Take A Bath!!

The Touch and Feel Pool was full of sponges and paper towels this morning.  We talked about things that you could wash and why we washed them at all.  The kids talked a lot of washing dishes and clothes.....but when they got started talking about washing themselves....the body part name game was on.  They named all sorts of body parts!

Ms. Michelle was here today with a fun Valentine's obstacle course.  First the kiddos had to crawl through the rose petals on the floor and under the Valentine streamers.  Then they had to hop along the red balance spots, before ending with a single scoop of hearts into a bowl.  We each took two turns....getting faster and definitely more confident on the second turn.  Finger fun was three stations of fine motor tasks.  One group put candy shaped paper into a heart candy box.  One group sorted red and white pom poms using tongs, and the last group scooped out sequined hearts into bowls.

Today's book was Rabbit Ears by Amber Stewart.  Hopscotch knows what he likes and what he doesn't like - and he DOESN'T like getting his ears washed.  In fact, he'll do just about anything to avoid it.  But, when Hopscotch's big cousin Bobtail comes to spend the night and doesn't even flinch when it comes to the dreaded ear-washing hour, Hopscotch makes a startling discovery:  big rabbits wash their own ears!

For art we made bubble bath pictures.  The kids glued down their bathtubs on blue paper and added a poem abut taking a bath and drying off.  Then we added Floam as our bubbles.  They turned out super cute....but left a trail all the way down the hallway!

To Dilworth Drug We Go....

After morning circle, we headed out to our Out and About at Dilworth Drug.  Yesterday we learned that sometimes when we are sick, we have to go to the doctor.  If the doctor decides that we need medicine, he writes a prescription.  A prescription is a note about what kind of medicine we need and how many spoons we are supposed to take.  Mom takes that prescription to the pharmacy where we pick up our medicine.  Dilworth Drug is our neighborhood pharmacy.

Ms. Jamie greeted us when we got to Dilworth Drug.  She gave us a brief overview of all the kinds of things that they sell at the pharmacy.  There are band-aids and lotions and powder.  They sell thermometers and hand sanitizer.  Next, Ms. Jamie told us about germs and how they might make us sick. When she asked about ways to keep the germs away, proud teachers watched as the kiddos raised their hands and named some of the things we had been talking about all week.  Always nice to have someone else tell the children that we don't put our hands in our noses or our pants.....too many germs!

Mr. Josh is the pharmacist.  He came out and gave us a tour behind the counter of the pharmacy where they make and bottle the medicines.  He told us about how at Dilworth Drug they can make our medicines taste like some of our favorite foods.  There is chocolate flavor, and strawberry flavor, and apple and banana, and so many more.  They even have bacon flavor for dog medicines and tuna fish flavor for cat medicines.

Before we left they gave each child a small bottle of hand sanitizer and told us that if we need to get the germs away and don't have soap and water....we can always use hand sanitizer.  It was a great trip and the kids really loved learning about the pharmacy.

How We Spread Germs!

Today we spent the circle time exploring the calendar and talking about letter T.  We practiced writing letter T and t in the air and made a list of all the T-words we could think of.  The kids were making the T sound all the way to the bathroom!

The playground was WAY too wet for playing today, but we definitely needed some fresh air, so we headed out for a short walk around the neighborhood.  Not nearly as much fun, but it got us moving and out of the classroom for a little bit!

Today we had music with Ms. Laura.  We sang "If You're Happy and You Know It!".  At the end, we sang "If you're happy and you know it, shout GO PANTHERS!".  Next we told Ms. Laura what we had learned about germs.  She taught us a song called "Germ Busters", and we sang about three ways we can help bust germs!!  We sang about washing our hands, doing the cough catcher, and using a tissue when we say "Ahchoo!"  Then we danced to a song called "Bop til You Drop!" - we spun and floated like leaves in the wind, and moved slow like we were in Jello!  We used our instruments and had to listen hard, to stop and start with Ms. Laura's guitar and her voice.  We also took turns playing bells, shakers, and drums.  Next, we sang and did the motions to "Wheels on the Bus", and sang about reaching up into the sky and catching a falling star.  We put it in our pocket to save for a rainy day - we may need it today!

Our book today was Bear Feels Sick by Karma Wilson.  Bear doesn't feel well.  He sniffles and sneezes.  He cannot sleep.  He aches all over.  Worst of all, he's feeling too bad to play with his friends.  His friends take good care of him with tea and songs until he begins to feel better.....but did bear spread germs and make his friends sick? Oh no....

So the "germ police" were in full effect today!  There is no eating food that was dropped, no hands in mouth (for long), and no nose picking!  We are trying really hard to be germ free in this room!

For science, we used glitter to show how easily germs spread from one person to another.  The kids each had glitter in their hands, and after shaking hands and touching each other.....those glitter germs were everywhere.  They were on the table, on the floor, on our hands, on our shirts....everywhere!!  And, no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't shake or wipe them off.  It took soap and water to wash away all the germs....just in time for lunch!

Germs! Germs! Germs!

Today we started the day with the Touch and Feel pool full of letters.  We searched to find the letters in our names, we spelled words, we talked about sounds!  So much independent and peer learning happening.....it was very exciting!

We spent the morning circle talking about Groundhog Day!  The kids learned all about Phil and how he made weather predictions.  We have groundhogs in North Carolina, but Phil is famous.  This morning, before school, Phil did NOT see his shadow....so he is predicting an early spring!  Which we are all very much in favor of actually happening!!

Ms. Michelle was here today for OT.  We started with an academic obstacle course.  The kids had to each select a colored ring, then transport that ring to the seal's neck across the room on a scooter board.  Using their arms to move the scooter board, there was lots of creative ways to carry the ring, like on their backs or around their foot!  Then the kids had to pick a colored animal, hop to the snowflake, and throw that animal to the matching colored paper.  Lots of multi-step directions, so this was an activity that required lots of concentration to complete successfully!  Finger fun was four stations of fine motor tasks.  One group used tongs to move pom poms into an egg carton, one group matched pegs to colored pictures, one group put together straws using small connectors, and the last group used tiny pegs to make pictures.  Everyone got a turn in each group....but there were some clear favorites that everyone liked best!!

Our story today was Germs! Germs! Germs! by Bobbi Katz.  This rhyming story introduced us to germs and where they live.  It talks about food begin left out of the refrigerator to the inside of the body....germs live everywhere!  There were also some good examples of how to keep the germs away so we can stay healthy.

During our language time, we made list of some facts we learned about germs.  Facts are things that are true.  We even learned some new vocabulary words....like invisible and infection....from our book that we talked about more and added to the chart.

For art, we made a reminder about washing our hands. Since we can't see germs, we have to make sure that our hands are always clean....and never in our mouths....so we won't get sick.  The kids glued down all the pieces, and then added a thin layer of dirt and "germs" to the hands.

We decided that the whole class would be the "germ police" helping our friends to not spread germs.  No fingers in the mouth in our class.  No picking noses in our class.  No dirty hands in our class.  Always using cough catchers in our class.  The "police" had LOTS and LOTS of rules.....that they spent the rest of the day taking very seriously!  If this keeps everyone healthy and at school to learn, it will all be worth it!