Block Play

Block play: Building a child's mind.
From the National Association for the Education of Young Children
Copyright © 1997 by National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Reproduction of this material is freely granted, provided credit is given to the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Unit blocks may not be as sophisticated as some toys we find in stores or on TV commercials, but they are ideal for learning because they involve the child as a whole - the way she moves her muscles, the way she discovers how different objects feel in her hands, the way she thinks about spaces and shapes, and the way she develops thoughts and interests of her own.
Unit blocks vary in name and material by manufacturer, but they are all based on the proportions 1:2:4. These blocks must be sturdy and accurately cut so that children of all different ages and levels of learning may use them to create, solve problems, and challenge themselves.

Toys that grow with your child
Unit blocks are a good investment because children may continue to use them as they grow. Infants and toddlers enjoy simply touching and gripping larger, textured blocks. As toddlers, they develop more muscle control and are able to combine blocks, stack them, or line them up. Two-year-olds may demonstrate their first attempts at building structures, and show the beginnings of fantasy play.
Around the age of three, children learn how to balance and fit pieces together to build sturdier towers, then bridges and enclosures. Threes and fours begin to recognize designs and patterns, their towers and buildings becoming works of art. In kindergarten and early primary grades, blocks allow children to recreate structures, cities and landscapes from everyday life.

Blocks help children learn
Socially - Blocks encourage children to make friends and cooperate. Large block play may be a young child's first experience playing in a group, while small block play may encourage an older child to work with others in solving problems.
Physically - When children reach for, pick up, stack, or fit blocks together, they build strength in their fingers and hands, and increase eye-hand coordination. Around two, children begin to figure out which shapes will fit where, and get a head start on understanding different perspectives - skills that will help them to read maps and follow directions later on. Blocks help kindergarten and primary grade children develop skills in design, representation, balance and stability.
Intellectually - Blocks help children learn across many academic subjects. Young children develop their vocabularies as they learn to describe sizes, shapes, and positions. Preschoolers and kindergarteners develop math skills by grouping, adding, subtracting and eventually multiplying with blocks. Older children make early experiments with gravity, balance, and geometry.
Creatively - Blocks offer children the chance to make their own designs, and the satisfaction of creating structures that did not exist before. Beginning at the age of two, children may use a variety of blocks for pretend-play. Children may become life-sized actors in large block structures, or use figures to create dramas in miniature landscapes.
Children value their own block structures whether or not they represent specific things. Rather than asking a child, "What did you make?" say, "Tell me about what you made." This will encourage a dialog and offer the child new opportunities to explore.

Blocks in the classroom
Ideally, the block area in a classroom should be three-sided, appropriate for noisy activity, out of the way of other classroom traffic, and big enough for many children to work in at once. Create safe places for block structures to remain standing so that children may go back and continue building at a later time.
Shelves at children's eye-level can be used to store blocks and provide space for other activities. Blocks should be organized neatly so that children are invited to use them independently and capable of cleaning up on their own.
Block play is open-ended, and its possibilities are limitless. Even as children grow and develop new interests and abilities, blocks remain an active, creative learning tool.

Additional resources:
Hirsch, E.S. 1996. The Block Book.(Third Ed.) Washington, DC: NAEYC. #132 / $5.
NAEYC. 1993. Block Play: Constructing Realities (video). Washington, DC: NAEYC.#838 / $39.

For more information, contact:
National Association for the Education of Young Children
1509 16th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036-1426
Phone: (202) 232-8777 or (800) 424-2460 Fax: (202) 328-1846
Web: <http://www.naeyc.org/>

Snowballs


We are getting ready to make very cool snow people this week using shaving cream and glue mixed together.  It makes a nice puffy consistency that will dry puffy and really look like snow minus the sparkles.  Some clear glitter could be added I am sure to make it sparkle.  The kids need to bring their "good stuff" to complete the snow person.  Then we will be writing about the snow people in response to the book Snowmen at night. I can't wait to see them all completed and to hear your opinions about how snowmen might best move.   

Stone Soup Poem

Heat some water in a pot.

Add some stones you've scrubbed a lot.

Sprinkle pepper, salt and herbs.

