Week of May 12-16, 2014
Each child checks in daily by finding his/her name on a jar with rocks inside, taking the
rocks out and sorting the lettered rocks to display his/her name.
rocks out and sorting the lettered rocks to display his/her name.
We began an ocean theme this week. Each child visited the art center and stamped ocean animals on paper. Each student was asked to tell me one fact about an ocean animal. I heard many different answers from has 8 arms (octopus), to has sharp teeth, (shark) to my mama rode on one (dolphin). Never underestimate the ability of a child!
Animal cards, both ocean and land animals, were placed on the table and the students decided
whether it was an ocean or land animal and placed the card on the correct mat.
whether it was an ocean or land animal and placed the card on the correct mat.
A sink/float experiment was held in the water table. Each child was given an item and
predicted whether it would sink or float.
predicted whether it would sink or float.
Goldfish Math was a much loved math activity. Your children enjoy an activity when rewarded with food!
Fish tangram's were placed on the table along with assorted, colored foam-shaped pieces.
The students were able to complete most of the puzzles completely by themselves.
The students were able to complete most of the puzzles completely by themselves.
Free time in the classroom
Your children love playing in the gym on rainy days.
After reading the book, "A House for Hermit Crab", we had a cooking activity where students rolled a cheese
filled tortilla to resemble a hermit crab shell. They loved them!
filled tortilla to resemble a hermit crab shell. They loved them!
We visited Mrs. Brierre's science classroom, in Lower School, to look at her hermit crabs
in the aquarium. We found empty hermit crab shells, but saw fish and 2 frogs!
in the aquarium. We found empty hermit crab shells, but saw fish and 2 frogs!
Lacing is a fabulous fine motor skill that students enjoy. Although they may not lace each hole,
they are learning a very important skill, as well as improving hand/eye coordination.
they are learning a very important skill, as well as improving hand/eye coordination.
Upcoming Dates
May 22 - End of the year party 9:00 am
May 26 - St. Jude Bike-a-thon/Picnic 9 am- 12:15 pm
May 22 - End of the year party 9:00 am
May 26 - St. Jude Bike-a-thon/Picnic 9 am- 12:15 pm
Week of May 5-9, 2014
The class learned a new word......symmetry. They thought it was cool to see that both sides of the paper were alike. Once each child saw his/her picture, they decided what it looked like.
Each child painted 2 coffee filters that were made into a beautiful flower corsage for Muffins with Mom.
Free time in the classroom. The bottom 2 pictures are our Cottage helpers that visit us on Friday.
As you can see, your children love them!
As you can see, your children love them!
After reading "Windy Day", everyone participated in a science experiment where each child chose an item,
placed it in front of a fan to see if it moved, then graphed the results.
placed it in front of a fan to see if it moved, then graphed the results.
We are in rehearsals before the big production on Thursday evening. We are so proud of our new Theater in Lower School.
Muffins with Mom
Upcoming Dates
May 22 - End of the year party
May 26 - St. Jude Bike-a-thon/Picnic 9 am- 12:15 pm
May 22 - End of the year party
May 26 - St. Jude Bike-a-thon/Picnic 9 am- 12:15 pm
Week of April 14-17, 2014
A fun way to practice math skills, counting and color sorting. A few children are taking it a step further and adding 2 or 3 jelly bean cards together.
We are practicing categorizing. Children were quick to point out which animals were oviporous!
After reading the story, "The Tale of Peter Rabbitl", children told his/her verision of the story using a felt board. Felt board activities encourage communication, enhance vocabulary and practice sequencing.
Children engaged inisde at many of the centers in our classroom.
A little hand/eye and gross motor activity inside the classroom
Preparing for the Easter egg hunt............decorating our egg carton!
Many thanks to everyone for a fantastic party! The children had a wonderful time! We hope you have a fabulous Easter!
Upcoming Dates
April 30 - Parent/Teacher Conference
May 8 - Community Night in Lower School Theater Room 6-7 pm
May 9 - Muffins with Mom 8-9 am
May 22 - End of the year party
May 26 - St. Jude Bike-a-thon/Picnic 9 am- 12:15 pm
April 30 - Parent/Teacher Conference
May 8 - Community Night in Lower School Theater Room 6-7 pm
May 9 - Muffins with Mom 8-9 am
May 22 - End of the year party
May 26 - St. Jude Bike-a-thon/Picnic 9 am- 12:15 pm
Week of April 7-11, 2014
Easter free art
Ask your child what new word he/she learned this week. The word is oviparous and means an animal that hatches from an egg. At morning meeting each child was given a plastic egg and inside was an oviparous animal. When a child was called to stand up, he/she gave several clues and the class had to guess the animal. They loved this game!
In small groups, each child chose a cut out egg, cut it in half and chose an animal to put inside.
It opens and closes and it was awesome to play with!
It opens and closes and it was awesome to play with!
Play time in the classroom
Math is fun when rewarded with fruit cereal after playing! Children graphed colored cereal,
determined which column had the most and least.
determined which column had the most and least.
Your children are using letter tiles to spell his/her first name. This is incredible to see!
Everyone enjoyed a wonderful morning eating doughnuts, building and decorating airplanes and playing outside.
Thank you dads!
Thank you dads!
Upcoming Dates
April 17 - Easter party 11:30 am
April 30 - Parent/Teacher Conference
May 8 - Community Night in Lower School Theater Room 6-7 pm
May 9 - Muffins with Mom 8-9 am
May 22 - End of the year party
May 26 - St. Jude Bike-a-thon/Picnic 9 am- 12:15 pm
April 17 - Easter party 11:30 am
April 30 - Parent/Teacher Conference
May 8 - Community Night in Lower School Theater Room 6-7 pm
May 9 - Muffins with Mom 8-9 am
May 22 - End of the year party
May 26 - St. Jude Bike-a-thon/Picnic 9 am- 12:15 pm
Week of March 31-April 4, 2014
Rainbow rice was added to the sensory table. Children scooped, poured, and played at the center.
