

Overview and Goals:
We are continuing to develop and strengthen our scientific thinking and problem solving skills this week as we care for our bean plants and continue our investigation of the natural world. Our green bean seeds have germinated and the children have transplanted their bean sprouts into soil. This week we will continue to observe and describe the transformations that are occurring as the seeds mature into plants. Children will have the opportunity to utilize their knowledge as they care for their plants and experiment with the different things plants need to survive. Additionally, we will promote cognitive development and the exploration of part-to-whole relationships by providing opportunities for children to label different parts of plants, experiment with mixing materials in the bakery, and explore puzzles and gear mechanisms at the manipulatives center.

Expressive Arts
 We will be adding oil pastels to the art center this week. We hope to promote creative development by providing the children with the opportunity to use these unique materials.
 Beading continues to be a popular activity at the art center. Several children have begun to create bracelets for their friends and family. We will extend this activity by adding different lengths of wire and yarn to the materials already present. Beading is an excellent opportunity for children to practice patterning, matching, and sorting while developing their fine motor skills.
Sensory Materials
 The soil table has been busy! Children have enjoyed creating bug habitats with the rocks, bark, stones, and other materials available. This week we will be adding grass seed to the table. We plan to foster scientific thinking by encouraging the children to problem solve as they care for the growing seeds.
 We will be replacing the Baker's Dough with a number of planting materials at the center table this week. The green bean seeds that the children have planted will be at the table, providing children with the opportunity to develop their scientific thinking skills as they observe and describe the changes that occur as the plants grow. We will also have a variety of herbs and flowers available for the children to explore.

Math & Manipulatives
 We will continue to promote the exploration of part-to-whole relationships in the manipulatives center. This focus ties in nicely with the exploration of life cycles and plant growth that is going on in other parts of the classroom. Peg boards, puzzles, and pattern-block pictures will be available for children to use as they investigate how different parts work together to function as a whole.

Language & Literacy
 The writing center continues to be a popular choice. Children have been developing their fine motor skills as they practice writing, tracing and drawing. This week we are adding card stock, stamps, and other materials to the writing center. We hope to promote awareness of print and other pre-literacy skills by providing children with the opportunity to create their own note cards and "mail" them to friends and family.
 Our literacy center is a comfortable place for children to explore and become familiar with a variety of books. We have added a new selection of fiction and several bug and plant identification books.

Science Center
 The science center continues to be active as children care for our Painted Lady butterflies and discuss how to take care of our green bean plants. This week we have added a two-sided grow window to the center. The grow window will provide children with the opportunity to witness our plant's growth in a unique way. We plan to promote in-depth inquiry as we observe the root systems spread underground and discuss how the various parts of plants work together to keep plants healthy!
 We will be adding materials to the science cave to provide children with the opportunity to extend their investigation of the natural world through symbolic representational play. Various materials such as string, pipe cleaners, and plastic flowers will be available to provide the children with an additional opportunity to explore and experiment with the various parts of plants.

Dramatic & Symbolic Play.
 Play in the block area has exploded this week as children mix materials, "bake" pastries, and sell their creations at our bakery! We will continue to provide bakery props such as aprons, chef's hats, cooking materials, ovens, and cooling racks for the children to explore and incorporate into their play. This week we will add measuring cups, recipe cards, and measuring spoons to encourage children to explore basic mathematical concepts such as number recognition, quantity, and measurement.
Block Area
 The hollow blocks and connecting blocks remain available for building larger structures. Recently, the children have been building race cars, helicopters, and theatre stages. New dress-up clothes and several traveling props (bags, clothes, suitcases) have been added to the back of the classroom and are available for the children to incorporate into their dramatic play themes.
 A large variety of open-ended materials such as, cylinders, tubing, small carpet squares, cones, and unit blocks are available in the block area. The marble/ball tracks and ramps continue to inspire the children's creative thinking as construct different cause/effect structures. The children use their higher-level thinking and problem solving skills as they design these structures and test how they work.

Large Motor
 The gym set-up will remain the same this week. Swings hang from the monkey bars, promoting dynamic balance, propulsive skills, temporal awareness, grasping, and pumping skills. The large donut has been set up as a "jumping station" to support jumping skills and body awareness. The A-frame climber supports skills such as eye-foot coordination, spatial awareness, and locomotion. An uneven walk has been constructed to promote the building of core strength and dynamic balance. A box tunnel helps support directional awareness, body awareness, and spatial awareness.
 The children have greatly enjoyed playing outside in the warm weather. Many of the children spend their time digging for insects or playing games of chase. The tricycles and swings are always a popular choice as well. The children continue to challenge their muscular strength and endurance as they climb up and down the climbing equipment, use the large shovels to dig in the sand, and play various games while on the playground.

Snack
Monday: Cookies Made by Class & Oranges
Wednesday: Sunbutter Sandwiches with Jam
Thursday: Cheese & Apple

Weekly Plan for Jenn's 3PM Class
May 3rd - May 6th, 2010

Overview and Goals:
The children continue to show excitement and curiosity about the natural world around them! Our worm investigation generated a lot of interest in digging for insects on our playground. With the addition of soil and insects to the sensory table, an overall interest in insects has taken off in the classroom! This week we will continue to search for insects, observe their characteristics, record what we see, and generate questions for further inquiry and investigation. In addition, we will closely monitor the germination process of our seeds and continue our discussions about the life cycle of plants. While outside, we will continue to search for interesting things to display in our classroom that reflect the natural world. We welcome any additions your child would like to bring from home as well!

Expressive Arts
 We have brought watercolor paints back to the art area this week. The children will have further opportunities to explore the effects of watercolor painting.
 We will continue to have 12 different tempra paint colors available at the easel. In providing this large array of color choices, we hope to encourage a more meaningful and rich experience as the children freely choose their colors and add detail to their creations.
 Beading continues to be a favorite activity in the art center. We will continue to provide different sized beads and a variety of threading materials to help the children further refine their fine motor skills as they engage in this activity.

Sensory Materials
 Soil remains available in our sensory table. Several types of vegetation, large rocks, and smaller stones are available for the children to arrange and create a habitat for insects and reptiles.
 We will be making several batches of Baker's Dough at the play dough table this week. The children will be able to mix the ingredients and knead their own dough until it reaches a good consistency. Cookie cutters and pictures of baked goods will be available for the children to use as they mold their own baked goods. Once the dough has baked and cooled, the children will be able to decorate their baked goods using different art materials in the classroom.

