Miss Erin's Preschool Class

Circus Books

2012-01-23T07:43:00.002-06:00

We have been reading two teacher-created books as part of our circus theme. The first book, "Ringmaster, Ringmaster, What Do You See?" introduces us to circus vocabularly.

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You can also watch the video in high quality on YouTube.

Our next book, "Colors at the Circus," continues to expose students to circus vocabulary while focusing on colors. This book has been a favorite recently!

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You can watch this video on YouTube as well.

Circus Vocabulary and Fun! at OneTrueMedia.com

2012-01-13T22:13:00.001-06:00

This week, we focused on learning some of the vocabulary that goes along with our circus theme. We reviewed words we already knew like tent, clown, and lion. We also introduced new words like ringmaster, trapeze, acrobat, and...believe it or not...cotton candy!

One of our activities this week was to talk about some of our circus vocabulary while we glued in onto our own circus train. Later on, we took a walk through our building to find some of the things we would see at the circus. We worked on matching pictures of our vocabulary words and practiced saying the words out loud.

Have you ever been to the circus? What did you see there? What was your favorite part?

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Gingerbread Fun

2011-12-16T08:45:00.000-06:00

We have been having a great time learning about baking and we have loved talking about the Gingerbread Man! Over the past couple of weeks, we have made cookies out of paper plates, made gingerbread men out of gingerbread playdough, and hunted for missing gingerbread parts through our school building!

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Castle Fun

2011-12-02T07:39:00.001-06:00

It's been a few weeks since I've had a chance to update our blog. My apologies! I was busy getting portfolios ready for conferences, and I'm afraid the blog got neglected. Hope you enjoy some highlights from our castle theme!

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Castle Vocabulary

2011-11-04T09:15:00.000-05:00

We are so excited to start our theme for November: At the Castle. We are getting ready to transform our classroom into a castle. We have also started learning new vocabulary words about people or animals that you would find at a castle. Watch our video to learn some of the vocabulary and the signs that go with it.

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Go Away Big Green Monster!

2011-11-03T07:19:00.000-05:00

On Monday, we had our Big Green Monster activity. It was a day full of fun all about one of our favorite books. We spent the day with Miss Stephanie's class going through the various stations including:

obstacle course
parachute
making a big green monster snack
pin the nose on the monster
creating a big green monster face
recreating the story on our smartboard

Check out our slideshows from Monday:

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The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything!

2011-10-28T07:35:00.003-05:00

This week, the whole school got to watch the teachers act out one of our favorite stories, "The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything." You can watch it again at home! Be sure to look for Miss Erin in her debut perfomance as "The Pants."

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Pumpkin Life Cycle

2011-10-20T07:29:00.011-05:00

While we were at the pumpkin patch, we were lucky enough to be able to see almost all of the pumpkin life cycle!

In order to see seeds, we cut open a pumpkin at school. These seeds are planted in the ground and grow into pumpkins!

Small green plants turn into long vines. Yellow flowers bloom where the pumpkins will grow.

The flowers close, and tiny green pumpkins begin to form.

The green pumpkins grow bigger...

...and begin to turn orange.

After a lot of sunshine, the pumpkins are completely orange and ready to be picked!

Have you visited a pumpkin patch as a family? Were you able to see any of the different stages of the pumpkin life cycle?

A Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-18T14:59:00.003-05:00

Today we took a short walk over to Miss Stephanie's pumpkin patch. We got to walk right into the pumpkin patch and see just how pumpkins grow. If you watch our slideshows closely, you can see pictures of pumpkins at all stages of growth. Look for yellow flowers, small green pumpkins, and large orange pumpkins. We also had a great time sitting on the tractor and playing in the leaves, and everyone got to pick a small pumpkin (actually a gourd) to bring home. Since Miss Erin took so many pictures today, there are separate slideshows for the morning and afternoon classes.

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Please leave us a comment and tell us what you liked best! We love to hear from you!

More Pumpkin Fun!

2011-10-13T14:11:00.001-05:00

We were sad that it was a rainy day and we couldn't go to the pumpkin patch. We will try again next week!

Instead, we continued to explore pumpkins in our classroom. We used sponges to paint pumpkins to add to our classroom pumpkin patch, and we had a great time playing with Mr. Pumpkin Head.

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Pumpkins Pumpkins Pumpkins

2011-10-11T14:54:00.002-05:00

This week we are really getting things going with our pumpkin theme! Miss Erin had so many new things for us to explore when we came to school today. We found corn in our sensory table and used our fingers to push kernals off of the cob. We also discovered that our dramatic play area is turning into a pumpkin patch! Instead of our usual food and plates, we found pumpkins, gourds, and scarecrows! We also worked on decorating signs to put up for our pumpkin patch. By far, our favorite new thing was a Little People haunted house complete with trick-or-treaters!

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On Thursday, we are going to take a walk to investigate a real pumpkin patch. One of the other teachers at school, Miss Stephanie, has a big pumpkin patch just a block from our school! We can't wait to see how pumpkins grow. Please be sure to send your child in good walking shoes on Thursday.

