Community Rocks!!!

WE LOVE OUR CHILDREN AND

THAT'S WHY YOU NEED A NIGHT OUT!

 

Support HP Community and come to the Benefit on April 26th!

 

 Mrs. Carlson, Mrs. Nemcek and Mrs. Fieldman

want to party with you!!!!

 

(Wait...is that possible?  Yes, it is!  It is a little known fact that preschool teachers actually live outside the walls of the school, can wear high heels, get the paint out from under their nails and be the life of the party!  Come witness it yourself!)

 

So far, we have only ONE parent who has RSVP'd! (Say it ain't so!)

 

Everyone should have gotten invitations by now (in your child's file folder).  Please come for a lovely evening of dinner, live auction and wonderful adult company as we celebrate Community and Jean Wallace-Baker's contributions to our school over the past 31 years. 

 

This magnificent, 40"x48", one-of-a-kind multi-media piece will be part of the live auction.  It was created by ALL the children of Community (including the Little Giants!) with the help of our fabulous art teacher, Heather Lowery.

 

        

                                                     Close-ups of the piece

                                                               

 

The entire piece, a montage of individual 4"x4" canvases,
created by each child in Community.

Please do your best to attend.  Community is a non-profit, 501(C) 3 organization that has been serving our community for over 62 years.  If you aren't able to attend, we hope you will sell some raffle tickets (included in your invitation)--with 10 great raffle packages to choose from, there's sure to be something for everyone!

Need a babysitter?  Mrs. Carlson and Mrs. Fieldman can recommend a few!  Share a sitter with one of the other daycare families and not only will the children have a great time, you can save a little money too!

Planets Galore and More!

 

 

Creating Our Own Planets

 

As part of our planet exploration, the children were invited to design and make their own planets.  First they drew plans in their space journals, then they referred to their plans when spraying paper globes with liquid watercolor.  Then the added details, such as rings, clouds and spots, to their plans and then used studio materials to add these details to their planets.  Be watching for the planets to appear hanging from our classroom ceiling soon!

 



 

 

 

  New Focus: Exploring Letters

Of her own initiative, Brooke writes letters at the light table.

This week we launched a new exploration around letters.  As we begin this new adventure, we're asking that you keep an eye out for when your child is noticing and/or commenting about letters or other symbols (numbers, etc.) in the environment. Make note and let us know. It is completely expected for children in our class to be at all different stages.  Some recognize all of their letters, some only a few.  Some know a lot of letter sounds, some are just learning.  We, as teachers, are offering children play experiences to explore letters at whatever stage they are.  While they play and explore, they learn from the activities and from each other!  If you have any ABC books at home, we'd love for your child to bring them in to share with the class. 

Jonah (left) finds a "J" for his name and Henry (above)
practices the sign language alphabet using a book we
read in class.

Emmett plays with Scrabble tiles, builds his name, then copies it.

Heike figures out how to build everybody's names with limited tiles!

Calendar

Everyday, Mrs. Fieldman leads the children in calendar activities.  This consistent experience is one way to help integrate math into an everyday activity.  The children not only learn to identify the month, day and date, but they also get experience counting and patterning.  Songs help them learn the days of the week and months of the year.  Talking about the weather is also part of the calendar experience.  The class calendar helper is a coveted job and changes every day.

 

The Play Environment

The classroom environment in our school acts almost like another teacher in the room.  It is thoughtfully set up to provide children with a variety of sensory, creative, and/or experiential opportunities from which to learn.  Children learn not only by interacting with and manipulating materials, but also by interacting with each other, comparing ideas and, in many cases, co-constructing understanding about the world around them.  Below are but a few of the recent rich play activities the children have had...

 

Many children enjoy playing creatively with the new Pegasus and Unicorn figurines.

Duplo blocks provide a physical building challenge as well as a
pretend, make-believe element.

Building w/ plastic cups is an exercise in balance, patience, and cooperation.

Brooke and Kate do water color on a large mural paper.

Ramps and cars are always a favorite and a lesson in physics.

 

Gross motor play in the hallway after the HS students have gone home
is good exercise and fun!

Music with Ms. Carol adds music and movement elements.

 

The marble maze toy is challenging and requires problem-solving
and cooperation with friends.