Math & Manipulatives
 We will continue our focus on cause/effect and part-to-whole relationships at the manipulatives table this week. Gear puzzles, marble tracks, domino blocks, and pattern-block pictures are available for children to use as they investigate how different parts work together to function as a whole.
 Picture puzzles are also available, which help to strengthen the concept of part-to-whole, eye-hand coordination, and problem solving skills.

Language & Literacy
 The writing center continues to be a busy place in our classroom. Several children have shown an interest in writing letters and enclosing them in envelopes addressed to family members and friends. The children have also been making use of our new mailbox structure and enjoy delivering mail to their classmates. The children continue to refine their writing skills and build their awareness of print as they participate in various writing activities in our writing center.
 The children have shown a growing interest in identifying insects. We have added some new books about insects, spiders, and reptiles to our classroom. We will continue to keep a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction books available for the children to enjoy both independently and with peers.

Science Center
 All the Painted Lady butterflies have hatched! The children will be able to observe the butterflies as they flutter about inside the butterfly cage. We will encourage the children to closely observe their similarities and differences and symbolically represent their observations on paper. Once the children have had a chance to make their observations, we will choose a warm day to set our butterflies free on the playground.
 The science cave offers a quiet space for the children to learn more about the germination process of plants. Children may choose to observe pictures on the wall depicting seeds as they begin to grow underground, read books about planting and growing vegetables or arrange their own garden with felt board pieces.
 We will continue to provide opportunities for light and shadow exploration in the nook area of the classroom. An overhead projector is available for the children to project shapes, colors, and their own drawings onto a white backdrop.

Dramatic & Symbolic Play.
 The Bakery Shop continues to be a big hit in the classroom! The children have been taking turns playing different roles in the bakery shop (i.e. baker, cashier, and customer). The children have also enjoyed buying baked goods and bringing them over to the small round table for tea parties and birthday celebrations. The children have been excited to share their play ideas with peers and have been working together to reach compromises during play.

Block Area
 The hollow blocks and connecting blocks remain available for building larger structures. Recently, the children have been building race cars, helicopters, and theatre stages. New dress-up clothes and several traveling props (bags, clothes, suitcases) have been added to the back of the classroom and are available for the children to incorporate into their dramatic play themes.
 A large variety of open-ended materials such as, cylinders, tubing, small carpet squares, cones, and unit blocks are available in the block area. The marble/ball tracks and ramps continue to inspire the children's creative thinking as construct different cause/effect structures. The children use their higher-level thinking and problem solving skills as they design these structures and test how they work.

Large Motor
 The gym set-up will remain the same this week. Swings hang from the monkey bars, promoting dynamic balance, propulsive skills, temporal awareness, grasping, and pumping skills. The large donut has been set up as a "jumping station" to support jumping skills and body awareness. The A-frame climber supports skills such as eye-foot coordination, spatial awareness, and locomotion. An uneven walk has been constructed to promote the building of core strength and dynamic balance. A box tunnel helps support directional awareness, body awareness, and spatial awareness.
 The children have greatly enjoyed playing outside in the warm weather. Many of the children spend their time digging for insects or playing games of chase. The tricycles and swings are always a popular choice as well. This week we will be bringing the large parachute outside for teacher-facilitated games at the end of the day.

Snack
Monday: Banana & Cheerios
Wednesday: Cheeze Its & Strawberries
Thursday: Animal Crackers & Apple

Weekly Plan for Jenn's 3pm Class
April 26th - April 29th, 2010
Lead Teaching this week: Marie

Overview and Goals:
The children continue to exercise and extend their scientific thinking skills as they investigate and explore the opportunities in our classroom! This week teachers will promote more in-depth inquiry and investigation by extending the opportunities for problem solving, reasoning, observation and reflection. Teachers will encourage students to think critically about their explorations by opening up discussion and inviting students to make predictions and recall previously learned information. Children will explore cause and effect relationships as they build simple machines in the block and manipulatives center, investigate part-whole relationships as they make dough and follow "recipes" in the bakery center, and continue to hone their observation skills as they observe the changes that are taking place at our science area! We will provide some focus to the children's investigations by discussing and closely monitoring life cycles at the science center. We will open up discussion and ask the children to share what they know about what plants need to survive, how plants grow, and how we can take care of plants. Later in the week the children will have the opportunity to plant seeds and observe the germination process, an activity that will further support scientific thinking as the children seek answers to their questions through active exploration.

Expressive Arts:
~Our collection of "beautiful things" will continue to be available in our art center. Students have collected small rocks, leaves, flowers, and sticks and have begun to incorporate these natural materials into their collages. By adding unexpected materials to the art center, we hope to encourage the children to express themselves in unique and creative ways.
~Several children have been exploring the beading opportunities at our art center, using the small beads and pipe cleaners to create different works of art. This week we will expand on the interest that the children have shown by adding a greater variety of beads and threading materials (string, twine, etc.). Beading provides a wonderful opportunity for children to develop their fine motor skills and explore patterning.
~The small brushes and 12 colors of paint will continue to be available at the easel. We hope to inspire the children to express themselves in new ways by moving the easels outside. The opportunity to paint outside will provide the children with another means of representing and recording their observations of the natural world.

Sensory Materials:
~We will be removing the water and adding soil to our sensory table this week to provide children with the opportunity to extend their investigation of the natural world through symbolic representational play. The new environment will promote higher-level thinking as children develop narratives surrounding the lizards, beetles, and other insects available at the table. We will extend the children's thinking by prompting discussions regarding what insects and lizards need to survive. Rocks, sticks, and other natural materials will be available to support scientific thinking and inquiry-based investigations as the children construct habitats for the animals.
~Play dough continues to be available in the classroom. Bakery props such as muffin tins, bread pans, cookies cutters, and rolling pins provide opportunities for the children to develop their fine motor skills and explore new mediums of creative expression as they create their own baked goods. We will extend the children's play by introducing oven-safe play dough to the center. Providing the children with the opportunity to create, bake, and "frost" their baked goods with paint will allow them to utilize their knowledge of the baking process in new and creative ways.

