A Flurry of Fun

We started off the month of November continuing to talk about family. The first week we talked about "what makes our families special". We specifically focused on diversity and background. This could look like celebrating traditions, or taking a special family trip. The second week of November we talked about "how families work together". More specifically we read books and talked about what kind of chores or actions we do at home to help our family and how people in our family help us. The PM class did a wonderful job discussing actions they do at home. One student said "I help my family my organizing my family’s shoes". Talking about jobs was a perfect segue into our upcoming unit on jobs! The PM class ended the unit drawing pictures of their families and telling the teacher why they loved their family. 

The third week of November the PM class started a unit on jobs. The teachers reorganized the classroom. We created a salon, grocery store, and vet clinic. Many of the kids dressed up as doctors and took care of the animals by putting bandaids on them and giving them medicine. Some learned how a grocery story worked by using a cash register to check food items and using money to pay for food. A few kids were hair stylist and helped the teachers and friends brush and blow dry their hair. The first week of our unit focused on "community helpers" . We read books about community helpers, showed pictures and acted out in play what they look like (dressing up) and what they do to help their community. The book we read was "Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do by Kathryn Heling". The second week of our jobs unit we focused on "what a job is" and "why people have jobs". We read "A Job For Wittilda by Caralyn Buehner". We recalled the problem and solution in the story to help the kids understand why people have jobs and what they may look like. For the PM class we managed to squeeze in a science project about items that “float or sink” and why. The kids had an opportunity to be scientist and make predictions about whether an item would float or sink!

The month of December came quickly. We continued our jobs unit discussing what kind of jobs kids wanted to have when they got older. Many said they wanted to be a firefighter, vet or a teacher. The PM class continued to point out jobs in everyday life, like noticing that Mr. Willie’s job is to drive the bus. And our front desk person helps greet people at the door. And Ms. Gwen and Ms. Olivia are teachers! 

With Winter Break quickly approaching we began to decorate our classroom. We worked with all sorts of mediums. We created stain glass snowflakes using paint markers and a spray bottle, we painted using marbles, we made our own paper, and we decorated gingerbread, and snow people! The kids enjoyed getting messy and hanging up their a masterpieces all around the classroom. 

​​We ended the month of December by having a pajama party! The kids and teachers came to school dressed in pajamas and decorated cookies. It seemed the AM class enjoyed licking the frosting off the cookies most. The PM class enjoyed playing in the mounds of snow, building snow forts, and watching “A Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats.
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We will see the kids in two weeks! Enjoy Winter Break and Happy New Year everyone!