Grace Garden Preschool

Hello Caterpillar Families,

This week, we continued talking about love and friendship. We celebrated Valentineʼs Day on Tuesday with an awesome Red Lunch and a Valentine exchange. I was really proud of the Caterpillars for trying some new foods. There wasnʼt a single, “Ewwwww, I hate tomatoes,” to be heard; rather, it was, “I tried, but I donʼt care for it.” Weʼve really been working on our table manners in here! After lunch, the kiddos delighted in delivering their special valentines to their friends. I especially loved seeing all the hard work that each Caterpillar put into writing his/her friends names on the Valentines. I’ve been seeing a real increase in fine motor skills in the classroom, and it was certainly on display with the Valentine cards.

As part of our love and friendship unit, I brought back the Buddy System for Centers this week. Usually, Centers are completely free-choice, and the kids can choose which center to go to whenever the mood strikes (unless itʼs already at capacity). With the Buddy System, I “randomly” select teams of two kids each to be buddies. They play together as they rotate through the Centers. Each day, I chose new teams with the idea that everyone would have had the chance to play with someone they donʼt usually play with very much. I think the Buddy System really helps to break up cliques (not that we have a huge problem with that in our room) and encourages the children to find things in common with all of their friends. Itʼs kind of amazing to watch a group of two, who might have felt kind of awkward playing together at first, playing cooperatively and imaginatively by the end of Centers.

I also introduced the Caterpillars to a new game this week and they are hooked! I found two, huge, foam hammers at Target and had to have them, though I didnʼt know at the time what they would be for. Inspiration hit me, and now we have the awesome new game, Hammer Time!  After dividing the class into two teams, I hold up two cards with either popcorn words or color words, and the Caterpillars face off to see who can “hammer” the word I speak the quickest. A little bit of competitive energy is really putting a twist on learning the popcorn and color words. And, as a bonus, I get to chuckle to myself when I yell out, “Stop: Itʼs Hammer Time!”

Have a fantastic weekend,
Ms. Katie

Dear Caterpillar Families,

It has been a “love”ly week in the Caterpillar room!  We’ve been talking a lot about love
and friendship as we prepare for next week’s Valentine exchange and Red Lunch party. 
The biggest point I wanted to touch on with the Caterpillars is that there are many kinds
of love:  the love our parents have for us, the love we have for our family, the love we
have for our friends, and the love we have for ourselves.  Our reading center was filled
with books on the subject of love, and a few of our class favorites this week were I Love
You With All My Heart by Noris Kern, Mama, Do You Love Me? and Papa, Do You Love
Me?, both by Barbara Joosse, The Day It Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond and I Like
Myself by Karen Beaumont.

We did a neat experiment this week using Borax laundry detergent.  After twisting pipe
cleaners into heart shapes, we submerged them into a solution of hot water and borax. 
The solution started forming crystals rather quickly, which we were able to observe with
the naked eye and with magnifying glasses.  The Caterpillars loved that the pipe
cleaners were so fun to twist and bend, and that they could easily begin again if they
didnʼt like the shape of their heart.  And they really loved coming into class the next day
to see how much the crystals had grown overnight!  

We had a big push in literacy this week, which was very exciting for all of us!  We read
the first of several short decodable books.  They are known as “decodable” because all
of the words in the book (other than the popcorn words) can be sounded out.  First, I
made a list of all of the words that would be in the story.  During Circle Time, we went
through the list, word by word, and decided if it was a popcorn word or sound-out word. 
The popcorn words were easy for these guys, so we went straight to the decodable
words.  The Caterpillars know that “putting sounds together is how you read a word,” so
we did just that!  In just a short time, we had sounded out the words, zip, pig, wig, big,
bib and sits.  After we had this list of words, I encouraged the kids to use their
imagination about what kind of story would have those words in it.  This is a really
important stage of literacy, and one that is sometimes overlooked in strict, phonics-based literacy instruction.  Using their imaginations like this to put meaning behind
these words helps with comprehension of what they will eventually read.  After all,
reading is not just about putting sounds together, itʼs about understanding and relating
to the words those sounds create.  

Once everyone had a turn to share what they thought the story would be about, I passed out the books and we looked through them
as a class, paying close attention to the pictures.  As I told the Caterpillars, pictures can
be really good clues to help us figure out what the words are.  Then we used our pointer
fingers to read each page, word by word.  Then we asked ourselves, as good readers
do, “Does that make sense?”  Each Caterpillar had the chance, if desired, to read a
whole page aloud by him/herself.  There were a lot of prideful smiles on their faces after
we finished!  It feels so good to be a reader!  

Next week, weʼll continue our love-fest with a celebration of Valentineʼs Day and our
Red Lunch on Tuesday. 


