Friday, April 29, 2011

Welcome!

Welcome to Cricket Corner!  Here you will find updates on the classroom, important dates to remember, photos of activities we have done in the classroom and much more!  Feel free to leave comments and come back and join us here often!

(NOTE:  We didn't want to lose all our older photos and posts!  Click on "older posts" below this post and you will find ALL the previous updates and photos.  Have fun taking a look back!)

Older Posts!


March 3, 2011
It has been a great week!  We've enjoyed two wonderful book:   Abiyoyo and Stuck in the Mud!  We've done several different activities, including "paint-dancing" after reading Abiyoyo and playing in the "mud" after reading Stuck in the Mud.  We also worked on our scissor skills while making March window decorations!  Our favorite activity was a visit from a "pirate" (really Dr. Klipsch) on Read Across America Day! 


"Paint-dancing" after reading Abiyoyo!





Say "cheese"!








Playing in the dirt and "mud" after reading "Stuck in the Mud"

 A LOOK AHEAD:  Next week we will read "The Red Hen" and will bake the Red Hen's Simple Splendid Cake!  We will explore making texture balloons and of course, we always work on IEP goals each and every day!

Upcoming Curriculum Focus:  We will work on the letter U and the sound "u,u,u."  We will sing a song with our Umbrella and will read "Farms ABC" . We will work on the oral language animal cards (including animal sounds). We will also sing the math song: "Heavy and Light" and do some art activities involving heavy and light balloons.

If you would like to see more pictures or more details about our activities visit http://www.howlongisthishall.blogspot.com/ (my OTHER blog :)
 


February 17, 2011
We have enjoyed painting at the easel this week, painting with "puffy paint" (glue and shaving cream :) and making color catchers for our windows!  Here are a few pictures of us!


Painting at the easel!



Playing with cars at center time!


Miss Pam has tomorrow (Friday) as well as next week off.  I'll see everyone back on February 28th!  REMEMBER:  NO School Monday February 21!




February 10, 2011
We have really enjoyed our new birdseed sensory table!  We have used heart shaped scoops and measuring cups to explore the table.  Several children stayed and played most of center time!  We started the week with red and white cotton balls and scoops in the table, but the children really enjoyed the switch to the birdseed table!  (and MOST of the birdseed actually stayed IN the table!) 



We also enjoyed our paint rollers and the paint rolling art project!

Here we are painting with our "flower" paint brushes!

A LOOK AHEAD:  Next week we will read "Hugs and Hearts" and will do some fun "heart" projects! We will work on finding the "big" and "little" heart, make heart prints, make some glitter hearts and, of course, we always work on IEP goals each and every day!

Upcoming Curriculum Focus:  We will work on the letter B and the sound "bbb."  We will read "Boats" and work on the oral language cards for transportation (boat, car, train) We will sing the math song: "Simon Says" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, Toes".

If you would like to see more pictures or more details about our activities visit http://www.howlongisthishall.blogspot.com/ (my OTHER blog :)


January 20, 2011
We have been having so much fun exploring all the things we can do with our "bumpy ball" this week!  We've put paint on it and rolled it on paper, bounced it on paper and kicked it!  We've made some wonderful abstract paintings with this!  We had one child laughing and giggling the entire time we were doing this!  This was some great physical activity as well as social- turn taking!


We've also had fun singing our winter weather clothing song and one child even remembered the names for each item of clothing!  We loved the book Where Snowflakes Fall!  The sound effects on the book on CD where just wonderful!

We also had some very exciting power wheelchair sessions as one of our little guys just got his first "trial" power wheelchair!  This is SOOO exciting!  (we'll try to get some pics. and possibly video for next week)
A LOOK AHEAD:  Next week we will read "The Mitten" by Jan Brett and do some mitten related activities!  (still planning for this :) We will work on sorting, matching and counting and, of course, we always work on IEP goals each and every day!