Llama Llama Red Pajama

2011-10-06T20:18:00.002-05:00

Today was our Llama Llama Red Pajama day sponsored by the Pearson Read for the Record Program. We were very excited to see so many friends wearing red...or wearing pajamas...or wearing red pajamas!

We loved reading the story in class! It was full of so many great rhymes. The best part is that we all got to bring a copy of the book home to read, and we are so excited to get to share this story with you!

Additionally, you can read a digital copy of Llama Llama Red Pajama and other Llama Llama stories by visiting the WeGiveBooks.org site.

Llama Llama Red Pajama
Llama Llama Mad at Mama
Llama Llama Holiday Drama
Llama Llama Misses Mama

We Give Books is a great site for sharing books with your child and with children in need! Every time you finish reading a book, you can click to Give a Book to a child in need!

I hope you can spend some time reading together this weekend!

Chicka Chicka BOOM BOOM

2011-09-30T07:30:00.002-05:00

We have been having so much fun reading the story Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. We've been doing a lot of activities that involve letters, but some of our favorites have been finding our first initial on the smartboard and making letters in shaving cream. Check out what we've been up to!

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Exploring the Classroom & Smartboard

2011-09-15T07:29:00.002-05:00

Welcome to our class blog! I am so excited to be able to give you a glimpse into our classroom. Please take a second to leave us a comment about our slideshows. We love to read comments during circle time.

Since school began, we have been busy exploring the different centers in our room. Here's a peek at what we've been up to...

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We have also been checking out our new smartboard! So far we have had fun drawing and writing on it during work time, and we've tried some of the different activities during small group.

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Snow & Cold Cocoa!

2011-01-28T07:41:00.001-06:00

Oops! I made this montage, but it never posted.

It's fun to talk about snow, but what better way to learn than to actually experience it! We had such a great time getting to play with snow while we were inside!

We also experimented with making "cold cocoa". The snowmen in our story drank cold cocoa since hot cocoa would have melted them, and we wanted to give it a try. It can out a little lumpy, but we still thought it tasted great!

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Fun With Snow!

2011-01-07T07:50:00.001-06:00

This week we started our unit on snow and snowmen! We explored shaving cream and used snowflake stamps to stamp out snowmen on the table. We also built our own snowmen using cut out circles during fine motor group with Miss Carol. To top it all off, we have loved reading the story Snowmen at Night this week!

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Donors Choose Project

2011-01-06T07:47:00.002-06:00

Donors Choose is a website that allows teachers to submit requests for classroom materials. People can go on this site and choose projects to make donations to. You can give as little or as much as you'd like to any project. Once a project is fully funded, the teacher is sent supplies for her classroom. In the past, I had been able to get a trampoline for our classroom, as well as various communication devices.

I currently have one project up on Donors Choose to hopefully get some additional writing materials for our classroom. We are only $67 away from reaching our goal! Please consider making a small donation or asking friends and family to do the same. Every little bit helps us to get more learning materials for our classroom.

You can check out my project here: Little Writers

Gingerbread Man Hunt

2010-12-10T07:40:00.001-06:00

This week we went on a gingerbread man hunt. We each got an outline of a gingerbread man, and we had to search the building for his picture in order to find his arms, legs, tummy, and head. We had a great time going on our hunt! We were so excited to find the clues and to match the body parts to our gingerbread men.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Gingerbread Man Art

2010-12-09T07:44:00.001-06:00

Last week, we started a unit on the Gingerbread Man. We have done several different art activities to go along with our theme. We really enjoyed using cookie cutters as stamps last week! This week, we used sequins, buttons, pom poms, and foam shapes to decorate our own gingerbread men!

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Art & Music

2010-02-18T08:43:00.002-06:00

We have been having so much fun exploring art and music in the classroom. This week, we decided to combine the two. While listening to some classical music, we also drew pictures. We all had a great time making our creations!

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Fun with Snow!

2010-01-11T08:38:00.002-06:00

After a broken camera, numerous technical difficulties, and winter break, I am happy to say that our blog is back in action! Hopefully, there should be no more issues for a while.

Last week, we decided to bring some of the outside into our classroom. We had a great time exploring the cold, cold snow during table work on Friday.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Go Away Big Green Monster!

2009-11-03T08:48:00.005-06:00

Last Friday, we had a schoolwide activity day. We went to different stations around the school with our friends from Miss Jen's class, and did activities from the story Go Away Big Green Monster. We listened to the story, pinned the nose on the monster, went through a spooky obstacle course, make our own big green monster faces, made monster cookies, and did the monster mash! It was a really busy day, but we had so much fun!

Here's our AM class in action:

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And here's our PM class:

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Pumpkin Patch!

2009-10-20T08:09:00.003-05:00

One of the teachers at Independence, Miss Stephanie, has a small farm with a pumpkin patch right by our school! Yesterday, we walked over to the pumpkin patch with our friends from Miss Stephanie's and Miss Jen's classrooms. We were able to explore the actual pumpkin patch and see where the pumpkins grow. We also got to sit on a tractor, and pick a small gourd to bring home. Most of the pumpkins we saw were still green. It has not been sunny enough to turn them all orange yet! Miss Erin took a lot of pictures, so we have two slideshows today, one for the morning class and one for the afternoon!

