Story Time

Every few years or so, we have a Bunny Rabbit who can read fluently.  We do not ever pressure children to read even when we know they can.  We allow that child (and every child!) the opportunity to read in very natural situations.  Inevitably late in the year other children figure it out and suddenly we have impromptu story time.  There is something very captivating about being read to by another child.

Sorting by Attributes

Here is a March lesson that should have been an October lesson.  Sometimes it's just hard to fit in everything we need to do!
Our block cabinets were disaster zones.  At the end of each day, the kids just chucked the blocks on the shelves and closed the cabinet.  They were totally unorganized in every way, and sometimes we even had little avalanches.  
We had a whole day of block sorting.  We put three orange tape squares on the rug and one blue tape square.  Each orange square was for a specific size block and the blue square was for any blocks that didn't match the ones in the other squares.  It was a classic what-doesn't-belong set up. 
The Bunnies sorted and sorted and sorted.  They did a fantastic job!

Did you know each block has a certain name?  At the top left is the basic size called "units".  The top right shows "half units" and the bottom left shows "doubles".  On the bottom right are all the misfits that need to be matched with blocks in other cabinets.
Admire their hard work!

Can you believe three year olds did that!!
The real challenge: keeping it that way.

Girls and Blocks

Most of the photos of block structures featured on this blog have been built by boys.  Girls are just as capable of building amazing structures as boys!  These girls worked as a team to build this house and they knew specifically what each room was and who lived there.  Way to go, girls!

Sizes

There are many, many ways to teach the concept of size.  Being able to accurately compare and order items by size is a typical preschool skill.  This is a skill that most children learn easily by simply playing.  Many of them naturally line up toys by size even before they know the words "small", "medium", and "large".  At SLC we provide opportunities that reinforce the skill in FUN ways.  One day we painted with small, medium and large balloons.  The children dipped them in paint and pressed them onto paper.  Math through art is a powerful learning experience.

Feeling the Love

We celebrated Valentine's Day in several ways.  The Bunnies made lots of interesting things with hearts.  The most popular item to make was heart garland.  They figured out how to use tape to connect hearts together in long strings.  There were some hearts in the window with the letters L O V E and some of the children copied the letters on to their garlands.  Yay!

  The Bunnies exchanged Valentine cards with each other.  This was so fun!  They just couldn't wait to see what was inside their own Valentine bag.  Don't you remember the anticipation from your days at school?  I do!

The children also made a HUGE heart mural.  It took several days and this photo shows one of the middle stages.  They had opportunities to contribute to the mural with paint and rollers, with tissue paper, with glitter, and with foam shapes.

Busy, Busy

Two seconds before Mrs. O'Connor snapped this photo each child was busy.  Head-down, focused-on-the-task, BUSY!
On the red tray is an alphabet pop-up toy.  On the blue tray is a fine motor activity in which you use small tongs to pick up little dog bones and puppy paws and place them in a tiny tray.  On the yellow tray is another fine motor game in which you use tongs to feed bananas to a monkey.  On the green tray are Oreo shape puzzles in which you must match two shapes and fit the top and bottom together to make a cookie.

In our class, we refer to these as "puzzles and games".  They don't fit the narrow definition of a puzzle (such as a jigsaw puzzle), but they fit the broader definition as a task that is puzzling and needs solving.  These types of activities rotate each week so there is plenty of opportunity to try new and challenging tasks. 

Something Different

This week in Bunny Rabbit class, there were some neat Fisher Price toys.  They are little buildings, people and furniture for various facets of city life.  They are called Sweet Streets, but I don't think F-P makes them any more.  Anyway, the scene on our rug this week looked much different than usual.  GIRLS!! 
What a welcome change!

Sign Up!

Parents, we have two exciting things for you! 

First, you may sign up for a week to take home Benjamin Bunny.  Our stuffed bunny will come to your house for a week and experience life in your family.  Parents should snap a couple of photos and include them in Benjamin's journal with a brief description of what occurred.  Simple and fun!  This children LOVE reading about Benjamin's adventures.

