Dear Parents,
We began our week making a list of pets we know. Many children named their own pets first. One person said his dog had died and so he was extinct, like the dinosaurs. We talked about how we feel when our pets die. Someone said it was sad.
We asked what do our pets need? The children listed everything in our book What Do We Need, and more. They said pets need water, food, a walk, love, a home, to be petted, a dog bowl, a cat bowl, a park, and for you to let them lick you.
After reading books about dogs and wolves we played a wild animal game. We worked in groups of four using bingo boards with pictures of animals. We listened to a tape with the animal sounds and matched them with their pictures. We heard elephant, rattlesnake, lion, hyena, cobra, and zebra sounds.
We talked about the difference between domestic and wild animals. The children knew not to go near a wild animal, and that the wild animals are scared of us too.
In the big room we played Mr. Wolf, What Time Is It? It’s a game of practicing listening, counting, taking turns, and running. It involves wolves and some sheep for dinner.
On Wednesday, we played another animal bingo game while half the class was tumbling with Casey. The children identified animals in four different habitats. The next day we sorted all our play animals into groups by animal, and then into bigger groups by habitat. We had farm, jungle, savanna, and forest animals.
In the yard we have been swinging up a storm, digging down in the sandbox, and noticing buds on our tree. On Friday, we saw our first bumblebee. Someone said, "Don't try to smash it," and then told us the story of how she did that one time and got stung.
Have a warm spring weekend,
Therese