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

2009-10-16T08:21:00.003-05:00

We have been having a lot of fun with our recycling theme this week. We watched a great video about taking care of the planet, created art by reusing things like newspaper and tissue paper, and practiced sorting trash from recyclables! Miss Erin has been very impressed with our knowledge of recycling!

One of our favorite activities this week was painting pumpkins that we made out of newspapers. We crumbled up newspapers to make a ball, wrapped a larger sheet of newspaper around the ball, and wrapped up the "stem" with tape to make our pumpkins. Then, we painted them orange. Check it out:

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Since we were a little comment-shy for our blog giveaway, Miss Erin is going to enter everyone's name into the drawing and choose a winner that way.

Fun in the Motor Room

2009-10-06T08:49:00.004-05:00

On Thursdays, we get to go to the motor room with Miss Carol, our Occupational Therapist. In the motor room, we work on our fine and gross motor skills by taking turns on an obstacle course. Last week we worked on writing, pinching, sorting, climbing, and crawling.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Don't forget to enter our giveaway! Click here to read the post and enter!

Make a Change to Save Change -- Dairy Tips & Giveaway

2009-09-30T08:30:00.007-05:00

Part of being successful and independent at school is making sure that our kids get the nutrition they need each day. The Midwest Dairy Council is challenging parents to consider easy food changes that help address nutrition deficiencies without breaking the bank. In other words, make a change by consuming more dairy products, which helps to save change in your wallet, and ensures your family isn't short-changed on nutrition.

I was lucky enough to be able to send some questions to a dietitian to get more information on dairy products and how important they are for your child's health. Answers were graciously provided by:

Melissa Joy Dobbins MS, RD, CDE
Registered Dietitian
Midwest Dairy Council – National Dairy Council
Illinois Dietetic Association Spokesperson

1. How much calcium should the average 3-5 year old be getting on a regular basis?

Children ages 1-3 need 500 milligrams per day which is 3 child size servings (i.e. 6 ounces of milk instead of 8 ounces) and children ages 4-8 need 800 milligrams of calcium per day which is 3 servings (adult-sized).

2. Besides calcium, what do dairy products have to offer growing kids?

Together, milk, cheese and yogurt provide a powerful package of 9 essential nutrients including calcium, protein, potassium, phosphorus, vitamins A, D and B12, riboflavin and niacin. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans identified five “nutrients of concern” for children. These nutrients play important roles in overall health and disease prevention, yet most children aren’t getting enough of them. Together, dairy foods supply three of the five “nutrients of concern” for which children have low intakes: calcium, potassium and magnesium (other two are vitamin E and fiber).

3. How much dairy should 3-5 year olds be consuming on a daily basis?

Children ages 2 – 8 are encouraged to consume 2 cups of milk or equivalent milk products each day, as recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This may be provided as three child-size servings of dairy foods to add up to a total of 2 cups of dairy foods or equivalent.

4. What are some ways to ensure that kids are getting the right amount of dairy? Be sure to offer your child at least one serving of milk, cheese or yogurt at each meal/snack and monitor how much they are eating. If your child prefers one type of dairy product over another, make sure you offer it more often. My 9 year old loves milk and cheese. My 17 month old likes milk but really loves yogurt. Each child will have their own preferences.

5. We know a lot of picky eaters. Any tips on getting these kids to eat more dairy? Research shows that sometimes you need to offer a new food to your child about 15 times before they “warm up” to it. Don’t force the food on them, but continue to offer it at the beginning of the meal when they are hungry and/or thirsty and eventually they will try it. Most children love some form of dairy, whether it is milk, cheese or yogurt, so you can feel confident that they are getting important nutrients no matter which dairy food they prefer.

6. Where can parents find easy recipes that incorporate dairy products? The Midwest Dairy Council offers many recipes and snack ideas for busy families. You can visit http://www.dairymakessense.com/ and also http://www.midwestdairy.com/ and browse the recipes and tips. I guarantee you will find some new family favorites!

So, now that you know a little bit more about how dairy can help with your child's nutritional needs, how about a fun giveaway? We are giving away a great bundle that includes:

3-a-Day Dairy drawstring bag
3-a-Day Dairy magnetic tracker
Dairy Makes Sense coupon holder
2 coupons from Deans
$25 gift card to Jewel to stock up on milk, cheese, and yogurt

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post. If you are from another Independence classroom, please be sure to leave your child's first name AND your teacher's name so I know who you are! Please leave your comments by October 15th, and then I will draw a winner!

Library Helpers

2009-09-30T08:07:00.002-05:00

We are very excited to announce that our Independence School Library is almost up and running! We cannot wait to be able to head there for story time and to check out books. Right now, we are looking for parent volunteers to help with running the library. We are hoping to get volunteers on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, for both the morning and afternoon sessions. Ideally, volunteers would need to be able to say for the entire 2.5 hour session. Please let me know if you are interested in helping out with the library on a regular basis!

