Indoor Winter Fun!

For the second year in a row, Mother Nature has spoiled our plans for outdoor fun!  What is a preschooler to do when they are stuck inside?  

Bring the fun indoors, of course!!

 Our "groundhogs" practiced hibernating and waking to the sun!  Some of our friends saw their shadow, some did not.  So we have no idea when spring will arrive ;-)

We learned all about hibernating animals in January.  We learned about different places that winter animals hibernate.  Some of our students remembered the vocabulary word "hibernaculum".  They even did some of their own hibernating in their own hibernaculum, dubbed the "man cave" by some.  

A little blurry.  Lots of action.  No hibernation. ;-)

We also spent our time "snow-bowling" and to protect Mrs. Klee, we have not included pictures of the surprise snowball bombardment she received.  Sneaky preschoolers.

Score!!

We take turns and cheer our friends on!

We have also spent time learning about how to work independently.  We are using the vocabulary attached to The Daily Five.  This program fosters literacy independence and affords teachers time to work individually with students or in small groups.  Going forward in the elementary building at DeSales, they will already have learned the basic premise of this program.  This "shared" program approach makes classroom transitions seamless!  If you'd like more information about The Daily Five and how you can use it (and the vocabulary) at home, just ask!  We LOVE to share!

Read to Someone

Sometimes it's all about location, location, location!

During 'Read to Someone", students learn to find a partner and read.  They take a carpet square, find a comfortable spot and take turns reading.  Many parents think that because their child can't read the words, they aren't really reading.  We object.  Politely, of course.  Your child can "read" a familiar story by retelling it.  They can also read the pictures to make up their own story.  By independently reading, they are modeling all of the behaviors they have seen other good readers do.  You can often hear them say things like "what do you think will happen in this story" or "this is a non-fiction book".  

Read to Self

During "Read to Self", students find a spot, choose a few books and read to themselves.  Student choice of books is very important.  It gives them control over what they are reading.  They can continue to read for longer periods of time because they have an interest in what they are reading.  Imagine someone handing you a humidifier manual to read (because I just had to read one, BORING!) versus reading a People magazine.  I know which one I would choose!  You can practice read to self at home. Find a basket or box and have your child fill it with 8-10 of their favorite books.  Encourage them to find a spot to read (even behind a chair or under a table....as long as it isn't dangerous, it works for us).  Set the timer to see how long they can read independently.  We call this building "stamina".  You'll be surprised how long they can read by themselves!

Mmmmm.....Pancakes!

We celebrated our "non-snow-party" with a feast of pancakes for snack!