Monday
In PE class with Josh today, the Cardinals practice balancing. Josh demonstrated different ways for friends to balance using bean bags. Friends balanced the bean bags on their heads, shoulders, hands and their shoes. While friends balanced the bean bags on their shoes, Josh challenged friends to balance on their feet and toss the bean bag to catch it. Many Cardinals tried this challenge and did well. After balancing, friends then tossed their bean bags into a hula hoop. At the end of class the Cardinals played with the bean bags by tossing them into the air and sliding them across the floor. Ask your Cardinal what they like most about PE class today?
Choice Time
Tuesday
Johanna welcomed us at the art room door and invited us in to begin art class. She began class by talking about buildings and asking friends what they knew about building. Some of the comments were, "Some are big and some are small", "The tallest building in New York city is the Empire State building", "Some buildings have lots and lots of windows and doors", "I saw a tall building before", I build a tall building with blocks in the Cardinal's classroom". Johanna then asked the Cardinals to look at and talk about the pictures of buildings on the table with the friend next to them. She then asked friends "What did you notice?". Johanna followed up by reading the book, If You were A City. After the book, Johanna told the Cardinals that today they were going to create their very own city by using a big piece of solid color paper, different cut out shapes and different size color paper, tape, glue, and crayons. Friends then added more details such as drawing trees, birds, people, or anything they want in their city. What great artists the Cardinals are! Ask your Cardinal what they used to create their city? We will continue working on this project next art class, Stay Tune!
The Cardinals helped to make our first batch of play dough today! Friends took turns measuring, pouring, stirring ingredients, getting water from the sink and deciding what color our play dough should be. We chose the color by voting between the colors green and purple. The class met on the front rug. A teacher explained what we were going to do. The Cardinals were then asked if they wanted our play dough to be green, to go stand on the red rug. The teacher continued if you want our play dough to be purple go stand in the block area. We then count how many friends were on the red rug (4 ) followed by how many friends were in the block area (12 ). We as a class then worked to figure out which group had the most friends. We figured out that purple had the most and so our play dough is purple. A friend announced, "12 is more than 4 so we making purple play dough today". The color green will be one of the colors to vote on for our next batch of new play dough!! Ask your Cardinal what they did to help make our play dough?
Voting on our play dough color is another way of visually seeing and beginning to understand the concept of less and more with numbers. Mathematics and literacy is in everything we do and all around us. In making our play dough we used words such as six cups, how many more, one and a half, table spoon, measuring and science components. As we worked with this hands on activity, teachers helped friends work through beginning to understand and figuring out concepts
The Cardinals worked on fine motor skills today. Friends have been drawing and wanting to cut out their drawings. We used different size and color paper to cut with kid scissors. We talked about and showed friends where the scissors are kept and how to safely hold scissors as they walked to the table. We showed and helped some friends begin to learn how to hold a scissor, how to open and close a scissor with one hand. Some friends also worked on holding paper and cutting at the same time. Great work Cardinals!! This work is one way to help build finger strength and eye-hand coordination.
Today was our first music class in the music room with Keisha. We began music class by moving and dancing to the song Get Your Body Moving. We then sat and sang our hello song, Jambo with Keisha as she played the guitar. Then we fixed our shoes by singing, There is a Cobbler Down the Street Mending Shoes for little feet. Followed by Keisha showing the sign language sign for standing. The Cardinals did an amazing job of remembering and following directions!! Keisha gave each Cardinal two egg shakers and a moment to shake them before following her directions. Friends shake their eggs and follow directions as they sing and wash their hair, ears, shoulder, belly knees and toes as Keisha calls them out!
Thursday
In Spanish class with Alicia, she greeted us by saying each Cardinal's name one at a time and then asked friends in Spanish how they were feeling. Alicia taught friends the Spanish words for "good morning" and how they were feeling. Example, Buenos días Jackson, ¿Cómo estas? - Jackson then answer "muy bien" - "very good or okay". We then had a moment of silence, first Alicia tapped her singing bowl and the Cardinals began our silence to settle their bodies. Alicia then went over numbers 1-5 in Spanish. Friends two at a time got to play the swatter game in which Alicia called out a number in Spanish and showed that number of fingers. Friends then need to figure out which number it was by tapping on the number with the swatter. Our Cardinal friends really enjoyed this game!
Alicia told us that at the end of each Spanish class a Cardinal friend will get to squeeze la vaca (the cow)! The cow only speaks Spanish. The cow says Muchas Gracias! The Cardinals then replied De nada! Today it was Ada's turn to squeezed la vaca!
Choice time
Friday
We had our first lower school assembly in the auditorium early this morning! Andrea welcomed us and then we were led by 4th graders to sing our assembly hello song! The song consists of us standing and clapping our hands, dancing, patting our legs and stomping our feet to different parts of the song! After announcements, students were introduced to all the teachers in lower school by hearing interesting facts about them.
The Cardinals continued their work on developing their fine motor skills by making bracelets with pipe cleaners and beads. This was tricky for some Cardinals but we know that with practice. Friends will master this skill.
The Cardinals were very happy and excited to see the pictures their families left for them at Back to school night!
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