Precautionary Lockdown

2009-09-18T11:19:00.003-05:00

UPDATE: We are no longer on lockdown. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

As a precautionary measure, all School District U-46 schools are on lockdown today. What this means for your child is that all building doors are locked, no visitors are being admitted, we are taking addditional precautions at arrival and dismissal, and we are not playing outside. For additional information, visit the district website.

Who Do You See?

2009-09-18T07:52:00.002-05:00

This week, we read our new classroom books. Miss Erin wrote a book about all of us that sounded just like the story Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? We were all so excited to see our pictures in a book, and we loved looking for all of our friends in the story. You can download a copy of the book to read at home by clicking on one of the links below:

Miss Erin's Morning Friends
Miss Erin's Afternoon Friends

Happy reading!

Table Work

2009-09-11T07:50:00.002-05:00

Part of our schedule each day includes working at the table. We call this part of the day Table Work. Table Work is a time for us to work in small groups on a variety of different skills. We often work with small toys and manipulatives to work on our fine motor and visual/spatial skills. We frequently enjoy playgdough as a hand-strengthening and sensory activity. We almost always do at least one art project per week to work on following directions and being creative. Here are some of the things we worked on this week:

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Be sure to leave a comment to let us know what you think!

Scholastic Book Clubs

2009-09-10T07:38:00.003-05:00

Just a reminder that you can now place your orders for Scholastic Book Clubs online! To order online, simply go to www.scholastic.com/parentordering. You will need to enter the following user name and password:

User Name: MissErins
Password: MissErin

If you prefer not to order online, you can also fill out the paper copies that were sent home in your child's communication folder. When you use the paper copies, please include a check made payable to Scholastic Books.

All book orders are due by Monday, September 14th!

Not sure what to order? Here are some of my favorites from this months book clubs...

Honeybee Bookclub:

Welcome Fall
I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

Firefly Bookclub:

There Was an Old Monster
The Way I Feel Pack
White Rabbit's Color Book

Happy Reading!

Back to School

2009-09-03T08:03:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was our first day of school! We had a very busy day. We played on the playground, colored pictures, listened to a story, sang songs, and explored the classroom. Check out what we did on our first day of school! Be sure to leave a comment...we would love to hear from you!

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Welcome Back

2009-08-21T17:12:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe that it's already time for school again! For those of you who were with me last year, welcome back! If you are new to my classroom, I am so excited to meet you. Please feel free to check out some of our posts from last year to see what our classroom is like.

We will be having an Open House on August 27th from 2:30 -- 4:00 p.m. If you can, please stop by to visit the classroom, meet new friends and staff, and pick up your Back-to-School folder. This will be a very relaxed Open House. Just come when you can! You do not have to stay the whole time.

If you have not turned in your child's registration yet, please do so as soon as possible. Late registration may delay transportation for your child.

The first day of school will be September 2nd. The AM session meets from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The PM session meets from 1:00 pm. to 3:30 p.m

Finally, many of you have asked about school supplies. Your child is required to bring the following items to school:

Backpack -- should be large enough to easily fit a folder
A complete change of clothes
Diapers/wipes if your child requires them
A snack to feed at least 10 students (i.e. goldfish, pretzels, cereal, crackers)

As far as additional supplies, you can contribute to the classroom in several different ways. The first is to send in a $5 to $10 gift card to Target or Staples. This allows us to purchase what we need throughout the year. There will also be a Helping Hands section in each weekly newsletter where you can choose items to purchase for the classroom. Currently we are in need of the following items:

Glue sticks -- Elmers are the best
Ziploc bags in various sizes
5 oz. paper cups

Your support for our classroom is always appreciated!

Looking forward to a great year.

Nature Walk

2009-05-11T15:52:00.001-05:00

Today we took a walk around the neighborhood to see what we could see. We loved looking at all the different plants, flowers, and animals!

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Work Time

2009-04-09T08:30:00.002-05:00

We have been very busy at work time lately exploring all the different areas of our classroom. Many of us have recently developed a new interest in art activities during work time. Check out everything that has been keeping us busy!

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Under the Sea

2009-02-20T07:52:00.003-06:00

Sorry it has been so long since our last blog post -- we have been having some camera issues that should be resolved now.

This month we have been having a great time learning about life under the sea! Check out our montage of us adding scales to fish!

Also, be sure to send back your sea creature so we can add it to our hallway ocean!

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Transportation Procedures for 1/20 and 1/21

2009-01-19T18:12:00.002-06:00

As you have probably already hear, we will have school on Tuesday and Wednesday, but no transportation will be provided. This means that if you are planning on having your child attend school, you will need to drive them or arrange a ride.

In order to ensure the safety of all of our students, please adhere to the following procedures for drop-off and pick-up:

Families Who Typically Transport To School: Please follow our regular drop-off and pick-up procedures. Do not pull into the bus lane.

Families Who Are Transporting ONLY on the 20th & 21st: Please pull into the bus lane in front of the building. Do not join the line in the parking lot -- that line is for regular parent drop-off families. A staff member will come out to your car to bring your child inside. Please do not get out of your car or walk you student up to the door. At pick-up, please pull into the bus lane. A staff member will escort your child to your car. You are responsible for buckling your child into the car seat. In order to keep the line moving, please do not get out of the car until you see your child.

