Well, our school is closed for bad weather today, and it's during one of my favorite units. I love doing the building and machines unit, because the boys are totally engrossed in the learning during this unit. Warning though building unit is NOISY!!!!!!!!
Fun in Preschool......I love preschool children, in their eyes the smallest discoveries are so grand. We are learning about building this week. We are also learning about the Fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) in our Bible time and this weeks fruit is PATIENCE. I like to use Noah building the Ark, because he had to have patience, and because he had to build. We counted to 40 yesterday. Kids like to race ahead if they know how to count, and those still struggling stay right with your pace on the count. We stopped at about 20, because several had passed us in the count. I said PATIENCE we need to count together. We had already defined what patience was and it became a perfect example. I get tickled when they rush through, like that makes it end faster, but they still have to wait on the rest of us. Just one of the joys of preschool teaching. Little life examples are such a blessing when teaching God's word.
Just a few of the things we will do, if our weather let's us go back to class
HOME LIVING: WE ADD TOOLS AND STYROFOAM AND GOLF TEES TO HAMMER INTO THE STYROFOAM. BLOCKS: WE BUILD WITH MANY DIFFERENT KIND OF BLOCKS, AND PLAY WITH GEARS
EXPLORING WE USE NUTS AND BOLTS, REAL ONES AND PLASTIC ONES.
ART; 1.WE USE PAINTERS TAPE TO TAPE OFF AREAS N PAPER AND THEN USE PAINTER ROLLERS AND SPONGES TO PAINT THE PAPER. WHEN IT DRIES WE WILL PULL THE TAPE OFF TO SEE WHAT DESIGNS WERE MADE BY OUR TAPE. 2. WE WILL PUT GLUE AND WOOD SHAPES AND CRAFT STICKS OUT, FOR DESIGN EXPLORATION. (INTERESTING)
3. WE TRACE BLOCKS, AND CUT OUT OUR SHAPES FOR A SHAPE COLLAGE4. WE ADD TEMPERA TO PRE-MIXED WALL COMPOUND AND USE PUTTY KNIFES TO PAINT ON POSTER BOARD
5. WE DRAW ON SAND PAPER WITH, CHALK AND CRAYON (TO SEE THE DIFFERENCE)
SENSORY: WE WILL PUT PLOWS AND DIGGER CARS IN THE RICE,BEANS OR WHATEVER IS IN OUR SAND TABLE, AND SCOOP AND PUSH, AS CONSTRUCTION WORKERS DO ON THE ROAD.
LEARNING TABLE: WE EXPLORED RULER USING YESTERDAY AND TRACED AND MEASURED THE SIDES OF OUR BLOCKS. THE KIDS DISCOVERED THAT TWO SIDES WERE THE SAME ON THE RECTANGLE MEASURING AND 4 SIDES WERE THE SAME ON A SQUARE. ACTUAL DISCOVERY IS AN "AH HA" MOMENT WHEN OUR SONGS HAVE TOLD US THAT ALREADY.
THE BUILDER UNIT IS PERFECT TO SPEND A LOT OF TEACHING TIME ON SHAPES. WE WILL BE MAKING A SHAPE BOOK. AND ON THE LAST PAGE WE WILL BUILD SOMETHING WITH SHAPES ON PAPER.
Pictures will be added of our fun week when I get back to school.
Oh by the way, putting a Noah's ark set in the blocks is a fun way to add the Bible to the play centers
and a giant ark shape on the wall with some glue sticks and brown paper strips to build the ark is fun too. 
