Even our oldest children are captivated by the idea of special vehicles for special purposes. We will use this theme to create more playful ways to extend their school day learning. Children will learn to use strategies and logic as they play Battleship, improve spatial concepts by mapping the center and using the maps to give directions, and experimenting with modifications to paper airplanes and measuring and comparing the distances they will fly.
Dec 30 – Jan 3 – After a discussion on the tradition of making changes at the beginning of the year, we will make a list of personal and class Resolutions to starting the New Year. We will post the list in the classroom so we can read and review it frequently.
Jan 6 – 10 – We will make a cheerful room decoration using colorful paper to make a train with 26 cars. Each car will be labeled with a letter of the alphabet. Throughout the week we will write words on the train cars that begin with the alphabet label and load the train car with pictures of things that start with that letter of the alphabet.
Jan 13 – 17 – We will blast off to outer space. Each student will make a Moon Monster, and then we will sort them by their distinctive characteristics (1 eye, green skin, or 3 arms). We will create Moon Rocks with a mixture of plaster of Paris, glitter, and other interesting things
Jan 20 – 24 – How fast will a parachute drop? Children will use string, weights, and fabric scraps to make a parachute. After enjoying the fun of dropping it from the top of a step ladder they will use a stop watch to time the drop and experiment with changing the size of the cloth, length of the string, height of drop and the attached weight to see what will make it go fastest.
Jan 27 – 31 – We expect lots of giggles as we play I went to Arkansas (in an automobile eating an artichoke, wearing alligator skin shoes). This is a classic but still a lot of fun (and phonics practice). The first child starts with the letter A naming a place they would like to go. The second child repeats the destination and adds a mode of travel starting with the same letter of the alphabet, the third repeats both and adds a food, the fourth repeats it all and adds an article of clothing, and then they start on the second letter of the alphabet.