Let it boil undisturbed.

Drop in carrots, onions, too.

Let the soup heat through and through.

Stir in milk to make it sweet.

Add potatoes for a treat.

Toss in meat cubes. Let it stew.

Let it bubble, let it brew.

Taste the soup and when it's done,

Share Stone Soup with EVERYONE

Eric A. Kimmel

Listen to Eric A. Kimmel read his stories.
http://ericakimmel.com/hear-a-story/

Stone Soup!

We will be making stone soup on Tuesday.  We will read the books (fun to read different versions and compare) and then see if we can make a little stone soup "magic" on our own.  Can the sharing and friendship that develops and occurs in the books be repeated in our own class?  Each child should bring an ingredient to add to the soup that will make our soup taste great.  Will the stones actually make some of the best soup we ever tasted?  Time will tell. 

Book It! Reading Program

So sorry I did not get another reading log for the Book It! Just continue to log books read together each night and they will get 10 minutes per night credit for reading. If you read longer than that you may note it in the log and I will enter time into computer to reflect the amount of time reading each night.   They will get an additional 10 minutes daily for reading in class.  I will give out all certificates on the last day of each month.  Thank you so much for participating in this.  It really does boost their reading self confidence and abilities.  Don't forget to stop and talk about books read together.  Let them make predictions and discuss whether or not those predictions were accurate and why.  Stop also to discuss vocabulary words and meanings.  Often times we assume they know what words mean and they do not.  I also like to have them come up with other words that mean the same thing or how else the word could be used.  This stretches the "thinking" power a bit.  Thank you so much for all that you do with them at home. 

Shades of Meaning Video

We have been working on shades of meaning with verbs.  We read Goldilocks and the Three Bears and talked about Baby Bear crying.  We came up with other words that meant the same thing as cry and then acted them out to show what each word looked like.  Then we tried to put them in order from the softest to the loudest.  This is what we came up with.  We had done some additional work with the word Big when we read the book Too Many Pumpkins and with Autumn Leaves Are Falling we acted out the verbs creeping, stomping, romping, and marching.  I think they are doing a great job with this.  We talked about how knowing different words that mean the same thing will help to make their writing better and increase their understanding of texts read. 

Flat Abbi Grace came to our school from Nashville, TN

Pumpkin Patch Reminders

Pumpkin Patch Reminders

If you have not yet turned in the permission slip for the trip you need to do so ASAP.  They may not go with us if it has not been signed. 

Please send in clean grocery bags. This is what they will carry the pumpkins home in.  We can use as many as you send in.  If you have some extra that is great.  We like to double them up if we can to give extra support when carrying them. 

    

Make sure your child wears something that can get a little dirty or dusty.  We will be sitting on the ground, sliding, petting animals, walking around in a pumpkin patch and a corn maze.  Wearing old shoes might be something to consider.  Also, the girls will want to wear something besides flip flops or sandals. 

Remember to use disposable containers for the lunch you pack.  This is so much easier for us to manage.  Make sure the bag is labeled with your child’s name.  Thank you so much.  We are excited!!

Newsletter 9-30-11

Reminders

Return Picture money as soon as possible. 

Volunteers are needed for Fall Festival!  Please sign up to help support our school.

Donated Gift certificates are needed for the silent auction.  If you have any connections with businesses that would like to donate a gift certificate for goods or services, please send it in to the school.  Thanks!

Scholastic News

Thank you so much to those of you who have sent in the money for scholastic news.  That really helps my pocket!  Also, I am not sure when the book orders will be in but it should be shortly.  The first order sometimes takes the longest.  As soon as they come in I will send them home. 

Reading

I am so proud of the reading and writing progress I am seeing.  Many have mastered the letters and sounds and are working diligently on the first Dolch word list.  I have some great readers already who are taking Accelerated reader tests and doing well.  Keep up the great reading work at home. 

Sight words: and, we, can, go, to, the, like, was, is, I, a, my, red, yellow, blue, my, me and see. 

Math

We are finished with chapters one and two in our math series.  We are taking the assessment that goes along with it today.  So far everyone is making good progress.  The biggest thing is learning to explain their thinking.  That is a hard task for this age group.  Numbers must be written correctly.  Some still are writing them backwards.  If you see this at home have them correct the direction of the number. 