We made butterflies using coffee filters and dot markers. There were several steps in making these beauties. Children used the markers to make dots all over the filter. The best part came when using the spray bottle to spray the filter, making the colors run. After each was dried, a clothespin was placed in the middle. Children then added the details with markers. They are "flying" in our classroom
The boys enjoying some free time in the classroom.
Tearing paper increases fine motor skills and also makes a beautiful picture! Children tore assorted pieces of paper into pieces, glued them down to make a unique picture. Some children came to the table and knew what they were going to make, while others decided after their picture was complete. Rocket launchers, Elsa princesses' and flower gardens were made, just to name a few.
Enjoying playing and being with friends outside on the playground.
The most talked about day of the week was Friday when we had lunch with Pre-K in the Dining Hall. We walked hand in hand with the Pre-K students to the Dining Hall and enjoyed a wonderful lunch. The children were able to experience lunch with "the big kids", while learning the lunchtime procedure. We ended our lunch with sugar cookies!
Upcoming Dates
April 11 - Doughnuts with Dad 8-9 am
April 17 - Easter party 11:30 am
May 8 - Community Night in Lower School Theater Room 6-7 pm
May 9 - Muffins with Mom 8-9 am
May 22 - End of the year party
May 26 - St. Jude Bike-a-thon/Picnic 9 am- 12:15 pm
April 11 - Doughnuts with Dad 8-9 am
April 17 - Easter party 11:30 am
May 8 - Community Night in Lower School Theater Room 6-7 pm
May 9 - Muffins with Mom 8-9 am
May 22 - End of the year party
May 26 - St. Jude Bike-a-thon/Picnic 9 am- 12:15 pm
Week of March 24-28, 2014
Children are using their fine motor and classification skills to pick up bugs and place them into the correct container.
Recognizing shapes and colors and making cool designs!
Exploring centers inside the classroom and freedom outside.
The sensory table was transformed into the Garden Center, a place where children designed flower arrangements, watered flowers and packaged seeds.
- On Mondays, we have movement with Ms. Cherie. We are practicing front and back rolls
We made an earthworm habitat. Children took turns layering sand and dirt,
spraying water and finally putting the earthworms in.
spraying water and finally putting the earthworms in.
Using the rainbow as a guide, children were asked to find 2 objects in our classroom that matched
the colors of the rainbow. They explored all areas of our classroom to find the items.
the colors of the rainbow. They explored all areas of our classroom to find the items.
Math can be fun when playing with play-doh! Each child visiting this center "picked" a
flower and rolled out that number of worms to place in the garden.
flower and rolled out that number of worms to place in the garden.
Ms. Pam, Sophie's mom, showed us how to make paper flowers. We made a beautiful bouquet of flowers by folding, cutting and attaching a wire.
Spring is alive in the Community Garden. After walking around the garden looking at the beautiful flowers
blooming, each child painted the colorful blooms. They are truly Picasso's in the making!
blooming, each child painted the colorful blooms. They are truly Picasso's in the making!
Upcoming Dates
April 11 - Doughnuts with Dad 8-9 am
April 17 - Easter party 11:30 am
May 8 - Community Night in Lower School Theater Room 6-7 pm
May 9 - Muffins with Mom 8-9 am
May 22 - End of the year party
May 26 - St. Jude Bike-a-thon/Picnic 9 am- 12:15 pm
April 11 - Doughnuts with Dad 8-9 am
April 17 - Easter party 11:30 am
May 8 - Community Night in Lower School Theater Room 6-7 pm
May 9 - Muffins with Mom 8-9 am
May 22 - End of the year party
May 26 - St. Jude Bike-a-thon/Picnic 9 am- 12:15 pm
Week of March 17-21, 2014
On St. Patrick's Day, we made leprechaun traps to try and trap a leprechaun. We didn't catch him, but think he came through our room because there were toys out of place and chairs turned over. He left us a nice surprise, green Jello-O!
Green sand in trays and paint brushes were placed on the table for the children to explore. Some children wrote their names, first letter in name, drew treasure maps, while other explored the sand with their hands.
Free time!
We took advantage of the nice, spring time weather and painted outside. Each child chose a tin can to paint. We plan to make a wind chime to hang from the tree on our back playground.
It's amazing to see what children can create when given play-doh and toothpicks!
On the first day of spring, Kristy, Caden's mom, brought in flower pots and planting supplies for each child to plant flower seeds. We will water them daily and track their growth. They should begin sprouting in about 7 days. We learned that flowers need sun, water and air to grow.
Upcoming Dates
April 11 - Doughnuts with Dad 8-9 am
April 17 - Easter party 11:30 am
May 8 - Community Night in Lower School Theater Room 6-7 pm
May 9 - Muffins with Mom 8-9 am
May 22 - End of the year party
May 26 - St. Jude Bike-a-thon/Picnic 9 am- 12:15 pm
April 11 - Doughnuts with Dad 8-9 am
April 17 - Easter party 11:30 am
May 8 - Community Night in Lower School Theater Room 6-7 pm
May 9 - Muffins with Mom 8-9 am
May 22 - End of the year party
May 26 - St. Jude Bike-a-thon/Picnic 9 am- 12:15 pm
Week of March 10-14, 2014
At the Math center, students matched the correct number of "gold" pieces to the number on the pot. What a fun way to learn math!
Children experimented with yellow and blue colored water to discover various shades of green.
Fun in the I-Pad Lab! Once a week we visit the I-Pad lab.
Free time in and out of the classroom.
Children searched for letters in the clover patch. When each child found 5 letters, they were rewarded with a clover sticker.
Children graphed Lucky Charms marshmallow pieces. When each child was finished, the pieces were counted and it was decided which column had the most and the least.
Each child painted a rainbow and each was unique and different. By singing the song, ROY G. BIV, they are learning the colors in the rainbow.
Because of the beautiful weather, we took the classroom outside! Children saw rainbows in clear, flat marbles. We discussed when rainbow appear and weather wise, what was needed to see a rainbow. They were amazed by what they saw!
Everyone searched for clovers, specifically 4 leaf clovers in the clover patch outside. We didn't find any, but came back with handfuls of clovers and pretty flowers.
