Well, Benny the Alphabet Bear had a short distance to travel to come visit us this week. Many of the children have been to New York and knew that you could drive, take a bus, a train, or fly from New York to Boston. He traveled pretty light this time, bringing only a few yams and a yoyo. As always, the children practiced writing Y in its upper and lower case form and did many projects to reinforce its sound. They also began to learn how to put words in alphabetical order. This was challenging in the beginning, but the more they practiced, the easier it became. Now they are putting each other in alphabetical order as well! They felt extremely proud of this accomplishment, and I was amazed at their perseverance! They are also practicing writing their last names as well.
Benny was fun, but by far the most exciting thing to happen this week was the arrival of one dozen fertilized eggs! The incubator was heated up and ready to go, and I placed the eggs in on Monday afternoon. With any luck, we will have some baby chicks in twenty-one days! We have been discussing how chicks develop from fertilized eggs, not the ones in the supermarket. The children have been making a book that documents the development of a chick, and they will bring these home after the chicks hatch.
They are also reading books, both fact and fiction, and doing math and writing that connect with our farm unit.
We are also reading chain tales this week. A chain tale is a story that keeps adding on characters, such as "I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" and "This is the House That Jack Built." They also played with a toy "Old Lady" that one child at a time could wear while others put the characters into a pocket. They are comparing and contrasting these stories as well.
They enjoyed putting together a chicken life cycle puzzle and sharing it with their friends. The pattern blocks were a big hit as some of the children designed farms and cities on the rug.
In math, they brainstormed things that come in three's. Some of their ideas were triplets, tricycle wheels, and silverware (fork, knife, and spoon). It is fun to see their excitement when another idea pops into their heads while they're working or playing! Those minds are constantly working!
This week in Hebrew/Jewish Studies, we have been in Israel. On Monday, we boarded our El Al flight and we have been "on the go" since. Tuesday, we visited Tel Aviv. Wednesday we floated in the Dead Sea. Thursday, we visited the Negev (desert area) and Friday, we learned all about the Kibbutz and created our own model of a Kibbutz. We are keeping a journal so when we return home you will be able to read about all of the highlights of the trip. We will be spending one more week in Israel - seeing, enjoying and writing about all of the sights!
Shabbat Shalom!
Benny was fun, but by far the most exciting thing to happen this week was the arrival of one dozen fertilized eggs! The incubator was heated up and ready to go, and I placed the eggs in on Monday afternoon. With any luck, we will have some baby chicks in twenty-one days! We have been discussing how chicks develop from fertilized eggs, not the ones in the supermarket. The children have been making a book that documents the development of a chick, and they will bring these home after the chicks hatch.
They are also reading books, both fact and fiction, and doing math and writing that connect with our farm unit.
We are also reading chain tales this week. A chain tale is a story that keeps adding on characters, such as "I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" and "This is the House That Jack Built." They also played with a toy "Old Lady" that one child at a time could wear while others put the characters into a pocket. They are comparing and contrasting these stories as well.
They enjoyed putting together a chicken life cycle puzzle and sharing it with their friends. The pattern blocks were a big hit as some of the children designed farms and cities on the rug.
In math, they brainstormed things that come in three's. Some of their ideas were triplets, tricycle wheels, and silverware (fork, knife, and spoon). It is fun to see their excitement when another idea pops into their heads while they're working or playing! Those minds are constantly working!
This week in Hebrew/Jewish Studies, we have been in Israel. On Monday, we boarded our El Al flight and we have been "on the go" since. Tuesday, we visited Tel Aviv. Wednesday we floated in the Dead Sea. Thursday, we visited the Negev (desert area) and Friday, we learned all about the Kibbutz and created our own model of a Kibbutz. We are keeping a journal so when we return home you will be able to read about all of the highlights of the trip. We will be spending one more week in Israel - seeing, enjoying and writing about all of the sights!
Shabbat Shalom!