Way Out In the Desert.....

When we returned from spring break, our classroom gradually turned into a desert environment with help and  many suggestions from the children.  We looked at different rock formations such as the arch, and asked the class if there were any arches in our room.  You can see how they have incorprated this rarely used block into their desert play.  Even the magna tiles became the base for cacti clumns when  Will and Jack added another kind of manipulative to their play.





Then we began painting the desert scene.

Adding cactus with   spikes and/or flowers.  Breaking the toothpicks and getting them to stick was not as easy as it looked!

No desert is complete without sand and the kids have really enjoyed this new material in the sensory table.  They like to bury various animals and reptiles deep in the sand.   There is always wonderful conversation going on too.

The girls had a wonderful idea....use tape to make the cactus spines.  How could we say no when peeling, tearing and sticking the tape exactly where you want it is so great for fine motor development? 

Looking more closely at cacti in the science center

We even incorporated the desert  into our daily sign in board.  You can really see the amazing progress everyone has made in being able to hear the sounds in a word,,,and to write the letters too.   Being able to verbalize words within a category is an important skill for  both comprehension and critical thinking as well as vocabulary development.

Birthdauys are always special in our class.  Happy birthday to both Calvin and Evie!

A Desert Science Experiment !

Did you know that a cactus is coated with a waxy substance to help it retain moisture?  (Neither did we!)  We wanted to see if waxed paper would work in the same way.
First, we let the class feel a  leaf from our plant and then the cactus.

Then we added some waxed paper to feel as well.  Dylan is comparing the feel of the paper to the cactus.

Our next step was to put water on 2 sponges, letting them absorb as much water as they could.

We covered one sponge with waxed paper and put the tray outside.

A few hours later we let the kids feel the difference in the sponges and when they pushed down on the blue (covered) sponge so much more water came out.  They could really see how the wax would help the cactus.

A Cactus Snack!

Skewers,  grapes and strawberries turn into the spiny arms of a cactus.   It's a healthy snack and lots of good fine motor work as well. 

Sand, Rocks and Snakes for Snack!!

Thanks to Iya and her mom for providing us with all the ingredients to have a delicious snack with some "desert learning",  auditory processing, and self help skills thrown in!  We demonstrated the steps to making this snack and then let the children see if they could follow all the directions.  First scoop out the vanilla pudding into the bowl.  That's the sand.  Secondly, crush the graham cracker (in a baggie) for the rocks.   Many of the  kids still struggle with opening and closing ziploc bags so this was a great opportunity to practice.   Stir well and  add one gummy snake.
Delicious learning for everyone.

The Purim Extravaganza

We began our Purim celebration  with a special Shabbat.  We were all dressed in costumes including Shelly! We had our groggers to shake every time we heard Haman's name.

After Shabbat, all the pre-k classes went to Tobian Auditorium to sing Purim songs with King Ahasuerus.

In the courtyard, Susan had the tables set with paint, tape and stars to decorate our groggers. 

In the P.E. room, we participated in a mitzvah.  We decorated Shalach Manot boxes to send to the Vogel Alcove Childcare Center for the Homeless. 

After we decorated the boxes, we filled them with fun treats for the children at the Alcove. 

So many tattoos, which one should I choose??

The children listened carefully as the tattoo artist explained how she could paint the tattoos on their hands or their arms.

Look at our tattoos!

The clown made hearts and crowns.

All the boys wanted crowns and the girls wanted hearts.

We ended our Purim Extravaganza with juice and delicious hamantaschen!