Upcoming Dates
April 11 - Doughnuts with Dad 8-9 am
April 17 - Easter party 11:30 am
May 8 - Community Night in Lower School Theater Room 6-7 pm
May 9 - Muffins with Mom 8-9 am
May 22 - End of the year party
May 26 - St. Jude Bike-a-thon/Picnic 9 am- 12:15 pm
April 11 - Doughnuts with Dad 8-9 am
April 17 - Easter party 11:30 am
May 8 - Community Night in Lower School Theater Room 6-7 pm
May 9 - Muffins with Mom 8-9 am
May 22 - End of the year party
May 26 - St. Jude Bike-a-thon/Picnic 9 am- 12:15 pm
Week of February 24-28
The spirit of Mardi Gras was alive in our class this week! We began the week with tye dying t-shirts to wear to the PK/K parade. We learned what each color stands for. Purple=Justice, Green=Faith, and Gold=Power. .
Since everyone was in a festive Mardi Gras mood, we listened and danced to "Mardi Gras Mambo". Everyone grabbed a tissue and paraded around the room. We've heard many stories from your children about riding in parades, going to parades in the streets and on boats.
Children love this new game! It increases hand/eye coordination, as well as cognitive thinking.
The sensory table was filled with beads and scissors. Children were able to cut, count and sort the beads.
Using purple, green and gold water colors, children took turns adding Mardi Gras colors to the plastic tray. This increased communication and fine motor skills.
Miss Ashley, Maggie's mom, painted our faces!
With our Mardi gras t-shirts on, we're ready for the parade!
The PK/K parade was a lot of fun! There was music playing and we caught a lot of throws!
Friday's are open door day, where students can go between the 2 classes.
- We made streamers to take to the field on this sunny, beautiful day.
Upcoming Dates
March 3 & 4 - George Cottage closed
March 5, 6 & 8 - George Cottage Holiday Care
March 3 & 4 - George Cottage closed
March 5, 6 & 8 - George Cottage Holiday Care
Week of February 17-21
Week of February 10-14
Whether your child was in the art, math, science or light center, each child engaged in a heart activity. At the Art center, free art and play-doh were out for children to play with. At the sensory table, children searched for hearts with his/her name on them and the math center offered matching a number to correct number of stickers.
Free time means fun time!
Our theater project in Lower School is ongoing. The Upper School Design class met with its first "clients", us! We are working closely with the Upper School students to design the stage, complete with a proscenium, curtains that open and close, as well as other decorations. Cottage students and Upper School students enjoyed a lively conversation as to what would enhance the stage. We plan to put on a play for parents at the end of the year.
The 5th grade students finished a unit on presidents and came to our class, dressed in character, to make a presentation. It was great to see students that "graduated" from the Cottage.
Another math sorting game. Once the candy hearts were sorted and counted, each child chose 2 to eat!
We visited the Idea Lab in the Middle and Upper School Library. Each child drew ideas of what they thought the Lower School theater should have. To hear your children communicate with each other about what was needed and why was quite impressive! Up
After a special valentine snack, thanks to Pam, each child handed out the special treat they brought to school.
Upcoming Dates
Friday, February 21st - Plain, white t-shirt to school to tye dye
Monday & Tuesday, March 3rd & 4th - George Cottage closed for Mardi Gras
Wednesday-Friday, March 5th-7th - Holiday Care
Friday, February 21st - Plain, white t-shirt to school to tye dye
Monday & Tuesday, March 3rd & 4th - George Cottage closed for Mardi Gras
Wednesday-Friday, March 5th-7th - Holiday Care
Week of February 3-7, 2014
Cognitive and fine motor skills were tested when playing this matching game.
We made a yummy, sensory filled play-doh. After rolling the clay, making shapes and adding sprinkles, the tasty treat was eaten!
Before a bear hibernates, they fill their stomachs with a lot of food, including berries. Children used tweezers to pick up berries to feed the bears.
We made rainbow colored bottles, using primary and secondary colors. Each child chose his/her favorite color, stood with a color group, then we added up the number of children in each group. The blue group had the most children.
Children followed a pattern to design a wooden person.
Children practiced fine motor skills and patience when standing up the Domino's. Their patience was tested each time their hand knocked the stack of domino's down, but were proud each time the domino's were stacked properly.
Free time caught on camera!
The class learned that water travels up the stem of a flower by partaking in this cool science experiment.
Notice the New Orleans colors!!
Notice the New Orleans colors!!
Scott and his family are moving to Colorado; today was his last day at school. We will miss him and his parents very much and wish them much happiness as they begin on a new journey!
Upcoming Dates
Friday, February 7th - George Cottage closed for Professional Development Day
Friday, February 14th - Valentine's Day card exchange
Friday, February 7th - George Cottage closed for Professional Development Day
Friday, February 14th - Valentine's Day card exchange
Week of January 27-31
After reading several books about penguins, we learned that penguins are a bird, but can't fly and that some live in areas where it is very cold. Paints, brushes and pictures of different types of penguins were set out and the children were invited to the table to paint their version of a penguin. They are proudly hanging in our classroom.
After 2 days of being off from school due to cold weather, we came back to school to see icicles hanging on the new ball drop.
Colored water was frozen in ice cube trays and the children used them for "painting".
We fished for letters while playing a fun game of letter recognition. Children took turns at the pond fishing for their favorite letter. When a fish was caught, the fisherman thought of a word/words that began with the colored fish.
The much anticipated Hibernation Day was a lot of fun! Everyone enjoyed coming to school in their pajamas, including Ms. Anita and Ms. Shannan. Children used flashlights and animal footprints to guide them to the 3 caves in our classroom. A special thank you to Caden's mom for providing us with flashlights and glow bracelets. Everyone had a grand time!
Next, we refueled our bodies with hot chocolate and kingake! Eliza was pleased to have the golden baby in her slice of kingcake .
Once outside children played an entertaining game of penguin bean bag toss!
