Our first full week - fun activities abound!

We had a busy but great first-full-week!

On Monday, I opened our Construction Station. We learned about how we need to make a plan before we build something, just like real architects, and then we need to follow that plan as closely as possible. But plans do change during the process, too!

We also learned about our Math and Reading Stations Baskets. These are activities that are simple but provide great practice for the students on specific skills. Once we get the year rolling, we will be visiting this area in small groups, 1 or 2 students to a basket. However, since we don't have our reading groups set up yet, we worked on our baskets as a whole class this week.

Math and Reading Baskets on the carpet

Putting together a number order puzzle

Making and extending patterns with the shapes

Exploring the concept of weight

Counting with natural materials

Using smaller shapes to build bigger ones

This Smarty "read" this puzzle piece - "doctor!"

Matching foam letters to the mat

Stringing letter beads

One-to-one correspondence, placing gems on the circles of the picture

Forming letters with wooden pieces

The idea was to count out the pieces and match the number with a numbered piece. But these friends decided to play a game of "chess" instead - in their own way, of course!

On Tuesday, I opened the Imagination Station. This area will give the students a chance to work on their social skills and make up stories on a smaller scale.

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On Wednesday, the Light Table was opened. Here students will explore properties of things. Here, these two friends are working together to build a tower of transparent colored lego-type blocks.

On Thursday, I opened the Overhead Projector. The children enjoyed putting the letters on it and finding the corresponding image on the wall. We will work more on spelling words as the year progresses.

And, at last, I opened the Sensory Table on Friday. Of course, this is the biggest hit right now! I simply have pet bedding and tools for scooping and grabbing in there, and dustpans for cleanup! We are working those fine motor skills while exploring the concept of measurement. Later I will add items that allow the children to further explore measurement (measuring cups, tape measures, scales, etc.) as well as literacy (animals and other story-writing materials).

Please enjoy a few other pictures from this week:

This "Dapper Dan" (that pose just cracks me up!) decided to create a "company" of potato-head "workers"! Just take a gander at the fine-motor skills that were involved, as well as his creative thinking skills!

Writing (well, drawing at this point in the year) is a popular activity. I have some very artsy students who enjoy color and glue!

Clay is also a popular activity. The children enjoy making different things out of it. At this point, I only have some green clay available, so the colors don't get mixed together. Later, once I feel the students can handle the responsibility, several colors will be offered together. This activity really works on hand strength, as the clay is not as soft and pliable as you would imagine!

I believe this creation is a hamburger

And this is a banana

I'd like to end with something that made me very happy to observe. This student held up these two numbers (backwards to himself, mind you) and told me that "The number 17 is on the door across the hall from [his] apartment." This tells me he is ripe and ready to begin learning to read!

And finally, a very sweet little girl brought me the quintessential "teacher gift" this week -- a gorgeous apple! Thank you, Miss O!

I can already tell this is going to be a fabulous year - I hope you feel it, too!