Directed Drawing:Turkeys Kinderpond Style

I did these directed drawings

within small groups.

I have two small groups. 

I drew a circle/oval in the middle of the paper.

Then I went around the table and 

had one child give me a color.

I drew the feathers that color.

Then around again for what kind of lines 

we should use to decorate the feathers.

Then we added the eyes, beak, waddle, and legs.

This child's photo is there if

you look very closely.

Here was group two:

Thanksgiving

 We start all of our units with a letter. The kids love opening letters!

These letters get the children excited about the new unit. It introduces new words. These word cards then go into the writing center. 

Same centers this week with the addition of this muffin game.

You could add a number cube. Then roll both the color and number of muffins.

I couldn't find a use for those turkeys until I got this game out.

This was my transition activity.

I use transition activities to space out

our hand washing time.

Sometimes it's verbal.

In this case, I put the cards out on the table upside down.

I called on the children to come and pick up a card.

They flipped the card and put a turkey on the shape that matched.

When I have a "game" that doesn't have as many pieces,

I stop near the end of the "game" and add those used 

pieces back so they can be picked again.

After we play this "game" I put it in centers, so they can play it again!

The following week is short, we are out Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving.

Our morning bins are: 

*scissor skills

*monthly self-portraits

* name puzzles

Trace with a highlighter for our monthly scissor skills practice:

These name puzzles are from HERE.  We are going to practice spelling our names and then we will glue them to make a name tent for our Thanksgiving feast. This is harder than you think for 4/5-year-olds!

The kids loved putting their names up... but they kept falling down grrrrrrr.

Our monthly family projects

(PS I do have more kids)

We did a directed drawing.

Like step by step. We are still working :)

You can get fancy and add different 

patterns for the feathers.

In one small group, we made these pie slices.

I cut paper plates into quarters. 

I added pumpkin pie spices to the paint. 

We painted the crust brown and the pie orange.

 I punched holes in the pie and the 

tag and attached them with pipe cleaners!!! 

The tag came from @polka.dots.please.

Grab the printable HERE.

This is a fabulous book to read before you

paint the children's hands!

November Nutrition and Thanksgiving

 Our month finishes up with talking about nutrition and Thanksgiving. Do you ever start planning your lessons and then go see what you have??!?!?!?!

I want to be that teacher that is super organized that can just pull out the labeled box or boxes and be ready to go?  That is my goal this year!  So far so good. :)

I am still buying new materials, but I also need to use what I've used in the past.

Food related ;) 

You try to pick out the spaghetti without dropping the Yeti in the bowl.

Donut erasers and counting cards

and patterns

Cookie letters and letter matching sheets.

This blue fabric stove goes over a chair.

Pop the Pig game

you pick a hamburger and read that number

and mush (is that a real word?)

down his head until his belt flings open.

Magnetic Center #1

This is a My plate.

In the green container (from Dollar Tree)

The children match where the foods go. 

Letter stringing M&M's

This felt picnic basket: I hand out foods and 

make up a story to go along with the foods.

When I get to that piece of food, the kids put 

them where they go.

Sometimes I have had some children

tell the story instead of me! 

Popcorn letters

Pick a piece of popcorn 

and say the letter.

Magnetic Center#1

My fridge phonics

Mr Potato Heads of course!

I think these are Melissa and Doug

sandwich pieces.

I also have cards on a ring,

for the children to try to build that 

sandwich.

Here is one of many balance toys from Target.

This one is missing the grapes (if you were a 4 year old, 

where would you hide them???)

Here are some lacing cards also from Target.

Lacing foods :)

More felt sets from Target.

Here is the sorting pie.

You can sort by food type or color. 

There's a guide on the bottom.

But wait!!!!!!!! There's more! lol

3 part puzzles from Target

3 balance toys from Target

Here are all the centers we had-

we also have the library and blocks open too!

All hands on as well!

Books available

more books lol

On day 1 that I introduced these it was during circle time.

The children got to blindly pick a magnet and place it

in the correct part of our plate.

When I brought this out again, 

it was for journal time.

We drew our favorites from each food groups.

In our science center

all about our bodies