Have a great weekend!
Ms. Katie

Dear Caterpillar Families,

It has been an awesome week in our room! Not only have we continued our dinosaur
unit, but weʼve been very busy making enormous strides in sounding words out! The
Caterpillars are becoming experts in sounding out “cvc” words (consonant-vowel-consonant).

On Tuesday, we created a flip-book with -ip words (hip, ship, zip, rip), and on Wednesday, a flip book with -ot words (hot, pot, dot, cot). Not only did these easy and fun flip books help the Caterpillars do “what good readers do” by matching the word
to the picture, but it also helped reinforce the idea that itʼs the ending sounds of words
that create rhymes. Now, with so many more words under their belts, the Caterpillars
are surely off and running with literacy! I never get over how exciting it is to learn to
read!

In dinosaur news, the class worked together, doing a little bit each day, to create an
awesome landscape for dinosaurs, The first step was to paint the sky. When that was
dry, a couple of friends added some rolling hills. Next came the trees, and then some
volcanoes! The most fun came when it was time to paint the lava exploding out of the
volcanoes. The caterpillars had to use a bit of restraint with this process so that our
entire landscape wouldnʼt be swallowed up by lava! The final step will be for each
student to add his or her own dinosaur to the landscape. This will be a really cool mural
to display in our room for some time.

Volcanoes just seem to go hand in hand with our dinosaur unit. And who doesnʼt love to
do the old favorite baking soda and vinegar volcano experiment??  So, on Thursday, the
Caterpillars all helped to create a volcano using flour and salt dough. Then we had a
ball causing our volcano to erupt again and again. We even experimented by adding
different colors to the ingredients to change the color of the lava. What a blast!

We spent a little bit of time talking about Groundhog Day on Thursday. The kids
had a nice little debate on whether or not the groundhog is a reliable meteorologist or
not. Regardless of whether that little guy saw his shadow or not, Iʼm pretty sure we
here in Austin will be enjoying Spring very shortly, especially if our weather this week is
any indication!

Over the next couple of weeks, we will shift our attention to Friendship, Love, and
Valentineʼs Day. We will have a little Valentineʼs Day party in our class on Tuesday,
February 14th, during which weʼll eat a “Red Lunch” and have a valentine exchange.
Look for more information about signing up for a red or pink item to bring to our lunch.

Donʼt forget the Daddy Daughter Dance next Thursday!

Iʼm hoping that all of our friends whoʼve been under the weather are feeling better soon!
Stay healthy and have a wonderful weekend!

Love,
Ms. Katie

Hello, Caterpillar Families!

This week we began our two-week unit on dinosaurs. This is always one of the
highlights of our curriculum because the kids are so incredibly interested in the subject.
It never fails to amaze me how many facts these smarties know about dinosaurs!
Really, it could be them teaching the unit, and thatʼs no joke! I wonder what it is about these prehistoric creatures that makes them so very interesting to children... could it be their size? Their power? The fact that theyʼre no longer around? Whatever it is, it holds from year to year, and I just love seeing the sheer excitement on their faces as they so casually list the very complicated dinosaur names. Apatosaurus, Diplodocus, Pteranodon... how in the world did these four- and five-year-olds get so smart?!

We started the week off by making a K-W-L chart about dinosaurs. For those of you
unfamiliar with these, a K-W-L chart is a graphic organizer to help students “file” what
theyʼre learning. We made a chart with three sections: K (for what we already Know),
W (for what we Want to know or what we Wonder) and L (for what we Learned). As you
might have guessed, our K section filled up extremely quickly. I was running out of
room after just a few minutes of writing! The W section was a little trickier for the
Caterpillars to fill up, not because thereʼs nothing they wonder about or want to know,
but because itʼs a little trickier for them to put these thoughts into words. Also, how
many four- and five-year-olds do you know that want to admit that there are things they
donʼt know yet? As our unit progresses, weʼll fill in the L section. Please take a minute
to check out our K-W-L chart next time youʼre dropping off or picking up!

We also spend some time this week on the letter Kk. Weʼre almost halfway through the
alphabet now! Making a list of Kk words proved to be a little tricky since most of the
words the kids suggested actually begin with the letter Cc. However, we still managed
to come up with a fairly good list. We have continued to use our Letter of the Week as a
foundation for Show and Share. The students have been bringing in an item that begins
with the letter of the week, concealed in a bag. They offer clues and then call on their
classmates to guess whatʼs in the bag. After each guess, we “stretch out” the word to
isolate the beginning sound. Even the best guesses can sometimes be eliminated just
by listening to the beginning sound!

