Hello!
The foam puzzles have been utilized quite a lot this week as children are testing their boundaries as far as their comfort zone. Our friends are always wanting to try new things and because of our classroom relationships, there’s always a friend to help out if needed! Not only do puzzles allow for our fine motor skills to develop but the spatial relationships that children attain are fostered at this age.
We also see patterns in various puzzles that we have available in our classroom. The colorful pattern puzzles were put at the circle table where children looked at the relationship between the puzzle card and what the actual puzzle looked like.
As Rosemary walked outside this morning, she commented, “Wow! It’s Fall isn’t it?!”—yes, it is! 
Our swimmers came back and joined us outside. It was an exciting morning for the Britton boys as Jackson swam the entire length of the pool without a bubble and Max jumped off the diving block for the first time! We only have one more swim session this season. Our skills have grown so much these last several weeks!
In large group, we read ‘Tacky and the Emperor’. The question, “What’s an emperor?” came up. I suggested waiting to see if the story would answer that question. Within the first couple of pages, we found out that emperor meant ruler. Reading a variety of stories allows for our vocabulary to grow as well as the cognitive understanding of words as well as phrases.
Our friends in large group are continuing to work on the comprehension of what they’re reading. After we’re done reading a story, we talk about the important events that happened within the story. We recall various events and put them into order. Not only do we concern ourselves with the text we’re reading but also the pictures that are made available. The pictures tell the story as well so it’s important that we realize that the pictures are often just as important as the written words.
“It’s showing us what’s happening in the story!”—.
Journaling time is different for every child. Some of us choose to have a quiet time, where we can think to ourselves and jot down our thoughts or feelings. Others of us choose to collaborate more, sharing what they’re journaling about and have an open conversation about the specific topic. A couple of our friends are still expressing their interest in volcanoes and often share their ‘map’ of the way to the volcano that they drew.
Differentiated instruction: allowing children to learn and express themselves in different ways. Some children may need a quiet time to journal while others need to vocally express themselves. It’s our job to allow both ways to be the right way and to foster BOTH ways to the best of our ability.
Breakfast– Whole grain cheerios with banana.
Lunch– Hummus on whole wheat flatbread, PPC strawberries, and corn on the cob.
PM snack– String cheese and pretzels.
Wee Sprouts– Snap peas.
Have a lovely night!
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 10/18
