Welcome back Diener friends!
We had a great time this week in music! In the Primary class, we enjoyed all of our Halloween songs for one more week-"Scarecrow," "Five Little Pumpkins," "Orange Orange Pumpkin, What Do You See," and "Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Big and Round." We also did the Hokey Pokey and played with some new instruments. We learned that all of the instruments we play in class, such as maracas, wood blocks, rhythm sticks, and bongo drums are all percussion instruments. We listened to clips of the different instruments playing with an orchestra. In the Uppers classes, we started learning our songs to sing at the Hebrew Home next month. We will be singing fun songs such as "The Star Spangled Banner," "Oh Susanna," "You are My Sunshine," and "Over the River and Through the Woods."
In fitness, we went over different passes in basketball and chest passes. On Wednesday, we began T-Ball which unit will be covered next month. In dance class, we learned a new routine for our group dance. The Uppers classes practiced their dance for the Hebrew Home next month. During Yoga class, we made bridges with our feet working on our core muscles. We also pretended to be trees in the fall and shake our leaves!
In Art, the Primary class created wonderful 3-D collages using the secondary colors. In the Inters and Uppers classes, we focused on lines, the basic principle of art. The children discovered that there are lines all around us in different shapes and forms.
This week in science, we are focusing on the sense of touch/feeling. The Primary and Inters classes played with "Feely Bags" and tried to guess what objects were in the bags (without looking)! We also utilized our fine motor skills by completing a worksheet that identified what body part we use to touch things. In addition to this, we read the book, "My Five Senses," by Margaret Miller. The Uppers classes explored the sense of touch by creating "gak." We made predictions about what would happen when we mixed all of the ingredients together. We also made "spooky bubbles" and read a special book!
In the Buddy Program, we had a blast making candied apples and playing "Find the Pumpkin." The students are really getting to know their buddies from Green Acres! Everyone is working together, in a safe, but fun, environment. We couldnt ask for more!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Friday Follow Up-October 16, 2009
Hello Diener Friends! Welcome back to the blog! Please read below to see what your children have been doing...
This week in the primary music class, we continued singing our favorite songs and playing our favorite instruments. We sang our "Scarecrow" song and learned a new song about Halloween, "Orange Pumpkin, Orange Pumpkin, What Do You See?" We were really into the Bear Hunt this week!
In the Inters and Uppers classes, we continued to learn about musical instruments. This week, we learned about the woodwinds family, and saw pictures of and heard the sounds of the flute, oboe, clarinet, piccolo, saxophone, and recorded. We continued to play our favorite movement games!
In fitness, we continued practicing our soccer passes. We also began our second week of kickball. We will eventually be able to have class vs. class kickball games and ultimately, a staff vs. students game! More details to follow!
This week in yoga, we learned new poses such as "lizzard on a rock" and "cobra snake." We moved our bodies into three different poses and everyone enjoyed themselves!
In art, the primary class had a great time painting popsicle sticks! First, we had to make the paint thicker by adding flour. The children put the paint on their paper and used their popsicle sticks to spread the paint and create wonderful designs!
In the inters class, we focused on making secondary colors combining different primary colors. The kids mixed different primary colors together to see which secondary colors (green, orange, and purple) they could make!
This week in science, we explored the sense of taste by conducting taste test(s). In the primary and inters class, we talked about how our tongue helps us to talk and taste things! We stimulated our taste buds by sampling foods (lemon wedge, jelly bean, potato chip, and unsweetened cocoa)from the four major taste groups; sour, sweet, salty, and bitter. The uppers had a blast identifying taste in the Jelly Belly taste test. The kids were delighted to try each jelly bean and match the taste in their mouth to the corresponding picture. In addition to the taste test, the uppers learned about the famous inventor, George Washington Carver, and his discovery of the peanut! We talked about how was use the peanut, products that contain peanuts, and how some people are allergic to peanuts. Overall, it was a very tasty week!!
We had a great time in the Social Club this week, making Halloween finger puppets/bookmarks and tasty carmel apples. We had fun putting puzzles together and building a Lego village! We worked on coming up with polite ways to ask friends to play with us and friendly ways to tell them that we do not want to play. The participants are making social strides and forming tighter bonds with their classmates!
The first week of the Buddy Program started out wonderfully! The Green Acres students took to our kids immediately and we coined the term, "Buddy Power!" Our kids were matched and introduced to their buddy from Green Acres and we jumped right into our activities. Half of the buddies hung out with Mr. Aaron and played a challenging game where they had to work with their buddy to find a pumpkin. The other half of the buddies worked with Ms. Patrice and Ms. Abbe to make delicious caramel apples. The buddies had time to discuss what they like about fall and what they like to do in the fall. Everyone is looking forward to our next meeting on October 28th!
Congrats to the Patrols on their first week on duty! A few kinks need to be worked out, but the more we do our post, the better we will be! Thank you Patrols, see you on Monday!!
This week in the primary music class, we continued singing our favorite songs and playing our favorite instruments. We sang our "Scarecrow" song and learned a new song about Halloween, "Orange Pumpkin, Orange Pumpkin, What Do You See?" We were really into the Bear Hunt this week!
In the Inters and Uppers classes, we continued to learn about musical instruments. This week, we learned about the woodwinds family, and saw pictures of and heard the sounds of the flute, oboe, clarinet, piccolo, saxophone, and recorded. We continued to play our favorite movement games!
In fitness, we continued practicing our soccer passes. We also began our second week of kickball. We will eventually be able to have class vs. class kickball games and ultimately, a staff vs. students game! More details to follow!
This week in yoga, we learned new poses such as "lizzard on a rock" and "cobra snake." We moved our bodies into three different poses and everyone enjoyed themselves!
In art, the primary class had a great time painting popsicle sticks! First, we had to make the paint thicker by adding flour. The children put the paint on their paper and used their popsicle sticks to spread the paint and create wonderful designs!
In the inters class, we focused on making secondary colors combining different primary colors. The kids mixed different primary colors together to see which secondary colors (green, orange, and purple) they could make!
This week in science, we explored the sense of taste by conducting taste test(s). In the primary and inters class, we talked about how our tongue helps us to talk and taste things! We stimulated our taste buds by sampling foods (lemon wedge, jelly bean, potato chip, and unsweetened cocoa)from the four major taste groups; sour, sweet, salty, and bitter. The uppers had a blast identifying taste in the Jelly Belly taste test. The kids were delighted to try each jelly bean and match the taste in their mouth to the corresponding picture. In addition to the taste test, the uppers learned about the famous inventor, George Washington Carver, and his discovery of the peanut! We talked about how was use the peanut, products that contain peanuts, and how some people are allergic to peanuts. Overall, it was a very tasty week!!
We had a great time in the Social Club this week, making Halloween finger puppets/bookmarks and tasty carmel apples. We had fun putting puzzles together and building a Lego village! We worked on coming up with polite ways to ask friends to play with us and friendly ways to tell them that we do not want to play. The participants are making social strides and forming tighter bonds with their classmates!
The first week of the Buddy Program started out wonderfully! The Green Acres students took to our kids immediately and we coined the term, "Buddy Power!" Our kids were matched and introduced to their buddy from Green Acres and we jumped right into our activities. Half of the buddies hung out with Mr. Aaron and played a challenging game where they had to work with their buddy to find a pumpkin. The other half of the buddies worked with Ms. Patrice and Ms. Abbe to make delicious caramel apples. The buddies had time to discuss what they like about fall and what they like to do in the fall. Everyone is looking forward to our next meeting on October 28th!
Congrats to the Patrols on their first week on duty! A few kinks need to be worked out, but the more we do our post, the better we will be! Thank you Patrols, see you on Monday!!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Friday Follow Up- October 9, 2009
Hello Diener Friends!
Welcome back to our weekly Friday Follow Up. This is a chance to learn about what the children are doing in yoga, drama, art, music, science, and fitness. Enjoy!
This week in fitness, the kids began soccer! The kids worked on teamwork including, passing and learning how to control the ball. We also worked on passing with soft passes and not hard kicks. At the end of each class, the kids got to play a big game--Kids vs. Fitness Instructors! They had to pass the ball to each kid before they scored and in the end...THE KIDS WON!
In dance, all classes reviewed the dance(s) that we have learned. Ask your kids to show you count(s) 5, 6, 7, and 8 and they will dance for you!
We had so much fun this week in music!
In the Primary class, we continued singing our favorite songs, including "5 Green and Speckled Frogs" and "Old McDonald." We learned some new songs such as, "Open Shut Them" and "Scarecrow." We had a blast playing all of the different instruments!
In the Inters class, we started to learn about musical instruments. This week, we learned about the string family, and got to see and hear what each instrument sounds like. We continued to play our favorite music and movement games like, "Bop Til You Drop" and "Count and Move."
In the Uppers classes, we also started to learn about musical instruments and discussed the string family a little more in depth. We learned about the violin, viola, cello, bass, harp, guitar, and mandolin. We got to hear orchestral clips of each instrument. We continued to play our favrite games and sing our favorite songs.
This week in science, we focused on one of our five senses; hearing/sound. The primary and intermediate classes heard a story called "My Five Senses." We talked about how we can use one of our senses, and we can use more than one at a time. To really grasp the concept of sound, we made personalized noise makers. Students had to unscramble the letters in their names and follow step by step instructions to complete the project. Ms. Patrice made a noise maker that had tissue paper inside, while the students filled theirs with ceramic chips. We made comparisons about loud and soft sounds and we concluded that the students' noise makers made a louder niose than Ms. Patrice's!
The intermediate and upper classes were introduced to the inventor of the week: Alexander Graham Bell. We talked about his infamous invention, the telephone, and how his creation was and still is so important in our society. Linking his creation to our topic of the month, we recreated his contraption the old fashioned way, using cups and string. We used different materials (metal cans, small plastic cups, larger plastic cups, paper cups, oatmeal canisters, etc.). Students had the opportunity to make predictions about which model worked the best. They recorded their obervations and tested their theories.
During the After School Social Club on Monday, we acively participated in a structured peer activity where we constructed festive paper plate scarecrows by following step by step verbal directions. We worked on sharpening specific social skills such as sharing, resolving conflicts, and working together to complete a task (putting a puzzle together). To pay homage to Fire Safety Awareness Week, we had a very special visit from three wonderful volunteer firefighters on Thursday. They came to speak to us about important facts and tips about fire safety. The participants had the opportunity to ask quetions, demonstrate their prior knowledge about the topic, take a picture with a fully uniformed firefighter, and even watch the fire truck pull away with all of its sirens on! It was a very memorable educational experience for all!
In yoga, all of the classes played a game called The Pillow Game. Each child lays their head down on each other's tummy so they can feel each other's tummy rise and sink with each breath. We also became balloons!! We started by crouching down close to the floor and as the yoga instructor pumped the kids with fake air, we got bigger and bigger until we were standing on our tip toes! We released the "air" by running around.
In art class, the Primary class created secondary colors (green, orange purple) by mixing primary colors together! The children has so much fun painting with toothbrushes and are learning about all different kinds of tools they can paint with!
The Uppers class learned about all of the warm colors and created very interesting 3-D designs! In order to create these designs, the children used yellow, red, and orange contruction paper, cutting long rectangular shapes. The children the bent, twisted, and curved these shapes, glued them down on background paper, and out came our 3-D designs! They loved it!
Welcome back to our weekly Friday Follow Up. This is a chance to learn about what the children are doing in yoga, drama, art, music, science, and fitness. Enjoy!
This week in fitness, the kids began soccer! The kids worked on teamwork including, passing and learning how to control the ball. We also worked on passing with soft passes and not hard kicks. At the end of each class, the kids got to play a big game--Kids vs. Fitness Instructors! They had to pass the ball to each kid before they scored and in the end...THE KIDS WON!
In dance, all classes reviewed the dance(s) that we have learned. Ask your kids to show you count(s) 5, 6, 7, and 8 and they will dance for you!
We had so much fun this week in music!
In the Primary class, we continued singing our favorite songs, including "5 Green and Speckled Frogs" and "Old McDonald." We learned some new songs such as, "Open Shut Them" and "Scarecrow." We had a blast playing all of the different instruments!
In the Inters class, we started to learn about musical instruments. This week, we learned about the string family, and got to see and hear what each instrument sounds like. We continued to play our favorite music and movement games like, "Bop Til You Drop" and "Count and Move."
In the Uppers classes, we also started to learn about musical instruments and discussed the string family a little more in depth. We learned about the violin, viola, cello, bass, harp, guitar, and mandolin. We got to hear orchestral clips of each instrument. We continued to play our favrite games and sing our favorite songs.
This week in science, we focused on one of our five senses; hearing/sound. The primary and intermediate classes heard a story called "My Five Senses." We talked about how we can use one of our senses, and we can use more than one at a time. To really grasp the concept of sound, we made personalized noise makers. Students had to unscramble the letters in their names and follow step by step instructions to complete the project. Ms. Patrice made a noise maker that had tissue paper inside, while the students filled theirs with ceramic chips. We made comparisons about loud and soft sounds and we concluded that the students' noise makers made a louder niose than Ms. Patrice's!
The intermediate and upper classes were introduced to the inventor of the week: Alexander Graham Bell. We talked about his infamous invention, the telephone, and how his creation was and still is so important in our society. Linking his creation to our topic of the month, we recreated his contraption the old fashioned way, using cups and string. We used different materials (metal cans, small plastic cups, larger plastic cups, paper cups, oatmeal canisters, etc.). Students had the opportunity to make predictions about which model worked the best. They recorded their obervations and tested their theories.
During the After School Social Club on Monday, we acively participated in a structured peer activity where we constructed festive paper plate scarecrows by following step by step verbal directions. We worked on sharpening specific social skills such as sharing, resolving conflicts, and working together to complete a task (putting a puzzle together). To pay homage to Fire Safety Awareness Week, we had a very special visit from three wonderful volunteer firefighters on Thursday. They came to speak to us about important facts and tips about fire safety. The participants had the opportunity to ask quetions, demonstrate their prior knowledge about the topic, take a picture with a fully uniformed firefighter, and even watch the fire truck pull away with all of its sirens on! It was a very memorable educational experience for all!
In yoga, all of the classes played a game called The Pillow Game. Each child lays their head down on each other's tummy so they can feel each other's tummy rise and sink with each breath. We also became balloons!! We started by crouching down close to the floor and as the yoga instructor pumped the kids with fake air, we got bigger and bigger until we were standing on our tip toes! We released the "air" by running around.
In art class, the Primary class created secondary colors (green, orange purple) by mixing primary colors together! The children has so much fun painting with toothbrushes and are learning about all different kinds of tools they can paint with!
The Uppers class learned about all of the warm colors and created very interesting 3-D designs! In order to create these designs, the children used yellow, red, and orange contruction paper, cutting long rectangular shapes. The children the bent, twisted, and curved these shapes, glued them down on background paper, and out came our 3-D designs! They loved it!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Friday Follow Up! Friday, October 2, 2009
Hello Diener Friends!
Thank you to those who read our blog. We have formally changed our daily update to a weekly Friday blog that we call Friday Follow UP! On this blog, you will find information about our weekly specials including yoga, drama, art, music, science and fitness. All language arts and math information and updates will be distributed via email or your child's folder on Mondays and Fridays! Enjoy!
This week in fitness we worked on balancing on the balance beam, catching bean bags, frisbees while walking through traffic (don't worry, our kids were the traffic!). This improves body awareness and paying attention to their surroundings.
In dance we did the hokey pokey, practiced our dance moves, and had a ball!
In yoga we worked on breathing techniques. We sat back to back with friends and listened to how we felt each other's breathing. We learned yoga positions such as downward dog, sleeping baby, cat, and lion. The kids started and ended each class with our yoga bell.
In art, our students worked with primary colors and "cold colors". Our primary and inters classes made color collages using red, yellow and blue and our uppers used various shapes and colors to create a collage with "contrast".
In drama, our students laughed as they enjoyed several games with Mr. Jim. Some classes played, "The Magic Suitcase" game while others played, "Guess who I am". Please ask your students about their fabulous drama experience!
This week in music, we have been working on the connection between music and movement. Our primary and inters classes have been singing fun songs such as "Bop til you drop" and "Bear Hunt" and "Count and More". In the uppers classes we have been singing lots of fun songs such as selections from High School Musical and "Ol' Time Rock and Roll."
After weeks of investigations and observations in science to confirm our hypothesis on scientific subjects such as weather and tornados, we are currently exploring the five senses. We used our five senses to further examine all 5 senses!
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