Silhouettes and Van Gogh

WELCOME     We welcomed Donnie to our room. His brother, Scott, is in Deborah's class.  The children were so helpful as he adjusted to our routines and activities.

MATH    How many socks are in my shoe? This activity reviewed counting to 20. Using a number line up to 20, we played many activities that reinforced number identification.  Individually, I worked on naming/identifying numbers 1-20.

SCIENCE      We used a balloon, wool scarf, salt, and pepper to demonstrate static electricity. They were amazed when they heard the salt adhere to the balloon. We continue to monitor our sprouts on the yam and potato. The yam "vine" has grown 5 inches in one week.  The Cincinnati Zoo visited our room and presented "Animals in Winter".  The children were enthralled the entire time. A box turtle and red shouldered hawk were brought in to explain hibernation, migration and endurance.We built our own volcano using baking soda, vinegar,  and red food coloring and defined eruption, lava, and ash.

SOCIAL STUDIES     To coincide with the volcano experiment, we spotted on our map and globes where volcanoes are located. We talked about the Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean.When talking about Van Gogh, we spotted France on the map and talked about when he was born.


CIRCLE/LANGUAGE      The letters "S" and "V" were introduced using Handwriting Without Tears. We reviewed opposites by reading the book Opposnakes (Yoon). Using a page from the newspaper, the students were given a letters to find and circle. This was a great review activity. Individually, I used cards to practice rhyming/beginning sounds.

ART      After reading the book, Sunsets of the West (Johnston), we created our own sunset silhouettes. They could create a city, sailboat, or a swing. They are beautiful and are displayed in the hall. We made silly, shape, spotted snakes. Using sandpaper, the children created sandcastles and beach scenes. While studying the sound of "V", we created watercolor vases with tissue paper violets. Vincent Van Gogh was the focus of our art for 2-3 days. After reading several books and "studying" his art, we reproduced Van Gogh. The results are amazing.

BOOKS/SONGS      "Sing A Song of S", "Sardines for Supper", The Sandcastle (Robertson), Seal's Silly Sandwich (Sklar), Silly Sally (Wood), Jonah and the Whale (Amery), Shabbat Can Be (Zwerin), Violet and Winston (Sones), Volcanoes (Schuh), Vincent's Colors (Gogh), Van Gogh for Kids (Schuh), "V Went on Vacation"

REMINDERS     There is no school on Monday, February 21.

SHABBAT     Jonah and the Whale was introduced this week and we will continue with it next week. The children continue to learn Hebrew vocabulary through the use of animal hand puppets. They love the challenge. And, of course, we dance to the Hebrew Hokey Pokey each week! What a scene!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK      When the lady from the zoo asked if Tarvin should go back to the zoo, one of our students asked if she could take him for a play date!