Young Learners are Back in Session!

Today was a rush! A rush of excitement, and a literal rush of movement! I just got a 3 hour workout in! I'm so happy to be feeling 90% better than this weekend, and grateful to be able to do my job again.  I'm also looking forward to next week when I have even more energy. We really take the blessing of health for granted when we've got it, don't we? 

I love my class, this year. Ok I love them every year, but after one day I can already tell that I will cry on the last day. 

The first week of school is so much fun. We establish a schedule, learn class rules, and get to know one another. 

Soren loved his first day of preschool with mommy as his teacher.

I love being Mrs Meg. 

All About Me

Books: Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.. 

Last night, I added some coconut trees to the classroom ceiling. They look cheezy in the photo, but they add a fun dimension for the children. I think I'll leave them up for beach play/summer theme next week. 

Sensory: play dough with rolling pins and pizza slicers were the perfect tools for creating chrysanthemum flowers and coconut tree leaves. The children rolled "coconuts" and added them to our tree with a little chicka chicka boom BOOM. 

Literacy: we used alphabet magnetic letters to hang the alphabet in our coconut tree. I sang the song and the students hunted for the letters.

"Dare double dare! Can't catch me" 

The kitchen was set up in the dramatic play center. I was served up many plastic donuts today. The children know my love language! ;) 

Peek a boo! 

"Mrs Meg, I already know the pledge o' poh-leegiace"

In circle time, the children shared photos and talked about their families and home life. 

Motor skills: peg puzzles and floor puzzles. I put the children into pairs and they used teamwork to put some floor puzzles together. It was a challenge, but they did it! 

Art/Math: sequencing my name up the coconut tree.

I have the children squares with the letters to their names on them. They placed them in order and then matched letters to the glue-squeezed shape on the paper, rearranging their names from horizontal to vertical displays. 

Life Skills: we worked on turn taking with a gross motor jack-be-nimble game with their names: "Soren be nimble, Soren be fit, soren go down the slide, then sit!" 

And the sun goes down on the first day at school.