Math

Some of our projects/activities included:

Centers

Here are some of the centers that the children have worked at.

Some are for cooperative groups and others are independent.

Art Projects

Some Books We've Read

The book, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!,is about letters that climb up a coconut tree. The tree becomes so heavy that it bends and the letters fall down and some get hurt. That does not stop them though because they soon climb up the coconut tree again! During this theme, we have been learning what letters are and have been distinguishing between letters, numbers, shapes, etc. We have also been working on singing, naming, and counting the letters of the alphabet. We continue to practice distinguishing between capital and lowercase letters. Our focus letter and sound this week is Cc as in coconut.

Some of our projects/activities included:

Mrs. Thompson's Room" class book (Each
student wrote his/her name and drew a
picture of self by coconut tree with the
letters of his/her name climbing up the
tree.)
*"Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! Will there be
enough room for a ______?" class book
(Students drew a coconut tree and a picture
of something that they wanted to have climb
up a coconut tree. They then used invented
spelling, "kindergarten spelling," to write
their words.)
*Does it go on the coconut tree? (sorting
letters vs. numbers, shapes, etc.)

Math

We have been learning how to sort by type, color, shape, and size.

Some of our projects/activities included:

*"Counting Coconuts" mini book

*creating & copying pattern block designs

*various color, shape, and number games

Centers

Here are some of the centers that the children have worked at.

Some are for cooperative groups and others are independent.

*Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! alphabet bingo
*sorting coconut tree and other manipulatives
on coconut tree workmats (same/different)
*"Letters in my name/Letters not in my name" sorting game
*lots of activities to help us spell our first
names (ie: stamping on coconut trees, spelling
with magnet letters and stickers, etc.)
*matching upper and lowercase letters on
coconut tree workmats using letter tiles
*coconut counting game using coconut tree
workmats, dice, and Cocoa Puffs cereal
*coconut trees with numerals 0-5 with Cocoa Puffs cereal for counting sets
*matching capital & lowercase letters to make coconut trees
*sequencing coconut trees in alphabetical order in a pocket chart
*alphabet puzzles, magnets, games

FLANNELBOARD: felt coconut tree & letters

LISTENING CENTER: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom books and headphones

TEXTURE TABLE: alphabet pasta with various containers, scoops, etc.

Art Projects

*sponge painted Chicka Chicka Boom Boom trees with name stickers
*free form Chicka...Boom trees at easels
*(traced) handprint coconut trees with names written on coconuts
*name discovery bottles (water bottles filled with foam alphabet letters to spell our names and water) These will be used throughout the year in our literacy centers.
*name designs

Some Books We've Read

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom*
The Alphabet Mystery
Grover's Alphabet
Dr. Seuss ABC
Counting Coconuts*
From Anne to Zach*
A My Name Is...
The Letters Are Lost

...and many many more

*big book for shared reading

We have been working on recognizing our names and our friend's names in print, and writing our names. We are learning to distinguish between capital and lowercase letters. Our focus letters so far have been Bb and Ss. Your child should be able to name these letters and tell which is the capital/lowercase, what sounds it makes, and name a word(s) that starts with that letter. We have been learning some concepts about books, such as what and where the title is, where the front and back covers are, and where to begin reading, as well as what the jobs of authors and illustrators are.

Some of our projects/activities included:

*Higgety, Biggety, Bumblebee, can you say/write/spell your name for me?
*"School" mini-book
*sorting capital and lowercase letter cards in a pocket chart
*"Who Got on the Bus?" class book page
*journal writing (topics: what we did to get ready for Kindergarten, "Who got on the bus?" literature extension ~ writing about an animal that got on a bus, using the pattern "A ___".)
*writing ("In Kindergarten, we share___.)
*acting out "Jack Be Nimble" with our names

Math

We are working on beginning math and number concepts, such as numeral recognition (0-10), counting by rote, one-to-one correspondence, colors, shapes, and concepts of before/after, most/least, and one more. We do a daily calendar, weather, days of school count, and news report too.

We have been using the following math manipulatives: Unifix cubes, linking cubes, pattern blocks (regular size and jumbo) and real coins.

Some of our projects/activities included:

*"Pattern Blocks" mini book
*"1,2,3" listening and following directions with shapes and colors
*counting & graphing the # of letters in our names
*graphing our bus numbers
*graphing how we came to school (by car, bus, or walking)

Some of concepts that we covered during these themes were:

* Our school community

*School Rules

*Bus and School Safety

*Sharing and cooperation

Centers

Here are some of the centers that the children have worked at.

Some are for cooperative groups and others are independent.

*School Bus workmats with number spinner (0-10) and people counters
*Schoolhouse workmats with certain #s of kid stickers on them (Students match bus with the correct numeral on it to each school.)
*School item (scissors, glue, etc)memory game
*School bus number memory/matching game
*School bus matching (numbers to sets) game
*The Kissing Hand raccoon uppercase alphabet matching & sequencing game
*The Kissing Hand color matching/memory game
*school bus # matching & sequencing game (#1-30)
*The Kissing Hand raccoon number workmats with heart counters (numeral recognition, counting, 1:1 correspondence with raccoon number cards 1-20)

FLANNELBOARD: felt buses and schoolhouses for free play

LISTENING CENTER:

Clifford's First Day of School,

Froggy Goes to School,

Miss Bindergarten Stays Home from Kindergarten

Art Projects

*The Kissing Hand worksheet ~ We worked on "Kindergarten Gluing" with tiny dots
*The Kissing Hand handprint puzzle
*tracing & cutting wheels for "Wheels on the Bus"
*tracing, painting, & decorating a bus
*painting buses at the easels
*painted handprints with a poem
*traffic light ~coloring, tracing, cutting, gluing skills
*various drawing & coloring tasks ~Kids are encouraged to use their "big-kid coloring," to fill in all the white spots, and to use colors that "make sense" (ie: no green or purple hair, etc.)
*The Kissing Hand raccoon shape art
*self portrait with poem

Some Books We've Read

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten*
The Flying School Bus*
Who Got on the Bus?*
Our School
The Night Before Kindergarten
The Kissing Hand
Moo Moo Brown Cow*
Tom Goes to Kindergarten
Monsters Go to School
I See Shapes*
What's the Shape?*

From Anne to Zach*

...and many many more

*big book for shared reading

Special News

*Next week's theme will be based on the book, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! It will focus on the alphabet and our names.

*Thanks so much to everyone who contributed to our bus cooking project. They were cute and yummy!

Reminders

Wish List

If you are able to contribute any of the following items for our Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! theme, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Alphabit cereal

peanut butter

alphabet pasta

alphabet stickers

a coconut

mini Almond Joys

coconut extract

Coco Puffs-type cereal (any brand)

green apples