 

Heike has some alone time in this special space.

The light table provides another sensory experience.

Children get practice cutting and gluing and creating at the art studio and table.

 Playground Update

 

The Playground Development Team is trying to regroup and get some new elements on place on the playground this spring.  Be looking for some additions which will include:

• a foot bridge near the boat
• sand filling the boat, making it a sandbox
• more loose objects for creative building
• sound elements on the fence and/or in the trees
• garden elements

Using loose parts like a heavy cardboard tube, a tire, and a bench,
the children built (with careful teacher supervision!) this amazing
one-of-a-kind climber.  They worked together and were so proud!

 

Sometimes we just need to rest...

 

 

 Reminders:

 

On April 23rd and 24th, the HS cafeteria will be closed so please send your child with a sack lunch.  We will provide milk.  Remember, no peanut products, please.

 

 

The baby's here and more...

Miles Thomas Pallarino

Born 3.9.13

6 lbs. 12 oz

(Mama and baby are doing fine.)

 

 

From Maps to Planets
 

We went to counselor Don McCord's office to see his BIG map!

When Heike's mom so generously donated a globe to our classroom, the chidren's interest began to shift from maps to planet Earth to planets in general.  First the children painted thier own planet Earths.

Later, Mrs. Nemcek made "moon dust" with the children and  read a book called Meet the Planets. Then everyone got to paint their favorite planet.  We also started writing/and rawing in our Space Journals where we can record what we know and what we think about space, real and make-believe.

Playing with "moon dust"

Ava, Kate and Heike write/draw in their space journals.

 

Daisy

Daisy is a box turtle that used to be Mrs. Carlson's pet.  A couple months ago, Mrs. Carlson donated Daisy to the high school science department so she can become a part of the Environmental Sciences turtle pond.  Until it's warm enough, Daisy is living in science teacher Beth Peterson's classroom.  The children helped deliver Daisy to Mrs. Peterson a couple months back and continue to visit her periodically. Recently, many of the children made pictures to take to Daisy the next time we visit her. Many thanks to Mrs.Peterson for caring for Daisy and for so graciously hosting our visits!

 

The children help deliver Daisy to Mrs. Peterson's classroom.

 

 

 

 

Welcome, Henry and Elsa

Please join us in welcoming 4 year old twins, Henry and Elsa to our classroom.  Henry and Elsa have a big brother named Gavin who is in kindergarten.  Welcome to Little Giants!

 

 

Sign Language

 

Lately we've been incorporating some sign language into our day as an additional way to communicate.  The teachers and children are learning together as we use signs to communicate what to do (sit, listen, etc.), to complement our project work (sun, moon, planet, etc.) and to reinforce letter sounds (pants, pajamas, parrot for the letter "p").  The children have picked up on it very quickly.  Ask them to show you some!  Here are some of our frequent words:  yes, no, please, water, listen, turtle.  Mrs. Carlson has been using this site to learn new signs--http://www.signingsavvy.com/

 

The children do the sign for "planet".

 

 Reminders:

• Please be sure your child has an extra set of clothes at school at all times.
• Save the date for the HP Community Benefit at the Deerpath Inn in Lake Forest on April 26th...dinner, live auction (the Little Giants will be have a piece for live auction!) and more!
• No School Spring Break, Mar.25-29th
• For the remainder of the year, Mrs. Fieldman will work 8-4, Mrs. Nemcek 7-11:30, and Mrs. Carlson 11:30-5.
• Little Giants registration in now open to the general public...spread the word!!!

 



Mrs. Pallarino's Baby Shower

Please enjoy this slide show...

Personalize your own thank you

The Map Quest Continues

 

What's happening in the morning???

The Little Giants continue to be fascinated with maps and the teachers are enjoying walking down this path of discovery with them.   Mrs. Nemcek brought in a book about a gingerbread man called The Gingerbread Man Lost in the School, and in the book the students make a gingerbread man and while they are out of the classroom, the gingerbread man wakes up and wonders out into the school to find the kids. The kids go on a search to find the gingerbread man following clues that he left.
After reading this book, the kids decided they wanted to make a gingerbread man from studio materials. The next day the children arrived to find the gingerbread man gone and a note that said "I woke up and no one was here, so I went out to look for you." The children then took turns using a school map and clues to find the gingerbread man. He was finally found taking a nap in the back room:)



Emmett and Hana using their maps
and clues to find our lost gingerbread man.