We will work to get your child out to you as quickly as possible, while still ensuring the safety of all our students. Thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation.

Run, Run as Fast as You Can!

2008-12-12T09:15:00.001-06:00

We have been having a great time with our Gingerbread Man theme! This week, we went on a gingerbread man hunt throughout the building. We had to find different puzzle pieces to create a whole gingerbread man. We also enjoyed sponge painting and finger-painting with pudding!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Gingerbread Man

2008-12-04T08:36:00.001-06:00

This week we started our Gingerbread Man theme. We turned out dramatic play area into a bakery and have been busy baking up tasty treats all week. We have also been having fun painting with cookie cutters and decorating gingerbread men!

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Farmer Brown's Dog

2008-11-14T08:22:00.002-06:00

This week, we enjoyed another story that Miss Erin wrote called, "Farmer Brown's Dog." Click on the link below to download a copy to read at home!

Farmer Brown's Dog

Apples, Apples, Apples

2008-11-14T08:14:00.001-06:00

As part of our farm unit, we have been learning about apples. Last week, we watched a video on apple farming with Miss Stephanie's class. This week, we painted with apples, peeled apples, tasted apples, and shared our apples with the school guinea pigs!

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Picture Day & Ducklings Wear

2008-11-03T08:49:00.002-06:00

Just a reminder to everyone that Picture Day is this week.

The morning class will have their pictures taken on Tuesday, November 4th.

The afternoon class will have their pictures taken on Wednesday, November 5th.

Also, order forms for Independence Ducklings wear are due back on this coming Friday. I hope that you will order a shirt and show off your Independence pride!

Fun, Food, & Family at the Pumpkin Ball

2008-11-03T08:17:00.002-06:00

Last Friday was Halloween, and it was also the end of our Castle theme. To celebrate and style, Miss Erin and Miss Stephanie decided to throw a pumpkin ball. During the week, we were getting very excited for the ball. We decorate pumpkins, and talked about costumes and dancing. On Friday, we started out our fun by wearing our costumes to school. We then got to trick-or-treat around the building! It was fun to see what sort of Halloween treats we could get! After trick-or-treating, it was off to the Pumpkin Ball where Miss Erin and Miss Stephanie told the story of "The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything." When the story was done, we had the choice of dancing to music, decorating a crown, or eating a snack. The best part was that our families were there to celebrate with us!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Take the Library Card Challenge

2008-10-28T08:38:00.003-05:00

Our superintendent, Dr. Torres, has issued a challenge for U-46 families -- 100% library card ownership in all U-46 schools! Our challenge here at Independence is to get as many families registered for a library card as possible. The prize? A pizza party for students and staff at the school with the highest library card percentage and $250 in books for the school library!

Please take the time to fill out the library card survey that is coming home today. If you don't have a library card, I highly encourage you to visit your local library and register. The library is a wonderful place to encourage your child's love of books and reading. It's also a great resource for you, as a parent.

For more information on the Library Card Challenge, visit the Gail Borden Library site or the U-46 website.

We're Going on a Dragon Hunt

2008-10-24T07:58:00.002-05:00

"We're Going on a Dragon Hunt" has been our favorite story that we've read so far. We love helping Miss Erin read the story by saying if we're afraid or not and guessing if we'll find the dragon on this page. We loved this story so much that we wanted to have it at home too! You can print out a copy of this story by clicking on the link below:

We're Going on a Dragon Hunt

Miss Erin made the story exciting by velcroing paper over the animals so we had to guess which animal we would find first!

Independence Royalty

2008-10-23T08:39:00.002-05:00

As part of our castle theme, we have been having a lot of fun dressing up as kings and queens, princes and princesses. We have been working on using these vocabulary words when we dress up as well. "I am a prince." "Announcing Princess Grace."

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Painting the Castle

2008-10-17T08:40:00.001-05:00

This week, we started painting castle walls so that we can build a castle in our classroom. We are excited to see the walls go up soon!

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Pretty Princess

2008-10-14T09:04:00.002-05:00

Last week we read the story, "Pretty Princess, Pretty Princess." We liked it so much that we wanted to read it at home too! You can download this story to read at home by clicking on the blue link:

Pretty Princess, Pretty Princess

Thanks to Miss Stephanie for adding the signs to our book!

At the Castle

2008-10-09T08:25:00.002-05:00

This week we started our castle theme. We have had so much fun exploring castles in the block area, dressing up in dramatic play, and making crowns in the art center.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

What Do You Eat?

2008-10-03T09:00:00.002-05:00

This week for language group, Miss Kasey read us the Brown Bear story, but instead of asking, "What do you see?", we were asking, "What do you eat?" We had to find foods to match up with the different animals. You can download a copy of the book and the pictures to match to read at home: Brown Bear, What Do You Eat?

Fun with Shaving Cream!