Upcoming Dates
Friday, February 7th - George Cottage closed for Professional Development Day
Friday, February 14th - Valentine's Day card exchange
Friday, February 7th - George Cottage closed for Professional Development Day
Friday, February 14th - Valentine's Day card exchange
Week of January 21-24
Each child was given a piece of clay to roll, mold and shape into an animal from the book, "The Mitten". We had a couple of children who used their creativity and sculpted an animal that wasn't in the book! They are adorable!
We discussed the clothing that one should wear during the winter. After, the children took turns gluing articles of clothing to the appropriate side of the paper.
Just a picture to show you how wonderful and well behaved your children are at lunch.
The Maintenance Department surprised us with a ball drop! The children were very excited to try it out.
In small groups, we played a matching game with mittens. The children are getting very good at remembering where the alike cards are.
The sensory table was transformed into the Artic Ocean. With ice, a glacier and winter animals, the children were able to feel how cold the water really is. After, each child took a turn to wear the "blubber glove" . We discussed how artic animals have a layer of fat or blubber under their fur to keep their bodies warm in the cold ocean waters. FYI... the blubber glove is Crisco.
Enjoying the beautiful outdoors!
We enjoyed a friendly snowball fight with the other 3 year old class. Our class tried to throw all the snowballs (white socks) to the other side. After playing 2 games, everyone enjoyed a grape snowball. Yes, even with coats, hats and gloves on the children gobbled them up!
Upcoming Events
Friday, January 31st - Hibernation Day - students wear pajamas to school
Friday, February 7th - George Cottage closed for Professional development
Friday, January 31st - Hibernation Day - students wear pajamas to school
Friday, February 7th - George Cottage closed for Professional development
Week of January 13-17
Math can be a lot fun when playing with play-doh to count snowflakes!
Since we don't have snow, we brought the snow in (shaving cream). The children took turns playing with winter animals in the "snow". Later, this lead to drawing mazes and letters in the shaving cream.
After reading the book, "The Mitten", children fine tuned their fine motor skills by lacing a mitten of their own.
In Art class with Mrs. Budde, we traced a heart stencil into clay and used an assortment of pasta pieces to add texture to each clay heart. Once the hearts are dry, we will paint them. These will make an adorable Valentine's Day decoration. Look at the intense concentration of each child's face.
Free play in the classroom means having fun building, playing and learning with our friends.
Friday's are known as" Open Door Fridays" in the 3 year old classrooms. Children are permitted to roam freely between the classrooms. It allows your child to interact with other classmates and learning centers.
Your children are learning to put on their coats by themselves and are doing a wonderful job. When a child asks for help, another child is there to help. They are growing up!
Upcoming Events
Monday, January 20th - George Cottage closed
Friday, January 31st - Hibernation Day - wear your pajamas to school
Friday, February 7th - George Cottage closed for Professional development
Monday, January 20th - George Cottage closed
Friday, January 31st - Hibernation Day - wear your pajamas to school
Friday, February 7th - George Cottage closed for Professional development
Week of January 6-10, 2014
We welcomed the new year with finger painting a 2014 banner for the bulletin board.
Our class was granted a class wish, a new light table, given to us by the St. Martin's Mother's Club. The children have enjoyed working side by side at the table.
A new year means a new way to check in each day. Children are asked to locate their name printed on a plastic jar. Inside the jar are individual rocks, labeled with each letter of his/her name. They are learning to recognize letters to spell their name, and their classmates names!
Earlier in the week when we had freezing temperatures, we placed cups and bowls of water outside overnight. To our surprise the next morning, all of them had frozen. Using magnifying glasses, children explored the frozen blocks of ice, examining the crystals. Rock salt and food coloring were added, and soon colored tunnels were found throughout the ice blocks. Science at its best!
Free play in the classroom.
"Homemade snow", winter animals and objects were added to the sensory table.
The words small, medium and large were discussed when making these unique snowmen.
As a math activity, snowmen were labeled with number 1-10, children chose a snowman and added the correct number of buttons to the snowman.
Upcoming Dates
Tuesday, January 14th - 3 year old chapel at 8:45 AM
Monday, January 20th - George Cottage Closed in observance of Martin Luther King Day
Friday, January 31st - Hibernation Day - wear your pajamas to school
Friday, February 7th - George Cottage closed for Professional development
Tuesday, January 14th - 3 year old chapel at 8:45 AM
Monday, January 20th - George Cottage Closed in observance of Martin Luther King Day
Friday, January 31st - Hibernation Day - wear your pajamas to school
Friday, February 7th - George Cottage closed for Professional development
Week of December 16-20
These adorable reindeer were made with clay. The students rolled and sculpted the clay to form a head and a body. They added eyes, a red nose and sticks. They will be make a wonderful addition to your Christmas decorations!
Letters, letters everywhere! Uppercase and lowercase letters were scattered on the floor. Children searched for the beginning letter of his/her name, letters in his/her name and familiar letters. They are so proud of themselves when they recognize a letter.
White glitter with a little blue mixed in made a wonderful palette of snow! The class enjoys forming letters, drawing mazes and animals using a paintbrush.
We met our 4th grade buddies today! Each child was paired with a 4th grade student and practiced the songs we will sing in the Christmas program. The older students will be with us on stage.
The pleasant, cool weather makes playing outside enjoyable!
Getting ready to open the PK/K Christmas program!
The much awaited Christmas class party! Thanks to everyone who made our party a great success!!
Santa surprised the class with a visit! The children were so excited to see Santa, get a candy cane and tell him what they wanted for Christmas.
Until next year...............this will be the last blog for 2013! Thank you for sharing your children with us each day; they are truly a blessing! We hope that you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you in 2014!!
Week of December 9-13
The St. Lucy's Chapel for the 3 year old classes was wonderful!. St. Lucy gave a cookie to each student and the students sang the song, "This Little Light of Mine". We were reminded that God's light shines in all of us.
Mrs. Claus visited the Lower School Library and read a few books to our class. After, she gave each child a candy cane, took a picture, and allowed the children to touch Santa's coat!
Everyone is having fun learning letters! We play a game in which the teacher asks the child to fina a letter (ornament) to put on the tree and then the child asks the teacher to find a letter.
Each child made a unique Christmas tree using colored paper strips. What a fun and creative way to practice a math skill, shortest to longest.
