This Week in Afternoon Roxaboxen...

This week we have continued discussing sound in addition to our other 5 senses.  We went on a "sound walk" where we discussed what we heard inside the classroom, and then outside of the classroom.

They were listening to the "crumbling leaves!"



The students each got a turn to "squeak" Ms. Kelly's horn on her bike



This was our final list of everything we heard in our classroom and outside on our walk.

In addition to sound, we have began discussing our sense of sight!  This week, the students were able to create their own "I Spy Pictures!"

I spy with my little eyes... a small drum, and a sound shaker!.

I spy with my little eyes a black rectangle and an orange square.

AM Roxaboxen

A-mazing!

Pumpkins in Honalee

Today in Honalee we discussed the outside and inside of a pumpkin.  Everyone had a chance to stick their hands in and play with the "guts".  The students noticed that there were 100's of seeds and the inside was slimy.  We then baked our own pumpkin seeds to have as a healthy snack.  Ask your child what they thought about our pumpkin investigation.  Pictures will be posted soon!

Pumpkin Seeds
-Seeds
-Salt
-Melted butter

1. Scoop seeds out of pumpkin
2. Rince seeds off in bowl of salt water
3. Strain
4. Toss in melted butter
5. Spread seeds out over a baking sheet
6. Bake at 375 degress for about 45 minutes or until the butter has browned
7. Enjoy!

*You can also bake the seeds with garlic powder, pepper, cinamon, or whatever else you can think of!

This week in Wonderland!!!

Ms. Kristen brought in some gourds this week and the comparing and weighing is in full swing.  Some are bumpy/smooth, heavy/light, orange/yellow/green.  The list goes on and on and we are determined to sort them by every characteristic we can find.

We have a new addition to our Literacy Area.  We had listened to a couple books on tape during our Large Group times and the children seemed really interested.  On Tuesday we charted the instructions on how to independently use the Listening Center.  If you have time come in and let your child show you the ropes.

The Block Area never is left empty.  The children continue to create like crazy.  Tommy and Colton built a submarine that they made sure to share with their friends.

AM Roxaboxen

Music, music and more music!

 It's been a symphony of noise in Roxaboxen.  Drums, xylophones, a keyboard and shakers have been the soundtrack of our lives this week!

 We did an experiment with glass jars to see if adding water makes a higher or lower sounding tone when we tap on it.

 We drew to the music.  Be sure to check out the bulletin board in the cubby area for work from our music and movement experience.

We welcomed our new Spanish teacher (Senorita Emily)  We all made "coronas"--crowns-- with "Me llamo ______" on them. 

Honalee Band

Rockin Out in Honalee

The kids in Honalee have been experimenting with different musical instruments. There have been several rock concerts in Honalee over the past week. Also, many bands have formed and broken up and even reformed again. Check it out:

Mystery Readers!

We've had quite a few mystery readers in Honalee over the past few days! The kids have really enjoyed guessing who our mystery guest might be! Here are a few shots of our mystery readers...

Mason's Grandma

Mason's Mom

The "Jimmy Band"

Who new a small group activity with colored connectors could lead into a parade and then a class band named, "The Jimmy Band".  I think we might have some future band members or a drummer for a future rock star.

Fall in Wonderland!

Fall is here! The children have taken an interest in the changing leaves. We followed their interest and are exploring leaves in our classroom. We made a class autumn tree, we are doing leaf rubbings and  have a song we like to sing in circle about fall leaves. Some books we have read are Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert and Why do leaves change color? by Betsy Maestro.

The local fire department came to visit us and taught us all about fire safety by doing an iCarly skit. We will continue to learn more about fire safety this week so make sure to ask your child what is happening in class.

This is the last week of the airport in our classroom. Thank You to the families who provided us with props.  I wonder what it will be next? 

Roxaboxen AM

We read this book today and looked for faces in our classroom.

Can you find faces in the world around you?

A whistling tree?

Or a stylish pot?

Roxaboxen AM -- This is my School Family

This week we have been taking a closer look at our faces.  We drew pictures of our eyes, graphed them on our class chart.  We also made self-portraits--A perfect thing to do for picture week!

What have we been singing?

This is My School Family

Coo I Love You

The Noble Duke of York

We have also been dancing to...

Animal Action

We are the Dinosaurs



Pete's a Pizza

We read Pete's a Pizza and gave the children props to act it out themselves.

Puff the Magic Dragon

Check out this video of the first performance!

This Week In Wonderland

We read Pete's a Pizza by William Steig and made our own pizza's for morning snack. Be looking for the video of the children acting the book out in a later post.

The children have been playing different sports out on the playground over the past two weeks.  To follow along with their interest, we made a chart of different sports and discussed what kind of ball goes with what sport. After our discussion we sorted the balls by small, medium, and large. What kinds of balls do you have at home that you can sort?

On Tuesday the college student's introduced the children to creating their own books. They loved it so much we made our own ABC books during writing time on Thursday.

Noah's Grandma was visiting from out of town and stopped by to be our mystery reader. It's always nice to meet the children's extended family. 

We read Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss and made our own oobleck. If you want try this out at home here is the recipe:

·         Mix 1 teaspoon borax in 1 cup of water. Stir until the borax is dissolved.

·         In a separate container, mix 1/2 cup (4 oz) white glue with 1/2 cup water. Add food coloring, if desired.

·         After you have dissolved the borax and diluted the glue, you are ready to combine the two solutions. Stir one slime solution into the other. Your slime will begin to polymerize immediately.

·         The slime will become hard to stir after you mix the borax and glue solutions. Try to mix it up as much as you can, then remove it from the bowl and finish mixing it by hand. It's okay if there is some colored water remaining in the bowl.

"Roxaboxen's GINORMOUS Block Tower"

This week, many of the students worked together to build amazing structures in the block area, showing a real sense of community.  They were using words such as wobbly, amazing, huge, ginormous, and the greatest to describe their towers!!

Literacy Groups with Honalee and Roxaboxen

On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons Honalee and and Roxaboxen will be joining together for some focused literacy activities. On Tuesday, the college students kicked things off with some of their own literacy lessons.  Then, on Thursday, the students were introduced to a brand new author study on Dr. Seuss. We will be learning about Dr. Seuss' writing and illustrations for the next few weeks.

College student literacy

College student literacy

Creating their own drawings inspired by Dr. Seuss

Exploring Dr. Seuss books

Getting Ready for our Performance

The students in Honalee worked so hard all week to prepare for their Puff the Magic Dragon performance!