2008-09-29T09:04:00.001-05:00

Last week, we had fun getting messy with shaving cream. We used alphabet stampers to make letters in our shaving cream, and we used our fingers to draw letters on the table. Some of us were a little hesitant to get messy, but we were still able to participate by using the stampers. Others of us had no problems diving right in!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Our Friends

2008-09-22T15:49:00.002-05:00

Since we have been reading the story, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, we thought it would be fun to create a similar story using the friends in our classroom. We have really enjoyed reading a book with our pictures in it. You can download the story to read at home by clicking on one of the links below:

Miss Erin's Morning Friends

Miss Erin's Afternoon Friends

Feel free to print out the story and read it together!

The Block Center

2008-09-19T10:15:00.002-05:00

The Block Center has been very popular this week. We have enjoyed building with blocks, driving the bus, and pretending at the work bench. In the block center we are learning math concepts such as length and height, science concepts such as gravity (when the blocks fall down), and using our creativity to build new and exciting things!

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The Independence Guinea Pigs

2008-09-11T16:34:00.003-05:00

This year, Independence is home to two adorable guinea pigs. One named Snickers and the other named Reese's. Today we took a trip up to the office to pay them a visit. Some of us were a little nervous, but we were all excited to see the guinea pigs. Some of us were even brave enough to pet them!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Our First Day of School!

2008-09-10T16:34:00.002-05:00

I apologize for the delay in getting this post up! We are experiencing some technical difficulties!

We all had a wonderful first day of preschool. We explored the playground and the classroom, did some dancing, had circle time, and read a story. It was a fun and exciting day for all!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Welcome Back!

2008-08-17T20:04:00.002-05:00

I hope that you all have had a fun and relaxing summer! I am excited to see all of you this fall and to start learning together again.

For those of you who are new to Independence or just new to my class, I hope that you will enjoy our classroom blog as much as previous families have. I will use this site to give you updates on what we are doing in the classroom on a regular basis. Parents in previous years have particularly enjoyed the photo slide shows, and the students love the chance to see themselves on the blog. Please note that I will not post any photos of your child without your permission, so be sure to return your blog permission form to me as soon as possible! Blog permission forms will be handed out at home visits and on Back to School Night.

Back to School Night will be held on Thursday, September 4th from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Please stop by to visit the classroom, catch up with friends, and eat some ice cream. You will also have the opportunity to help plant our daffodil bulbs which will bloom in the Spring.

I will be contacting you beginning the week of August 25th to schedule home visits. If you are a returning student who does not wish to have a home visit, you can pick up your info packet at Back to School Night, or arrange an alternate time to stop by the school.

I am so excited for this school year and can't wait to see you all again!

Field Day

2008-05-16T08:02:00.001-05:00

On Wednesday we had a great suprise! One of our P.E. teachers, Mr. Efrain, had set up a field day for us! Even though we couldn't go outside because the weather was yucky, we had a great time going through obstacle courses in the gym and playing with the parachute. It was a fun and busy day!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Fire Station

2008-05-05T08:36:00.002-05:00

Last week on Wednesday, we walked to the Bartlett Fire Station. It was a beautiful day for walking. We got to see where the firefighters live, eat, watch TV, and sleep. We saw an ambulance and a fire truck. We also got to see what a firefighter looks like with all his gear on so we won't be afraid of him. We even got our own fire helmets to wear!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Fun with Fish

2008-04-18T08:18:00.003-05:00

This week, we have been having a great time learning about animals that live in the ocean. Two of our favorite activities this week were painting paper plate fish and hunting for fish in shaving cream. It's been a messy week, but we love getting messy!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Float or Sink

2008-04-09T09:14:00.001-05:00

This week we have been talking about the concepts of float and sink. One way we have been exploring things that float is in the messy table. We have ping pong balls floating in the water. We love trying to catch them with fishing nets!

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Out on a Safari

2008-03-31T08:32:00.003-05:00

Before Spring Break, we went on another safari through our building. This time, we looked for pictures of four different animals -- tiger, hippo, gorilla, and zebra. We had to match these animals to the pictures on our safari card.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Great News!

2008-03-24T14:47:00.002-05:00

I posted recently about a proposal I had written at DonorsChoose.org, and I received word today that my proposal has been funded! We should be receiving a trampoline for our classroom within the next few weeks! I am thrilled that we will now be able to jump without having to leave the classroom!

This is my second proposal that has been funded by DonorsChoose.org this year. We have already received about $500 in materials, and the trampoline is worth nearly $200. Please consider visiting Donors Choose and making a contribution to other classrooms in need!

Oops!

2008-03-22T15:22:00.002-05:00

I meant to bring my camera home with me so that I could post pictures of our latest safari adventures. Unfortunately, I left the camera at school, so I have no pictures to share!

I hope you all have a fun and restful Spring(???) Break! Plenty of pictures will be posted when we come back on March 31st!

Who Do You See On Safari?

2008-03-12T13:59:00.001-05:00

We have been learning a lot about the different types of animals we could see on a safari. This week, we walked around the building looking for photos of different animals. We used sentence strips to help us practice saying sentences like, "I see a giraffe on safari." We used these sentence strips to identify a giraffe, a lion, an elephant, and a zebra. We also read the story, "Who Do You See on Safari?" You can download a copy of this book to read at home: Safari Book.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We're Going on a Stamp Hunt!

