Dramatic Play
We were excited to see the kitchen back again, this time to play "house!" We cooked lots of meals and made many sandwiches for each other, and loved putting things into the oven to wait. We sorted the fruits and vegetables into the different containers, and practiced setting the table with plates, cups and utensils. There were lots of cleaning tools that we used to clean the window and the kitchen, as well as lots of other things around the classroom. The squeegees were especially fun to use on the mirror and fish tank! We used the brooms and mops all over, cleaning real and pretend messes. Finn even thought the new rocking horse needed to be cleaned!
Block Area
Our continued interest in trains has led this area to have both little trains and tracks, as well as the big wooden train. We have enjoyed building lots of different tracks together and filling the big trains (with the new sea creatures!) to drive around. Finn enjoyed using the tunnels to cover the trains and animals and Joe liked knocking over the people like "bowling."
Quiet Area
We can never get enough books. We love to read them together as well as on our own, and talk about all the different characters, images, and stories. We are starting to figure out which books are others' favorites and bring them to them, and Bo likes to point out all of the "moons." Reza enjoyed exploring the different body parts on the baby. The family pictures have been fun to talk about, especially as our wall expands. Finn and Bo laid them out and practiced labeling themselves, their classmates as well as who is in each family.
Nature Area
The shells and pine cones continue to be explored and used in many interesting ways, and the new kaleidoscopes have been lots of fun to use. We talked about how they change what we see and compared them to the magnifying glasses, deciding how they were different.
Art/Literacy
Our continued love for all things cars and construction trucks inspired the sensory table this week. It was filled with beans and rocks, lots of construction vehicles, and cups. We loved scooping the beans up and filling dump trucks, feeling them in our hands and hearing them fall back into the bin. We also brought the sea creatures to "swim" in the beans, and we buried them until they were covered. The added knives and rollers for the play dough extended our desire to make cookies and cakes. We enjoyed practicing flattening, cutting and shaping the dough.
Gross Motor
Our new rocking horse has been a fun addition, with everyone taking turns riding and petting it. Joe dressed it up with necklaces, Bo gave it a drink from a cup, and Reza gave it kisses! The mattress is still lots of fun to jump and roll around on, providing a great outlet for our excitement! We also have been crawling together like follow the leader, up and down the room.
Cognitive Area
The new stretch builders have been fun to make different creations with. They are sometimes tough to move in the way we want, but we are working hard with them! The puzzles are still exciting to talk about and work to fit together, and a new more difficult puzzle, inspired by our fascination with bugs, has been fun to attempt to build.
Music Area
The ribbons continue to be our favorite music prop, always requesting to dance to music with them. We also enjoy running with then and waving them around.
Outside
With all the rain, we have been enjoying our mud kitchen filling up with water! We had fun splashing in it, filling pots and cooking them on the stove. We decided that the plants hadn't gotten enough water so we filled cups and walked around watering all of our plants. It was fun to pour them out and watch the water fall. We learned that it is hard to walk with a full cup without spilling! We continue to love the big chalkboard, collaborating to draw "ghosts" this week. We used the track rollers in the sand pit, making different roads for our friends to walk on, and we continue to make lots of cake, pies, and castles. In the cold weather, we found a sheet of ice on our block bin! We talked about how cold it was and had fun cracking it and watching it melt in our warm hands.
