PRIMARY COLORS

We spent the month of March mixing colors.  We started by learning about the three primary colors, or first colors.  We learned that you can't mix anything to get red, blue, or yellow.  But, what happens when you mix combinations of primary colors together?  First, we made a chart of equations and tested out the different combinations.  I wrote the different colors down to help them with spelling, but they were able to figure out which color was which by sounding out and figuring out first letters.  Beginning reading!!

This child is writing down the first two primary colors she is going to mix together.

Here she is mixing red and blue together.  Once she figures out what color that makes, she will add that to the first equation she started to write out.  Math, literacy, and science in this project!

Mixing...

Writing...you can really see the equations in this picture.

Lots of mixing and writing! 

STAINED GLASS ORNAMENTS

For this activity, we sorted jolly rancher candies by color, then each child chose a color to unwrap and smash with a hammer or mallet.  Then we put the smashed pieces into cookie cutters that were on a piece of parchment paper on cookie sheets.  We popped them into the oven for 5 minutes and they melted!  

We put them in plastic bags so the pieces wouldn't fly all over.

First we used rubber mallets...

Then we tried smashing with mini hammers.

Unwrapping candy.

Smashing candy with a hammer.

Placing the smashed candy into the cookie cutters

Smashing candy with a rubber mallet.

I may have left them in the oven a little too long...oops!  The children absolutely loved smashing the candy and seeing what it looked like after melting it.  

HANUKKAH

Some classrooms choose not to learn about holidays, but I really enjoy sharing holidays with my preschoolers.  I think it is really important to help children be aware that not all families celebrate the same way.  Each family has their own traditions, celebrations, and holidays they celebrate and some choose not to celebrate any holidays.  Being a teacher who is Jewish, I teach the children each year about the major Jewish holidays in addition to some of the other holidays throughout the year.  I want to be the first teacher to introduce and expose them to the Jewish Holidays.  I love to share things that are important to me with my preschoolers.  Last year, when I took the driedels out, they loved them so much that each time I tried to put them away, they begged me to keep them out.  Dreidels are great for fine motor strength and for being introduced to Hebrew letters that are printed on each side.  

We found this at the grocery store and had to bring it home for the children to do.  A spin on a gingerbread house, I love it!!  Putting together a Hanukkah house made of vanilla sugar cookies!

Adding blue and white sprinkles and candy balls...

Adding the finishing touches!

Dipping dreidels into blue and yellow paint and spinning them on paper to see the different designs they make!

Rice and fillable dreidels.

Spinning fillable dreidels

I brought the Menorah out before Hanukkah started and some of them remembered it from last year.  The children love setting up the menorah with the candles and flames and pretending to cook potato latkes.  We made real latkes later on in the week!

An AB pattern that feature colors of Hanukkah, blue and white!

The children are playing with a Little People Hanukkah set that includes a mom, dad, grandma (bubbe), grandpa (Zayde), a kid, baby and dog.  The table is set and ready for a Hanukkah feast!     

This child is using her finger to position two triangles, one right side up and one upside down to make a Star of David to decorate the paper plate menorah.

Now, for some candles and a base on the menorah...

This child is finished making his menorah, now he is writing his name.

ACORN MATCH

The children are matching the acorn caps to the bottoms.  The tops have dots and the bottoms have corresponding numbers.

Looking for matches...

Counting dots...

Lining up the ones that are matched...

BLOCK CATERPILLAR

Continuing with our October theme of community, I asked the children what we could build together out of blocks and they decided to build a caterpillar.  Each child added one block for a few turns and then they all started to work together and help each other to make a giant block caterpillar!  

Here they are adding the legs.

Almost finished!!

We took tape measures out to see how big our caterpillar was, and we did a little measuring of our bodies first! :) 

The caterpillar was 71 inches long!!  The children were interested in measuring things for more than a week after this activity.    

SUNFLOWER OBSERVATION AND ART STUDY

I am so thankful for our farm share.  Look what we got to bring back to preschool from the flower garden!  These two giant sunflowers spent a week in the classroom so we could investigate, observe, and make sunflower drawings.  Eventually, we brought them outside to pick out some of the seeds.  The chipmunks, squirrels, and birds in our yard were grateful to us and took many of the seeds as well.  

I offered yellow, green, brown, and black crayons for this activity.  Each child really put their full concentration into drawing what they saw.  The pictures are fabulous!!