2008-02-28T07:36:00.004-06:00

We have really been enjoying our post office unit. One of our favorite activities has been going on a stamp hunt. We read the story, "We're Going to the Post Office," which Miss Erin wrote to go along with the activity. The story told us about how we had letters to send to Blue, Magenta, Periwinkle, and Tickety-Tock. Before we could mail the letters, though, we had to find stamps for them! Each child was given two postcards that had a 1,2,3,or 4 in the corner for the stamp. We walked around the building looking for stamps that had the same number as our postcards! When everyone had stamps on their postcards, we brought the postcards back to the room and practiced matching them to the correct mailboxes! It was a lot of fun! Want to read this book at home? Download your own copy: We're Going to the Post Office

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Donors Choose

2008-02-25T15:14:00.002-06:00

Earlier this year, I wrote a proposal at DonorsChoose.org to help get literacy materials for our classroom. We were lucky enough to receive nearly $500 in funded materials included a paperback book library, a LeadPad reader, and an augmentative communication device!

I have written a new proposal for our classroom to get funding for a trampoline for the students to use in the classroom. Please check out our newest proposal and share this link with friends and family members who might be interested in donating!

Thanks for your support!

Valentine's Day

2008-02-15T07:55:00.001-06:00

We had so much fun celebrating Valentine's Day. We decorated valentines using glitter glue and hearts. It was a little messy, but lots of fun! We passed out valentines to our friends, and we enjoyed cookies and cupcakes for snack!

We Love Mail!

2008-02-08T08:33:00.000-06:00

We have been having a great time learning about the Post Office. During work time, we have been writing letters and adding them to our mailboxes. We love checking the mailboxes to see if we have any new mail. Please keep your postcards and letters coming! It is so much fun to find them in our mailbox and read them at circle time!

I am a Mailman.

2008-02-05T17:46:00.000-06:00

This week we are reading the story, "I am a Mailman." We love that it repeats the line, "I am a mailman," on each page. We hope you will enjoy listening to our story at home! You can also download a copy of the story to read together: Mailman Story I hope you enjoy reading the story together!

Snowball Fight!

2008-02-05T08:20:00.001-06:00

Since it has been too cold or too wet for us to play outside, we decided to bring the outside in with a snowball fight. We teamed up with our friends from Miss Mikee's class to battle against our friends from Miss Melanie's class. It was loud, crazy, and a whole lot of fun!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

It's Mail Time!

2008-02-03T19:00:00.000-06:00

This week we will begin our new unit about the Post Office. We will be learning about sending and receiving mail along with our favorite characters from Blues Clues! Please be sure to return your postcards so that we can read them during circle time! We would also love to receive letters in the mail from you and other family members or friends. Please send letters to:

Miss Erin's Preschool Class
Independence Preschool
200 Taylor Ave.
Bartlett, IL 60120

We look forward to receiving your letters!

Exploring Our Classroom During Work Time

2008-01-24T08:25:00.000-06:00

Each day, we write our play plans and choose where we want to work during work time. Work time is an important part of our day because it allows us to explore the classroom and make new discoveries on our own. Watch us exlpore "snow balls" in the messy table, read books in the library, and take care of babies in dramatic play!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Welcome Back!

2008-01-07T12:10:00.000-06:00

I hope you all had a fun and restful Winter Break! We had a fun first day back at school today. Everyone seemed happy to be back and ready to participate in our school routine. This month's theme is Weather Watcher! We are going to be watching the weather outside to see what happens. We will also be talking about what types of clothing we wear in different types of weather!

Please take a look at the January calendar that went home today. We have several days off coming up later this month!

Once again, welcome back to school!

We are Making Music!

2007-12-14T08:59:00.000-06:00

This week we have been exploring a variety of musical instruments in the classroom. We have had the opportunity to try out various drums, maracas, castanets, and even an autoharp. It has really been a lot of fun! We have also been working on playing our instruments fast and slow, loud and soft!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A Snowy Day

2007-12-06T07:45:00.001-06:00

There was a lot of snow on the ground when we came to school on Wednesday! Since we couldn't go outside and play in it, we brought the snow inside! It was cold, but lots of fun!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Getting Messy with Shaving Cream

2007-12-04T07:52:00.000-06:00

Getting messy is an important part of our school experience. It helps us to tolerate being messy, heightens our senses, and can help us regulate our sensory systems. We usually play with shaving cream at the table once a week. Some of us really enjoy squishing it in our fingers, and others of us prefer to only touch the shaving cream with playdough tools!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Let's Get to Know...Miss Shawna

2007-11-28T07:57:00.000-06:00

Name: Shawna Cox

What do you do at Independence?: Speech Language Pathologist

How long have you been in U-46?: This is my first year.

Where did you go to school?: University of Illinois, Northern Illinois University (M.A.)

Favorite color: Pink

Favorite food: anything Italian

Kids?: None

Pets?: Just got a puppy!

