M is for Monster

Part of our letter M study this week has been to read the book Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberly (and its sibling Glad Monster, Sad Monster). We've had a lot of fun playing different monster games! Yesterday we traveled to the computer lab to play a design-a-monster game on the SmartBoard. Our kiddos LOVED the interactive game, which allowed them to use a stylus to drag and drop monster parts ... kind of like a monster version of Mr. Potato Head! (Word on the street is that there are also apps for the iPad/iPhone and Droid that will do the same ...)

(If you're wondering why your child isn't pictured above, it's because we also played an interactive pilgrim game on the SmartBoard ... pictures of that activity to come soon. Some students played the monster game, others the pilgrim game.)

This morning, the students took turns sorting colored candies onto a Big Green Monster graphic. We had to watch some of them closely to make sure they didn't eat our supplies! Some of our children even noticed the sweet smells of the candy ... we love that they're building on our five senses lessons from earlier in the year! 

They were so proud when they finished their monsters!

Finally, we also played Mrs. Connie's "Feed the Monster" game. The monster only eats items that start with the letter M, so students must look at picture cards to determine what things to feed Mr. Monster. They did GREAT!

Who knew monsters could be so much fun?!?

How we spend cold days!

Today was a very exciting day—we saw the first snowflakes of the year! It is priceless to watch the children's faces as they stare out the window at the snow falling down!

Our rules state that we can't go outside if the temps are lower than 32, and today it was definitely less than 32! In lieu of outside recess, we had some fun in the gym! In addition to some running, hopping, and jumping games, we broke out an old favorite friend ... our trampoline! It's a great way for the kids to expel some energy on a cold day, and we try to make it into a learning game by counting the number of times each child jumps.

Cold days aren't so bad when you get to spend them watching snow and jumping on a trampoline! :)

Random pictures

Here are some cute pictures from the last two days ...

Writing our letters on dry-erase boards that are just our size!

More dry-erase fun!

This baby doll got to wear the Child of the Day cape and sit in the COTD Chair!

We love it when our students show such a love of books!

Time for a spot of tea!

Bagging up the groceries ...

Even boys like to cook!

Mrs. LeeAnne was out last week, so we'll resume our regularly scheduled blogging this week. :) 

Wolves, monkeys, knights, and princesses

Our kiddos love to play dress-up, but since unloading two huge containers of dress-up clothes is a big chore, Mrs. Connie and Mrs. LeeAnne usually save this as an occasional Friday treat. This past Friday, we let them play, and although the boys weren't very into it, the girls had a BLAST!

They even ate lunch in their costumes!

Look closely and you may notice that the Big, Bad Wolf is eating a banana!

Could they be any cuter???

Our boys weren't as into dressing up, but they didn't want to miss out on having their picture made!

Finally, we present our Knight of the Kitchen Table, so named because of his insistence on carrying a wooden spoon in place of a sword. Hey, whatever works! We love it when our K-3's use their imagination!

Goin' on a leaf hunt ...

We've been learning about seasons, especially fall! One of our favorite ways to illustrate God's beautiful creation, as well as show the students firsthand what happens to the trees, is to go on a leaf hunt. The first time we tried it, we went a little too early and didn't find as many beautiful leaves. But we sure did have fun!

The Child of the Day crown even got to go on our walk!

We waited another week or so, and our timing was perfect. (Note to Mrs. Connie & Mrs. LeeAnne for next year ... wait for the gorgeous maple tree across from the parking lot to change colors -- it's a sign of the perfect "hunting season.") Check out these gorgeous yellow leaves!