Free play is an important part of our day. Children engage in communication, cooperation and collaboration, which are all important life skills to learn. Whether they are inside or outside, they are learning while playing and having fun.
Ms. Pam, Sophie's mom, brought gingerbread ornaments in for the class to paint. They are each different and unique and will look beautiful on your tree. We read the story, "Gingerbread Man" and the class loved it! While outside on the playground, they acted out the story by one person acting as the gingerbread boy and the other children acting as the old man, the old woman, 3 farmers, a wolf and a bear.
Upcoming Dates
Thursday, December 19th - PK/K Christmas program, Cottage opening act 8:30 am
Thursday, December 19th - Class Christmas party 11:30 am
Thursday, December 19th - PK/K Christmas program, Cottage opening act 8:30 am
Thursday, December 19th - Class Christmas party 11:30 am
Week of December 2-6
After reading the story, "The Legend of the Candy Cane", we learned that the candy cane represents a shepherd's staff or the letter "J" when turned upside down, which represents the birth of Jesus. The children explored making patterns with play-doh, plastic pieces that fit together and construction paper. They are proud of this new discovery!
During free time, children explore the sensory table which is filled with Christmas items, while searching for their name, paint with water colors and build in the block area.
Ms. Pam, Sophie's mom, brought a Christmas craft for the children to complete, which hangs cheerily in our classroom.
The Cottage was given a room in Lower School to set up a theater. The Upper School design class made a platform which was installed this week. Other pieces of furniture and dress up clothes were added and the children love it! Whether they are performing on stage, completing a puzzle or drawing, they love this room. We will continue to visit the Solomon Theater, as well as collaborate with the design class to add curtains. With the help of the theater students, we hope to put on a play for parents at the end of the school year.
Our Christmas Craft Night was a huge success! The Christmas spirit was alive as children and parents strolled through both classrooms completing Christmas activities.
Upcoming Dates
Tuesday, December 10th - 3 year old chapel 8:45 am
Thursday, December 19th - PK/K Christmas program, Cottage opening act 8:30 am
Thursday, December 19th - Class Christmas party 11:30 am
Tuesday, December 10th - 3 year old chapel 8:45 am
Thursday, December 19th - PK/K Christmas program, Cottage opening act 8:30 am
Thursday, December 19th - Class Christmas party 11:30 am
Week of November 25-26
All of George Cottage gathered in the Lobby of the Solomon Theater for our annual Thanksgiving feast. The "Pilgrims" enjoyed a bountiful feast of turkey, mashed potatoes, corn and cornbread.
We enjoyed meeting all the Grand Friend's that visited the classroom. Your children were so excited to show them around the classroom.
Week of November 18-22
The week began by reading books and discussing the Pilgrim's voyage to the New World. The pilgrims arrived on Plymouth Rock on a boat named the Mayflower. Each child drew a replica of the Mayflower, which will be his/her placemat for our Thanksgiving Feast on Monday.
Children learning at free play.
For a science experiment, we turned our water table into a sink/float table. Several objects were tested. Among them were a pumpkin, feather, rock, cotton ball, wooden sticks to name a few. We determined whether items were heavy and sunk to the bottom or light and floated on top. We graphed the results.
Ms. Jenny shared her teepee with our class.
The water table was transformed into the rocky waters that the Pilgrims sailed on. Rocks, Mayflower replicas and people were placed in the water table.
Time for desert............cherry pies were made by rolling pieces of red play doh, a great fine motor skill.
Everyone had fun painting "The Mayflower" and a "teepee". It was amazing to hear the conversations as to what and why they were painting. Words like, "here's the pilgrims, here's some food, and a window" were heard as the children painted. They enjoyed playing in the boxes after they were dry.
We visited the Solomon Theater where the stage was set for "Biloxi Blues". Groups were brought on stage to look around and to sit on the actual props used in the play. Some Cottage teachers have had several meetings with members of the theater department to discuss building a stage in Lower School, which should begin in December. Our hope is to have a Cottage presentation in May.
We made homemade butter, using whipping cream and lots of shaking. We will enjoy the homemade butter at our Thanksgiving Feast.
After reading the book, "Stone Soup", which told the story of 3 soldiers coming back from war and were very hungry and tired. They stumbled upon a village with many poor people who at first didn't want to help the soldiers. It is a story of sharing and friendship. Like in the story, we asked each child to bring in an ingredient to make the delicious soup. Many of the children tried the soup, but only 3 truly liked it!
On Friday, with our Middle School Cottage club friends, we went on a scavenger hunt around campus in search of fall colored objects. We found many colored leaves.
A beautiful class photo!
Important Dates
Monday, November 25th - Cottage Thanksgiving Feast 11:30 am (Parents welcome)
Tuesday, November 26th - Grandparents Day, 8:30 am program begins in Solomon Theater
Wednesday- Friday - November 27th-29th George Cottage Closed, No Holiday Care Offered
Monday, November 25th - Cottage Thanksgiving Feast 11:30 am (Parents welcome)
Tuesday, November 26th - Grandparents Day, 8:30 am program begins in Solomon Theater
Wednesday- Friday - November 27th-29th George Cottage Closed, No Holiday Care Offered
Week of November 11-15
Gobble, Gobble!! We made turkeys out of clay. Each child rolled and manipulated the clay to form a turkey body, and added feathers for color. They came out adorable! Feel free to take your child's and use to decorate for Thanksgiving.
Your children learned a new math skill this week, categorizing paper strips in order from shortest to longest. They made beautiful turkeys.
Another hands on math activity that everyone enjoyed was making patterned bracelets. Colored pasta noodles and pipe cleaners were used to make these one of a kind bracelets.
On our walk to Lower School several children noticed blue buckets stacked on the sidewalk. What does a 3 year old creative child do?? Start a game of stacking and unstacking buckets to make a barricade across the sidewalk. They communicated and worked together as if they had an important job to do. Priceless!!
We have read several books this week about Thanksgiving, specifically about the Native Americans and Pilgrims. Native Americans wore special headbands with symbols on them to represent their name. Using simple drawings, each child chose 2 symbols to draw for his/her headband. Feathers were added to each headband, depending how high each child could count to from 1-10. They wore them proudly!
