Happy Halloween!
Today was a very special and exciting day! We had our Halloween parade! Thank you to everyone who was able to make it, we had a lot of parents and grandparents that joined us! Here are some pics:
Zoo Mobile
On Wednesday, October 30th the Zoo Mobile from the San Francisco zoo came to visit our school. They brought animals that may be found in a city such as a: tiger salamander, turtle, gopher snake, and ferret. We were able to touch all the animals except the tiger salamander. Having the animals visit supports the following skills: Taking turns, Impulse Control,Shared Use of Space, and Curiosity and Initiative.
Lemos Pumpkin Patch
This activity supports fine motor development
(drawing), memory and knowledge, and language development.
Ariana: “Rainbow Dash goes on the horsey and the
train. My daddy came too.”
Kaden: “I went on the horsey first and then the
choo choo train.”
Mia: “I loved riding the horsey. The choo choo
train was fun!”

Painting with Nature
Taking
advantage of this beautiful Indian summer, the children were able to explore
our outside area for many natural materials that they thought would be useful
to make a paintbrush. Each child collected their materials in a basket, which
included twigs, leaves, prickly plants, weeds, and flowers. No living plants
were hurt during this process. The goal was to give the children opportunity to
discover the different textures, designs, as well as the process of being able
to start a project from beginning to end. After a couple days of accumulating the
desired materials, the children were able to create their paintbrush by putting
an elastic rubber band around the materials and twig. Once the paintbrush was
made, the painting began!
The
children noticed that each paintbrush had a different type of plant attached to
the twig, which created different patterns and textures on the paper. It was
also discovered that one paintbrush was very prickly and hard and another was
soft and smooth.
This
activity allows children to explore their creativity and imagination freely. It
also promotes self- expression with paint, hand eye coordination, fine motor
development, experimenting and exploring with a new paint tool, and color
recognition.
Stickers
Many
children have been interested in stickers! We have been using all types of
stickers in our pictures ranging from small to large, foam or paper, and
Halloween themed or letters. Some children have been using the stickers as a
starting point for their pictures, whereas others have been using them to make
a collage. Students have even been expanding their ideas by creating their own
stickers to wear or put on their paper!
Stickers practice a variety of skills! They are a
great way to practice fine motor skills, as well as attention to task. The
teachers put out a variety of sizes and textures to challenge the class to work
on their problem solving skills and observe the creative processes the children
come up with to complete their ideas. This is also a fun way for children to
practice letter recognition.