Tommy, Kate, Heike & Ava finding our lost gingerbread man!




Sophia with the gingerbread man, measuring to
 see how tall he is using unifix cubes

The story about the gingerbread man getting lost in the school started an extension activity to compare and contrast other gingerbread inspired books, such as The Gingerbread Boy, The Gingerbread Baby, The Gingerbread Girl, The Gingerbread Pirates, etc. The children also decided to build a gingerbread village, first by mapping out the roads, at lake, a park and mountains, then they each decorated gingerbread houses made of graham crackers, icing and candy. They are now have a 3-D gingerbread village and are using cars, animals and other materials in the classroom to pretend play.

Kate, Emmett, Tommy, Ava and Niko decorating their gingerbread houses and buildings.

 



Our 3-D Gingerbread Village!

Brooke and Niko using cars and animals to pretend play with our gingerbread village.



 

 Other map activities....


Mrs. Pallarino read a book called Harold and the Purple Crayon which inspired this group map.

Ava creates an "earth" inspired map.

 Mrs. Pallarino and Mrs. Nemcek give the children maps of the first floor of the HS and took the children on a discovery walk.  Using the map, we looked for room numbers, letters and words and discovered new and exciting places, like, the auditorium, the chickens, and the sports trophies.

Niko, Ava, Kate & Emmett using their maps.

Niko, Tommy & Ava, "we found a room number!"

Kate, Emmett, Ava & Niko finding words.

Ava circling a symbol for "stairs" on her map.

 

What's happening in the afternoon?

The map interest and exploration continues in the afternoon with Mrs. Carlson and Mrs. Fieldman.

Kate creates her own maps to different real and magical places.
 

She then combines them to proudly make her own atlas!

Ava takes on the challenge of looking for maps in the newspaper.
She and her friends find 21 maps!

 Afternoon "Excellent Adventures"

 

 In lieu of going outside on very cold or messy days, the afternoon kids often go exploring the HS on what we call an "excellent adventure".  It's always a journey of discovery and fun.  We've ventured the hallways and discovered all sorts of things, including...

• Lots and lots of exit signs
• Display cases with trophies and art and other interesting things
• An office with a green "x" on the floor (but we were disappointed to find out it didn't mean there was treasure there)
• A swimming pool!
• Turtles on the walls in the science wing
• A huge auditorium that has neat lights and a pit where the orchestra plays (we saw some staging for the HS musical)



One day we came upon a the daughter of a friend of Mrs. Carlson's doing a photo shoot
and we got to watch and then get our picture taken too!

 Charity Drive

Every year all of the students in the high school choose and raise money for a charity in need. This year it is for Children's Oncology Services The Little Giants are joining in the fund raising effort by selling valentines that they've made before and after school. To promote our efforts, the children were invited to make a commercial with Mr. V., the Film/Media teacher. They sang a cute Valentine's Day song then did a pitch for our valentine's sale. It was adorable and we''ll see what we can do to post it ASAP.



Getting ready to shoot the commercial



Mr. V. gives instruction

 

 

Selling valentines before school

 

 

For more info. about Charity Drive see: http://hphs.dist113.org/Documents/2013CharityDriveLetter.pdf 



 And, of course, we continue to play...



Tommy builds a house and shares it with friends, Graham and Daniel.

Later the boys add a bucket on top and practice bouncing ping pong balls into it.



Heike plays with duplo blocks.

Almost all creativity involves purposeful play.

Abraham Maslow
American psychologist
1908–1970

 

Tommy and Brooke practice cutting.

  

The children put loose objects together to create their own climber.

Our Baby Shower for Mrs. Pallarino 

 

The Little Giants are giving Mrs. Pallarino a baby shower on Wed., Feb. 27th from 10:30 to 11:00 a.m.  We will have a special treat, play a couple of games and give Mrs. Pallarino a special gift we've prepared especially for her.  Any parents who would like to join us are welcome.

 

Valentine's Day Activities!

 

Heart shaped pancake and strawberry breakfast!

Emmett, Kate and Brooke loved the strawberry milk!

Passing out Valentine's to our friends!