Dinosaurs

This week we went back in time to take a look at Dinosaurs.







We used many informational books for our resources and enjoyed studying the illustrations and variety of animals shown.







Using those illustrations as inspiration, we painted our own versions of dinosaurs.





We buried dinos in the sand table so they could fossilize for later discovery!



We build zoos and other holding spaces for our dinos with the wooden building blocks.








A group art project used torn paper and glue to cover a "large" dinosaur for our classroom wall.


For the very special Mom's in our lives, we made a simple handprint as a keepsake. We hope you all have a blessed Mother's Day.

Derby Horses

We got into the Kentucky Derby festivities a bit this week with our unit on Horses.

We made our own versions of Jockey Caps and ran a race around the room, galloping towards the finish line.

Learning about the various parts of a horse expanded our vocabulary and

we were most interested in the process of shoeing a horse. We couldn't think of another animal that wears shoes!








We painted some vibrantly colored horses and traced around real horseshoes at the art table.








Our scissor skills were put to the test as we cut out three different sized horses and glued them onto a larger sheet of paper.



Cutting on a curved line is much more challenging than fringing the edge or cutting along a straight line. Our friends are really working on those challenges.

Buses, Bikes, and more.

We had a busy week with wheeled vehicles of every type. We colored, stamped, glued, and painted our favorites.










We read about school buses and bikes. We talked about safety rules, seatbelts and helmets.



We sang "The Wheels on the Bus" daily and rehearsed many fun verses that we acted out together.





The big treat came on Wednesday when we were able to view, touch, and climb around in some very interesting modes of transportation. Our parking lot was full with a firetruck, two police cars, and a tractor and trailer.

Everyone was very attentive as we listened to the owners of the vehicles tell us all about them.

We used our playground time to drive "our" cars, tractors, and bikes around and around.

Transportation: Travel by Water

This week we came down from the sky and looked at traveling the waterways. When asked who had ever traveled on a boat, our friends were enthusiastic to share their tales.














We painted bubble wrap to make the water for our small paper sailboats. We used paper, scissors, markers, and glue to create our own versions of watercraft.



We played a game of Sink and Float one day. This activity gives children the chance to make predictions, observe, and decide if their guesses were correct. Many will try objects over and over to make sure that they really do sink or float.


We're glad that all the boats we've ever traveled on were able to Float!

Almost all our friends have had a chance to share with the "All About Me" bucket. It has been a fun activity for both the child sharing and everyone who listens. Thanks so much to our parents who have dutifully returned the bucket the next school day filled with many precious items !

Transportation: Travel by Air

Group time is a focused, teacher-directed learning experience each day at LAP. It includes several different activities; music, literature, language, listening, sharing of thoughts and ideas, etc.















This week, as we discussed modes of travel, we all shared what we would pack in a suitcase if we were traveling on a big trip far away from home. The answers were thoughtful and practical and made for a serious packing list.

We talked about planes, hot air balloons, and rocket ships. Next week we move onto travel via the waterways.







We also spent some time each day for the All About Me bucket. Our three friends who shared this week continued to do a great job of speaking in front of the group and commanding the attention of their classmates. The audience was very attentive and supportive of everyone who shared.



"Peanut" the Sugar Bear came to our class for a visit!

EGGS

EGG-citing stuff this week!
We centered our theme around the incredible egg, learning some new things and having lots of fun.

We played a game at group time that had us working our fine motor skills and cooperative skills as we passed a large paper egg from person to person using only clip-style clothespins. Our friends learned how to press their forefinger and thumb together to open the clip and then release it to close around the paper egg. It was pretty tricky, but we went around the circle several times until everyone was successful.




Our favorite art activity of the week was dying hard boiled eggs. We choose which color we wanted and were so very careful as we submerged our eggs and retrieved them a beautiful new hue.





















The sunshine coaxed us out for a delightful egg hunt on Wednesday and special guests - Real Bunnies! We got to touch them and feed them carrots. What a treat!



Happy Easter to all our friends and their families!

Flowers

We're ready for Spring and we celebrated an early arrival of blooms and blossoms this past week.
We used artificial and live flowers to imspire our artwork at the table and easel.








Paints and colored paper were the mediums used to create our own unique pieces.







We planted sunflower and morning glory seeds in soil. Hopefully when we return from Spring Break, we will have the beginnings of flowers to take home and replant.





One of our favorite activities occurs at group time when we take turns sharing the "All About Me" bucket.
We are learning to be brave speakers and a polite audience. These skills will be used all our lives!