What do you do for fun?: I enjoy spending time with my friends and family and traveling.

Favorite thing about your job?: Seeing the children's smiling faces and hearing the funny things they have to say.

Classroom Gifts

2007-11-17T21:25:00.001-06:00

A couple of parents have asked about purchasing toys for the classroom beyond what is in the Helping Hands section of our newsletter. I do have a classroom wish list that I keep here on Amazon.com. If you are interested in purchasing items for the classroom, that list would be a great place to start. You can click on the link above, and I have added the link to the sidebar as well. Thank you all so much for your generosity...it would be impossible to run such a great classroom without your support.

Catching Fish in the Messy Table

2007-11-14T07:42:00.000-06:00

Aa part of our Pet Store theme, we have turned the messy table into an aquarium with rocks, water, and fish! We are using our nets to catch the fish and having a great time!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

New Class Newsletter

2007-11-07T18:04:00.000-06:00

Dear Parents,

As part of a fun technology class I have been taking over the past week, I developed a new format for our weekly newsletter. It contains the same information but in a cute new format. Check it out when it comes home on Friday and let me know what you think! Since the newsletter is meant for you, I'd love to hear what your thoughts are!

Thanks!

Miss Erin

Check Out Our Photo Montage!

2007-11-06T18:49:00.000-06:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy Halloween!

2007-11-02T09:18:00.000-05:00

It took a few days to get these pictures loaded...but here are some shots of our Halloween fun! We really enjoyed visiting the spooky motor room, playing in our costumes, and trick-or-treating through the building for candy...and a toothbrush!

Pictures from Our Trip to Sonny Acres!

2007-10-26T08:15:00.000-05:00

Messy Table -- Harvest Corn

2007-10-23T07:25:00.001-05:00

We have harvest corn in our messy table this week! We are using our hands to explore the way our corn feels...from the papery husk, to the smooth and bumpy kernels, to the soft cob. We are also using our fingers to pop kernels off of the cob...great for strengthening our fine motor skills! Later this week, we will use the kernels we have collected in an art project.

Our Nature Walk

2007-10-19T07:25:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and went on a walk through our neighborhood to look for leaves. We listened to the leaves crunch beneath our feet, watched the wind blow the leaves down from the trees, and stopped to collect leaves to bring back to school. We saw a lot of houses decorated for Halloween, and we even met a dog along the way! On Thursday, we made collages with the leaves we collected!

Let's Get to Know...Miss Erin

2007-10-17T07:59:00.001-05:00

Welcome to a new section of our blog -- Getting to Know Your Child's Team! Each post will feature a quick profile of the many talented people who are a part of your child's school day. This is meant to be a fun and quick way for you to get to know more about us! Since I already know the answers to my questions, we'll start with me!

Name -- Erin J.

What do you do at Independence? -- I am a special education teacher.

How long have you been in the district? -- 3.5 years (I was hired in the middle of the year!)

Where did you go to school? -- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for my B.S. and M.Ed.

Favorite Color -- PURPLE!!!

Favorite Food -- Chocolate and potatoes...not together though!

Kids? -- Not yet.

Pets? -- Two dogs, Rufus and Kaya

What do you do for fun? -- Read, knit, scrapbook....and shop!

Favorite thing about your job? -- I get hugs every single day!

Painting Paper Bag Pumpkins!

2007-10-16T08:32:00.000-05:00

Yesterday during work time, our art activity was painting paper bag pumpkins. We worked on holding our paint brush correctly and using our other hand to steady our pumpkin. Now we have many pretend pumpkins to add to our pumpkin patch!

Our Visit to the Motor Room

2007-10-11T07:33:00.000-05:00

On Wednesdays, we go to the motor room during our gross motor time. We are working on many things while in the motor room -- gross motor skills, following directions, and organizing our sensory systems -- just to name a few!

This week in the motor room, we set up a fall theme. We crawled through the tunnel and picked up apples to velcro to our apple tree. Then we got to climb up the stairs and see ourselves in the bubble mirror! After that, we used pictures or words to communicate that we wanted to go down the slide...and crash into a giant pile of leaves! Each child got several turns around the course before we listened to some quiet music and worked on slowing our bodies down! Next week, the motor room will have the same theme which gives us the opportunity to practice our skills again!

What Did We Do at Work Time?

2007-10-05T15:50:00.001-05:00

Our free play time in the classroom is called our work time. This is because play is the work of childhood. Play helps us to develop pre-reading and pre-writing skills, math skills, social skills, and a general knowledge of the world around us. During work time today, students in both classes took time to practice their pre-reading and pre-writing skills by choosing to look at a book independently and to color with markers in the writing center!

Welcome to Our Blog!

2007-10-04T17:58:00.000-05:00

Greetings from the Internet!

I am so excited to have this new way to share information about what's going on in our classroom. I will do my best to post on a regular basis. Most likely, I will post early in the morning about what happened the previous day. This will give me a chance to get pictures of your amazing kids up here! I hope that you will check back often to see what we are up to. Please feel free to make comments and ask questions!

Miss Erin