Math and Manipulatives:
~Last week we added marbles, tubes, and small blocks to the literacy materials at the manipulatives center. Several children immediately began to construct marble ramps and to explore the ways different configurations affected the marbles' movement. To support this curiosity and to promote higher-level thinking we will be adding more construction materials to the center. Children will have the opportunity to explore cause and effect relationships and to develop their problem solving skills as they create simple machines with the gears, ramps, and other materials that we have provided.

Language and Literacy:
~The literacy center has been a very busy place! We have noticed several children using the paper and envelopes in the literacy center to write letters to friends and family members. That interest inspired us to add a wider variety of letter writing materials to extend the children's exploration and to continue to promote pre-/early-literacy skills. We have posted models of addressed envelopes and simple words and phrases such as "To," "From," and "Thank You" to foster the children's interest and awareness of print. We will support the children's developing phonetic awareness as we encourage them to sound out words as they write or dictate letters and address envelopes.
~We have also added a mailbox structure to the classroom. Each child has a slot in our "classroom mailbox" labeled with his/her name and picture. By encouraging children to use these mailboxes to "send" mail to one another we hope to promote peer interaction and communication skills.
~A wide variety of books continue to be available in the literacy center. We have added books about planting seeds and bakeries that reflect the exploration and investigation-taking place elsewhere in the classroom.

Science Center:
~The children have begun to explore life cycles as they closely observed our mealworms evolve into beetles and our buds grow into leaves and flowers. We hope that the addition of the Painted Lady caterpillars will allow the children to generalize their understanding of the life cycle process to a new situation. We have provided magnifying glasses, pencils, and paper to support the children's inquiry-based investigation of the different life cycles playing out before our eyes! To provide a new investigative component to the children's ongoing exploration of the changes taking place in the natural world, this week we are exploring plant growth. We will promote the children's critical and scientific thinking skills by encouraging them to generate ideas and make predictions as we discuss what plants needs to survive. Later in the week we will provide the children with the opportunity to utilize their knowledge of plants by planting and caring for their own seeds.

Dramatic and Symbolic Play:
~The bakery has become a very popular area! We will continue to provide bakery props such as aprons, chef's hats, cooking materials, ovens, and cooling racks for the children to explore and incorporate into their play. Many opportunities for social and emotional development arise as the children play cooperatively, work together to create various narratives, and listen and respond to each other's ideas. This week we will add recipe cards, menus, paper, and writing materials to provide the children with the opportunity to incorporate literacy into their bakery play.

Block Area:
~We have added wheels, tubes, balls, and other materials to the hollow and unit blocks in the block area. The opportunity to use these materials to construct simple machines will promote critical thinking as the children explore cause and effect relationships and problem solve throughout the construction process. Additionally, play in the block area encourages cooperative play, planning, creative expression, and the development of large motor skills.

Large Motor:
~ We are all enjoying the beautiful weather and the children have loved being able to range freely over the large playground! The children are increasing their large-muscle coordination as they run, jump, and climb amongst the equipment. The new bikes have been very popular and provide children with the opportunity to develop both their large motor and spatial awareness skills as they pedal and direct the bikes around obstacles. We will continue to support the children's full-body coordination by inviting children to participate in teacher-directed games at the end of the day. Games such as "Red Light, Green Light," "White Time is it Mr. Fox," and "Sleeping Children" promote cardiovascular endurance, spatial awareness, and locomotion skills.
~ We have a new gym set up this week. Swings now hang from the monkey bars, promoting dynamic balance, propulsive skills, temporal awareness, grasping, and pumping skills. The large donut has been set up as a "jumping station" to support jumping skills and body awareness. The A-frame climber supports skills such as eye-foot coordination, spatial awareness, and locomotion. An uneven walk has been constructed to promote the building of core strength and dynamic balance. A box tunnel helps support directional awareness, body awareness, and spatial awareness.

Snack
Monday: Banana & Rice Cakes
Wednesday: Cheese & Crackers
Thursday: Multigrain Cheerios & Apple

Special Announcements:
~REMINDER: Hearing Screening will take place this Thursday, April 29th during class time. Please contact Jenn if you have any questions!
~ Spring Rain Showers - When the weather permits (warm & not severe!), we will be occasionally playing outside in the rain. Please send your child in rain boots (or snow boots) and raincoats. In addition, please send an extra pair of shoes for inside play
~Thank you so much for all of the wonderful donations for our Spring Soiree! It was great to those of you who attended. One of the things that makes our school so extraordinary is the support that we receive from our families!

Daily Schedule for
Jenn's 3 PM Class
Spring Session 2010

12:30 - 12:45 Arrival & Discovery
As the children arrive at school, they are greeted by a teacher and accompanied to the classroom where they answer the "Question of the Day", put their belongings away, and wash their hands. The children are then able to freely explore the front of the classroom.

12:45 - 1:00 Discovery Time (extended)
After all the children have arrived and are settled in the classroom, the children will have additional time to discover new activities/materials and engage in focused activities with others.

1:00 - 1:20 Large Group
Large Group is a time when the children come together and participate in songs, games, and stories. This is also the time when we talk about our day and anything special that is going to happen.

1:20 - 1:40 Small Groups
Small groups allow children the opportunity to participate in small group activities where they will explore topics of interest with their peers and a teacher.
Special Activities or Gym Time
This period of time may also be used for special activities within the classroom or a time for the children to visit the gym.

1:40 - 2:15 Free Choice Time
During this time, the children are free to explore and choose what they would like to do in the classroom. They have the opportunity to play in different areas of the room, engage in a wide variety of activities and interact with peers. This is also a time for teachers to observe, support and facilitate the children's play and development.

2:15 - 2:40 Clean Up, Snack, Bathroom
Children are able to enjoy a small snack and engage in discussions with peers. Teachers will take notice of the children's interests, as well as facilitate conversations about current themes and upcoming events. This is also a time for the children to take a bathroom break before going outside to play.

2:40 - 3:15 Outdoor Activities
This is a time for the children to engage in large motor activities, freely explore the playground, and participate in outdoor games/activities.