Workshops

1.       Math/literacy/technology- IPADS- WE have used apps on the set of 6 ipads we checked out from computer lab to practice math and literacy skills.  WE LOVE THEM!!!! WE love them so much we are going to keep them for a while!

2.       Literacy- Sight word practice.  We used crayons to write color words on and glued them to a sentence strip.  Let them keep the crowns in their room as a color word resource for writing. 

3.       Literacy- Writing Workshop- We read the book The Biggest Leaf Pile and wrote about the most fun thing we could do in a pile of leaves. 

4.       Math/Literacy- We read the book Ten Apples Up on Top and wrote numbers to 10 on the apples.  Then we glued the apples in order to a character’s head we drew from the book. 

5.       Math- Ten Black Dots- We read the book by Donald Crews and are making our own ten dots can make book.  We are writing our numbers counting the correct number of dots and writing the sight word can correctly.  WE went to 5 this week and next week we go to 10.    

^{Pumpkin Patch Field Trip coming up October 7th!  Remember if you want to volunteer to chaperone you must be cleared by the county.  Please send in the permission slips.}

Reminders

“Read to Me” week was lots of fun!  Thank you to all who organized it and read to our class. 

The Field Trip Permission slips and money are due as soon as possible. 

Scholastic News

If you have not yet sent in the $6.00 for the “Let’s Find Out” magazine please do so as soon as possible.  The bill is here.  I have about half of the money at this point.  If I do not get the money, I will have to pay the balance out of my pocket.  Every little bit helps!   Thank you so much. 

Reading

We have been finding words that begin with the same sounds, blending onset rimes, segmenting and blending CVC words and are continuing with letter recognition and sound association for those children who have not yet mastered the letters and sounds.  Please continue to review and work on these skills nightly. 

Sight words: we, can, go, to, the, like, was, is, I, a, my, red, yellow, blue, my, me and see. 

Math

We are counting and finding groups of numbers to 9, finding differences, finding similarities, writing numbers to 9, looking at patterns within the calendar, looking at what makes a group of 10, finding how many more we need to get next group of 10, learning the days of the week and the months of the year.  A huge component of this math program is teaching the children to problem solve and think aloud.  They also need to be able to explain why and how they chose the answer. 

Workshops

1.       Math/literacy/technology- IPADS- WE have used apps on the set of 6 ipads we checked out from computer lab to practice math and literacy skills.  WE LOVE THEM!!!! WE love them so much we are going to keep them for a while!

2.       Literacy- Sight word practice.  WE used letter stamps to practice writing sight words. 

3.       Literacy- Writing Workshop- WE used stickers to create a picture and then wrote about the picture using a color word as a describing word.

4.       Science- Animal covering classification.  The children sorted animals into groups based on body coverings.  Then they completed some recording sheets from science curriculum. 

5.       Math-Children sorted pictures to find things that were the same, exactly the same and different. 

^{Pumpkin Patch Field Trip coming up October 7th!  Remember if you want to volunteer to chaperone you must be cleared by the county.} 

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

            

We are going to Bi- Water Farms in Georgetown to the Pumpkin Patch on October 7, 2011.  Please sign the permission slip below for your child to go with us.  There is a petting zoo, a corn maze, a spooky house, a hay ride and we will pick our own pumpkins.  Please indicate lunch choices below.  The cost of the field trip is $10.00 which covers the cost of admission, activities, pumpkin and the cost of the bus.  Cash or checks may be made out to: JME.

If you would like to chaperone, you must have filled out a volunteer form on-line with Fayette County Public Schools and been approved.  Parents may meet us at school and follow the bus to Bi-Water and back.  We will leave around 9 and be back between 1 and 1:30.   Parents will pay their own admission at the entrance. 

Cut form and return bottom portion.  Retain top half for your information.  _____________________________________________________

My child _________________________ has my permission to go on a bus with the JME Kindergarten to Georgetown to Bi-Water Farms on October 7, 2011.  I marked my child’s lunch choices for the day and whether or not I want to volunteer to chaperone. 

