September highlights

Wow! Time flies when your having fun.  September was a whirlwind.  

After we spent some time getting to know one another and learning rules and routines, we began an alphabet study.  We read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Alligator's All Around.

These are two of my very favorite ABC books.  They also reinforce the concept of rhyme, which is an important skill for early readers.  Here are some fun utube videos that sing the books for you!  The children really enjoyed them.

We also looked carefully at the letters of our name.  These are often the first letters that children have quick and easy recall with. We counted and graphed the amount of letters in our name.  We discovered that most of our names have 6 letters, the shortest name has 3 and the longest names have 8!  Can you guess which names these are?

In addition to looking at the ABC's and rhymes, we are reading lots about apples and integrating this with science and math.  We began our apple investigation with Gail GIbbon's book The Season's of Arnold's Apple Tree.  This is another of my favorites!

The kids did some apple tasting, comparing the flavors of red delicious, golden delicious and granny smith.  We then graphed our favorites.  The tart green apples were a surprising favorite.

How can you not read Ten Apples Up on Top after that?  Here is another cute video that "sings the book" for you-

I also introduced the kids to our Science Station after we looked at our first "Science Spin" magazine. This issue focused on "science tools".  We cut up some apples and I put out a few magnifying glasses, tape measures and pan balances along with a few dry erase boards and markers for them to "record" their observations.  It is becoming a favorite activity during free choice time.

And we ended our apple exploration by making some good old fashioned apple sauce in the crock put.  The kids helped me operate my "apple peeler, corer, slicer". We threw in a little water, sugar and cinnamon. Then we enjoyed it together Friday before we packed up at the end of the day.  

Please use these resources to talk to your child about what they are learning!  I am sure they will be surprised that you know all of the wonderful things we have been doing in the "Peaceful Purple room".