New Centers

Hello Families! It has been a busy but great week here in the kindergarten room! At the beginning of the week, I introduced the kiddos to some new explore centers. Some of the centers have taken on a winter theme, while some are just for fun all while provoking some fantastic learning.

White Board Writing

At this center, the kiddos are to spin a fidget spinner on a plate with either numbers or letters, and print the letter or number that the arrow points to once the spinner has stopped spinning. This turned out to be a class favorite this week! It is a great way for the kiddos to practice their alphabet recognition and printing skills.

Hospital

The kiddos came in to the classroom on Monday to find a hospital in the dramatic play area. Here, the kiddos take turns being either a doctor or patient. The patient fills out a chart, and the doctor goes through all of the procedures to help their patient. They check heart rate and blood pressure, study x-rays, and lead patients through an “eye exam” where they identify letters and numbers on a chart. The conversations have been quite adorable and the doctors take their jobs very seriously! 

                                                                                                                  

                                      

               

Snow Sensory Table

Our sensory table has changed again and is now filled with faux snow and miniature village toys. The kiddos love the sensory feeling of the snow and are having fun using their imaginations to build and  play together. This center specifically builds on our kiddo’s social skills and oral language.

Makerspace Animal Dens

Inspired by our “Animals in Winter” theme, the kiddos have been given many different materials such as play doh, cardboard, straws, popsicle sticks, dowels, blocks, and foam board to build and create their own animal dens. They were not shown any specific way to build, but rather were encouraged to experiment and use any materials they need to create a home for an animal. I am loving their creativity!

“The Mitten” Felt Board

At the beginning of the week, I read the kiddos “The Mitten” by Jan Brett. This is one of my favorite stories and authors. As we read, I pointed out that the illustrations along the sides of each page foreshadows the next animal to enter the mitten. The story starts with a mole that cozies up inside a lost mitten, and then a rabbit, hedgehog, owl, badger, fox, bear, and mouse to follow. After a great big bear sneeze, the animals fly out of the mitten and it makes it’s way back to it’s rightful owner. This is a fantastic story for students to build on their oral language as well as their comprehension and story retell abilities.

 

Next week will bring some new numeracy and literacy centers! Stay tuned!