October Newsletter

October 8, 2008
Dear Families,

I’m sending home a basic layout of the activities, snacks, and themes we will be learning and doing during the month of October. We will start learning specific letters on October 21st. Before that, we will be exploring the letters in our names each day.

October 14-16 – Time for School!

*Tuesday, Oct. 14/ Wednesday, Oct. 15 –FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL – Letters in our name
We’ll be focusing on the first day of school today and what school will be like. We’ll talk about other school experiences the children have had and what we will do at school every day; we will also decide as a class what our class rules should be. We’ll be reading the story, “My First Day of School”, making autumn trees, playing school bus, lacing leaves, and making popcorn for snack!

*Thursday, Oct. 16 – FRIENDS AND SCHOOL HELPERS – Letters in our name
We’ll be talking a lot about friends today and how our class is like a family and we are all friends! We’ll also talk about how we all help to keep school clean and running. We’ll read the story, “Will I have a friend?”, make friendship bracelets, finger paint, play with puppets, and we’ll make yummy pancakes for snack!

October 21-23 – Creepy Crawlies

*Tuesday, Oct. 21/ Wednesday, Oct. 22 – BEAUTIFUL BUGS - Letter Aa
We will introduce our class pet, Squeaky the wooly caterpillar, and explain how he will one day become a butterfly. We’ll read the story, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”, create our own butterflies, play with a ‘bug’ parachute, make our own cocoons, and use pretzels to make the letter A!

*Thursday, Oct. 23 – INSECTS ALL AROUND US – Letter Aa
We will learn about bugs that help and bugs that hurt. We’ll look at types of bugs and where they might live. We will read the story, “I Like Bugs” by Margaret Wise Brown, make our own special bugs, go bug hunting, play bug parachute, and look for worms in our messy table. We will have bug crackers for snack!

Oct. 27 -29 – Halloween

*Tuesday, Oct. 27 HALLOWEEN TRADITIONS – Letter Bb
We will discuss the origin of Halloween and how it has changed today. Students will tell of their Halloween experiences and upcoming plans for this year. We will be reading “The Best Halloween Ever by Barbara Robinson, painting pumpkins, and making Halloween masks.

*Wednesday, Oct. 28/Thursday, Oct. 29 –HALLOWEEN PARTY – Letter Bb
Today is our Halloween Celebration. Don’t forget to dress up for our Halloween Party! We will read, “Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman”, and other Halloween books. In choice time, we’ll be making ghosts and spider webs; in large group time, we’ll make a class spider web, play fun Halloween games, and sing holiday songs. For our treat we will have homemade bread and make Jack-o-Lantern faces in it.