_________________________________________________

Parent Signature

Lunch Choices:    (PLEASE MARK ONLY ONE)

____ Home Lunch- No peanut butter- Container must be disposable.

____ Turkey

____ Ham

____ Yogurt and cheese sticks

____ I would like to volunteer to chaperone.  I have been cleared by FCPS.

Newsletter 9-16-11

Reminders

“Read to Me” week is almost here!

Dress up as your favorite storybook character September 20, 2011.

If you wanted to be a guest reader for our class next week please let me know so I can put you on our schedule. 

We will count all the books read in class as part of their reading log.  The homework books will count as well as the books you read to them.  The log will come home Monday.  I also will count these books toward the Pizza Hut Book it! Program and they will get a free pizza for reading a specified number of books per month from October through March. 

Scholastic News

If you have not yet sent in the $6.00 for the “Let’s Find Out” magazine please do so as soon as possible.  The bill is here.  I have about half of the money at this point.  If I do not get the money, I will have to pay the balance out of my pocket.  Every little bit helps!   Thank you so much. 

Reading

We are rolling along in reading groups.  We are learning to track print, memorize texts, and read and find sight words from the book and the word wall. We are blending onset rimes, blending CVC words, finding words with the same beginning sounds, making letter sound associations, using strategies to solve unknown words, and some of us are taking Accelerated Reader tests!   We will start spelling tests in October.  The spelling words will be added to the homework packet. 

Sight words: we, can, go, to, the, like, was, is, I, a, my, red, yellow, blue and see. 

Math

We are counting and finding groups of numbers to 7, finding differences, finding similarities, writing numbers to 7, looking at patterns within the calendar, looking at what makes a group of 10, finding how many more we need to get next group of 10, learning the days of the week and the months of the year. 

Workshops

1.       Math- Thumbprint Number book to 10.  Children make thumbprints to correspond with the number. 

2.       Literacy- Rhyming Concentration-Children made a concentration game to take home and practice rhyming.

3.       Literacy- Writing Workshop- We read Scholastic News Magazine about school rules and wrote a comparison piece about home and school rules.  We discussed Constitution Day and how rules are important for us to have in society to keep us safe. 

4.       Science- Living- Non- Living- They sorted through dried pasta to find objects that were living or non living.  Then they used a recording sheet to draw a pair of objects that were each. 

5.       Math- Button Sorting.  They sorted buttons to find the differences in sizes.  Then they completed a sheet where they had to find a picture that showed five differences. 

^{Pumpkin Patch Field Trip coming up October 7th!  More information will follow.}

Homework instructions

Wilburn’s Homework Instructions

Homework will come home on Monday and is due Thursday unless we do not have school on Monday.  Then the due date will be adjusted to allow time since they did not get the homework until Tuesday.  I also will take it on Friday because I understand that “life happens” at its own pace.  It is very important that you sit down with your child and have them read to you.  It is expected that every child in the school does their weekly homework. Try to let them do as much of it themselves as possible.  Your role is that of a supporter and encourager.  Most of the homework sheets and reading should take them no longer than 15 minutes a night.  If it takes longer than that something is wrong. Just space the work out and that way they won’t get overly tired.   Things I send are the same type work we do at school and will mirror skills being taught and reviewed.  The books sent in folders are school and personal copies.  I have sets of six and it is very important I not lose any of the books sent home.  I use them for guided reading groups as well so I need each one and often they cannot be easily replaced.  Please just keep them in the folders after you read each night. 

I have included a writing development continuum for you to keep and use to see how their writing should develop over time.  I also will send the first set of Dolch sight words for you to practice.  Knowing these sight words really helps to increase fluency.  If your child does not yet know all the letters and sounds, it is important for you to set aside time each day to review those. 

Spelling Tests

We will not begin spelling tests for a couple of months.  We are working on the sight words daily but I like to give the children a little time to adjust before I put the pressure of a spelling test on them.  When we begin, I will send home a list of the words to practice. 

If you have any questions, just email me at letitiawilburn@gmail.com or call and leave a message at school. I will get back to you as soon as possible. 

September 2, 2011 Newsletter

Reminders

No School Monday September 5, 2001 in observance of Labor Day. 

