Apples, Apples, Applesauce!

Daily Question:  Have you ever made applesauce? (About half of our students have made applesauce).

Opening Activity: Threading Fruit Rings and Cheerios on our Zero Hero necklaces while listening to the song from School House Rock. (Simple patterns, fine motor skills)

 

Our class with the completed Zero Hero necklaces!

 

Parents, thank you for sending in apples/apple slices with your student.  We had a fun day exploring apples.

Apple Exploration!  What does an apple look like?... taste like?... sound like?...feel like?...smell like?  Today we found out.  We used various words to describe our apples--hard, round, red, green, yellow, sweet, juicy, etc.

Apples Here!  

Science/Math Extension:  Do apples float?  Students felt how heavy their apples were and then shouted out mostly "no!"  (See below--three students said "yes" and eight said "no" apples do not float!

Initially, our apples sank to the bottom of the sink (with little water).  As the water rose, so did the apples!  Apples FLOAT in water!  The principle behind this is that anything that is less dense than water will float and apples contain about 25% air and are less dense that water and so they float--leading to a fun game in the Fall,  Bobbing for Apples.

 

We had so much fun peeling the stickers off our apples; giving them a bath/rinse in hot, soapy, water and then taking turns using an Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer to help us make our very own applesauce!  

 

 

 

We had a fun time using an apple peeler, corer, slicer tool: sharing, taking turns, and eating the "candy" peels that spun off.

Johnny Appleseed, Myth or Man?  Man!

John Chapman, often called Johnny Appleseed, was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced apple trees to large parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, including the northern counties of present day West Virginia. Wikipedia

Born: September 26, 1774, Leominster, MA

Died: February 18, 1845, Fort Wayne, IN

Song:  Johnny Appleseed Grace (Song)
(For a link to the music and other verses click on the above underlined song title.) 

Oh, the Lord's been good to me.
And so I thank the Lord
For giving me the things I need:
The sun, the rain and the appleseed;
Oh, the Lord's been good to me.

Homemade Apple Sauce

Peel several apples (different varieties make it especially sweet.  Great for older "grumpy" apples).

 Core and slice up the apples.

Place in pot with a shallow layer of boiling water and a pinch of salt.

Turn apples down to a simmer and partially cover.  

Refill water when pan sounds "dry."  

When apples turn somewhat translucent (after 10-15 minutes), take off the heat and allow to cool some.  

Use a potato masher to squish up apples (my children love to help with this) or ladle apples into a blender and gently process.  

When finished to desired consistency, ladle into bowls and top with cinnamon and or cream and enjoy!

APPLES!

Apple Facts: We learned that another word for apple seed is a pip.  (Lemons seeds are also called pips.)  Also, we cut an apple in half and learned that it hides a star inside.

 Snack:  Fruit Rings, and Cheerios, Celery sticks, raisins, Apple Skittle Treats, Cupcakes (What a feast we had in class today!)  Thank you, Eleanor's mom for a fun treat to help us remember our apple day and William's mom for the delicious cupcakes.)

 

 Kayson and Eleanor trying "Ants on a log (celery)!"

Good Manners!  Today at snack time it was so fun to hear: "More water please!," "No, thank you," and "What is this? Celery."  

William's "Unbirthday" Celebration:

We had a fun time getting to know William today!  William turned four on August 17!  He received Star Wars "guys" for his birthday and he enjoys playing with toy trains.  He told us his favorite color is GREEN.  He has a blue hat that he enjoys wearing outside. He has a good friend Dade in class and likes to listen to stories.

Books Read:
Johnny Appleseed: A Poem by Reeve Lindbergh, Paintings by Kathy Kakobsen
Little Apple: A Book of Thanks by Brigitte Weninger and Anne Moller 

Apples Here! Written and illustrated by Will Hubbell

Ten Apples Up on Top by Dr. Suess

Preschool to the Rescue by Judy Sierra and Will Hillenbrand

Letter A and Zero My Hero!

Daily Question:  Do you like apples? 
Most of the students did.  Fun to see diversity.  We use some of these questions and answers for simple Math lessons later on in the year.
Today we started our "Busy Bees" Positive incentive program. (Thank you parents for helping your student to place his/her bee when you come to preschool)

 

When "bees" fly up through the red, yellow, and green levels--they make it into the Beehive and get a treat from the Treasure Box.

Brody brought in pinecones this morning he found on the way to school.  (Love how they notice the little things under their feet at this age).

Toys:  Skee-ball, Wooden Puzzles, Dress ups, Play Kitchen and Play Foods/Dishes.

 

Snacks:  Pretzel cubes, banana slices, and fruit snacks.  Mini chocolate cup cakes.
(Fun to see Dade comforting Eva during snack time when she was upset.  I love seeing the children show kindness and sharing and working together attitudes here at preschool.)

Letter A Show and Tells:

Ava 

 

 Eleanor: A "Cutie" Book   

   Ethan & Kayson: Stuffed Alligators and green Apples

Eva: Alligator toy

William: Alligator


(We had a wild bunch of alligators here--could have used a Crocodile Hunter!) 

