Prekindergarten May Newsletter
This spring – and year- are passing by so quickly . . . I’d like to know why winter never passes at the same pace? It truly seems like only yesterday we were braving the cold and now the end of the school year is approaching with the greatest of speed! It’s hard to believe there are less than six weeks left until summer (?!) vacation – six quite busy weeks! Some very exciting events still remain and our daily routine and activities do continue until the very end.
Our “Under the Sea” unit will sadly come to a close shortly. Have you seen the piece of tape the children carefully measured and placed in the hallway to mark the length of a blue whale - 100 feet?! Their curiosity has definitely been piqued by this activity. Many thought there was absolutely NO WAY the school would ever be long enough! Some were prepared to march down Fairview Street with the roll of tape in hand! We also discovered how many prekindergarten students it would take to equal the whale’s length – 27! The class was also so proud of the Japanese fish printmaking (gyotaku) on their t-shirts (quite a sensory experience!) and of course, fishing at the pond. Many, many thanks again to all the brave fishing guides who joined us for this annual outdoor excursion at the Dickerson’s picturesque pond. We were in high spirits when perseverance (mixed with a little beginner’s luck) paid off and the fish decided to bite and bite and bite…and bite! The roving photographer definitely got her exercise that day!! A number of us could share a great tale about the one that got away too! Once again, kudos to the enthusiastic chaperones for sharing their time, patience and fishing expertise to ensure a great learning experience! It was a great day to have “gone fishin’.” Much of our related literature has sparked many interesting and thought-provoking discussions about sea creatures and their special habitat. Our colorful school of fish still floats in the classroom as a constant reminder of our many friends in the sea.
Other themes are as follows as we weave through the merry month of May:
Grandparents and Special Friends: Week of May 5
Baby Animals and Pets:Weeks of May 12 and May19
Teddy Bears: Weeks of May 26 and June 2
Purple is the featured color for May. Even our playdough is lavender and has a special scent! Letters Uu, Xx, Yy and Zz are highlighted and later, all other letters in the alphabet will be reviewed in addition to all shapes. “Beautiful Word Books” will be introduced as the children are becoming ready and excited about developing a sight vocabulary of their special words. We call them our “Beautiful Word Books” because all words are considered beautiful when you are first learning how to read them and call them your own! Each book is an individual compilation of words that are meaningful and curious to the individual student. Books often begin with such words as “Mom,” “Dad,” “I love you,” and continue with myriad others of much varied interest.
Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh is our special artist. Please stop by soon and see our lovely sunflower canvases that will be on display for Grandparents’ Day - ready for hanging in a place of honor!