Second, sign up for a Parent/Teacher conference.  The dates are Friday, February 25 and Monday, February 28.  Conferences are brief (20 minutes) and are an opportunity to visit about your child.  Please make plans to attend without your child.

Look for a pink sign up sheet for Benjamin Bunny and a green sign up sheet for conferences!

Teamwork

This is the time of year when we really begin to see children collaborating together.  These two Bunnies worked as a team to solve this darling puzzle of Little Bear characters.  They were so proud of themselves when it was all done!

Light and Joy

I adore this photo.  Just look at the joy on her face as she plays at the light table.  Can't you just imagine how good those little stars feel falling through her fingers!

A Complete, Correct Example

When children are introduced to a new toy or puzzle, they don't necessarily know how to play with it.  For open ended toys with infinite possibilities, free exploration is the best way for a child to learn what to do.  That means, just dump it out on the table and have fun. 

For toys that have a specific purpose or order, it is important to provide a complete, correct example.  A child may not follow your example, but at least he or she will have an idea of the reason for the toy and an idea of what the end product can be as a reference point.  In the photo above, we provided a complete, correct example.  The tower on the left is stacked in size order and the other towers should be stacked in a similar way.  Guess what?  Not ONE child followed the example to solve the puzzle of stacking. 

And that is perfectly fine. 

Creativity in the Class

This little Bunny is new to our class and she's still experimenting with all the materials we have to offer.  We have so much to do in our class that the possibilities are endless.

These Bunnies have had lots of experiences with the materials in our class and they still have creative uses for familiar items.  The possibilities are endless for them, too.

Each day the children can count on some new materials mixed in with some familiar materials.  Having both allows them to really shine!

Carpentry Continued

The Bunnies continued their carpentry experiences by using hand drills.  We've never used these particular tools in Bunny Rabbit class before so we weren't sure what to expect.  My goodness, the children thought the drills were so neat.  We're definitely going to use them again!

Precarious

Check out this way cool structure.  If you look closely you will see just how precariously placed the blocks are on the top.  Only two or three small cylinders stacked on two or three large cylinders are supporting the weight of the entire top level.  All the other blocks on the rug are part of the overall design but offer no structural support. Materials and opportunity allowed these guys to learn about weight and balance through play.
Awesome!

Silly Sally Day

Every year in January when we have just one day to meet as a class, we have Silly Sally Day.  Get yourself a copy of Silly Sally.  Kids love it!
To celebrate Silly Sally Day we turned things upside down - literally - and we did a few unexpected wacky things.  Art was under the table.  We had huge white butcher paper taped to the bottom of the table and a bucket of markers.  The children crawled under the table, laid on their backs and colored up in the air.  Mrs. O'Connor and Mrs. Magee also got under the table to color, but there is no photographic evidence.  We even had a few puzzles and games under the table.  Some children had fun with that idea right away.  One little Bunny girl kept moving the games to the top of the table when no one was looking.  heehee.  She had a hard time understanding that we put the games under the table purposely!  Any guesses who it might have been?  At the easel, the children used dot markers to decorate an upside down girl as Silly Sally.  At the sensory table we had fake snow.  Not glitter or plastic-y fake Christmas snow.  We call it "real fake snow".  It is powdery white like sugar until you add water.  Then poof!  It becomes snow - cool to the touch, delicate and smooth.  It's an unexpected delight for Southerners like us.

Guess what! Jesus Grew Up

Through the years we have learned that most children know Jesus was a tiny baby born in a stable.  They also know Jesus was a grownup who did wonderful things. 

Most of them are super surprised that Jesus was a little boy!

We have a fantastic book called If I Had Lived in Jesus' Time.  It shows drawings of modern life and ancient life.  It's perfect for comparing and contrasting they way we live today with the way Jesus lived.  The Bunnies were amazed that Jesus probably slept on a mat on the floor - no bed!!! 

In our class, we learn the things Jesus probably learned like carpentry and sewing.

Jesus learned carpentry from his father, Joseph.  For us, carpentry involves lots of glue.  The children each added small wooden bits to a large piece of wood.  They will continue to work on these from time to time and then we'll send them home.

