January Newsletter

January
Dear Families,
Here is a basic layout of the activities, snacks, and themes we will be learning and doing during the month of January.

January 6 – 22: Shapes and Sizes

*Tuesday, Jan. 6/ Wednesday, Jan. 7 – – Letter Ii
Today we’ll be learning about circles and spheres. We will read “Circles, Triangles, and Squares” by Tana Hoban and then play a balloon stomping game! We will creating circle prints make English Muffin Pizzas for snack.

*Thursday, Jan. 8 – – Letter Ii
Circles are out today and squares are in! Today we’ll read “There’s a Square” by Mary Serfozo and then stack 3D squares, decorate squares, create treasure boxes, and play four square. For snack we will make cheese and bread squares.

*Tuesday, Jan. 13/ Wednesday, Jan. 14 – – Letter Jj
“Pancakes, Crackers, and Pizza” by Marjorie Eberts will start our day with triangles and rectangles. Then we will be playing ‘pizza match’ – a game of matching pizza slices to the right pizza. During choice time, we will use cookie cutters to cut shapes out of gingerbread playdough, make triangle rubbings, shape collages, and negative space pictures. For recess we will play a game of bigger than/smaller than, dancing around the shapes, or three corners.

*Thursday, Jan. 15 – – Letter Jj
We will learn about ovals and stars today. We will read “Draw me a Star” by Eric Carle and then play the fly swatter game. We will make shapes with shaving cream, learn to draw stars, sort raw and hard-boiled eggs, and during recess we will make box sculptures. For snack we’ll dine on delicious hard-boiled eggs and toast.

January 20 – February 5: Nutrition and Manners
*Tuesday, Jan. 20/ Wednesday, Jan. 21 – - Letter Kk
Today we will read “Boom baby! Boom boom!” by Margaret Mahy, or “No Milk!” by Jennifer Ericsson and we will introduce Rude Rodney. We will talk about coughing and sneezing and the polite way to do it. Then we will talk about the four food groups. In the messy table, we will milk cows, at the cut and color table we will make a food group mural, and in creative arts we will make a layered snack of ginger ale, blueberry syrup, and heavy cream (each has a different density and this keeps them from mixing – it’s pretty yummy too!)

*Thursday, Jan. 22 – – Letter Kk
Today Rude Rodney will have eaten all my chocolates without asking and we’ll discuss why that’s rude. Then we will each have a turn using please and thank-you to ask for a new chocolate. We will talk about fruits and vegetables and which is which, we will squeeze oranges in the messy table, make vegetable people in the cut and color table, and fruit prints in creative art. For music and movement we will play the fruit and vegetable game and, if there’s time, we’ll play ‘go bananas!’

*Tuesday, Jan. 27/ Wednesday, Jan. 28 – - Letter Ll
Today Rude Rodney starts by interrupting. We will read “The Berentstain Bears Forget their Manners” and talk about the touch rule (instead of interrupting, a child lays his hand on yours and you acknowledge him by laying your hand on top of his. When you’ve finished what you’re doing, then you get to his level to talk to him.) Today we’ll play with flour goop, string cereal, work on a mural, and make a pasta and rice rainbow collage. For music and movement we will play popcorn and for snack we’ll eat popcorn!

*Thursday, Jan. 29 – – Letter Ll
Rude Rodney will teach us about sharing today and we’ll read “Bear Learns to Share” by Claude Lebrun, or “My New Sandbox” by Donna Jakob. We will discuss the fourth food group – meats, eggs, and protein. We will make rubber eggs out of vinegar. The children love this because the calcium on the egg is dissolved by the vinegar’s acid and the egg feels like rubber! We will be having a small luncheon today and the children will put together our sandwiches in the messy table, make luncheon hats and placemats, and then we will have our luncheon! If there is time left over, we will play a game of ‘Poor silly kitty.’