3:15 - 3:30 Dismissal
Children from both afternoon classes will gather on the courtyard to play teacher-facilitated games, read stories, and sing songs. On rainy days, the children will be dismissed from the hallway just outside the classroom.

Weekly Plan for Jenn's 3PM Class
April 19th - April 22nd, 2010

Overview and Goals:
Our discussions about the "signs of spring" have carried over to many interest areas in the classroom. During large group, the children generated a list of the various "signs of spring" that they have noticed at home and during their explorations on the playground. We have posted words and accompanying pictures from their list at the writing center. The children have been monitoring the growth of plants and worms at the science table and bringing insects inside for closer examination. The children have been incorporating "beautiful things" from nature into their creative artwork. It will be exciting to see what treasures they collected at home this past weekend to share with the class! Last week, we took a nature walk and found squirrels, water puddles, green grass, buds, leaves, and worms. This week, we will continue to focus on life cycles and growing things as we closely observe and discuss the natural changes taking place around us.

Expressive Arts
 The children have been collecting small, natural items from the playground and courtyard to keep readily available in our art center. Leaves, pinecones, sticks, woodchips and small stones are some items that have been added to our other collage materials. The children may explore and are free to use all materials as a means of creative expression in the art center.
 The children will have the opportunity to choose from 12 different paint colors at the easel. In providing this large array of color choices, we hope to encourage a more meaningful and rich experience as the children freely choose their colors and add detail to their creations.

Sensory Materials
 Water continues to be available in our sensory table. Turtles, frogs, and water snakes are available for the children to incorporate into their imaginative play at the water table. We have added large rocks and vegetation to represent a natural habitat for the frogs and reptiles. The children are able to rearrange these materials to create their own variations of the habitat. This has been a popular area in our classroom!
 Play dough continues to be available in the classroom. The children have been revisiting this material and building upon their previous experiences with modeling clay/dough. We have added several baking props (muffin tins, rollers, cookie sheets, aprons, baker hats, etc.) to help support the children's interest in making and preparing different foods.

Math & Manipulatives
 We will continue our literary focus in the manipulative center this week. Alphabet-matching cards, magnet letters and various games are available to encourage a greater awareness of the alphabet and help children expand their pre-literacy skills.
 Picture puzzles are also available, which help to strengthen the concept of part-to-whole, eye-hand coordination, and problem solving skills.

Language & Literacy
 During large group, the children constructed a list of the various "signs of spring" that they have noticed both at home and during their explorations on the playground. We have posted words and accompanying pictures from their list to provide the children with opportunities to practice writing simple words associated with spring ("bud", "squirrel", "green grass").
 Each child now has their own journal in the writing center. As the children explore the changes taking place in our classroom and in nature, the journals will provide them with an opportunity to record their observations and impressions.
 We have added some new books to our library that reflect the children's interest in the signs of spring and the changes that are taking place both in our classroom and in nature!

Science Center
 The science table continues to display blooming buds, growing flowers and our mealworms. We also have Painted Lady caterpillars for the children to observe as they journey through their life cycle. The children will be encouraged to record their observations in their journals.
 The science cave continues to reflect an underground environment where earthworms could live. The cave offers an opportunity for the children to use their creativity and prior knowledge as they imagine what it is like to be a worm living underground.
 We will continue to provide opportunities for light and shadow exploration in the nook area of the classroom. An overhead projector is available for the children to project shapes, colors, and their own drawings onto a white backdrop.

Dramatic & Symbolic Play
 Several children have shown an interest in mixing ingredients and baking food as they engage in sand play on the playground and/or interact with the play dough in the classroom. The "baking station" continues to be available in the front of the classroom to support this growing interest and further elicit dramatic and symbolic play ideas while using play dough.
 We have also transformed our home living area into a bakery! The children will be able to extend their baking projects and imaginary play taking place at the play dough table. One cave is set up as a large baking oven. The other cave holds baking goods and supplies. As the children engage in dramatic play, they are able to practice important social skills such as turn-taking, negotiation, and compromise.

Block Area
 The hollow blocks, No-End blocks and connecting blocks remain available for building larger structures in the back of the classroom. Due to an ongoing interest in "street cleaning" and road signs on the playground, we will continue to have a station available for making "street signs" in the back of the classroom to further elicit connections between outdoor and indoor play themes.
 The zoo animals will remain available for the children to include in their block play along with other materials such as, cylinders, tubing, and small carpet squares, cones, and unit blocks. We have also added tracks and ramps for constructing marble/ball tracks.

Large Motor
 The gym set-up will remain the same this week. A tunnel is connected to the slide/climber, which fosters self-control, crawling, exploring (through windows), depth perception, and spatial awareness. The A-Frame ladders are on their side and connected by a bridge. This promotes balance, coordination, motor planning, and risk-taking. Build-a-car is available, which fosters fine motor coordination, upper body strength, cooperation, turn taking, and engineering (following a visual model). The monkey bars are back again - fostering upper body strength, hand-eye coordination, and motor planning.
 The tricycles and wagons have been a popular choice on the playground and the children continue to take on the role of "street cleaner" as they use shovels to clear the roadways of sand. The water pump is up and running and the children have shown a growing interest in pumping water and filling buckets, as well as watching the water flow downhill. Several children have devoted much of their outdoor time to hunting for insects, digging for worms, and finding "beautiful and interesting things" from nature to share with the class.

Snack
Monday: Trader Joe's Letter Cookies & Banana
Wednesday: Granola Bars & Strawberries
Thursday: Pineapple & Cheerios

Special Announcements:

 The Spring Soiree is this Saturday, April 24th!
 Don't forget that we will now be starting our day in the classroom.
 Spring Rain Showers - When the weather is permitting (warm & not severe!), we will be occasionally playing outside in the rain. Please send your child in rain boots (or snow boots) and raincoats. In addition, please send an extra pair of shoes for inside play.

Weekly Plan for Jenn's 3PM Class
April 12th - April 15th, 2010

Overview and Goals:
We will continue our focus on the "signs of spring" and "living/growing things" this upcoming week. Our mealworms have arrived, so we will be spending time making observations and comparing meal worms and earth worms in the science center. We will also continue to collect beautiful things from our outdoor environment to use within the classroom setting.