Next week, weʼll continue our Dinosaur unit by making some amber fossils and some
Dinosaur soap! Have a fantastic weekend!

Love,
Ms. Katie

Hi Caterpillar Families,

Another week with the fabulous Caterpillars has come and gone. Again, we focussed
on Community Helpers and the kids had fun pretending to be helpers of all kinds.
Whether they were doctors, mail carriers, or firefighters, the Caterpillars let their inner
helper shine. The First Aid kits that they made were an especially big hit. The
Caterpillars “sewed” them up before filling them with bandaids, gauze and a mask. The
Kitchen Center was transformed into a clinic and many lives were saved!

A couple popular book series really added to the Caterpillars' enjoyment of this unit.
Lego City books, with titles like Calling All Cars, Help Is On The Way, and Fight This
Fire! are captivating to this age group. Popular toy truck maker Tonka also has a series
of books dealing with community helpers. If I Could Drive A Fire Truck and If I Could
Drive An Ambulance fit very well with our unit. There is something about seeing their
favorite toys in books that really delights them!

In the next few weeks, weʼll be rededicating ourselves to the task of really learning the
connection between letters, sounds, and the words they help build. This week, we
spent some time playing with -at family words (cat, bat, sat, fat, etc..). Using the
popcorn words they already know, the Caterpillars were able to make and read some
simple sentences! The cat is fat. The cat sat on the mat. You get the picture. Next
week, I will introduce some simple readers that will help the Caterpillars expand on what
they are learning about reading. This is a really exciting time! These are the lightbulb
moments I love so much as a teacher.

Our unit over the next couple of weeks will be all about Dinosaurs. Parents, please remember to check folders daily for important communications. Also, please do make sure that your child has an extra set of weather-appropriate clothes in his or her cubby, and a warm jacket to wear on cold days since we will almost always go outside to play, even in chilly weather.

Have a great weekend!
Ms. Katie

Dear Caterpillar Families, 

The Caterpillars lost no time getting back into the groove of our class! It was great to
see them walk through the door with big grins and hugs for their friends and teachers.
After that it was right to work! This group of kids amazes me with how well they get
their work done in the mornings. If they see their journals on the table, they sit right
down and start writing, with no questions asked! It’s the little things like this that affirm to me how successful they will be as Kindergartners in just a few short months.

This week and next our unit is Community Helpers. We started our unit off by talking
about the concept of a community in general. We talked about our family communities,
our neighborhood communities, our school communities (both inside our class and the
school as a whole), and kept right on going until we got to the global community! The
Caterpillars enjoyed seeing the concentric circles I drew to illustrate the network of
communities that we are a part of.

Once we were all clear on what a community is, we talked about all the different tasks
that would be necessary to keep a community running smoothly. The Caterpillars were
“en fuego” with making these crucial connections and it was awesome to hear their thoughts come alive.  Comments such as, “Not everyone can do every job, especially in a BIG community,” and “Itʼs like WE are the community helpers in our class community!!”  Lots of light bulbs going on!  We also made a list of all the community helpers we could think of like the police department, the fire department, mail carriers,
teachers, the HEB clerk, etc., etc.  Police were an especially interesting branch of community helpers for the Caterpillars.

Books we have enjoyed this week are ABC of Jobs by Roger Priddy and What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry. One of the Caterpillars brought in a very informative book about police to share with the class.

Next week, we will delve even further into the world of community helpers!

Thanks for a great week!
Ms. Katie

Christmas came early to the Caterpillar classroom. Check out our photos from this week's celebration!

The Caterpillar room has been bustling with activity this week as we decorated our classroom for Christmas! The beautiful garland that the Caterpillars made last week is now joined by a Christmas tree, made of everyoneʼs handprints, and a cozy fireplace.

Over the next several days, weʼll be making ornaments to decorate our tree and
stockings to hang by the fire. We have also been learning about how other countries and cultures celebrate Christmas. The Caterpillars now have a fairly good understanding of the globe, so we looked for the different countries we talked about. On Tuesday, we made poinsettias and talked about how they are a traditional symbol of Christmas in Mexico. We also got a visit from Felixʼs mom, Nina, who taught us about Swedenʼs St. Lucia tradition. We even got to taste an authentic St. Lucia treat, lussekatter, a sweet roll made with saffron and raisins. Finally we talked about the German roots of the tradition of Christmas trees. The children loved hearing the story Mr. Willowbyʼs Christmas Tree by Robert
Barry, which tells the story of a tree too big to fit in Mr. Willowbyʼs house. He solves the problem by cutting off the top, which starts a chain reaction of Christmas cheer. Other books enjoyed by the children this week include Who is Coming To Our House?  by Joseph Slate and Ashley Wolff and Christmas Tree by Florence Minor.