 Happy Fifth Birthday to Ethan and Kayson:

(August 16)

Ethan:  (Has a freckle on his nose).  He likes the colors red and green.  He likes his Batman toy.  He helps his mother with his baby brother, Aidan.

Kayson: Likes the colors blue and black. He likes his "Lego-man toy."  His father is a Police Officer.  He loves his Mommy and Daddy.

Circle Time:

We became "Aa" Detectives in class today.  We spied A in apple (on the wall), an ant at recess, a student named Ava, and various Aa in books:  ape, archery, airplane, Aunt Annie.  We learned the sounds of Aa (short a and long a).

Letter A Stories:  
Dr. Seuss's ABCs: An Amazing Alphabet Big Book by Dr. Seuss
The Berenstain Bear's A Book by Stan and Jan Berenstain.

The Amazing I Spy ABCs: Over 250 Animals and Objects to Spy and Identify by Ken Laidlaw

Ten Apples Up On Top! by Theo LeSieg (Dr. Seuss) 
Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins

Books in bold are books we read and talked about today in class.

Recess Fun:  (Another recess rained out!)  Just as we finished snacks, a big clap of thunder struck and Henry cried out, "rain!"  Again!?  Another inside rain day.  Wow what wild and wonderful Fall weather we are having of late.  Thanks for sending in warm shoes and jackets with your students.  They really DO love outside recess and exploring time.

Math Concept: Zero, My Hero! 
We watched a catchy, short clip about the importance of the number "0" from Schoolhouse Rock (Multiplication Rock).  Then we had a quick discussion on counting and what zero represents and why it is important to remember zero in front of the traditional counting numbers.  We counted to ten and then saw how after nine, one more made a group of ten with a 1 in the tens and a 0 in the ones.  (Early Math concepts that we will reinforce again on Thursday with our "A" sounds, applesauce, and Zero Hero necklaces.

Wheels on the Bus!

Daily Question:  Have you ever ridden on a bus? Two of the students have!  When asked what color the bus each rode on--blue and pink.  Of course!  

(Parents, we will be sending practice sheets home to help with lines, circles, and other pre-writing shapes to assist in letters.  I am working on another method of "check in" that will be quick, fun, and part of a positive behavior program.  More to come on that but hopefully you will see it on Tuesday morning!)

Toys:  Giant Bus Floor Puzzle and Fisher Price Village (and Bus), Spaghetti Dolls and Bus, FP bus, and trucks. 

Snacks: Grapes, honey oatmeal granola bars, & banana chocolate chip bread

  Dade's Unbirthday*: Today in class we celebrated Dade.  Dade turns four soon.  His favorite colors include red, pink, and purple.  Dade is the youngest in his family and he has four older sisters.  He is not sure what toys he will get.  Dade likes to play with his good friend, William, and is meeting new friends in preschool.


Recess: The rain came and so we "made a rainstorm" inside with our hands, feet, fingers and mouth sounds. We watched a few minutes of Rosie and Rusty Raccoon teach us ABCs (Waterford Award Winning Pgm.)


Shapes:  We identified most of the major shapes as they appear on the bus; the door is a rectangle, the windows are squares, the wheels are circles, etc.  We had fun playing "I Spy" Shapes around our class room.


Our Class Bus Activity:  We had fun taking turns riding on our very own class bus and singing the song and acting out the movements in the song (after we read and discussed the book).

Books:
Bus Driver by Nancy Poydar

The Wheels on the Bus (Raffi Songs to Read) by Raffi and Sylvia Wiskstrom
The Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort and G. Brian Karas
The Wheels on the Bus; A First Little Golden Book

Song:

The Wheels on the Bus

Coloring Page:  We had fun talking about and drawing "people, drivers, or animals" on our preschool school bus page.

*Pictures soon to be uploaded to this page.  Thanks for your patience.

What are Germs?

Daily Question:  Do you know what a germ is? (How do I get sick?  How can I avoid getting sick?  How do I wash my hands properly?)  These are all questions we answered in preschool today.

Toys:  Play Doh, Linkin Blocks, Mega Blox Road Racer and track Set, Traffic Rug and Race Cars.

 

Snacks:  Sliced bananas and Goldfish Crackers 

Discussion:  What are Germs?
We learned that germs are all around us. Germs are so tiny that we cannot see them without a special machine called a microscope. There are different types of germs. Some are called viruses and some bacteria and they could make us sick. They come in many different shapes.

Recess:

Germ Identifying Activity:  After recess, we all lined up and washed hands and those who chose to used some lavender lotion.  We sat in a circle to begin a "Getting to Know You" ball activity.  I made a big show of sneezing on the ball (in the which I slipped some tiny purple glitter--representing "germs" onto the ball.)  As we rolled the ball around and shook hands, the glitter was distributed so that pretty soon, the children looked down to find the glitter germs all over their hands.  We read some books and talked about how you don't see germs but they are there.  That is why we wash our hands--to keep from catching or spreading germs.  We also practiced "safe sneezing" into an elbow, sleeve, shirt front, or tissue and then washing hands.