We learned that corn was served at the first Thanksgiving feast. We had our own corn taste test to decide which corn item the class liked best. The children sampled corn chips, corn flakes, can corn and popcorn. Popcorn was the favorite!
The above pictures are your children hard at work during free play.
We were invited to the Lower School Library to listen to an author read us her book. The children listened attentively and were rewarded with Mardi Gras beads after listening to the book. The characters in the book, Eliza Jane and Melvis, took a picture with us!
- Important Dates
Monday, November 25th - Cottage Thanksgiving Feast 11:30 am
Tuesday, November 26th - Grandparents Day, time to be announced
Wednesday- Friday - November 27th-29th George Cottage Closed, No Holiday Care Offered
Week of November 4-8
After reading the book, "We are Thankful", each student shared with the class something they were thankful for. Just to let you know.......every child is thankful for his/her house, whether it be brick, green, wooden or big!! After, each child decorated a feather and both feathers will be added to a bulletin display.
Both recognizing and writing letters are still an interesting concept for your children. We went on a nature walk and found leaves, flowers and twigs to decorate letter sheets with. Working in small groups, each child found the first letter of his/her name and went to work. We will use some of the letters for a lemonade sign for St. Martin's Day.
This week for music class, we met Ms. Louise in the chapel. She introduced everyone to the organ and the piano. We listened as she played both instruments fast and slow, loud and soft. Then it was the children's turn.........and they loved it! They pulled various buttons on the organ to make different sounds and watched the hammers inside the piano play. We thoroughly enjoyed music this week.
The students are placing the correct number of feathers on each turkey.
Enjoying the cooler weather outside.
Mrs. Budde teaches us how to trace a stocking onto clay to make an ornament to hang on our Christmas tree. The 6th grade Cottage club is there to help.
On St. Martin's Day, which was on Friday, we served lemonade to the students as they made their way through campus on a scavenger hunt. The children loved doing this!
I am having trouble sending the rest of the StM Day pictures. I will visit the Technology Department on Monday.
I am having trouble sending the rest of the StM Day pictures. I will visit the Technology Department on Monday.
Happy St. Martin's Day!
Important Dates
Monday, November 25th - Cottage Thanksgiving Feast 11:30 am
Tuesday, November 26th - Grandparents Day, time to be announced
Wednesday- Friday - November 27th-29th George Cottage Closed, No Holiday Care Offered
Monday, November 25th - Cottage Thanksgiving Feast 11:30 am
Tuesday, November 26th - Grandparents Day, time to be announced
Wednesday- Friday - November 27th-29th George Cottage Closed, No Holiday Care Offered
Week of October 28-November 1
We made Halloween goop using corn starch, water and food coloring. The children loved the texture and sliminess to it!
Hard at work outside!
We met Deacon Debbie in chapel for our first chapel class. We learned a new song, "This Little Light of Mine".
Ms. Louise gave everyone pumpkin puppets to play with in music class. We were lucky enough to bring them home.
The green bag of goop your child brought home, is really a witch in a bag!
While listening to "Monster Mash", your child used a potato masher to paint with.
We opened up our pumpkin, took the seeds and stringy matter out and carved a jack-o-lantern. Only a couple of children were interested in putting their hand inside the pumpkin to retrieve the seeds. Later, I roasted the seeds for the children to taste.
Several children made play doh pumpkins on Halloween morning.
The costumes were fabulous!
Our Halloween party was awesome! We ate lunch in the classroom, then went outside to our playground, which was wonderfully decorated, and trick or treated. The children had a great time! Thanks to everyone for making our first party a huge success!!
Our week ended with Homecoming on Friday. We made shakers and had our faces painted, then enjoyed an outside pep rally by the Upper School cheerleaders.
Week of October 21-25
Recognizing shapes and identifying patterns are early math skills your children are working on and don't even know it!
We go to the I Pad Lab in Lower School once a week. Your children are not only having fun and learning , but are mastering fine motor and cognitive skills. They amaze me by their ability to recognize letters, play matching games and complete puzzles!
Black sand and paintbrushes are a wonderful palette in which to design letters or make paths.
After singing, "There's a spider on the floor", the children pretended to be spiders and took turns spinning a web. They used furniture to weave the yarn around. The fun part was getting out after the web that was spun!
We played a spider math game this week. Children counted the number on the plate or web and put the correct number of spiders on the plate. Some children are learning how to add by counting 2 plates!
Ms. Jenny's son, Brad, who owns French Market Produce came to our class today to talk to the children about pumpkins. After, we each student visited the pumpkin patch and "bought" a pumpkin with paper money. The pumpkins were painted with beautiful glitter paint and left to dry. Then it was the children's turn to "work" in the stand. The loved it! They bought and sold pumpkins and even dropped a few along the way. Everyone had a glorious time!! It helped that we had beautiful weather.
Important Dates
October 31st - Halloween Party 11:30 am
November 1st - St. Martin's Homecoming Fall Fellowship 5-7pm Hog dogs & Hamburgers on back playground in Lower School
October 31st - Halloween Party 11:30 am
November 1st - St. Martin's Homecoming Fall Fellowship 5-7pm Hog dogs & Hamburgers on back playground in Lower School
Week of October 15-18
We went on a leaf hunt searching for red, yellow, orange and brown leaves. The children were so excited when they a leaf and were very proud of the overflowing basket to bring back to the classroom.
Our first Community Night was a huge success! Parents and children had a wonderful time partaking in the art activities. We will have our next one, Christmas Craft Night, on Thursday, December 5th.
All of these children are learning, whether building a block tower, finding a leaf with a name on it, making a pattern using bean bags or finding a name at the Literacy Center.
Our Halloween party is next Thursday at 11:30 and all parents are invited to come. We will have food, games and trick or treating stations outside. Your child may wear his/her costume to school, however, I encourage parents to pack an extra change of clothes for your child. A lot of times, they get tired of wearing their costume.