Expressive Arts
 The children have been collecting small, natural items from the playground and courtyard to keep readily available in our art center. Leaves, pinecones, sticks, woodchips and small stones are some items that have been added to our other collage materials. The children may explore and are free to use all materials as a means of creative expression in the art center.
 The children will have the opportunity to choose from 12 different paint colors at the easel. In providing this large array of color choices, we hope to encourage a more meaningful and rich experience as the children freely choose their colors and add detail to their creations.

Sensory Materials
 Water continues to be available in our sensory table. Turtles, frogs, and water snakes are available for the children to incorporate into their imaginative play at the water table. We have added large rocks and vegetation to represent a natural habitat for the frogs and reptiles. The children are able to rearrange these materials to create their own variations of the habitat.
 Play dough continues to be available in the classroom. The children have been revisiting this material and building upon their previous experiences with modeling clay/dough. We have added several baking props (muffin tins, rollers, cookie sheets, aprons, baker hats, etc.) to help support the children's interest in making and preparing different foods. It will be interesting to see how these new materials may help the children expand upon their imaginative play ideas.

Math & Manipulatives
 We will continue our literary focus in the manipulative center this week. Alphabet-matching cards, magnet letters and various games are available to encourage a greater awareness of the alphabet and help children expand their pre-literacy skills.
 Picture puzzles are also available, which help to strengthen the concept of part-to-whole, eye-hand coordination, and problem solving skills.

Language & Literacy
 Letter stamps, paper and envelopes are available for the children to use as they create notes and letters for their families and classmates. As an extension to our discussions about the "signs of spring", we have posted familiar picture/word cards in the writing center. The children will have opportunities to practice writing simple words associated with spring changes ("bud", "grass", "tree", "green").
 The felt board and felt pieces will remain available in the library area. These materials provide a different medium for storytelling and offer a hands-on opportunity for children to represent their ideas. We have also added some new books to our library that reflect the interests and changes taking place in the classroom.

Science Center
 Last week, the children spent time observing earthworms in our classroom. The children generated ideas about what worms need to live and began identifying the different parts of a worm. This week, we will have mealworms available in addition to earthworms! The children will be able to observe the differences between these two types of worms (what they eat, where they live, what they look like, how they grow, etc.). We will encourage the children to closely observe the worms and record their observations
 The science cave is now designed to reflect an underground environment where earthworms could live. The cave offers an opportunity for the children to use their creativity and prior knowledge as they imagine what it is like to be a worm living underground.
 We will continue to provide opportunities for light and shadow exploration in the nook area of the classroom. Several flashlights, with colored disks and a white backdrop, are available for producing beams of light and making shadows. The children may also choose to build with three-dimensional colored shapes or create patterns with flat, colored shapes on two separate light tables. White paper and markers will also be available for the children to create their own images.

Dramatic & Symbolic Play.
 A variety of dress-up clothes and accessories are available in the home living area. The children will continue to have opportunities to expand upon their play themes as they incorporate these materials into their play. We will continue to encourage the children to create their own props to use and store in the home living area. .
 Several children have shown an interest in mixing ingredients and baking food as they engage in sand play on the playground and/or interact with the play dough in the classroom. The "baking station" will now be available in the front of the classroom to support this growing interest and further elicit dramatic and symbolic play ideas.

Block Area
 The hollow blocks, No-End blocks and connecting blocks remain available for building larger structures in the back of the classroom. Recently, the children have enjoyed making pirate ships, boats, robots, and houses in the block area. Due to an ongoing interest in "street cleaning" and road signs on the playground, we will have a station available for making "street signs" in the back of the classroom to provide connections between outdoor and indoor play themes.
 The children have enjoyed incorporating the zoo animals into their play themes in the back of the classroom. Many children have shown an interest in grouping the animals by size and type to create several different animal "families". The zoo animals will remain available for the children to include in their block play along with other materials such as, cylinders, tubing, and small carpet squares, and cones.

Large Motor
 The gym set-up will remain the same this week. A tunnel is connected to the slide/climber, which fosters self-control, crawling, exploring (through windows), depth perception, and spatial awareness. The A-Frame ladders are on their side and connected by a bridge. This promotes balance, coordination, motor planning, and risk-taking. Build-a-car is available, which fosters fine motor coordination, upper body strength, cooperation, turn taking, and engineering (following a visual model). The monkey bars are back again - fostering upper body strength, hand-eye coordination, and motor planning.
 We will continue to spend most of our large motor time on the playground. Several children have been using the large blocks and wooden planks to build bridges and walkways over the "hot lava" in the sand area. The tricycles and wagons have been a popular choice and the children have enjoyed taking on the role of "street cleaner" as they use shovels to clear the roadways of sand.

Special Announcements:

 Please make sure the children are dressed warmly for our extended outdoor play and outdoor large group meetings. Layers work best as our classroom tends to be extremely warm!

 Spring Rain Showers - When the weather is permitting (warm & not severe!), we will be occasionally playing outside in the rain. Please send your child in rain boots (or snow boots) and raincoats. In addition, please send an extra pair of shoes for inside play.

Weekly Plan for Jenn's 3PM Class
April 5th - April 8th, 2010

Overview and Goals:
This week, we will continue to focus on making observations and recording the changes that are taking place outdoors! As weather permits, we will have our large group meetings outside to allow us to observe the outdoor environment first-hand and have more meaningful discussions that are real and tangible to the children. As the children continue to make observations about the living world outdoors, we will continue to provide opportunities for them to explore the growth of living things inside the classroom. In the weeks to come, the children will have opportunities to observe the life cycles of meal worms and ladybugs in the classroom!

Expressive Arts
 Collage materials of various sizes, shapes, and textures (i.e. ribbon, flowers, felt, foil, sticks, cotton, etc.) are available for the children to explore and use as a means of creative expression.
 The children will have the opportunity to choose from 12 different paint colors at the easel. In providing this large array of color choices, we hope to encourage a more meaningful and rich experience as the children freely choose their colors and add detail to their creations.