 





 

 

 We learned about proper hand washing and then went to the bathroom to practice scrubbing our hands and singing the alphabet or a Happy Birthday song while we clean under our nails, "inside, outside, and in between" our fingers, rinse and then dry our hands on a clean towel.

Show N' Teach:

Ethan & Kayson brought in disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer.

 

Brody showed us his tissues.

Eleanor showed us her favorite Lamb.

For our follow-up art activity, we used glitter glue on traced hands (the glitter representing microscopic "germs"). In our mini discussion group, we talked about how frequent hand washing before meals/snacks and after playing outside or being at school will keep us from catching germs and getting sick. We also spoke briefly about coughing and sneezing into our elbow, hands, or a tissue and then washing our hands to keep others from catching the same "bug." Also, we need enough sleep and to eat nutritious foods to keep us healthy.

Some books on germs:

Another book about how medicine works to help us feel better after getting a "bug" is Buz by Richard Egielski.

Related song:

The Green Grass Grew All Around. (The children laugh at the end of this cumulative song because they speak of a tiny germ that jumps on a flea.)

Books we read and talked about today:
Show & Tell Day by Anne Rockwell& Lizzy Rockwell
Germs Are Not For Sharing by Elizabeth Verdick & Marieka Heinlen

I'm Special, I'm a V.I.P.!

Daily Question:  Do you have a talent? Thank you, parents, for helping your students to sign in.  It is nice to know where each student is beginning with their name writing. By consistently helping your student sign in, you set up a routine.

Toys:  Mega Bloks and Raceway, Rose Petal Cottage, and our Cars and Traffic Rug.  We enjoyed getting to know new friends and faces.  

  Friends had fun building and rebuilding tracks to race cars down.

Snack Time:  Cheese cubes and Blueberry Bars
During Snacks we listened to If I Obey, I'll Be Happy All Day.


Welcome Dade to our class! (Dade was at a family funeral on Monday and Tuesday.  We are so glad he could join us today.)

Circle Time:  We enjoyed singing our ABC song.  We also read some special stories and learned about obedience, reviewed rules for our new class member, and began our lesson on "I'm Special!"  We listened and sang along to Janeen Brady's song, I'm a V.I.P and talked about what it means to be a Very Important Person in our family, preschool, and community.  

Favorite Quotes:  
Is it okay to be different?  NO!  the students chorused.  Yes, each one of us is different!  Even if some of us look alike, each person has his/her different likes and special talents.

During the VIP song, one little boy said to me,"Does that mean that everyone is important, teacher?  That I'm important?!" Yes!

Recess:  Today the children decided to fly to Alaska and see some salmon, Polar Bears, ice capped mountains, reindeer and then return and fly to "the city."

Look and See what I did this Summer: Thank you parents for sending in the photos of what your students did, ate, saw, and visited this Summer.  (This is a great way for children to practice story telling, memory skills, and oral language skills.)

Books:

If I Obey I'll Be Happy All Day by Peggy Barton

Someone Special by David McPhail
I Like Myself! by Karen Beaumont
I'm Gonna Like Me! by

A special thank you to Kayson and Ethan's mother, Sydne, who donated a bag of buttons and a large bag of brown paper sacks to our class.

First Day, Hooray!

We had a great First Day!

Daily Question:  Are you excited for preschool?  

Toys:  Fisher Price Village, Mr. Potato Heads, and our Cars and Traffic Rug.  We enjoyed getting to know new friends and faces.  

Snack Time:  Apples slices and pretzel sticks

Preschool Behaviors, Schedules and Routines...How exciting to go to preschool and learn about Circle Time, the Bathroom Policy, Appropriate Touching, Sharing, and Meeting new friends!

The Kissing Hand Story and Activities: *The Kissing Hand tells the story of Chester the Raccoon. Chester is a little shy about beginning a new school with the other forest animals. His mother shares a secret with him--she kisses his palm and he carries a little bit of her with him.  When he gets lonely, he outs his palm up to his face and can feel his mother's kiss and is no longer lonely at school.
We enjoyed Hershey's kisses and coloring a raccoon picture.  (Some of the students saved their kisses to share with their mother or father at home!  So sweet.)

Recess: We went over outside rules and walk down to the castle.  Practice coming in when the bell is rung.

Eleanor finishes her raccoon coloring page and draws her own on the back page!

Books:

*The Kissing Hand by Audrey Wood 

First Day, Hurray! by Nancy Poydar

One for Me, One for You by C.C. Cameron and Grace Lin

*Preschoolers to the Rescue  by Judy Sierra & Will Hillenbrand
Dinosaur Starts School by Pamela Duncan Edwards & Deborah Allwright
*Show & Tell Day by Anne and Lizzy Rockwell
(Books in bold are books we read today in class!  Other books listed are suggested reading.)

Parents Magazine "Goodbye Without Tears"