Meet Nugget

After a slight, weather related delay, we finally have our new class pet!  Meet Nugget.  He didn’t come by his name by chance. In fact it took a whole math and political science lesson to get to it, but here we are!

At the beginning of the year the children brainstormed names. We wanted to wait until we met him to make the decision.  Today we brought out the chart. 

We knew he was a boy so Alicia, Wanda, and Sassy Pants needed to go. I read the list outloud and we balanced our opinions with what he looked like.  

Everyone voted. The top contenders were Ninja, Superhero, Dusty, and the winner by one vote: Nugget! In true amazing kid fashion, one of the winners consoled one of  the not-winners by suggesting we give Nugget a middle name- Ninja.  I love their sweet hearts and how they genuinely care about each other.  It’s the best way to SEE that we have accomplished our goal here of building a community of learners.  

Once he was named he needed some signage. A few of the kids got right to work. This fellow constructed a vertical, freestanding sign that says “Nugget’s House”. At first it fell inside the habitat  and we feared that Nugget would eat it, so we tweaked the engineering and it now stands in a blob of play-doh right outside.  

A second sign soon appeared that noted, “This is Nuggets House”. It makes my Early Literacy Loving heart happy to see these boys and girls not only able to make the signs, but desiring to do so. It means that they get the most fundamental concept that print conveys a message and is important!!  

It was a great first day at Sunshine Day School for our new friend Nugget. I know he needs a nap now!!! 

Good Night Gorilla

Last week we read many stories about Wild Animals- some that live in the jungle, some that live in the zoo.  This book was by far the favorite of the group, and I love it too!  

With 6 days left of school, it is final assessment time.  I was all set up to go, and then an idea happened.  I simply could not let it go unnurtured.  It was an easy decision in the moment.  

"Let's build a zoo, like in the book".  I suggested that we re-tell the story and they got right to work.  At this point in the year I serve as moderator really.  We have taught them the skills they need to share a workspace, the language to navigate tight quarters and share toys.  I'm there to help when emotion is stronger than what we know is best and to sort out the inevitable dispute over whether or not a giant fly had any business in this retelling.  (We agreed to disagree)

The children quickly gathered the characters they needed to tell the story and began to construct homes for each one. Note: some poetic license was used in our hyena, aardvark and mouse characters. 

As I played with the children and spent quality time with the group I felt a few things, first joy at doing what I love.  Then a little fret settled in.  When am I ever going to get the assessments done??  I was just starting to focus on that when "I" grabbed the gorilla and said, "Look, this is the main character".  My worry quickly gave way to confidence.  

When I left teaching elementary school the biggest relief I felt was being able to do what I think is right my students.  There the focus had become more on "assessment" and quantifying progress rather than actually looking at what a child could do.  So in this moment I was reassured.  I watched "L" write the word ZOO and attach it to the sign.  I heard the children using the words character, setting, beginning and end.  I saw them attend to the details.  I did not need that Book and Print checklist to know that they understand books and how they work.  

I watched them line the animals up in order of their appearance in the story.  I SAW story comprehension with my eyes.  

Now, I still have a "report card" to fill out and I still have to do the assessments, but I just have more information, important information to pass along to the next teacher.  I am glad I did what felt right and am grateful for these last few moments with these amazing kids.  

Routine!

Establishing routine is the key to setting up any classroom.  This is especially true when teaching preschoolers.  Our little learners rely on routine to help them feel secure and confident as they transition from home to school.  

Our routine begins when the children enter the building.  

They unpack their bags and file their notebooks.

They wash their hands and sign their names. 

 We have already seen amazing growth in their name writing in 4 short days!

The helper feeds the fish, then it is off to table choices while the rest of our friends arrive. 

Table choices give us a change to acclimate to the classroom and practice skills we have been working on. 

Circle time begins with a morning meeting, planning session for the day, the pledge, a devotion and prayer. 

Next up, literacy block!

After whole group instruction we break up into small groups for literacy centers.  

Finally, free choice center time!

After all of this work, we are hungry! Snack time!

Math begins with a book and whole group lesson.

I ends with small group and individual practice. 

We end our day on the playground.

We are learning to put on our own helmets! LOL

We end our day with a closing meeting.  We review our day, discuss highs and lows and plan for tomorrow, when we do it all over again.  I love the rhythm of our days and look forward to the routine myself!

Ring the Bell!

Our 4s got off to a great start this school year during their staggered enrollment days.

This time together in small groups allows our students to learn their new routines in detail.  

We learn  how to unpack and sign-in.  We even have to teach the grown-ups what to do!

Once we sign in and wash our hands its time for table choices!

This week we worked with play-doh and the Creature Builders.

Next we got to know our circle time routine!

We say the pledge, read our Bible story, and pray.  

  

Today we spent some time getting to know each other.  We rolled the "My Favorite Thing" dice to see what each person's favorite thing was: color, food, book, game, and animal were all possible choices.  As we took turns rolling the dice the children began to make connections with one another, "I like pink too", "The elephant is MY favorite animal!". 

Next is was time for centers.  We worked in small groups to complete collage self-portraits.  

 

This was a great time for an informal assessment on each child's scissor skills and ability to hold a writing instrument.  

We took some time to learn how to use the learning resources in each center. 

Then we tried them out.

All this learning made us hungry!  We paused for a quick snack and got right back to work.

I think all good math lessons begin with a book!  Today we read From Anne to Zach!

  We discovered that we all have special names with special letters.  

We counted the letters in our names.

Nex we built towers to represent the number of characters in our names. 

Once our towers were built, we personalized them for use in the classroom.

 Finally, we put our names in order from the smallest to the tallest. 

This math lesson incorporated one-to-one correspondence, building number sense, and comparing and ordering numbers.  

The last order of business was RECESS!  

We finally got outside to stretch our legs and explore God's World! 

What an absolutely perfect week at preschool!