Jesus probably learned a bit of sewing from his mother, Mary.  Can young children learn to sew?  Absolutely!  We use burlap, yarn, a big plastic needle and a large embroidery hoop.  The Bunnies love it!  We will have sewing out from time to time and by the end of the year we'll have a fancy mat.

Good-bye and Hello

We are beginning the second half of our school year with some good-byes and some hellos.
Henry and Jaina left our class and Yeremi and Rebecca joined us.  Parents, we will get new photo rosters to you soon!

Happy New Year and Brrr!

I hope eveyone has greeted the new year with a smile and is ready to feel showered with blessings!

  Did you know that this is the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese calendar?! 

I have lots of pictures to post, so stay tuned to see some neat things the children did right before our Christmas holidays.

The weather has gotten significantly colder.  Even on very cold days, we go outside to play.  It may surprise you to know that cold weather gives children excellent sensory information!  Please be sure to send warm coats, hats, gloves or whatever else you think your child would need.  LABEL EVERYTHING!

Merry Christmas

Mrs. O'Connor and Mrs. Magee had some fun activities planned for celebrating Advent in the classroom.  Turns out the Bunnies had some fun plans of their own.  They had a blast making cards and ornaments for our big tree.  They used recycled Christmas cards and cut them up, added a pipe clearner as a hook and decorated our tree from top to bottom.  Charlie made so many ornaments that Mrs. Magee was calling him Christopher Radko. heehee!

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord

At School for Little Children, we keep our eyes focused on the real meaning of Christmas.  We try to give the children some reasons for the traditions we have in our homes and in our community.  There is a wonderful little book called Jesus, Me and My Christmas Tree.  It uses rhyme to explain what goes on a tree and why.  We have a teeny tiny tree and lots of decorations that follow the book.  The children got to decorate the tree and then we sang a cute song with motions to get us moving.

Chimes

Mrs. Vaughn, our music teacher, does a fantastic job!  She has been introducing the Bunnies to a variety of musical instruments.  One day she brought chimes and taught them a little song.  Each child got to play the chimes and Mrs. Vaughn sang along with their beat.  What a hoot!  Some kids played really fast and some played slowly.  The Bunnies really look forward to music.

Creation

Our focus on creation lasted the entire first semester of school!  It seems like ages ago that we began with light and dark.  Here's a recap of the activities you can see in the children's art above.
light and dark - marble art
sun - painting on paper plates
stars - fingerprints in paint and glitter
the world - water color on giant coffee filters
birds - owl faces on paper plates
plants - rubber stamping ferns, leaves
animals - farm animal stencilling and wild animal stamping
people and families - die cut shapes of Jesus' family and each child's family

The best way to teach children about creation is to allow them to be creators!

Construction

In every class there is a great builder.  We never know who it will be.  Usually a few months into school the identity of the great builder emerges.  What's neat about having a great builder is that they inspire other children to be great builders, too.  When kids see cool structures being built, they can't resist pulling blocks off the shelf and building one of their own.  It's a win-win!

According to the builder, this house has "lots of rooms and bathrooms and roofs and a loooong sidewalk".  Usually the child who is the great builder has very creative ways to play with other block enrichment toys.

Recognize that little blue tennis shoe?  He's our great builder!

Making Literacy Meaningful - A Three Part Series with a Fourth Part

Recently we read a fun book called Mrs. Wishy Washy's Farm.  In this book, the farm animals don't like getting baths, so they run away to the big city.  It's a classic fish-out-of-water story and when they return to the farm, they decide baths are just fine. 

To reinforce the concepts in this story, we had story props.  We had a bucket, little stuffed animals, felt patches to represent mud and a little scrub brush.  The Bunnies chose an animal, and pretended to scrub the mud off.  It was fun and they liked it.  However, it was a little limiting. 

To further the bath experience, we filled our sensory table with bubble bath and added our play farm animals and some small sponges. 

This was a big hit - everyone loved giving the animals a real bath!  We overheard one little Bunny talking to an animal saying, "See, a bath isn't so bad!" 
There are so many ways to connect to books!  At School for Little Children we provide a variety of play opportunities to develop literacy.  This is how children learn through play!!

