Safari scenes!

Today was so much fun! K3 went on a playground safari, and oh what sights we saw! Certain unnamed teachers hid lots of stuffed animals on the playground and in the trees, and our intrepid K3 adventurers had a blast hunting for them.

 

Every good explorer must be prepared with safari vests and binoculars!

 

Our kiddos were so excited, they couldn't even wait to get outside!

Our best attempt at a group shot!

Explorers, explorers, what do you see?

The cutest explorers ever!

 

 

Here we go!

Some of our friends found things besides animals!

After our safari was complete, we counted the number of animals we saw (eight different kinds!) and then had a special safari snack outside. We enjoyed bananas, raisins, and - of course - animal crackers!

 

Mrs. Connie even brought special treats to commemorate today's fun - students got to choose a safari toy! We had toy snakes, tree frogs, and kaleidoscopes!

 

Are you surprised that everyone took great naps this afternoon! Explorin's hard work!

Fit for a queen!

Our queen for the day - Child of the Day! 

As we studied the letter Q last week, we also learned the story of Queen Esther. We made these cute Q crowns in her honor!

"The king liked Esther so he put a royal crown on her head and made her Queen." 

- Esther 2:17

Rainsticks, rain drops, and rainbows

Last week's weather study dealt with rain, and boy did we have a good time! First, we learned about the "life cycle" of a rain drop -- where it goes when it leaves the cloud, how it travels into the ocean or lake, and how it evaporates.

The students loved using this borrowed felt board to tell the water cycle story!

We also used the felt board to connect weather to specific seasons. 

We made rain drop puppets!

We made rain sticks using paper towel tubes, popcorn, and rice.

The kids loved pouring in their own popcorn and rice. Thank heaven for funnels!

We ended our rain study by painting rainbows -- a perfect reminder of God's beautiful promises to us!

Teachable moments

Occasionally on show-and-tell days, a student forgets to bring his or her item. When that happens, Mrs. Connie and Mrs. LeeAnne help the child find something interesting in the classroom,  a locker, or backpack to share. Today we let one student borrow the big stuffed penguin who lives in our classroom.

After telling us all about Mr. Penguin's colors, textures, habitat, and letter (it's "P" week, after all!), she sat down with the penguin and squeezed him tightly. This resulted in Mr. P emitting a strange sound; apparently air had been stuck somewhere inside him and decided to come out when she hugged him. With big eyes, she looked up and said, "Mrs.  Connie, the penguin pooted!"

Without missing a beat, Mrs. Connie stood up and asked the class, "What does POOT start with?" And yes, they all got the answer right! 

When it comes to K3, every moment is a teachable moment! 

Rainy days

Our town had light rain on Monday, making it the perfect day to put into practice our "rainy weather" unit of study. First, we made clouds and rain inside the cafeteria! Each child had his or her own clear plastic cup, and they all waited anxiously to see what we'd do ...

First, we topped each water cup off with a nice "cloud" of shaving cream. Several of our students noted that the "cloud" smelled good! After watching our clouds float above the water, we added drops of food coloring. We started with blue, to represent rain. 

The kids loved watching the colors drop through the water and slowly spread throughout the cup!

After making rain, it's only natural to want to go play in it! Although we couldn't play in our food coloring/shaving cream concoctions, we did take the opportunity head outside and act out our "My Raincoat" poem!

Nothing like a quick walk in the rain to get your Monday off to a fun start!