Upcoming Curriculum Focus:  We will work on the letter R and the sound "rrr."  We will read "I Love Planes" and work on the oral language cards for transportation (bus, car, train) We will sing the math song: "Count and Play"

If you would like to see more pictures or more details about our activities visit http://www.howlongisthishall.blogspot.com/ (my OTHER blog :)


January 13, 2011
What a busy week!  We were able to spend one day outdoors for about 30 min. this week!  Otherwise, it was just too cold!  The children did have an absolute BLAST in the snow!  They really had to work on balancing, since things were a bit slippery!  We also tried to make snowballs, but the snow was just not good for packing, so we simply threw snow puff at the fence!
We also have absolutely loved our new book, Bear's First Winter!  We helped paint a "bear cave", went on a "bear hunt" and made paper plate "bears".

Making paper plate "bears"


 

Making paper plate "bears"




Painting our bear "cave"


We have also had so much fun exploring the snow in our sensory table!  We used cookie cutters to make prints, sprayed colored water on the snow to turn it colors (both great fine motor work), made snow balls and scooped the snow in cups.   We then painted bubble wrap snow paintings!

Throwing snowballs in the snow sensory table!



"Rolling" our snow!




Curriculum Focus:  We have focused on the letter "H" this week and have been working on making the "hhh" sound.  We have read Bear's First Winter and Under My Hood I have a Hat.  We have been singing the math song:  "In the Morning" and "In the Evening."  And, of course, we work on individual IEP goals each and every day!


A LOOK AHEAD:  Next week we will read "Where Snowflakes Fall" and explore how snow melts.  We will also continue to explore painting at the easel, singing about winter weather clothing and we will sing a short song, "I'm a Little Snowflake".   We also plan on doing the flannelboard story, "Silly Sally."

Upcoming Curriculum Focus:  We will work on the letter D and the sound "ddd."  We will read Cassie's Word Quilt and will work on making a classroom "quilt."  We will sing the math song: One, Two, Three



If you would like to see more pictures or more details about our activities visit http://www.howlongisthishall.blogspot.com/ (my OTHER blog :)

January 6, 2011
We have been busy exploring many things in our great winter outdoors this week!  We started our week with an awesome nature walk...and then several more throughout the week!  We found many things to look at, explore, touch, listen to and see!  We saw squirrels, dogs, acorns, bird houses and birds.  We heard cars and trucks, birds singing and dogs barking!  We touched the ice, snow, the fire hydrant, the leaves on the ground, the trees, the tree bark, the fences, the bushes and the acorns on the ground! 


We even made bagel bird feeders for the birds and squirrels!  We left these around the trees and hung some on a wreath that we hung from the tree!


We have also loved playing games with our GREAT BIG parachute!  Miss Meaghan's classroom has been our partner this week in many things.  We have sung "Old McDonald" while holding on to the parachute.  We have moved back and forth while singing.  When we say "E-I-E-I-O" we make the parachute move up and down and the little ducks in the middle fly up and down on the parachute!  What fun!  (NOTE:  If you would like to see more photos or details about activities feel free to visit http://www.howlongisthishall.blogspot.com/ - my OTHER blog :)


*Please don't forget to send warm weather wear.  We will be going outside anytime it is 18 degrees or above (with wind chill).
Curriculum Focus:  We have focused on the letter "F" this week and have been working on making the "fff" sound.  We have read Bear About Town and One Mitten.  We have been singing the math song:  "In the Morning" and "In the Evening."  And, of course, we work on individual IEP goals each and every day!


A LOOK AHEAD:  Next week we plan to explore more things that happen in the great outdoors during the winter!  This will include reading "Chaucer's First Winter" and creating a "bear cave" in the classroom.  We will also explore some more artistic ways of showing our winter wonderland, with some snow paintings. 

Upcoming Curriculum Focus:  We will work on the letter H and the sound "hhh."  We will read Kimberly Maddox and Chaucer's First Winter.  We will sing the math song: One, Two, Three