Columbus and Review

For the week of September 30  through October 4th, we reviewed our letters, phonics, colors, shapes, and numbers.  We also talked about our Field trip to the Pennypickle Museum in the week prior.  We tied our adventures, explorations, and discoveries into Christopher Columbus' adventures, explorations, and discoveries.  I verbally told the story of how he got funding from the queen of Spain to find a new route to India, because of the spice trades and how he ended up in America, instead.  He called the indigenous people Indians, because he thought he was in India.  The Native Americans were the first to discover America. Apparently the vikings have been there at some point and then Mr. Columbus discovered America for his people. I've avoided talking about Christopher Columbus, because of the story that followed his "discovery".  I didn't go further in the story.  We read books about discovering, having an adventure, getting lost, marking a trail, and the characters finding their way back home.

Here are the photos from that week and I'll explain some of them:

I purchased caterpillars to go with the theme: "Cc is for Caterpillars" that goes with the week after the review week.  The caterpillars quickly turned into a chrysalis (cocoon) and there was one caterpillar left in this cup:

This was also the week that we took photos.  Here is the photographer doing her work:

Free choice:

Making a color telescope:

This group is continuing with learning how to rip paper and used the ripped paper in an art project.  Our first project was making a hand print tree (see way below).  In this project, the children are ripping a dark blue, light green, and a dark green construction paper square.  Those pieces will be put together to make the ocean.  They also ripped a white square to make the clouds.  They also colored a sailboat, which was glued onto a stick.  My assistant was able to glue them onto the stick, so the children could take them home.  We cut a slit at the top of the ocean and the stick slid inside.  The child could make the sailboat "sail" by moving the stick back and forth.

A finished piece:

We also took pictures of your children holding their hand print trees.  Those art pieces have been mailed to one of my students' Father's ship to give to sailors as a gift.