2/29/09

Hi everyone!

Building with blocks. In my opinion, we can't spend enough time working with blocks. The imagination and interpretive skills that go into designing these fantastic creations are the precursors to reading, mathematics, and beyond. This is where it starts. Check out the video clip at the end.

Arne van Leuken

PreKindergarten Teacher

February 9, 2009

Hi Everyone-

We're learning all about the letter A this week:

Tuesday's "mystery snack" was a real feat:

Ants stuck in mud in the jungle . . . or raisins in peanut butter on a celery stick!

First I made a little sketch for the students to guess . . .

And then we munched on them. I was pleasantly surprised as everybody liked it, or at least found some part of it that they liked.

Now even though we do spend time every week getting to know the letters of the alphabet, we spend a lot of time doing what I call "good preschool play". What does that mean? In my mind, good preschool play, is playing with items that have lots of possibilities, encourage creativity, sharing with others, encourage learning, move the hands and body, etc.

A video of David, Justice, and Carter exploring one

of our new manipulatives called "Wedgits"!!!!!!!

What a great week,

Arne van Leuken

February 3rd, 2009

Hi Everyone-
Welcome to the first posting of my new blog. I'll be updating this regularly with themes and projects that we're working on in the classroom. I'l also be sending home paper copies of this every Friday.

This week we've been learning about "H is for Horses".

Here we are signing "horse" in sign language. We also made the horse sound by exhaling and vibrating our lips, that's why you see a lot of lip in these pictures!

Here we're doing our quiet reading at the end of mystery food story time:

And coloring pictures of horses:

And that marks the end of my first posting ever!

More to come soon,

Arne van Leuken

PreK Teacher at Belle Sherman Elementary School