Tues-Thurs. class

MAY , JUNE  2011:

DINOSAURS!       BUGS & GARDENING       SEALIFE & SUMMER FUN

ALLIGATORS DANCING ON ORCAS ISLAND
     (I think that’s the way the story goes…)

Over the last few months since I joined your children in their classroom, I have assisted in the capture of an alligator who was trying to eat a giraffe, have carried a walkie-talkie on my hip to stay in touch with my fire captain as he searched for the wildfire, have eaten a delicious meal of chocolate donuts with ketchup, have built a tree and knocked it down, have driven a police car down a one-way street to remind other drivers that the architect of the street intended for all cars to only drive in one direction, have attended a dance class by a young teacher who promised to “teach me some moves”, and have visited by airplane, train, boat and car such exotic locations as Jamaica, South Africa, Orcas Island and Texas.  Your children have amazing imaginations which are highlighted and developed in each interest area in our classroom and with all our activities!

This month we encourage the children even more to use their imaginations.  We are focusing on story telling activities such as puppet theater and flannelboard games.

Story telling is an essential early literacy development  tool, allowing children opportunities to:

· Explore and develop vocabulary and language;

· Gain understanding of books, songs and rhymes as media conveying basic story
components of characters and events with a plot that develops with a recognizable sense of organization;

· Develop listening skills and comprehension of story lines;

· Enhance phonological awareness as children are exposed to their own as well as their friends’, parents’ and teachers’ creative tales;

· Create meaning connected to children’s developing knowledge of print, letters and words;

· Find confidence via expression and exploration of how each child views the world;

· Derive enjoyment from all types of literacy experiences!

A story telling activity you might try at home is to let your child choose 1-2 words or phrases upon which you create an oral story.  This can be a calming activity to do at bedtime with the lights on or off.  Use a quiet voice so that your child is encouraged to listen carefully to the story in anticipation of hearing how you slip in their chosen words.

If you have other activities which have worked well for your family to promote use of imagination in story telling, please share them with us.
                                                                    —- Teacher Melissa

GOALS:

· Continued social skill building.  As summer approaches, we
encourage families to arrange playdates to keep growing the give-and-take of friendships.

· Children will hear and use scientific terms, such as
Apatosaurus, rather than Long Neck. They will use words like Paleontologist and Extinct and will  learn the meaning of the words Dinosaur and Tyrannosaurus Rex.

· Ever hopeful for warm weather, we will do some planting.  We will encourage appreciation of insects and spiders.

· Children will learn to tread and touch carefully as we explore the very low tidal beach life at Saltwater State Park.