Our big activity this week was attending the Scottish Rite theaterʼs presentation of A Very Fairy Christmas Carol. The Caterpillars were so excited to go on their first field trip and we all enjoyed the performance.

Next week will be super busy! Weʼll be talking about reindeers, gingerbread and other fun ways to celebrate Christmas. On Thursday next week, weʼll have a Pajama Day and decorate gingerbread houses! Thank you to all of the parents for donating all the ingredients for the gingerbread and the candies for decorating! It will be so much fun!

Have a wonderful weekend,
Ms. Katie

Dear Caterpillar Families,

I hope you all had a very gratitude-filled and restful Thanksgiving break! Now that we
are back in school, the approach to Christmas has really intensified! We will be doing
so many fun and enriching activities over the next few weeks... buckle your seatbelts!
This week we have been talking about some of the other holidays (besides Christmas) that people the world over celebrate.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we focused our attention on Kwanzaa, the seven day celebration of the end of harvest. Kwanzaa is a more recent holiday, created by African Americans to celebrate their African roots. Kwanzaa, like all of the other Winter Holidays weʼll talk about, has candles as one of its main symbols.

The Caterpillars discussed why they thought candles were such an important part of
Winter celebrations and came up with some great ideas: “Because itʼs cold,” “Because
itʼs dark,” and “Because theyʼre pretty.” We talked about the symbolism of candles,
reminding celebrants that the winter wonʼt last forever and that light will return. The
Caterpillars had a fun time learning some Swahili words as we talked about the 7
Principles of Kwanzaa and wove their own mkeka, or ceremonial placemat. Seven
Days of Kwanzaa by Melrose Cooper was a great source of information on this holiday
that begins the day after Christmas.

Thursday and Friday will be devoted to learning about Hanukkah. Once again, weʼll
discuss the symbolism of candles, this time hearing the story of the Hanukkah miracle
when a one-dayʼs supply of oil lasted for eight days. Weʼll compare the similarities and
differences between the Kwanzaa candle holder, the kinara, and the Hanukkah candle
holder, the menorah. Weʼll also learn about other traditional Hanukkah activities, like
playing with the dreidel and making latkes! A couple of great books about Hanukkah
are I Have A Little Dreidel by Maxie Baum and Latkes, Latkes, Good to Eat by Naomi
Howland. On Friday, weʼll make our own latkes and eat them with applesauce. Yum!

Next week, weʼll be talking about Christmas traditions in different countries. If you have
any items of interest or experience to share about celebrating Christmas in other
countries, please let me know! We will also be attending our first field trip on Thursday,
an adaptation of A Christmas Carol at the Scottish Rite Childrenʼs Theater. Donʼt worry,
parents: it will be kid-friendly! I know the Christmas Carol story can be a little “iffy” for
kids this age with the Ghosts and everything, but this theater modifies the story just
enough to make it appropriate for the kiddos. This is definitely one of my favorite parts
of our Christmas unit!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Love,
Ms. Katie

Dear Caterpillar Families,

It has been an extremely busy, but fun, week as we've busied ourselves in preparation
for the Thanksgiving Feast. The Caterpillars made Pilgrim hats and Native American
vests and headbands for their roles in the Thanksgiving performance and have enjoyed
practicing their songs throughout the week. This year's performance will surely be
adorable for the audience of parents and loved ones, and enjoyable for the kids!

Our discussions about Thanksgiving this week have piggy-backed very nicely on our
lessons from last week about friends around the world. I'd like to think that our limited
discussion of world geography last week made the scope of the Pilgrims' journey to the
new world a little bit more clear to them, and that our conversations about bullying made
the Pilgrims' primary reason for wanting to leave their home a bit more understandable
to the Caterpillars. A couple of books that were particularly helpful in this were
Thanksgiving by Gail Gibbons and Thanksgiving Day by Anne Rockwell.

To reinforce the idea of the long journey on the Mayflower, we recreated the trip with a
scavenger hunt around the school. The Caterpillars kept their eyes peeled for “clues”
hung on the wall, and each stop was another step on the Pilgrims' journey. Each stop
was also an opportunity to engage the Caterpillars in thinking about what they would do
if they were in the Pilgrims' or Native Americans' shoes. The kids had a great time
walking all over the school and imagining what items they would have brought along
with them on the Mayflower, how they would have handled sea-sickness, or what crops
they would have tried growing.

As we close this week and prepare for a week off with our families, I am thankful to be
teaching this wonderful class of children. It is truly a joy to be a witness to their learning
epiphanies and social growth.

Have a blessed holiday and restful week off!
With love,
Ms. Katie