Doggy, Doggy, Where's your bone?
5/20/2018
Over the past 2 weeks, the Beginners have learned about what pets eat and how we care for pets. We made some doggy treats by mixing apples, carrots, water, flour and oats to make some yummy, healthy treats for our canine friends. We also learned that birds eat seeds and nuts, but some also like sweet fruits and juices. We made some special Hummingbird food to use in the special bird feeders that we made. We made this by dissolving sugar into water and boiling it for a few minutes. This week we focused on things we do to take care of pets, like grooming, spending time with them and keeping their environment clean. We used our own pet fish as an example of how we replace the water and clean the rocks to keep his home clean so that he doesn't get sick. Finally, we learned a new game called "Doggy, Doggy, Where's Your Bone?" The Beginners LOVED this new game. It was fun for them to try to be sneaky and tricky as well as be the one trying to listen and guess who stole the bone. Games like these are great because they teach skills, like this one taught listening. They also encourage patience, taking turns and cooperation among the group in order to trick the "doggy."
Never, Ever Shout in a Zoo
5/12/2018
All year long in the Beginner's class, we work on building relationships and trust with each other. We set boundaries and work on respecting them and create rules and guidelines that we try our best to abide by. By the end of the year, we become a community that runs smoothly because the children learn how to support each other and they are comfortable with each other. They trust each other, and we, as teachers, in turn, can trust the children to listen and follow instructions, all while exercising their own independence. Our field trip to the zoo is a celebration of all the things we have accomplished throughout the year. We have spent so much time creating a trusting and respectful classroom that by May, we are ready to venture out and show our Anchorage community that students at PNA, even as young as 3 and 4 years old, are people who are quality citizens. They are respectful, ready to listen ,willing to help, and always seeking out ways to learn more about the world around them. Thank you to everyone who came with us to the zoo! The children had so much fun. Pet homes
5/5/2018
This week the Beginners investigated pet homes and where pets live. We discussed how different pets need different types of cages, beds, tanks, and other special things, like water, rocks, and heaters. Much of their learning was through play, as they used the animal costumes, leashes and collars and stuffed animals and figurines to create scenarios of how pets should be taken care of. They also assigned roles, such as owner, pet and vet in order to create exciting dramatic play. They also practiced cutting and pasting in this pets and homes matching activity. For our last activity, we read the book, "Harry the Dirty Dog," which was a great example of how pets have homes and people that care for them. In the book, you watch Harry turn from a white dog with black spots, to a black dog with white spots because of how dirty he gets. He gets so dirty, his owners don't even recognize him! After the story, we painted pictures of Harry with big rollers and chocolate putting, making him go from clean, to very dirty.
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Annalee JohnsonEK Teacher Archives
January 2021
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