Cafe de Wheels
This week the zoo came to our school! A few weeks ago we studied owls, so the children were thrilled to get to meet a real owl! We noticed the owl’s large eyes, ability to turn its head around, its large talons, and its pointy “ears”. The children each had a chance to touch the owl’s soft feathers. These hands-on science lessons build the children’s curiosity and give them a chance to explore the world and creatures around them!
Today during our group time, I talked to the children about our new season: fall! I taped oak and maple leaves and evergreen twigs onto the bottom of the carpet circles that the children sit on. I had each child take a turn flipping over their circle to discover which leaf was under their circle, and they brought it up to me. After I had collected all of the leaves, they helped me sort them. We talked about the leaves vs. the evergreen twigs. To conclude our activity, we read “We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt” by Steve Metzger.
We continued our study of nocturnal animals by learning about raccoons! To go along with our theme, we made our very own raccoon masks! One of my objectives for the children this month is using a glue stick…so this project involved a LOT of glue! This project helped them build their fine motor skills, practice eye-hand coordination, and follow step-by-step directions. Check out the fun we had making them and using them!
We continued our “Owl Week” by reading “Owl Babies” and making our own paintings of the three owl babies in the story. We also watched the Owl Babies video. {link listed below}
This week we are continuing our study of nocturnal animals by studying OWLS! I absolutely love teaching science and giving your children the chance to explore the world around them and the creatures that live in their world! After reading a book about owls and looking through a non-fiction book with pictures of real owls, we discussed what owls might eat. We talked about how an owl’s feathers are designed to make very little/no noise so they can swoop down on their prey without making a sound. I explained to the children how an owl cannot digest things like bones and teeth…so they regurgitate it, creating what we know as an “owl pellet.” I showed the children an owl pellet, and I carefully opened it so they could see the bones, teeth, and fur of the little creature the owl had had for dinner. {might sound gross…but we thought it was awesome!!!} Check out the photos from our group time!
In one of our small groups, we made our own owls! Check out the fun we had as we made them!
Check out what we made in Early 3’s to go along with our study of nocturnal animals!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Painting with trains to close off our “Transportation” theme this past Friday…
Practicing making the letters “A” and “B” with playdough…
Our small groups on Monday:
{group #1}
We started our “Handwriting Without Tears” curriculum this week! Our first activity was introduced in whole group time and practiced in small groups. The children had to practice forming the letters “A” and “B” with magnetic wood pieces. We talked about “big lines” “curved lines” “small lines” etc. This helps the children break down writing out a letter into simple steps. For an “A” we say: “Big Line, Big Line, Little Line!”
{group #2}
This group was centered around our shape of the month: RECTANGLE! Check out the various ways we made rectangles!
{group #3}
This group focused on our numbers for this month {1 and 2} as well as one-to-one correspondence and fine motor development. The children had to roll the die {which only had one or two dots on each side}, count the dots, and put the corresponding amount of beads into their bowl.
Creative Tots has specialized in the private education of both toddlers and preschool age children for over 15 years. We began in the heart of Madeira and now also have a new Mason location. We are specifically designed to focus on early childhood development for children ages 18 months to 5 years.
Click below to learn more about our program offerings: