Family Night!

This was a highly anticipated night - counting down for the last 30 days!! 
It arrived and was a success. Here are a few pictures: 

First we eat!! (of course)
Thank you all for bringing such delicious food!!

Then we wait patiently in our seats....

Then we sing on stage!! (TR class)

 

Sunny Kansas - MWF class

This Little Light of Mine - everyone!!

Future teacher

This week has been enjoyable reading various children's stories - familiar and some new stories too. I read a new to the children story today. It is called The Biggest Bear by Lynd Ward. It is an oldie but a goodie! Based on how the story started, I had to reassure the children that the outcome was good because I could sense they were a little worried about what might happen to the bear.....
They made some pretty interesting predictions about what might happen. 
The story was full of suspense and had a surprise ending. I hope to not stir up any negative thoughts about what you might see on the cover of this book - no animals perished during the reading of this book! 

A little bit later, during choice time, I observed this......

She was reading as if she was the teacher.
Holding the book just so.
"Reading" the story in her own words.
(I had to sneak around to get this picture because
she stopped reading when she noticed I was trying to get a picture....)

She just looked at the book when she saw
me taking a picture. 

Enjoy a good book this weekend!!

Day #4 Children's Literature

Today's books were: The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle) and The Mitten (Jan Brett) - and it was pajama day with stuffy/lovey's. What a day!!

Ms. Renee read about 7 stories to this guy.

Happily playing in the house area.

Just a swingin' in our pj's....

Sandbox play

See the big pink bunny?
The kids were chasing her around the playground.....

Here we are!!

Rockabye Crocodile

Day #2 of children's stories. I chose a favorite of mine, but knew some children were familiar with the story, Rockabye Crocodile by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey. If you are not familiar with this story, it is a folktale from the Philippines and emphasizes the importance of being kind and reaping the benefits of that verses being rude and grouchy and reaping something not as nice! 

Many years ago during my college years here at Hesston College, some friends and I recorded an audio version of this story. We used a cassette tape and stereo....that tells you what era I came from! I had forgotten we had done this until a few weeks ago, a college chum sent me this tape recording and so I had someone (more skilled than I) copy it onto a CD, to make it more modern. :) So, instead of me reading the story today, we listened to the audio recording as I turned the pages. The kids were entranced and I had them try to guess which character voice I was.....

The most important part of today was that we got to wear our pajamas and bring our stuffy/lovey's to preschool. It was a cozy, casual day at preschool.  

Painting at the easel in jammies

Cuddling with "puppy love"

Reading stories

Holding our stuffy/lovey's during large group times

Don't we just look so comfy?
I think we should have pajama day more often....

Caps for Sale!!

"Caps. Caps for Sale. Fifty cents a cap!"

Hopefully you are familiar with this story - Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina (don't ask me to pronounce the name!)
A classic for sure! We acted it out today -- Ms. Naomi narrated this story, Ms. Larisa was the peddler and the children were the monkeys. It went very well and the children were so fascinated that Ms. Larisa could be an actress.....

To follow up with this story, we made caps for Art today. Most of the children didn't wear them afterwards, but a few did.

She wore hers the entire time. 

Coloring and adding stickers to the cap.
It's serious business.

This was only the beginning of adding stickers. 
It was completely covered by the end...

Caps. Caps for Sale. Fifty cents a cap!

children's literature

Most children have favorite stories they can listen to over and over again. Books like -- The Very Hungry Caterpillar, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Good Night Moon, Brown Bear Brown Bear and the list goes on, are some of their favorites. 
Do you remember your favorite books as a child? You may even remember who read them to you and where you were as they were being read to you. 
Reading takes you to another world of wonder, excitement and enjoyment. 

Each Spring term we spend a week reading different children's favorite books, but we tell them in different ways. This week is such a week. The ECE 201 students chose books and will use flannel board pictures or will "act out" the stories. Presenting stories in various ways is interesting and enjoyable for young children. If they can be involved in the story in some way, they are excited and interested in the specifics of the story line.
I remember taking a Children's Literature class in college and the professor would always introduce Caldecott medal and Newberry award books to the class as "Children's Favorites". I distinctly remember hearing him say this about almost every book he introduced - including (oddly enough) Cyclops! What? I really thought that was strange, but the point is that children can relate to picture books and the rich language, text, illustrations, characters, and the reader all impact how children enjoy books and become great readers themselves!

Keep reading to children - it opens up so many great avenues of learning!

Keep Calm

and

Read on!

snow, snow, SNOW!!

We finally got what we've been wanting --- SNOW! We've been chanting our "Winter chant" for a long while, which begs for some of the white stuff.

(Winter, Winter, come our way

Bring some snow for just one day

Make it cold and make it white

Snow would be a lovely sight!)

And it finally came!

It was lovely.
(This was taken at my house - we had 3.5 inches!!)