Making Literacy Meaningful - A Three Part Series

Part 3


Stone Soup is an amazing story that has stood the test of time.  There are many versions of Stone Soup, but the lesson remains the same: sharing what we have makes us feel happy.

I absolutely adore Jon Muth's version because his art is spectacular.  The delicate Asian landscapes offer an airy and gentle path to understanding the story.

To reinforce the lesson of the story, the Bunny Rabbit children became chefs.  Each child brought an ingredient from home to contribute to the soup. 

They took turns adding their ingredient to the pot.  Our actions were "opening", "pouring", and "stirring".

There was so much stirring - no shortage of helping hands!  We quickly realized that this soup was going to be yummy because it smelled delicious.

Oh, yes, we put a stone in the soup.  It's the main ingredient after all!  No worries, parents, we scrubbed it with soap before we put it in the pot.

After we returned from the playground, our soup was ready and we gobbled it up!  Two girls said they did not like their soup, but one of them ate her whole serving as she told me she didn't like it.  Hilarious! 

We used science to reinforce literacy.  Cooking is science!  We experienced the properties of mixtures and heat while we renacted the story of Stone Soup.  It was the perfect lead up to Thanksgiving!!

Making Literacy Meaningful - A Three Part Series

Part 2

The Apple Pie Tree is a book that teaches how apples grow on an apple tree.  The seasons are beautifully depicted, and the illustrations show clearly how the tree buds in spring, gets gorgeous pink blossoms, grows tiny green apples, and people harvest ripe red apples.  The children saw how the apple tree moves through one complete growing cycle in a year.   At the end of the book, the apples become a yummy apple pie.

To reinforce the concept of the life cycle of an apple, we had an apple tasting.  Each child got a slice of a red apple and a slice of a green apple to taste.

After they ate their apples, they got to vote for which color they preferred.  To graphically represent their votes, we wrote their name on an apple of their choice and they glued it onto a large chart.  When the chart was full, we tallied the votes.  The winner: red!  We connected literacy and math.

Making Literacy Meaningful - A Three Part Series

Part 1


Leaf Man is a great book.  It gets kids to look at everyday things, like leaves, in new and novel ways.   The pictures in this book are amazing!  There are cows, roosters, fish, turtles, birds, butterflies and other animals all made of leaves.  So creative!

In our Bunny Rabbit class we read the story and examined the pictures.  We talked about how the author made the art in the book.  To make a connection between the art in the book and our own artistic talents, we made our own version of Leaf Man.  The children gathered a box full of leaves from the playground.  They chose leaves to glue together to create their own leaf people or animals.

Art is one of several tangible ways to reinforce literacy skills.

Hat

How stinkin' cute is this?!!

Friends

It takes a long time to make a friend.  Many people think kids develop instant friendships, but it is no more true for children than for adults.  Children may know each other's names, share the same toys, read the same books, but until they really begin to talk to each other, they are simply acquaintances. 

This is the time of year when we really see friendships bloom.  We've all been together for a few months now and we know each other's ways.  It's wonderful!

The Not-So-Great Pumpkin Experiment

Despite the children's best efforts, we are sad to report disappointing results with this year's Great Pumpkin Experiment.  See that little sprig above?  We got about 4 more of those and that was it before the bottom rotted out of our pumkin.  Ick!
There's always next year...

God Made Plants

Along with encouraging our pumpkin seeds to grow, we planted grass seed.  We filled a tray with soil and sprinkled winter grass seed on the top.  We had interesting results.

Grass grew in half of the tray, but not the other half.  We have no explanation for this.  That's the way science works sometimes, isn't it?  Nontheless, the Bunnies enjoyed petting this soft grass.

The Great Pumpkin Experiment

A few weeks ago when we were talking about plants, we did this...

We cut open our pumpkin and we checked out what was inside.  Everyone thought it looked gooey so we left all the insides right inside.  Antd then we did this...

We filled the whole thing with dirt - all the way to the top.  Last, we watered it. 

Squirt bottles are a great way for young children to water plants.  The squeeze action is great for strengthening little hands and the controlled water flow is great for a low mess factor.  It's hard to overwater when using a squirt bottle.

Stay tuned to see what happened to our dirt pumpkin.