Friday, February 24th
Hello everyone,
What a strange week it's been - from snow to 70 degree weather!
Here's a link to this week's photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/
Some talking points for you:
1. We thought about our 5 senses as we reflected on the big snowstorm. In winter, I see ____/ I hear ____, I taste ___/ I feel __, I smell ___. You could share what your replies might be and then try substituting spring for winter.
2. We learned about how various animals camouflage themselves, and then created our own camouflaged insects and hid them in our room. Which insect did your child make and where did he/she hide it? Was Zac able to find it?
3. What did your child think of our color mixing/shaving cream activity. We squirted different primary colors into cups of shaving cream, stirred them, and then painted with the results. What did the pictures look like when they were done painting? How did they change by the time we brought them home? What colors did your child make?
4. Does your child remember this song (to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell):
A penny equals one.
A nickel equals five.
A dime is worth 10.
And a quarter is 25.
If you put those 4 coins out, can your child name them and tell you their values? Can he/she put them in order of value from least to most? Can your child make 10 cents by showing one dime, or 2 nickels, or 10 pennies, or a nickel and 5 pennies?
5. Does your child remember the story of Miss Tizzy by Libba Moore Gray? Peculiar and delightful, Miss Tizzy is beloved by all the children in her multicultural neighborhood. When the elderly woman falls ill, her young admirers know just how to return her kindness. We talked about the meaning of the word philanthropy. One of the things the fictional children do is make sock puppets. We hope your child enjoys his/her puppet. Can he or she act something out for you using the puppet?
6. Most of the children still get confused when writing 2's and 5's. This is normal. We reviewed how each one is formed and practiced writing each one. Does your child remember the crazy story about Phillip who wanted to buy 5 pieces of bubble gum, but because he couldn't write the numbers correctly, ended up confusing the storekeeper? To write a 2: Begin in the corner, make a big curve down to the bottom corner, and walk away along the bottom - To write a 5: Begin in the corner and make a little line down. Uh oh - it's starting to rain! Run along a big curve to the bottom. Then put up your umbrella (the line across the top). Most of the children know how to read the numbers correctly, it's the writing part that confuses them.
7. Where did we eat lunch on Thursday? (In McGuffey Park).
8. What stories did Karen tell us during our library time at the Central Library - stories about magic. She read us 2 stories, told us a wonderful story about a Turkish sultan and a diamond button, and then performed a magic trick for us.
9. Who had a sleepover with Fuzzy? (a cardinal, a kitten, a dog, and a bunny). Will more animals come for sleepover?
10. We tried a fun imaginative drawing exercise. Ask your child about David and the ghost. What did the ghost turn out to be? Here's a fun drawing activity for home: Begin with a line or a squiggle. Pass the picture to someone else and they add one more thing. Keep passing - what do you end up with? Does your picture start to look like something you recognize? Sometimes it's hard to begin an art or writing project because you just don't know where to start. But, if you jump right in, you might be surprised at what you start to see.
11. We now have 2 UVA Madison house volunteers coming to our class: Jinga and Aja. Brian Carr comes to read with us on Wednesdays, and Scott Goodman is a regular Tuesday morning helper. We love having these visitors.
JOKES OF THE WEEK:
What object is king of the classroom? The ruler.
Where do books sleep? Under their covers
Why is grass so dangerous? Because it’s full of blades.
What do Snowmen call their kids? Chill-dren
Shabbat Shalom!
Anne & Pat