October 7-11, 2013
We began our week by reading the book, "It's Pumpkin Time". We learned that most pumpkins are orange, but can be yellow or white and have stems. They can be short, tall, round , small and large. The class learned a few new words to describe a pumpkin which were bumpy, smooth and hard. After reading the book, the children enjoyed painting their favorite type of pumpkin.
The class enjoyed the Halloween themed felt pieces to go with our felt board. Children gathered in groups to play and I was rather impressed with their patience and how they each respected one another's addition to the story. Story re-telling is an important skill in developing language and memory skills.
What fun everyone had playing with colored foam! While some children used it for sensory exploration, others made treasure maps, mazes and letters. This is a great, relaxing activity for you and your child to play at home.
The children watched anxiously as cotton balls, buttons, and other materials passed through colored tubes into bowls. Sorting and categorizing are math skills your children will build upon in the coming years.
Everyone looks forward to Movement class, held in the little gym, with Ms. Cherie on Monday mornings. In this class, children strengthen their muscles and gain coordination by jumping, hopping and dancing. They have practiced balancing by walking forward, backward and sideways a balance beam.
The children have worked tirelessly on our house project and it's almost complete. With the rooms in place, all that's left to do is paint. Because of the beautiful, cooler weather, they worked outside to paint the roof and outside of the house. Choosing one paint color was a difficult decision. It was decided that the roof be painted black and brown and the house be painted red, blue and green. They did a wonderful job working together and painting the house. Finishing touches were added and voila, the house project is complete!! It will be on display in the Cottage Lobby for approximately 1 month.
Our House Project and documentation boards will be on display in the lobby of George Cottage for the next several weeks. When you get a chance, go by and take a look at all of your children's hard work.
This is a fun game to play and a great activity that increases a child's awareness that words are read left to right. After rolling a dice and counting the number of dots, the child moves a marker across the row left to right, then down a row to begin again.
We look forward to our weekly music class with Ms. Louise. Whether we are singing, dancing or playing musical instruments. she teaches us to listen and move to the music. Ask your child to sing, "This Old Man" and "Old McDonald". This is a great class for self expression and to burn off a little energy!
Because it finally feels like fall, the sensory table outside was filled with leaves, pumpkins and pinecones to celebrate fall and the cooler weather. The children sorted through the table searching for matching leaves and counting pinecones and pumpkins.
Since the weather has cooled down, we were able to plant our herb garden. After leveling the mud and digging a hole, we planted chives, dill and cilantro. Your children enjoyed digging in the dirt and getting their hands dirty. We plan to measure the plants weekly and chart their growth. We will use the herbs to make salsa with the cilantro, a dip with the dill and homemade chive butter around Thanksgiving.
A special thanks to Pam Callaghan, Sophie's mom, for coming to our class and making homemade applesauce. We smelled it cooking all day and enjoyed the tasty treat for a snack. Sophie and her mom made mini apple pies as well. After sampling both treats, the children decided which apple treat they liked most and we graphed the results. The apple pie won!
Important Dates
October 14th - George Cottage closed for a Professional Development Day
October 16th - Community Night for 3 year old classes at Cottage 5:30-6:30 pm
October 31st - Halloween Party 11:30 am
October 14th - George Cottage closed for a Professional Development Day
October 16th - Community Night for 3 year old classes at Cottage 5:30-6:30 pm
October 31st - Halloween Party 11:30 am
September 30-October 4, 2013
Black and Gold Day! Many children dressed in black and gold to cheer on the Saints to victory!
After reading the book, "Fall" we learned that many changes occur in the fall. Trees change from the color green to yellow, orange, red and brown. Squirrels collect and bury acorns, geese fly south, and the weather turns cooler. Unfortunately, NOLA hasn't experienced the cooler weather yet! While on a walk outside, we noticed that some of the trees had started to change colors.
In small groups, fall colored paints and Styrofoam plates were set out for the children to paint with. Some children swirled the paints together, while others carefully painted without mixing colors. Through painting children learn to think creatively and with an open mind. They develop critical-thinking skills and make decisions about what works and what doesn't on their own. Although cutting the plate was a little tricky, the finished product was beautiful. Each child chose 2 leaves to add to our fall mobile. Come to our classroom to see our first fall decoration.
Our fall mobile hangs proudly in our classroom
Over the last several weeks, the class has shown an increased interest in the alphabet, the building block of language. They are frequently exposed to the alphabet through songs, books and games. Beginning with the first 6 letters, alphabet boxes were introduced so that the children were able to see, hear, and experience each letter in a variety of ways. It is amazing to see the academic growth in each child in only 1 & 1/2 months!
The Light Center is a wonderful, generally quiet area of our room. It enables children to appreciate the awe and wonder of the world around them and provide a rich environment in which to develop their natural curiosity. The center creates a place for careful observation or for exploring pattern, shape, and color mixing.
A highlight in our week is when Madeline and Victoria, Middle School students in the George Cottage Club, visit us every Friday!
Our House Project is complete!
After approximately 6 weeks, we have finished our house project. Using a shoebox, each child designed a room using images cut from magazines and a variety of art supplies. Decisions were made as to whether one should paint or wallpaper the room and what furniture should be included. All of the houses were original, creative, imaginative, and best of all fun to make! The project will be on display for a couple of weeks, then may be taken home. Picture will be posted next week.
After approximately 6 weeks, we have finished our house project. Using a shoebox, each child designed a room using images cut from magazines and a variety of art supplies. Decisions were made as to whether one should paint or wallpaper the room and what furniture should be included. All of the houses were original, creative, imaginative, and best of all fun to make! The project will be on display for a couple of weeks, then may be taken home. Picture will be posted next week.
Important Dates
October 14th - George Cottage closed for a Professional Development Day
October 16th - Community Night for 3 year old classes at Cottage 5:30-6:30 pm
October 31st - Halloween Party 11:30 am
October 14th - George Cottage closed for a Professional Development Day
October 16th - Community Night for 3 year old classes at Cottage 5:30-6:30 pm
October 31st - Halloween Party 11:30 am
September 23-27, 2013
Although each of these activities are all different, look how engaged the children are. They are learning important skills such as matching, sorting, and communicating with peers. These are hands on activities that teach valuable lessons.
