Our daily routine

Our second week is still dedicated to understanding our room, following our schedule, getting to know our new friends, and learning more about what each center is all about.  Here is a glimpse into what we do during our time at Pre K.

As your child enters our classroom, our first task is to hang up our backpacks and wash our hands.  We try our best to fight off germs and sharing of germs.  Teaching them how to properly wash our hands will hopefully be taken into every classroom they enter.

After removing their communication folder and placing it in our bin, they then get to answer a graphing question each day.  Incorporating Math into a quick 2 minute lesson each day.  Our letter this week was the letter "a".  When they answer the question they write this letter into the appropriate box and once everyone has answered we sit down to discuss it.  One student has the special job of being our Graph counter, they get to stand and help a teacher tally the totals for each category.  Then they write the number that coincides with the tally.  (If a student cannot write the number the teacher will write it to the side and allow them to copy it).  Finally, we ask the students which answer has the most?  Least?  Was in the middle?  Was there a tie?

Here is our wishing well board.  This month we have a bubble gum machine.  Students can see their face and first and last name on a bubble gum piece.  They get to move their bubble gum piece into our machine to let us know they are here.  (Name recognition, including last name will help each of them learn how to write it throughout Pre K).  During our circle time, one student has the job of being our well wisher.  Here they practice leadership, public speaking, and growing confidence.  

Setting the table is one of our class jobs as well.  Learning the placement of napkins, silverware, cups, and bowls/plates while building independence is valuable!  

 At meal time we also practice family style dining.  Our students serve themselves their meal including pouring their own milk.  We encourage students while learning to stand up from their chair and ask a friend to hold their cup then pour slowly.  I still remember some of your faces when I told you at orientation that they would be doing this and your look of fear for spills.  :)  Have no fear, they are doing AWESOME!!!!

After eating, we place out six small floor centers.  Our students are released by the color of their chairs (or table colors) and they take care of their place setting into the trash can.  We encourage students to carry plates with two hands and thumbs on top, then to return to their seat to carry their cups with two hands and slow feet.  Once their place has been cleaned they then go to the carpet for their floor center.  This is also the time that we practice tooth brushing.

During tooth brushing a teacher puts the toothpaste on their toothbrush and works with students on proper approaches to brushing their teeth.  Healthy practices will make for a healthy life!  Later this year we will also have a dentist come into the classroom to speak on tooth brushing as well.

During these floor centers our students are practicing how to respect others while building puzzles or using other manipulative pieces that are set out.

Next week I will focus on different centers.  Here you can see previous posts on what we did last year.

Outdoor Time

Centers

A few more centers

And we cannot forget our friendship fruit salad!  Thank you to everyone that helped to make this friendship fruit salad such a success!  We spoke about sharing, friends, healthy eating, and even taking a "One no thank you " bite to try out a fruit that maybe we haven't seen before.  Here is Miss Scooter calling up friends to share what fruit they brought and helping to pour it into our big bowls for sharing.