Sensory Materials
 Water continues to be available in our sensory table. The children have enjoyed using the wooden beads to represent food for various sea creatures and rock islands in the water. Styrofoam pieces have represented boats, floating ice, and homes for the seals and walruses. We will continue to encourage the children to use their imaginations and expand upon their ideas of how to use these open-ended materials during their water play.
 Play dough is now available at the front table. The children will have opportunities to revisit this material and build upon their previous experiences with modeling clay/dough. Some familiar sculpting tools are available in addition to mallets, rollers, and spatulas. Open-ended materials such as, toothpicks, glass beads, plastic pegs, and Styrofoam peanuts are available for the children to add details to their creations and spark imaginative play ideas.

Math & Manipulatives
 We will continue our literary focus in the manipulative center this week. Alphabet-matching cards, magnet letters and various games are available to encourage a greater awareness of the alphabet and help children expand their pre-literacy skills.
 Picture puzzles are also available, which help to strengthen the concept of part-to-whole, eye-hand coordination, and problem solving skills.

Language & Literacy
 Postcards, letter stamps, stickers, paper and envelopes remain available for the children to use as they practice writing skills and further refine their fine motor skills.
 We have added a felt board and felt pieces to the library area. These materials provide a different medium for storytelling and offer a hands-on opportunity for children to represent their ideas.

Science Center
 The light table remains in the science cave this week to provide further opportunities for light and shadow exploration. Clear, colored shapes and figures are available for building on top of the table. As the children further develop scientific concepts surrounding light and shadow, they also have opportunities to build upon mathematical concepts such as part-to-whole and creating patterns.
 Several flashlights, with colored disks and a white backdrop, are available in the nook to for further light and shadow exploration.
 The children have enjoyed finding objects from nature (specifically from our playground) and bringing them into the classroom to examine more closely at the science table. We will continue to bring items inside for further investigation (using magnifiers to take a closer look, asking questions, making predictions, and recording our observations).

Dramatic & Symbolic Play.
 A variety of dress-up clothes and accessories are available in the home living area. The children will continue to have opportunities to expand upon their play themes as they incorporate these materials into their play. We will continue to encourage the children to create their own props to use and store in the home living area. .
 The children have enjoyed incorporating the zoo animals into their play themes in the back of the classroom. Many children have shown an interest in grouping the animals by size and type to create several different animal "families". The zoo animals will remain available for the children to include in their block play as they generate new play themes and add to previous ideas.

Block Area
 The hollow blocks, No-End blocks and connecting blocks remain available for building larger structures in the back of the classroom. As the children work together to plan and execute their ideas, they have opportunities to practice their negotiation skills, reach a compromise and enjoy the benefits of working together to accomplish a common goal.
 The unit blocks are available for the children to utilize in the back of the classroom as they create and build structures to use in their dramatic play. Additional building materials/props such as connectors, tubing, cones, zoo animals, and small carpet pieces remain available alongside the unit blocks.

Large Motor
 We have a new gym set-up this week. A tunnel is connected to the slide/climber, which fosters self-control, crawling, exploring (through windows), depth perception, and spatial awareness. The A-Frame ladders are on their side and connected by a bridge. This promotes balance, coordination, motor planning, and risk-taking. Build-a-car is available, which fosters fine motor coordination, upper body strength, cooperation, turn taking, and engineering (following a visual model). The monkey bars are back again - fostering upper body strength, hand-eye coordination, and motor planning.
 We will continue to spend most of our large motor time on the playground. Several children have been using the large blocks and wooden planks to build bridges and walkways over the "hot lava" in the sand area. The tricycles and wagons have been a popular choice and the children have enjoyed taking on the role of "street cleaner" as they use shovels to clear the roadways of sand.

Snack
Monday: Carrots, Pretzels, & Dip
Wednesday: Sunflower Butter Sandwiches
Thursday: Granola Bars & Oranges

Special Announcements:

 Please make sure the children are dressed warmly for our extended outdoor play. Layers work best as our classroom tends to be extremely warm!

 Spring Rain Showers - When the weather is permitting (warm & not severe!), we will be occasionally playing outside in the rain. Please send your child in rain boots (or snow boots) and raincoats. In addition, please send an extra pair of shoes for inside play.

Weekly Plan for Jenn's 3PM Class
March 29th - April 1st, 2010

Overview and Goals:
Welcome back everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the break and are ready to start the new session. I'm excited to announce that Marie will be returning as a student teaching in our classroom this spring! This should be a rather seamless transition for the children, as Marie is already a familiar teacher in our classroom. During our first week back, we will spend time getting reacquainted with one another, the environment, and our daily routine. The classroom has many new materials for the children to explore, as well as some familiar favorites. We will also be spending time outdoors, taking note of the many changes that are taking place now that it is officially springtime! The teachers will be closely observing the children's new interests so that we may support these interests within the learning environment in the weeks to come.

Expressive Arts
 New collage materials of various sizes, shapes, and textures (i.e. ribbon, flowers, felt, foil, sticks, cotton, etc.) are available for the children to explore and use as a means of creative expression.
 The children will have the opportunity to choose from 12 different paint colors at the easel. In providing this large array of color choices, we hope to encourage a more meaningful and rich experience as the children freely choose their colors and add detail to their creations.

Sensory Materials
 Water continues to be available in the sensory table. The children will have opportunities to build upon their prior knowledge about the flow of water as they manipulate and use tools such as, funnels and pitchers during their exploration. Various sea creatures and open-ended materials such as Styrofoam and wooden beads, are also available for the children to use as they engage in water play.

Math & Manipulatives
 We will begin with a literacy focus in the manipulative centers. Alphabet-matching cards, magnet letters and various games are available to encourage a greater awareness of the alphabet and help children expand their pre-literacy skills.  We have added several new picture puzzles at the manipulatives center, which help to strengthen the concept of part-to-whole, eye-hand coordination, and problem solving skills.

Language & Literacy
 Postcards, letter stamps, stickers, paper and envelopes remain available for the children to use as they practice writing skills and further refine their fine motor skills.
 We have added a fresh, new selection of books to the library area. The children are able to choose from a wide variety of fictional and non-fictional literature.

Science Center
 The light table remains in the science cave this week to provide further opportunities for light and shadow exploration. Clear, colored shapes and figures are available for building on top of the table. As the children further develop scientific concepts surrounding light and shadow, they also have opportunities to build upon mathematical concepts such as part-to-whole and creating patterns.
 A variety of magnifiers are available for close examination of various items found in our natural world. The children may use the magnifiers to carefully observe and record the unique details they find. While on the playground, we will begin searching for interesting objects in nature that can be brought into the classroom for closer examination.