Thanks to all the parents who brought in shoeboxes, magazines and flyers to school for our house project. Each child picked a room in the house, thought of items that belonged in that room, then cut those items out of magazines. After choosing a paint or wall paper color, each child worked one on one with the teacher to decorate his/her room. Some students knew exactly what they wanted in their room and went right to work, while others were given several choices on how to decorate. We may have a few future interior decorators on our hands!!
Early in the week, we took advantage of a cool morning and enjoyed snack outside.
Not only do the children enjoy walking on and around the tree stumps, this activity improves their gross motor skills and balance. To think that only a month ago, the children were cautious and unsteady while walking. Now they walk around confidently with a smile on their face.
We consider the outdoor playground an additional classroom to play, learn and discover. When the students use their sense of curiosity and vivid imagination anything is possible! They are improving important skills while balancing, digging, and having fun in the great outdoors.
The Housekeeping center is a favorite place to be among the students. Often times it is used as a place to cook and serve food, but this week many "visitors" were puppies and babies. It is a joy to watch your children grow and develop!
Construction workers at work! The children haven't tired of this hammering activity. Golf tees and wood blocks are used to "hammer" into the Styrofoam. Screws were inserted by twisting and turning. This activity increases eye hand coordination, only when wearing the police helmet!!
Stacking, constructing and designing are a few of the skills learned in the block center. To see the children work side by side, sharing ideas and listening to one another truly warms my heart. They are learning respect for one another and respect for
An Upper School Art class visited our classroom today and brought wooden houses for the children to decorate. The children were so excited, you would have thought it was Christmas! Tissue paper and glue was carefully applied to each house. Not sure who had more fun, the big kids or your children. The students stayed for a while and played; when it was time to go, new friendships were formed and everyone had a completed a beautiful art project.
We love our music, water and theater playground! The class was thrilled with all of the fun and exciting things to do on this outdoor playground. They took turns pumping water that ran down a log flume and filled cups with water. They danced to the beat of the drum, xylophone and chimes, while other children played with the rain sticks. Their little faces lit up when they poured water from cup to cup without spilling and when they cranked to pump to pull the water from a bucket. Because it was a warm day, no one minded getting a little wet!
Important Dates
October 14th - George Cottage closed for a Professional Development Day
October 16th - Community Night for 3 year old classes at Cottage 5:30-6:30 pm
October 31st - Halloween Party 11:30 am
October 14th - George Cottage closed for a Professional Development Day
October 16th - Community Night for 3 year old classes at Cottage 5:30-6:30 pm
October 31st - Halloween Party 11:30 am
September 16-20, 2013
We began our week learning about homes from around the world, particularly igloo's. What began as 2 different styles of igloos, quickly turned into one igloo and one "snowy mountain home". We discovered both are very cold and that igloo's are made from blocks of ice stacked very carefully in a spiral shape. To create both masterpieces, the children counted either 5 cotton balls or 5 Styrofoam pieces.
After reading the book, "So Many Houses", we graphed the type of house each child lives in, then added up the markings. The choices were: wood, brick and an apartment. We discovered that more families lived in brick houses, 8 to be exact. The class was introduced to a new word, pueblo, meaning clay or mud dwelling. Each group was shown pictures of pueblos, then were given clay, straws and egg carton pieces to begin their work. As the artist's created their pueblos, there was open and meaningful communication between the children. Some children came to the table with an idea in mind and went right to work, while others came and pondered for a while before beginning.
While outside on the playground, mud houses, sand castles and tree houses were made. The children intently mixed water and a sand/mud mixture together and formed mud houses, very clever! "Look, I made a sand castle", said a child in the sandbox. "We're making a house for these bugs", said another child by the tree. Children's minds are amazing and when given the freedom to explore and experience on their own, you never know what they may come up with!
Colors are alive in our classroom! Not only are the children learning the primary colors, but also the secondary colors. This is science at its best! Children enhance their fine motor skills as they use pipettes to draw colored water from each bottle. They have discovered that when 2 colors are released a tray, a new color is made. They are totally amazed to see this happen right before their eyes.
The class worked together cooperatively to complete a floor puzzle, again, and again and again!. By looking at the picture on the front of the box and with a little guidance from a teacher, the children were able to complete the puzzle. There was pride in their voices and smiles on their faces each time the puzzle was assembled.
Because the class was so excited about animals, we decided to bring out animal picture cards. The students were given an assortment of habitats and animals cards and were asked to match the animal to the habitat. This was a fun and impromptu activity. At the sand table, the children continue to enjoy playing with the construction vehicles, while using measuring spoons to load the vehicles.
All divisions of St. Martin's, including the Cottage, were asked to name 1 of the 6 chickens that will be live in the Community Garden. In order to help think of a name, we went on a walk to take a closer look at the chickens. Some of the names that were thought of were: Mickey Mouse, Tiana, Rapunzel and Transformer. I will keep you posted on the chosen name.
On our way back to the classroom from the garden, we stopped for a class picture and a little fun in the Amphitheater. St. Martin's has an incredible campus that we are able to enjoy every day. It is a gift to teach your children each day; thank you for sharing your precious children with us!
On another day, we learned about the type of house Native American people live in, called teepees. It is round, made of animal hide, and has sticks inside to hold it up. After the children colored on the teepee template, they went outside and hunted for sticks, then returned to the classroom to place the sticks inside the teepee.
Here are the beautiful teepees made by your children; they are very proud of their work. What may look like scribbles with a lot of colors, are actually crayons and markers carefully selected with deliberate markings made by your child. When viewing an art project of a 3 year old, please keep in mind that the process is much more important than the finished product.
Each Friday we enjoy visits from members of the Cottage Club, Victoria and Madalyn. They spend about 30 minutes with us, either in the classroom on the playground, or going on a walk. The girls interact and engage with the children by either reading books, putting on a puppet show or playing in different centers. The children look forward to their weekly visit.
These are a few pictures of the children engaged in play in the Science and Math Center, Blocks, and Puppet Show.