Frozen Fun

We were supposed to do an experiment last week to help us learn that the extra fat layer that polar bears have helps them to stay warm (along with thick fur that also absorbs sunlight.)  The plan was to put a hand in ice water to feel the cold.  Then we would put crisco on our hand, wrap in cling wrap, and put it in the water again.  Well, when I tried it, it was still very cold.  I don't know.  Maybe you would have to use a whole can of crisco to get the desired effect?!  So we decided to scrap the experiment but still wanted to do something fun.  Luckily, we have shaving cream on hand.  We decided to stick with the cold theme and called it pretend snow.  The kids had a blast with this, playing, writing letters, and drawing pictures in the shaving cream.  I think you can tell by their expressions that this was a hit!  Then to add to the frozen fun, Chloe had brought ice cream for snack (thank you Septiano family!!) and we listened to "Let It Go."  All in all, it was a very delightful morning.

Veterinarian Visit

Oh, my gosh!  We had such a great time when Eli's mom, Dr. Fielstra, visited our class.  She brought her dog, Callie, and rat, Cutie.  She taught us about otoscopes and stethoscopes and let us use them.  She taught us to approach dogs slowly and quietly, to ask the owner if you can pet the dog, then to ask the dog if you can pet him.  You do this by putting out your hand.  If the dog comes to you it's okay to pet him.  We took turns practicing this approach with Callie.  Then Dr. Fielstra gave each student their own doctor kit which included a mask, hat, bandages, shots, and a stuffed dog.  What a great hands on experience for everyone!

Happy Birthday, Ellie!

Our first preschool friend turned four!  Thanks, Ellie, for letting us celebrate with you and for the delicious cake balls!

Pet Blessing

During Pets Week we also learned about St. Francis, the Patron Saint of Animals.  We learned that many Catholic churches have a pet blessing day.  We had our own pet blessing using favorite stuffed animals and saying a simple prayer.  We learned that St. Francis wanted us to care for animals and that he wanted all of God's creations to live in peace.

We love our pets!

Alex and Gonzo

Mitzi and Elsa

Matthew and Fishy

Ellie and Tank

Eli and Cutie

We had a great time during Pets Week!  Thank you so much for sharing your family pets with us.  The kids were really excited.

Fun Day Pictures

Just look who stopped by to trick-or-treat at Mrs. Newton's room:

Tigger

Doc McStuffins

Captain America showing us his moves

Christian decided to use the "come as you are" approach this year...

Spiderman

Batman

A beautiful princess (although she did tell me, "It's Chloe," in case I didn't recognize her!)

Elsa

A fairy?  She didn't have all her accessories on :)

A gladiator, maybe?  Love the new haircut!

Jake, of the Neverland Pirates fame

This Captain America was so busy saving the world that he couldn't pause for a picture!

Schedule Change

We had one change in our second quarter schedule.  Our Thursday P.E. time was moved to after lunch.  Since we are so used to laying down right after lunch I wasn't sure how it would go.  But just look at the results - the entire class fell asleep and slept really hard!

Fire Safety Week

Chloe is ready!

Welcome back, Ronnie!

It's great to play with old friends.

Working hard

We're in good hands with these two! 

Obstacle course

We had such a busy week last week!  I only managed to get a few pictures but they do give you a glimpse into our little world.  We learned a 911 song, practiced the Stop, Drop, and Roll technique and crawling low under smoke, and we capped off the week with our obstacle course.  The kids had to jump over a box, go under a yardstick, go around a toy box, go through a tunnel, pick up the hose, put out the pretend fire and rescue a stuffed dog!  We were learning about positional words and fire safety through play, of course.

A special thank you to the Fielstra family for the additional fire safety items for our Dramatic Play center!!

Italy/Pizza Week

Thought you might enjoy these pictures.  We loved making sparkly shape pizzas and playing with real pizza dough.  None of us could really master the traditional tossing of the dough but it wasn't for lack of trying!  It was great to be a part of this school wide theme as the kids had been learning about Italy for several weeks during their library time.