Dramatic & Symbolic Play.
 We have added new clothing and accessories to the kitchen and home living area. The children will continue to have opportunities to expand upon their play themes as they incorporate these materials into the play. We will also be encouraging the children to create their own props to use and store in the home living area. .
 The children began re-discovering the sand on the playground prior to our break. Now that the snow is completely gone, the children will be able to use the sand tools (i.e. large and small shovels, scoops, buckets, containers, cookware, etc.) more extensively and new dramatic play themes are certain to emerge.

Block Area
 The hollow blocks, No-End blocks and connecting blocks remain available for building larger structures in the back of the classroom. As the children work together to plan and execute their ideas, they have opportunities to practice their negotiation skills, reach a compromise and enjoy the benefits of working together to accomplish a common goal.
 The unit blocks are available for the children to utilize in the back of the classroom as they create and build structures to use in their dramatic play. We have added a low table to provide a new building area for the unit blocks and additional building materials/props such as connectors, tubing, cones, zoo animals, and small carpet squares.

Large Motor
 We have a basic gym set-up for our first week back at school. The trampoline is available to support gross motor, turn taking, balancing, and flexibility. The rope swing and the rope ladder will continue to be available to foster upper body strength, turn taking, spatial awareness, muscular strength and endurance. We added the see-saw to promote cooperation, balance and leg strength. The A-Frame climber helps promote upper and lower body strength, as well as eye-hand and eye-foot coordination.
 We are hoping to spend most of our large motor time on the playground this week. We will be observing and investigating the changes that have taken place since the children last played on the playground. The children will also have opportunities to re-discover playground equipment, such as tricycles, wagons, rakes, and sand toys, that are available once again.

Snack
Monday: Rice Cakes & Banana
Wednesday: Graham Crackers & Applesauce
Thursday: Cheeze-Its & Apple

Special Announcements:
 Robert's Grandfather, Robb, will be visiting our classroom this Thursday to give an Origami folding demonstration!
 Please make sure the children are dressed warmly for our extended outdoor play (layers work best as our classroom tends to be extremely warm).
 Spring Rain Showers - When the weather is permitting (warm & not severe!), we will be occasionally playing outside in the rain. Please send your child in rain boots (or snow boots) and raincoats and send an extra pair of shoes for inside.
 Our 3rd PAC meeting of the year is scheduled for Monday, April 5th, 7:00 - 8:30 pm.

Weekly Plan for Jenn's 3PM Class
March 8th - March 11th, 2010

Overview and Goals:
The last week of the winter session has arrived! We will continue to focus our attention on the changes taking place around us. The children will have opportunities to share their observations on the playground and during large group. We will also spend time discussing the many changes that have taken place in our classroom over the course of the session. We will encourage the children to think back and recall their favorite activities and the things they have learned over the past several weeks. We will also be making predictions about some changes that may take place in our learning environment over spring break. The children will be asked to share their ideas about what they might find when they return to school in two weeks time.

Expressive Arts
 Pipettes and colored water are available at the front table for color mixing. The children will be able to further develop their scientific reasoning skills as they mix primary colors together and watch new colors form. The children may also choose to paint with watercolors at the table top easels.
 Collage materials of various sizes, shapes, and textures are available for the children to explore and use as a means of creative expression.
 Various sized brushes are available for painting at the easels. The children will be able to experiment with the different brushes, exploring how each brush marks the paper differently.

Sensory Materials
 Water continues to be available in the sensory table. The children will have opportunities to build upon their prior knowledge about the flow of water as they incorporate tools such as, funnels, tubing, and pouring pitchers into their exploration. Sea creatures and boats are now available for the children to use as they participate in water play.

Math & Manipulatives
 We will continue to focus on ordering and seriation at the manipulatives center. The children will have opportunities to classify items from tallest to shortest, biggest to smallest, and oldest to youngest.
 Montessori pegboards are available and encourage the children to think critically as they sort pegs by height, width, and depth.
 The children will also have opportunities to play estimation games. Buttons, bottle caps, beads, and other small items are available for the children to fill containers and estimate how many items are inside. The children can check their answers by dumping the containers and counting the objects one by one.

Language & Literacy
 Postcards, letter stamps, stickers, paper and envelopes remain available for the children to use as they practice writing skills and further refine their fine motor skills.
 Shared enjoyment of books and story discussions continue to be a favorite activity in the classroom. We will continue to support this interest by making books readily available throughout the room as well as providing a new selection of books in our library.

Science Center
 We have added a light table to the science cave this week to provide further opportunities for light and color exploration. Clear, colored shapes and figures are available for building on top of the table. As the children further develop scientific concepts surrounding light and color, they also have opportunities to build upon mathematical concepts such as part-to-whole and creating patterns.
 The overhead projector and backdrop sheet remain available in the nook area of our classroom. This activity provides opportunities for building awareness and further developing ideas surrounding the concept of light. As the children begin to explore with light and shadows, they are building an experiential foundation for later learning of more abstract scientific concepts.

Dramatic & Symbolic Play
 The home living area remains a popular place in the classroom. The children will continue to have opportunities to expand upon their play themes by using the two caves as a bedroom and a bathroom for the babies.
 Building materials such as, tubing w/ connectors, cones, cardboard, No-End blocks and large pieces of fabric are available for the children to use as they build structures which support their dramatic play scenarios in the back of the classroom.
 As the snow melts outside, the children have been re-discovering the sand! As the children begin using sand tools (i.e. small shovels, scoops, buckets, containers, cookware), new dramatic play themes are beginning to emerge on the playground.

Block Area
 The hollow blocks remain available for building larger structures in the back of the classroom. Most recently, the children have been constructing houses. They make frequent visits to one another's house and talk to each other on telephones. As the children work together to plan and execute their ideas, they have opportunities to practice their negotiation skills, reach a compromise and enjoy the benefits of working together to accomplish a common goal.
 The unit blocks are also available for the children to utilize in the back of the classroom as they create and build structures to use in their dramatic play. The children often use the unit blocks to add detail to larger structures they have made. Recently, the children have been using the rectangular unit blocks to symbolically represent telephones.

