How quick the end of 2011 came upon us! The first three months of the school year flew by at a seemingly record pace. Perhaps it seems to have gone by so fast due to the fun we had in November. But as we all know how long Wisconsin winters can be, we will try to keep the fun going until the snow melts.
November began with a short unit on the folk tale, The Little Red Hen. We read the classic version and a variation, The Little Red Hen Makes A Pizza, that week. The children really interacted with the story, reciting dialogue and representing the characters beautifully. The class’ excitement to act out the story led to our next unit Caps For Sale. We read the classic folk tale and performed the story on the Friday of that week. The children took on the roles of the monkeys and were perfect actors for the parts. During the week leading up to Thanksgiving, we focused our study on food. We read a number of food-themed stories, painted with hot chocolate, created a pasta collage, and engaged in food-related activities (Scrabble Cheese It Alphabet Match, Healthy/Non-Healthy food sort). The class also created their first sewing project, a Friendship Quilt, which is on display in our hallway. The children designed individual components and took turns “sewing” them together with yarn and a makeshift needle made out of a paperclip. Throughout the year, the students will work on other sewing projects, of individual and group varieties. The class also enjoyed participating in our annual Sharing Feast with Mrs. Singer and Mrs. Becker’s class. The 4K class made pumpkin pancakes, which were quite the hit! We have added this recipe to our class cookbook and will be sure to return to it often. Thanks to all the families who were able to donate items to both our feast and our pantry. And a special thanks to our helpers, Melanie Leiterman and Bryan Yelk, who had to move a lot of furniture and flip a lot of pancakes for our feast. During these two months, we will also talk about winter in Wisconsin, play with snow and ice in the sensory table, and discuss family traditions around the holidays. And as long as it is safe to do so, we will take walks around the school and to the park to get some fresh air. We will be sure to provide you with 24 hour notice so you can bundle up your children appropriately. We would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season. See you in 2012! Diana Bottomley and Terry Herron IMPORTANT DATES BIRTHDAYS December 22 – Holiday Party Emma S. (December 7) December 23 – January 1 – NO SCHOOL Noah W. (December 11) January 16 – NO SCHOOL Milee P. (December 18) January 20 – NO SCHOOL Evie I. (January 20)
In December and January, we will focus our instruction around two of our favorite books, The Gingerbread Man and The Mitten. For The Gingerbread Man, we will read numerous versions of the story, bake gingerbread, and act out the classic folk tale. For The Mitten, we will compare/contrast two versions of the story, look at the concept of volume, and act out the story using small puppets.
