Little Busy Bodies Preschool
Newsletter
September 12 & 14, 2011
Dear Preschool Parents,
This week has provided a fun introduction to the letters of the alphabet! We began by reading the book, "Petunia," by Roger Duvoisin. Petunia the goose finds a book, and because she carries the book around, she thinks she's wise. However, when Petunia starts passing out advice based on her "knowledge", the barnyard is ripe for one calamity after another. Petunia and her friends are colorful and comical in the illustrations, and the problems her new-found intellect creates are clever and funny. And, it couldn't be a truly good children's book without a truly good lesson at the end...Petunia comes to see that she has not gained any knowledge from simply carrying the book around. She must read what is within the pages. She must learn to read!!! After reading this book, we went on a Reasons to Read Scavenger Hunt. The children followed clues around my house, each providing a practical reason to learn to read (practical reasons even for a 3 year old). My intention is not to teach your child how to read at age 3, but simply to give them practical reasons and motivation to want to learn their letters, which is the first step.
The second book we read was “Alphabet Under Construction,” by Denise Fleming. It’s about a playful, little mouse that "constructs" the alphabet--airbrushing the A, buttoning the B, carving the C, and so on. After reading the book, I divided the children into pairs and gave each pair some letter builders. The children then worked together to “construct” the letters on the letter cards they were given.This activity is a wonderful aid in expanding their visual-spatial abilities.
The second book we read was “Alphabet Under Construction,” by Denise Fleming. It’s about a playful, little mouse that "constructs" the alphabet--airbrushing the A, buttoning the B, carving the C, and so on. After reading the book, I divided the children into pairs and gave each pair some letter builders. The children then worked together to “construct” the letters on the letter cards they were given.This activity is a wonderful aid in expanding their visual-spatial abilities.
Last month we focused on developing our visual discrimination skills. This month we are moving on to listening, the first key ingredient in working on our phonological awareness. Phonological awareness is the ability to attend to the sound structure of language. Types of phonological awareness include: phonemic awareness, rhyme awareness, syllable awareness, word awareness, and sentence awareness. For example, today we did a very basic activity where we learned that we use much more than our ears to listen. We talked about different parts of our bodies and what they are doing if we are really listening (i.e. mouths closed, eyes looking at speaker, feet still, etc.).
Thank you for all the environmental print that has been brought in this week!
Thank you for all the environmental print that has been brought in this week!
REMINDER
*KING/ QUEEN OF THE WEEK—SEPT 19 & 21: Olivia
*SEPTEMBER--Letters, letters, everywhere!
Have a wonderful remainder of your week.
Sincerely,
Amber
