Space

Hi friends and families, I just want to start by apologizing for my sporadic posts; my daughter had a stomach bug which then created a domino effect throughout the rest of the house. I’m back and healthy! Thank you for your patience.

This week was all about space. We had several space theme toys and puzzles out to enjoy. We read several books this week; Papa please get me the moon, Who am I ?, Calm down time, and Roaring Rocket. 

Mrs Bobrow read  Papa please get me the moon for me on Monday, I was delighted to hear that all the kids loved it; it is one of my childhood favorites! Based on images from the book, kids created their own night sky using watercolors and salt. The salt acts as a natural resist; the area where the salt sits on the page becomes lighter as the pigment is “pushed” away creating a darker ring creating a crystalized effect. The kids used cardstock and tissue paper to a make the moon, gluing it onto their watercolor once it was dry.

Space isn't space without aliens( the nice ones, of course)! The second art project the kids made was an alien. The aliens were created using paper plates, tissue paper, and a glue wash. Each child looked at a coloring page to get ideas for aliens, but each created one that was uniquely their own. We also painted “space” on  the easel with black paint and gold glitter. I have included a picture and spared you the glitter bomb! 

Our last art project was exciting because something the kids haven't tried yet and involved spray bottles( It's a sneaky way to add in some fine motor work). They were given a piece of black paper with a spaceship template stuck on top, using spray bottles they sprayed the  page in with neon paint filling up the negative space. Once the page was covered,  the template was pulled off to reveal a rocket! It was really interesting to see them play with the concept of negative space.

We continued singing B-I-N-G-O this week due to it being a fan favorite. Ms. Bobrow was the MC this week, using  her phone to play the song while the kids followed along. Each repetition of the song built off the other with a letter removed and replacing it with an action. The actions changed as more letters were removed. For instance, they clapped when B was removed,  patted their lap when B and I were removed, rubbed bellies for B-I-N, etc. By adding a movement to rhythm it helps us learn a song faster. We also learned a new song called “Sticky, sticky bubble gum.”

This week we started a new poem about spring; which I am still not convinced is here!. Spring time signals change, and with it, the first hints of summer. The kids start getting a little siller during this time of year as they have become comfortable with school and friends. It's a good time to go over the basics of what we learned at the beginning of the year; how we sit in circle, take turns with toys, show the teacher we are listening, play with our friends, etc. I will be adding little lessons here-and-there to reinforce these concepts.

Have a good week,

Ms. Rappaport