We are WILD for Preschool!

Pirate Pete Preschool was filled with animals this week as we learned all about animals from all over the world and why they live where they live as well as what they eat and do.  After hearing from our last Star of the Week for the semester we sorted animal toys into places that represented where they might live, where it is hot, cold, wet, etc.

 Later we built animals out of geometrical shapes during some math lessons.  We also used various animals to create patterns of color as well as animal type and then rotated between all of these stations.

 The children threw on their smocks later and painted pictures of their favorite animals.  Remember that their painting skills will improve with time and the practice of the process of painting.  If you cannot rightfully tell what image your child painted that is age appropriate for most children in this age group.

 We went fishing this week as a station as well and practiced our hand-eye coordination at the tables trying to catch fish with our magnetic fishing poles.

After we went fishing we noticed there were a lot of dirty animals in our make believe zoo and we needed to be good zookeepers and get them clean again.  So we gave our toy animals baths and made sure they were clean enough to be back in our classroom.

 We made plenty of animals this week from mixing colored paint in a baggie to change a chameleon's colors to threading string to make jellyfish to cutting the spikes on a hedgehog the children were very busy this week creating various animals and learning about their defining characteristics.

 We put together a number puzzle the teachers created with images of Nemo and the children were given number clues by using math to put the puzzle together.  As they lined up the numbers in order from left to right they saw the image of Nemo appear on their paper.  

This is an easy game to recreate at home with some of their favorite images too.  The children can help you this winter break by coloring a picture and then you cutting it into strips and writing numbers across the bottom.

 We got fit this week practicing animal yoga and learning a few yoga poses that go by animal names.  The children spun a dial that showed various images of animals and then the teachers demonstrated how to create the poses with our bodies.  We were butterflies, flamingoes, dogs and cows to name a few.

We heard a lot of wonderful books this week, as always.  Many were about a variety of animals and their habitats and what they are known for doing.

We worked on some raccoon sorting this week by placing the correct numbered raccoons in the correct order of sequence.  

What's Coming Up?

We have one week left of preschool ending with our holiday party on Friday, December 15th.  We will have a special guest from the North Pole so if you have not sent in your RSVP please do so soon so the big guy can make sure he has enough toys to pass out to everyone.

The last two days of preschool will be sent talking about winter holidays like Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanza.  We will be making decorations for our classroom to display the day of our party as well.