Well, it's hard to believe, but we are already halfway through the first quarter.  The kids have come so far and learned so much.  I feel that all of the children have developed a sense of comfort and trust.  I feel that is a huge accomplishment.  They seem to be developing a positive attitude toward school; that is also very important to me.  

This past week we worked on the letter C.  As always we learned about its form and sound, read a poem that used a lot of C words, colored a picture of something that begins with C, and, of course, had a lot of fun guessing what was in the clue can.  Haylei did a great job with clues for candy, and the kids did a great job using deductive reasoning to figure out what she brought.  Since this group loves to learn with music, I also found a great song to help us learn out letters and their sounds.  You can find, See It, Say It, Sign It, The Letters of the Alphabet, on YouTube.  It uses visual imagery, sign language, and song.  When the kids did a journal entry on Friday about something that begins with the letter C, many of them used the examples from this song.

We also worked on constructing simple patterns this week.  The kids used paint markers/dobbers (think Bingo) to recreate a pattern the teacher showed them.  This initial activity helped us see who has a basic understanding of patterns, and who needs more opportunities to explore the concept.  We also read a book about Pete the Cat, and graphed our favorite colored shoes.  We do graphing daily with the calendar, but this let me show them that graphs can be vertical, or horizontal.

We worked on fine motor strengthening this week with playdough, cutting, and bead stringing.  The kids also had a lot of fun painting to classical music, I introduced them to Cannon in D, Rhapsody in Blue, and Flight of the Bumblebee.  We also explored the science of sound by guessing which object was inside a plastic egg using only the sense of sound.  We explored the difference between noise and music using bells.  The kids did a great job playing them to the beat in unison to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and the Alphabet Song (which both have the same beat).

It really was a productive week.  One more note, I do want to ask that you refer to the handbook for school illness policy as we head into fall and winter.  Students must be fever, vomit, and diarrhea free for 24 hours without medication before returning to school.  However, if your child doesn't feel well, it is alright to keep them home without these symptoms.  We did have someone vomit at school on Friday, and that's obviously something we'd all like to avoid if possible.   Be sure to wash those blankets and pillow cases each week as well.  It will help your child fend off germs they come in contact with.

I'm looking forward to another fun filled week of learning.  God bless you all.

Mrs. Hale