Choo-Choo! All Aboard Mrs. Laura's Polar Express!

This week we reenacted the "Hot Chocolate" scene from Polar Express, had a memorable Christmas performance (what little rising stars we have), and of course had some educational time. We once again explored our names and simple 1 step directions.

Thursday:

The meaning of a candy cane. What love Jesus has for us!
This was a great fine motor activity. Their tiny fingers worked so hard to make these wonderful ornaments for your tree.

I love that he is working so hard his tongue comes out!

What a yummy snack! Thanks sweet buddy!

Ordering the letters of our name to make our name. A fun way to add train cars to our engine!
This may not seem like a challenge...but this was difficult for many. They are learning that the letters of their name have to be put in a proper order...so it says their name. A very easy carry-over activity for you to do at home with them. 

See...I sent the letters home with them so you could help them practice.  My goal is for these sweet kiddos is to be able to write their name by the end of the year :)

Color by number and instruction. Simple 1 step directions.

 Friday:

Making reindeer food for our special Christmas Eve visitors.

Perfection sweet girl!

Polar Express time. I read this Classic aloud to them...their interest and excitement was priceless!

We believe! And you are welcome parents...I know you LOVE that noisy bell I sent home! 

We need tickets to ride this train!

Ready to ride!

Punching their tickets so they can get on!

Hot chocolate...which was actually cold! We practice safety in Mrs. Laura's room!

So much fun!

Hot Chocolate and paint. This year I made the recipe in front of them. It smells so yummy and looks so good...but eating it is not the best choice! I wanted them to see what I put in it so they wouldn't feel the need to try it! Ingredients: hot chocolate packets, shaving cream (not to be confused with whipped cream...lol!), and glue.

A fun sensory way to paint.

Dear Santa...All I want for Christmas is....

Here the kiddos worked on tracing their age and their name. A great way to work on this is to write it in yellow marker or crayon...and then have the kiddos trace it.  We also worked on pencil grip.
Isn't her smile the best!?!?

This sweet kiddo is working on writing his name without tracing it! Just look at that stellar grip!

 Performance time!

I of course forgot my camera...so these photos are courtesy of a great parent!

What super stars we had! My class is so amazing! They worked so hard! Thank you to making this performance possible!

Gingerbread, Trees, and Lights...Oh My!

We had a fun week reading the different styles of Gingerbread Man stories. We read about a Gingerbread Boy, Gingerbread Girl, and their favorite Gingerbread Cowboy. We were wrapped in Christmas lights, made Christmas Trees with our hands, and our favorite...creating memories painting ornaments with our family and friends.  We worked on the letter Gg and of course continued (I promise for only a few more weeks) with numbers 0-5. I also spent a lot of time on their pencil grip.

Thursday:
I began the week wrapping these sweet kiddos in Christmas Lights...some enjoyed it more than others! This activity is probably one of my favorites of the year...such a sweet gift from me to you!

After reading a traditional version of the Gingerbread Boy we made gingerbread ornaments of our own!

I spent a lot of time working on pencil grip this week. This is the time kiddos begin creating habits of holding their pencils. Proper pencil grip is a taught thing...not a natural thing. This is where we come in! This picture of this sweet kiddo needs some love holding her pencil...You are about to witness the power of a penny.

This here shows you that a penny is worth millions. Let me show you how I did it in the next sequence of pictures!

Needing a little of love with his pencil...

He lays it down...and I give him a penny.

This is where you place the penny.

Then you give them the pencil. They will get more comfortable the more you do this with them. I call this, "The power of a penny!"

Our author of the month...and a retelling sheet for you to do with your kiddo at home. Recalling a story is a beginning stage of reading.

Our special guest reader! 

Earth and Fire time!

Taking a bite of a gingerbread cookie. What will they take a bite of first? The head...the arm...or the leg? 

We graphed their first bites. Such a fun way to incorporate math...and model 1:1 counting!!

Color by number...and following simple 1 step instructions!

Friday: We began our day reading a sweet story about a small Christmas Tree that was made by God. He learned he has so many purposes...even though he is super little. The possibilities of our life are endless! 

Who is having a blast while I paint his sweet hand...his smile was not staged at all! 

Our special creation for your tree!

A fun sensory activity...painting with evergreen branches. 

Here is a sneak peek at what we made you after mean Mrs. Laura wrapped each sweet kiddo with Christmas Lights.

Adding ornaments to our Christmas Tree. Stair step counting is really sinking in with these kiddos. Each week I see improvement with their understanding the value of each number.  And since I haven't mentioned it yet in this blog...I will now...this isn't just a great counting activity...it is a great fine motor one as well...that pinch grasp strengthens those sweet fingers!

Perfection sweet buddy!

AND...of course I did not glue these on to their sheet. I had them put them into baggies so that you can repeat this activity at home and see how your kiddo is improving! Check their 1:1 counting and their number sense for each number!

We had a fun and educational week! I love my job and love seeing that light bulb go off in their sweet noggins when they learn something! Next week is all about those trains! Remember those p.j.'s for Friday!