Large Motor
 As the temperature warms and the snow continues to melt, many changes have been taking place on the playground. This may be the last week that the children are able to use the sledding hill this year, so we will encourage the children spend time pulling their sleds up the hill and taking rides with their peers. The children have been discovering the sand beneath the large climber and developing new play themes as they dig in the sand (i.e. digging for bones, mixing ingredients to make various foods, moving materials with construction vehicles).
 The gym set-up remains the same this week. The beanbag toss fosters eye-hand coordination, directional awareness, depth perception, receptive, and propulsive skills. The trampoline is available to support gross motor, turn taking, balancing, and flexibility. The rope swing and the rope ladder will continue to be available to foster upper body strength, turn taking, spatial awareness, muscular strength and endurance. The elevated balance beam is available to promote eye-foot coordination, risk-taking, and directional awareness. The A-frame climber and the crossed balance beams support upper body strength, risk-taking, turn taking, balance, and problem solving. The donut is attached to the side of the slide, which will encourage the children to take risks, problem solve, and work on their coordination. The Pedalo will assist the children with skills of balancing, motor planning, turn taking, negotiating, sharing, and communicating with each other.

Snack
Monday: Fruit & Oat Bars made by class
Wednesday: Open Snack
Thursday: Open Snack

Special Announcements:
 Parent Conferences continue this week
 Parent Group Discussion meets Tuesday night
 Book orders are due this Friday!

Weekly Plan for Jenn's 3PM Class
March 1st - March 4th, 2010

Overview and Goals:
Throughout the winter session, the children have spent time building awareness and exploring the different functions of their five senses. This week we will be encouraging the children to synthesize this knowledge and think critically about which senses they are using as they engage in activities throughout the day. The warmer weather has brought about many changes. The class will be observing and recording the new smells, sounds, and sights we notice during our time outdoors. Inside the classroom, we will begin to focus on the sense of sight in our science center and we will continue to discuss how our senses help us gather new information and learn about the world around us.

Expressive Arts
 Various sized brushes are available for painting at the easels. The children will be able to experiment with the different brushes, exploring how each brush marks the paper differently.
 Collage materials of various sizes, shapes, and textures are available for the children to explore and use as a means of creative expression.
 Pipettes and colored water are available at the front table for color mixing activities. The children will be able to further develop their scientific reasoning skills as they mix primary colors together and watch new colors form.

Sensory Materials
 Water is back in the sensory table! The children will have opportunities to build upon their prior knowledge about the flow of water as they incorporate tools such as, funnels, tubing, and pouring pitchers into their exploration. We will also add food coloring to the water to extend opportunities for color mixing experiments.

Math & Manipulatives
 We will continue to focus on ordering and seriation at the manipulatives center. The children will have opportunities to classify items from tallest to shortest, biggest to smallest, and oldest to youngest.
 Montessori pegboards are available and encourage the children to think critically as they sort pegs by height, width, and depth.

Language & Literacy
 Postcards, letter stamps, stickers, paper and envelopes remain available for the children to use as they practice writing skills and further refine their fine motor skills.
 Shared enjoyment of books and story discussions continue to be a favorite activity in the classroom. We will continue to support this interest by making books readily available throughout the room as well as providing a new selection of books in our library.

Science Center
 We will focus on using our sense of sight to differentiate and identify colors at the science table this week.
 Light Bright projectors and colored pegs are available in the science cave to help promote further exploration and inquiry in how we see color.
 An overhead projector and backdrop sheet are located in the nook area of our classroom. This activity provides opportunities for building awareness and further developing ideas surrounding the concept of light. As the children begin to explore with light and shadows, they are building an experiential foundation for later learning of more abstract scientific concepts.

Dramatic & Symbolic Play.
 Our newly expanded home living area has been a popular place in the classroom. The children will continue to have opportunities to expand upon their play themes by using the two caves as a bedroom and a bathroom for the babies.
 A large variety of legos, along with cars and ramp building materials, are available for symbolic play in the back of the classroom. The children's engagement with these materials offers opportunities for them to enhance their critical thinking and problem solving skills.
 Building materials such as, tubing w/ connectors, cones, cardboard, No-End blocks and large pieces of fabric are available for the children to use as they build structures which support their dramatic play scenarios in the back of the classroom.

Block Area
 The hollow blocks remain available for building larger structures in the back of the classroom. Most recently, the children have been constructing houses. They make frequent visits to one another's house and talk to each other on telephones. As the children work together to plan and execute their ideas, they have opportunities to practice their negotiation skills, reach a compromise and enjoy the benefits of working together to accomplish a common goal.
 The unit blocks are also available for the children to utilize in the back of the classroom as they create and build structures to use in their dramatic play. The children often use the unit blocks to add detail to larger structures they have made. Recently, the children have been using the rectangular unit blocks to symbolically represent telephones.

Large Motor
 The sledding hill continues to be a focal point on the playground. As the children work together to pull their sleds up the hill and take rides in pairs/groups back down, they are strengthening a large variety of skills: team work, collaboration and problem solving techniques, compromise, shared enjoyment, strengthening of upper & lower body muscles, and enhancing their core balance and coordination skills.
 There gym set-up remains the same this week. The beanbag toss fosters eye-hand coordination, directional awareness, depth perception, receptive, and propulsive skills. The trampoline is available to support gross motor, turn taking, balancing, and flexibility. The rope swing and the rope ladder will continue to be available to foster upper body strength, turn taking, spatial awareness, muscular strength and endurance. The elevated balance beam is available to promote eye-foot coordination, risk-taking, and directional awareness. The A-frame climber and the crossed balance beams support upper body strength, risk-taking, turn taking, balance, and problem solving. The donut is attached to the side of the slide, which will encourage the children to take risks, problem solve, and work on their coordination. The Pedalo will assist the children with skills of balancing, motor planning, turn taking, negotiating, sharing, and communicating with each other.

Snack
Monday: Graham Crackers & Pineapple
Wednesday: Open Snack - Cheeze-Its
Thursday: Open Snack - Granola Bars

Special Announcements:

 Parent conferences begin this week! I am looking forward to meeting with you all very soon.

 Continue to check www.weather.com (zip code 55455) for information regarding the outdoor temperature each day.