Rain, rain, go away! The April showers (and cold and snow!) have been relentless! This, of course, only prompted a wonderful opportunity for exploration in the Rainbow Classroom. During each storm, the students listened to the rain hitting the roof above them. At some moments, the children observed loud pummeling and at other times, soft thumping. Later, the kiddos explored rain sticks, both wooden and plastic, while singing their favorite spring tunes such as “It’s Raining, It’s Pouring” and “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.” At Choice Time, the girls and boys each took turns painting an actual umbrella to be used during future campus strolls. Coming up next…May flowers in bloom!
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Starlight & Twilight
With the promise of warmer days ahead, the Starlight program has been having some rather sporty afternoons. Our students have taken a multi-faceted approach to learning about organized sports. First, the children practiced their soccer footwork, scoring goals in our makeshift hallway field. They also crafted collage soccer balls while exploring shapes (hexagon, circle) and fine-motor skills (scissor work). Later, the Starlight kiddos learned about the game of tennis. They created paper plate rackets and used them to play indoor matches with balloons! Up next: basketball!
Mondays are very musical in the Twilight program. To shake out some sillies and release some energy, our students often request dance parties. Freeze dancing and themed movement games are a constant favorite. Recently, the children enjoyed grooving about with rainbow ribbon wands. To extend and enhance this venture, the Twilight friends each crafted their own paper plate tambourines to help them feel the beat!
Sunshine & Starburst
Ribbet! Ribbet! Arnold Lobel’s famed series, Frog and Toad, has been a recent chapter book favorite in the Sunshine Classroom. Of course, our students asked to learn more about real frogs. After a quick trip to the public library, our kiddos were leaping with enthusiasm. During Circle Time, the girls and boys gathered many facts concerning our little green buddies. Did you know that frogs use their eyeballs to swallow? Did you know that frogs are born with gills that eventually develop into lungs? During Choice Time, the Sunshine children took part in a multi-step sequencing project, focusing on the frog’s life cycle (egg, tadpole, froglet, frog). Later, during gross-motor movement time, our pupils had a blast pretending to hop around just like our amphibian friends!
STEM is a Pre-K staple at Magic Garden! The Starburst children have launched a new unit of learning focused on transportation. Including wheeled vehicles, the girls and boys began by exploring ramps. Axles, energy and momentum are just some of the topics currently being unearthed. Many fun experiments have revealed which vehicles travel with speed and which move slower. Each student had the opportunity to create his/her own ramp, using various materials such as cardboard tubes and pool noodles. Of course, the Starburst kiddos took their learning outside to the campus hills!