F is for Fall Leaves

We celebrated a BIRTHDAY today!!!

Cookies out front while waiting for moms to pick up...

Matching the Fall Leaves and coloring worksheet...

Check out our SNACK today!

Fruit & the letter F's cut out of Cheese...adorable!

Adding glitter to Fall Leaves to take home for Arts & Crafts...

Freddie the Friendly Fire Truck taught us lots of fun songs today!

T for Transportation

No pictures today...my camera broke:( Hopefully I get a new one soon!!!

We talked about the letter "T" today, specifically focusing on TRANSPORTATION

We had fun playing "Red Light, Green Light" and learning what RED, YELLOW & GREEN mean on the Traffic Lights. Next time you are stopped at a Traffic Light, ask your child if they remember what each color means!

We had fun making STOP SIGNS with GO SIGNS on the back, so the children could play "Red Light, Green Light" at home!

During free play we had fun with TRAINS & CARS!

We also watched part of a THOMAS THE TRAIN episode while we ate snack:)

Here is a fun TRANSPORTATION song you can sing with your child:

DOWN BY THE STATION
Tune: “Down By The Station”

Down by the station
Early in the morning.
See the little puffers
Standing in a row.

See the station master
Turn a little handle.
Chug, chug, chug, chug,
Off they go!

Talk about the letter T this week with your child and point out different words that begin with the letter T!

E is for Easter!

This week we are CELEBRATING EASTER with a big EASTER EGG HUNT coming up on Thursday!!!

We talked about the letter "E" today & the different sounds it can make!
Singing time was fun & full of Excercise, as each child was the LEADER & everyone else had to FOLLOW their ACTIONS!

Snack Time was extra fun, because they Enjoyed a cupcake along with their goldfish!

Then we made our very own EASTER bunny cupcakes to take home...
They each took a turn adding ingredients & mixing the batter until smooth. After the cupcakes had baked & cooled...we frosted & added Easter Bunny faces...

C0mplete with Ears...Our Easter Bunny Friends...

Get ready to have an EXCITING EGG HUNT on Thursday!!!

The Letter "B"

P.E. Today included Balloon Games...

and Balloon Bouncing...

and a game of " I SPY" with items that star with the letter "B"...

We made our very own classroom Ocean in a Bottle, to go with our Beach Theme...

and watercolored Beach scenes...

Story Time:
"Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?"

Handwriting:
On the whiteboard, tracing the letter "B"

B is for Beach

Today we talked about the letter "B"

We had fun making BEACH BOXES today, decorating them with sea shells!

We discovered a lot of words that begin with the letter B.

Show & Tell is always fun & today these BOXING gloves were perfect for the letter "B"

St. Patrick's Day & Spring Break

Just a REMINDER:
There will be NO SCHOOL due to SPRING BREAK next week,
March 15th-19th!!!

Thursday we celebrated St. Patrick's Day & talked about the letter "G" for GREEN

We all made our very own Shamrock Necklaces!
1st we colored...

Then we added glue...

Then we poured on our "green decor", which were split peas...

Poured off what did not stick...

And tied a ribbon through the top!

After snack, we made a GREEN SMOOTHIE for dessert:)
2 cups of ice
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 banana
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup pineapple juice
green food coloring

They LOVEDDDD their green smoothies!

And I just LOVE this picture...
I was trying to get a shot of their shamrock necklaces & a couple of the girls threw in a quick pose! :)

Have a great Spring Break! See you in 2 weeks!

St. Patty's Week

We are celebrating St. Patrick's Day this week at preschool
(since there is NO SCHOOL next week for Spring Break)
We talked about "Leprechauns" & the "legend of finding gold at the end of the rainbow" & then decided to make our own rainbow!

We sorted a bag of Fruit Loops
*sorting is a great activity to do with your children! Find opportunities to help them sort things at home(my personal favorite...sorting the forks & spoons to help me unload the dishwaser!)

Then we glued those fruit loops onto our rainbows...

