Hello to February~
Well, I can hardly believe it, but February is here. This month is full of many exciting activities. We'll have a Valentine party that includes making a pouch or mailbox for letters and treats from friends. We'll learn about our teeth and about shapes. We'll make cookies and necklaces and go on walks in the woods. Please remember to continue to send your child with warm clothing and footwear for out of door time. Thanks for all your help in the classroom! I am so appreciative of your time and effort.
I want to take a moment to say THANK YOU to all of you for the special Happy Birthday messages, chocolates, plants and treats. It was so overwhelming. Thank you. You really made me feel special.
Monday, Feb. 3: In preparation for our field trip to the post office on Wednesday we will be painting envelopes. We'll play in the dramatic play room that has become a post office/house.
Wednesday, Feb. 5: 3s~We'll finger paint a heart shape, play in the dramatic play room and paint hearts on the easel. 4s~School will start as normal, eat snack as normal, and we we'll gather at 2:45 to talk about the field trip. We will travel to the post office around 2:55 and start our tour at 3:00. The school day will end at the post office. You will need to come back to school at 2:45 to transport your child or arrange a ride for them. We will not return to the school. School will end at the post office at 3:40. I'm not certain about extra family members joining us so please have a back up plan if they would like only class members.
Friday, Feb. 7: 3s~We will put our hand prints on the heart we painted on Wednesday and glue pictures on the hand prints. 4s~Today the children will paint an envelope for the pictures we took on Wednesday. We will decorate a heart. If you have an empty cereal box at home please send it with your child today. We will be using them for our Valentine party on Feb. 14.
Monday, Feb. 10: We will do some color mixing with paints today and paint a plate to make an instrument with.
Wednesday, Feb. 12: 3s~We will lace our Valentine pockets today and decorate them. We'll cut out heart shapes to make a Valentine for our families. 4s~The dentist will come to visit today. We will make tooth puppets and necklaces. We'll paint the Valentine boxes for our party on Friday.
Friday, Feb. 14: 3s~It's party day! We will have a fun day today. If your child is making Valentines for the children in the class you can bring them today. The pockets will be hung in the hallway and labeled alphabetically. We will make heart-shaped cookies and necklaces. We will have snack as usual. After playing outside we will come inside at 11:20, sit together at the meeting mat, and open our Valentine pockets. If you are able to join us you are welcome to come back at that time. School will end at 11:40. 4s~We'll have a party today! If your child would like to make a Valentine for the children in the class you can bring them today. The children's Valentine boxes will be outside the classroom labeled in alphabetical order. Help your child identify the names and deposit the valentines into them. We'll bake together, make necklaces and open Valentines in the last 20 minutes of class. If you can come back to school at 3:20 we would love to have you. School will end at 3:40.
Monday, Feb. 17: NO SCHOOL TODAY. President's Day. Have fun and get outside. :)
Wednesday, Feb. 19: 3s~Today will be the start of our unit on shapes. We will highlight a new shape each day for the rest of the month. Today will be circles. We'll make a salt dough circle and make pasta circles. 4s~Today we'll put pictures in our scrapbooks and read about a bear that likes to draw. We'll finger paint with brown to make our own bear.
Friday, Feb. 21: 3s~We'll put pictures in our scrapbooks today and learn about squares and rectangles. 4s~We will not be in the classroom today. We will be going on our second nature walk to the Canby City Park. The weather is likely to be VERY COLD. Please dress your child accordingly. I can't express to you how much fun this walk is and how important I think it is for them to experience. If your child is dressed appropriately for the weather they are more likely to enjoy themselves. If your child tends to be warm, dress them with one extra layer. If your child is sensitive to the cold dress them in two extra layers and bring/send them with a third. Send them with a disposable snack and join us if you can. We will meet at the church parking lot located at the corner of 13th Avenue and Elm Street. We will be at the far back corner on the 13th Ave. side. We'll walk to the park, play on the playground, eat a snack, walk to the river, and walk back to the church. School will end at the church. We will leave the parking lot at about 1:15. PLEASE NOTE: There are NO RESTROOM FACILITIES this time of year in the park. Please have your child go to the bathroom right before you bring them. It hasn't been a problem in the past, but I have had some near misses so please have your child go as late as possible. :)
Monday, Feb. 24: We are going to read a story about a boy made into a pizza and start to talk about shapes that might be found on a pizza. We'll cut out shapes and start to make a book about a pizza shop.
Wednesday, Feb. 26: 3s~We're going to continue our study of shapes this week. Today we will talk about triangles. We'll make salt dough triangles and make triangles out of button. 4s~We'll continue to work on our pizza stories and read a funny story about a funny lunch.
Friday, Feb. 28: 3s~We'll finish up our shapes exploration with a shapes party of sorts. We will make cookies in our favorite shape and make a shape mobile. 4s~Today we'll finish up our pizza books and tell a story together about how a pizza is made. We'll make pizza for snack. If you would like to bring something to help us with this ask me how.
I hope you have a great month. Remember to encourage your preschooler to tell everyone they love just how much they love them! Get outside, have fun, and cherish each and every moment. :) ~Anne.
