Little Busy Bodies Preschool
Newsletter
April 2nd & 4th
Continuing on with our unit on rhyming and lyrical stories, we read “Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?” by Nancy Carlstrom. The book follows a young bear through a day as he playfully "wears" not only his shirt and pants, but also the sun on his legs, sand on his arm, his mealtime chair, his bathwater and bubbles, and finally, Sleep in my eyes/And stars in the skies/Moon on my bed/And dreams in my head/That's what I'll wear tonight. This is a sweet book with darling illustrations. The children just love it. The melodic rhyme is contagious and the children want to read it again and again. After reading the book, the children worked together to dress their bear appropriately for different seasonal activities. Finally, we worked on rhyming words with a matching game.
Today we read “Silly Sally,” by Don & Audrey Wood. I love this book! It is a wonderful read aloud, plus it teaches phonological awareness, and gets the kids moving. Silly Sally went to town, walking backwards, upside down. On the way she met a pig, a silly pig, they danced a jig. Sally and pig (upside down) meet and are joined in their walk by a dog, a bird, a sheep and (ta-dum!) Neddy Buttercup (walking forwards, right side up), who sets everything straight (amazon.com). After reading this book, I explained to the children that this book has actually been turned into a song. We listened to the musical version, practiced the related actions, and had a grand ole time dancing along!
We have been working on our writing skills this school year. The first step is strengthening the small muscles in the hands and wrists that are used in handwriting, otherwise known as building fine motor skills. I have encouraged fine motor development with a myriad of centers and small group activities: lacing activities, stringing beads and Froot Loops, playdoh, cutting with scissors, hammer and nails, etc. When I feel that the children are physically ready to write, I have them first use their finger to draw in sand, rice, pudding, shaving cream, paint, etc. Finally, when I see that the children are ready to move onto pencil and paper, I have them trace simple lines and shapes and then letters. One of the most important things to focus on at this age is that your child holds their writing utensil correctly (using three fingers in a tripod grasp). If they establish another grasp from the beginning, the tripod may feel awkward at first. Changing any habit is difficult, particularly when it involves muscles and coordination. I am often correcting the children. So PLEASE watch your child as they color and write at home and correct their hold if necessary. Thank you for helping to reinforce this skill!
*KING/ QUEEN OF THE WEEK APR: 9th & 11th: Olivia
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
*LAST DAY OF SCHOOL: May 23rd
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Amber