Grandparents Breakfast is September 8^th for children whose last names begin with the initials A-M and September 9th for children whose last name begins with N-Z.  You will eat in the classrooms with your grandchild after getting your breakfast.  Come visit and see where your grandchild spends their day. 

Read to Me Week at JME

             

·         Monday September 19^th Kickoff Assemblies.

·         September 20^th –dress as your favorite book character.

·         September 20-23- special classroom activities and guest readers

·         September 12^th through the 22^nd- Student book drive.  We need gently used books to donate to local non- profit agencies and charities.

Our class needs a few volunteer readers.  You must be cleared as a volunteer by FCPS in order to do this but we would love to have you come and read to our class.  If you would like to do so send me a note or an email. 

Science News

We are observing meal worms in the classroom to see the metamorphosis they go through as they change into beetles.  We also had a white moth to lay eggs in a container.  Mrs. Cook arranged to get some monarch caterpillars which have now formed a chrysalis.  We are watching daily!  The Smartboard has been very engaging as we have found and watched several quick videos on life cycles. 

Workshops

1.      Math- Number writing 7 to 10- The children finished their number books this week and now know all the number poems for number writing.  Help them remember to form the numbers correctly. 

2.      Literacy- Shaving cream writing- the children wrote letters, words and sentences on trays lathered with shaving cream.  FUN!

3.      Literacy- Writing Workshop- We read and sang the rhyming book “Oh, A Hunting We Will Go”- Then each child wrote their own page to go into the class book.

4.     Math- Pattern block patterns. The children used pattern blocks to make and draw patterns.  Then they played a match me type game copying patterns onto a grid.

5.      Science- Life Cycle of a butterfly.  The children colored pictures of a butterfly life cycle and put it in the correct order of the cycle.  

Have a wonderful and safe weekend!

Newsletter

Please remember to send in the checks for $6.00 made out to:  Scholastic News.  The bill will be in very soon and I will need to send the money in.  You will love getting the magazine 6 times a year and the children get 4 issues per month.  Thank you so much to those of you who have already turned in the money. 

Homework

Homework will begin right after Labor Day.  I will have specific directions attached to the folder at that time.  My point is not to have it take too long.  It really should take no longer than 15 minutes a night.  There will be a book included in the left hand pocket of the folder with a reading log that should be initialed and left in the folder after reading it.  I will replace it with a new book the next week.  Please try to keep up with the books and take good care of them because some of them will go to sets that I will not be able to replace.  We usually do not have trouble with it but it is important to set up a nightly routine with homework and return it to the folder.  Homework will go home on Mondays and be returned on Thursday.  Your child may have an additional day if needed and turn it in on Friday.  Try and enjoy your time together reading.  Snuggle up, read, talk about the story and enjoy!

Reading

We will begin reading group next week.  I am so excited to begin!  We have introduced the words: can, I, a, is and the to the word wall.  Practice these at home.  If your child does not yet write their name, they need to practice this nightly as well.  There are only a few that cannot write their names but nightly practice will help with this skill.  We are working hard on getting quick letter and sound recognition as well.  For those who are reading, I am excited to begin reading strategy instruction and accelerated reader books and quizzes with them.  In math we are finding things that are the same and different and explaining why, patterning and calendar concepts.   We are also learning to write the numbers correctly. 

Workshops

1.      Math- Number Poem and Number Writing Practice. Children practiced 4, 5 and 6 on dry erase boards and number pages. 

2.      Literacy- Alphabet stamp matching- children match upper and lowercase letters by using stamp pads and paper.

3.      Literacy- Writing Workshop- Children are comparing and writing about what they could do when they were a baby and what they can do now that they are in school. 

4.      Literacy/ Math- Name writing with glue and tissue paper.  The children count the letters in their names, write it on the paper and roll tissue paper squares to cover glue tracing the letters in their names.  We will make a graph Monday to compare. 

5.      Science/Math- Bean sort and seed observation.  The children observe and draw an orange and an apple cut in half to see where the seeds are then they sort through seeds and classify them on a sorting sheet.  We are learning about life cycles.  WE planted some seeds this week against a paper towel and a glass jar to observe plant development.