Mr. Hinshaw has begun music lessons at school. On most Tuesdays, Mr. Hinshaw comes to our room during our regular circle time. He teaches the children simple songs of praise with motions/signs to go with the words. He has lots of experience in children's music ministry and the Bunnies are enjoying having some new songs to sing.
Drama doesn't have to involve costumes and scripts. In our class a few props and vivid imaginations are all that is needed. Recently Mrs. Magee and a few kids created characters out of "floam" and made them talk. I don't know how it all worked out, but I know I heard, "Hurry before I smash it!" Mrs. Ofield has been coming to our room on Tuesdays to assist with literacy growth. Lately she's been recording the children's stories. I'm pretty sure she wrote down this particular drama as it unfolded. If you see dictated "stories" (I use that term loosely!) coming home with your child, it is from her hand.
I've come to depend on a daily cup of tea. I will really miss it next year when this little guy is in Pre-K.
I'm so glad I captured this moment. Callie and Sofie sat in the book area for a long time methodically removing books from the shelves on the left, reading them and stacking them neatly on the right.
We paint with all kinds of things in the Bunny class. We simply can't be limited to paint brushes - oh, no! Q-Tip painting was a fascinating experience. The children are not accustomed to manipulating something as small as a Q-Tip. Even children we don't typically see at the easel paid a visit. Aaron said he made a "Rainbow Mommy." Delightful!!
Quite a few Bunnies have taken a huge interest in writing their names and identifying letters in their names. This week in the office, Mrs. Magee put out long, skinny strips of paper. They were perfect for stamping names. Those interested got to practice locating the letters of their names, and working with left to right progression as they stamped. Some even got fancy and cut out their name then glued it onto another sheet of paper. (we go through a LOT of paper - all for a good cause!)
Some children preferred to randomly stamp all over their papers. In the picture above, you can even see some letters in fancy fonts glued to the paper. Letters, letters, everywhere!!
The Bunnies liked driving cars through paint and seeing the tracks they made on big paper hearts. Love to all of you from all of us!
This is a very funny picture, but it really demonstrates problem solving.
We've had some pretty amazing creations emerge from playdough in the last few weeks. Bradley made a road and he asked me to make a car for it. I'm not sure it really looks like a car, but he seemed satisfied. Parker made a rabbit with verrrry long ears. Mrs. Magee and a few others made hearts and balls and a baseball bat. Just about everyday, someone makes a birthday cake complete with frosting rosettes on top! I can't say enough about the power of playdough!!
We made our own puff paint for Valentine's Day. It looks like the most delicious frosting ever! It's actually shaving cream, white glue and liquid watercolor mixed together. I don't have specific amounts of each - more like a squirt of this and a squirt of that. The kids mixed it all together with a whisk and painted. Try it at home - it's easy, and more importantly, it's easy to clean up.
Every year between January and Spring Break, we see huge cognitive growth in the children. They suddenly have new ways to play with familiar toys. The kitchen is a favorite spot for Jessica and many other girls and boys. Mrs. Magee and I weren't sure how it all happened, but we looked up and suddenly there was a carpet picnic in the block center. Very creative!
Recently, Callie spent the whole day shopping. She toted this little white purse around for hours. She gathered a few items and needed me to show her how to undo the latch. When I asked her where she was going, she said "to the store". I mentioned that I thought she needed a list, and she agreed. I got a small brown piece of paper and wrote down the items she said she needed to purchase. It was a short list, and then she crammed it in her purse. I thought that was the end of it. But no. She came back two or three times to get me to add items to her list. Just like me it seems - I can never remember all that I need. I have to keep adding to my list.
This year we have been challenged to find new and exciting items for our sensory table. We have some food allergies in the class that limit what we can put out. It's been great fun to hunt through our well stocked closets for cool items. These pompoms were a hit. It felt so good to just rub hands through the soft and colorful fuzzy pompoms. 
Not these two boys. They stuck it out to the end. Look at those big smiles of pride in their accomplishment!
Way to go, boys!!
There's been a lot of stenciling going on lately. For months and months no one noticed the stencils on the shelf. Now all of the sudden they are out on the table almost daily. What a fabulous way to improve fine motor skills and have fun at the same time! And also, stencils are great restaurant entertainment while you are waiting for the food to arrive.
Then they put a large piece of paper on the bubble wrap and gently rubbed to make a print. The last step was to sprinkle glitter on the "snow". Sofia's snow was glistening with glitter!
If you're brave enough to use glitter at home, here are a few tips. First, get a short box. We use the ones from warehouse stores that were once used to hold flats of canned goods or chips. If it isn't already, put the glitter into a shaker top bottle. I advise you to tape off about half the holes. You'll thank me later! Counsel your child to hold the bottle up high and shake. Once they are finished, you can recycle the glitter that accumulated in the box back into the bottle.