We also talked about the letter "R"{for Rainbow} today & the sound it makes.


At home Activity idea:
Point out items that start with the letter R around your house or while driving in the car:)

Healthy Bodies

Today we continued talking about the letter "H" in our Health & Hygiene Unit.
We talked about exercises we can do with our body to help us stay healthy & STRONG!

We made Banana Muffins as a class today & everyone was able to help put in ingredients or mix the batter...

Then we talked about some HEALTHY things we can eat & I searched my fridge for some fruits & vegetables and found broccoli, carrots & an apple...

Then I ground up the broccoli, apples & carrots into THIN little pieces, so we wouldn't even notice them in the muffins...

and we mixed them in the batter to make HEALTHIER banana muffins...

We went outside and EXERCISED while they baked & came inside when they were done...

And gobbled them up!!!

Here is the recipe, if any of you would like to try these "Healthier Banana Muffins" at home:

3 ripe bananas (2 large or 3 small)
1 egg
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

***for the HEALTHIER version...substitute the 1/3 cup of veg oil for 1/3 cup of APPLESAUCE
& then throw in a 1/2-1 CUP of MIXED VEGGIES/FRUITS-ground up very fine

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until edges are brown
&
ENJOY!

This is a fun way to get your kids to eat a serving of fruits or veggies!
You can "hide" vegetables in many recipes, without changing the flavor...just the nutrition factor.
Try grinding up spinach & adding to your favorite fruit smoothie.
Or add ground broccoli to your morning omelets.
Next time you make cupcakes for an afternoon snack, grind up vegetables or fruit in the batter & they will gobble them right up, without knowing the difference:)

Try adding a serving of vegetables to a regularly planned meal this week!
See if your kids notice the HEALTHIER version you have put on their plates...good luck!
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HERE. are a few things that exercising can do for our bodies!!!

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What does physical activity do for my body?

Physical activity gets lots of oxygen to your brain, so you can think clearly and do your best.

Running, walking, and biking keep your heart strong. A happy, healthy heart pumps blood and oxygen from your head to your toes

Being active also gives your skin a healthy glow.

Being active outside and breathing all that fresh air, keeps your lungs in perfect shape.

Physical activity builds strong muscles and bones. It keeps you in shape and at a healthy weight.

Fun Fitness Activities

• Play outside every day
• Walking every day with your family and friends is an easy way to be fit!
• Running and playing games like tag are great ways to get your body moving!
• It's so fun to hike with your friends and family.
• There are a bunch of ways to jump rope.
• Zip around your neighborhood on your bike.
• Rollerblading is a blast!
• Ice skating in the winter is fun to do.
• Martial Arts are really fun. Try Karate!
• Use your skateboard to get around.
• Gymnastics helps your balance, strengthens your muscles, and keeps your body flexible.
• Team sports like softball and baseball are fun to play.
• The goal of soccer is to get outside and have fun!
• Playing basketball really keeps you moving!
• Ask a friend to hit a few tennis balls with you.

Remember, it doesn't matter what you choose as long as you're active every day!

Health & Hygiene

Opening Activity: Stacking Pegs
Construction toys have long been said to help improve fine motor skills in children, so if you sit your little ones love Legos, let them enjoy them!

Today we talked about the letter "H"
Our unit this week is focused on HEALTH & HYGIENE
We talked about brushing our teeth & washing our hands and what happens when we don't do those things. Then we had an activity to help the children understand WHAT they are doing when they brush their teeth.
We drew a big tooth on the whiteboard & each child took a turn BRUSHING off the "DIRT" on the tooth, making it clean & white!

We did the same activity with "DIRT" on our hands & then they got to wipe off the dirt!

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Then we WASHED our hands & got all ready for SNACK!

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Here is a link to a fun song we sang during MUSIC time today...
we added in some musical instruments today & they loved singing time today!

They each got to take home their very own Clifford Toothbrush & Toothpaste...hopefully they will ENJOY brushing their teeth tonight!:)