After weeks of practice, room 9 traveling storytellers "hit the road" and went to 6 different classrooms.  We shared the classic fairy tale of "The Three Little Pigs".  This story not only had morals embedded in it, it also ties into the school-wide focus on construction.  Children in room 9 had a chance to take turns being the pig, wolf or holding one of the houses made of straw, sticks and bricks. We received standing ovations and even a special treat after our performances.  This was great practice for our next BIG performance of "The Great Kapok Tree" coming up next month. Here are some shots of the storytellers "on the road".

Love was surely in the air this Valentine's Day in room 9.  We started our day making a "love note" card for our loved one (mostly to their mommy and daddy).  After theme centers, we got into a circle and did our card swap.  The children loved passing out AND receiving cards from their classmates!!!  The fun didn't stop there… We enjoyed a yummy Valentine snack which was Menchie's yogurt out on our lanai.  

Today we had a special guest visit room 9.  He is an alumni of room 9.  He chose to read the children a story on rainforest (our topic of study) that also happened to be a book that he donated to room 9 on his 5th birthday.

Today was our 100th day of school and we had FUN!  Here are some pictures from the celebration.

Although our 100th day of school is not until Friday, we've already started to get ready for the BIG day. The children have been busy this week making 100th Day crowns to don for our festivities- they are able to express their creativity and use materials such as: sequins, stickers, glitter, foam pieces, etc. to decorate their crown, practicing writing numbers up to 100, which is such an enormous feat that when someone completes their 100's chart they ring a celebratory bell and the whole class cheers! Children learn to count to 100 in different ways and group them in sets. A fun (and delicious) way is through our 100th Day Trail Mix activity.  Children put 10 snack items (such as goldfish, wheat thins, marshmallows, raisins, etc.) in 10 different cups and then put it all together for a special snack. Each child had a checklist to make sure that they took each snack item. 

Henri Matisse, The Snail

This week, we learned about the work of the famous French artist, Henri Matisse.  Instead of duplicating his famous art piece, The Snail, the children created a construction vehicle collage in the same "drawing with scissors" technique.  This involved looking through books, selecting a construction vehicle, cutting out paper, arranging the pieces into a picture, and pasting them onto a flat surface. Matisse chose this art technique later in his career when he could no longer sculpt and paint.  With the help of his assistants, Matisse painted sheets of paper, cut out different shapes, and then arranged and pasted them down.  Here are some samples of the childrens' collages.

Today, we celebrated Chinese New Year in our classroom as well as with the entire school.  Each child in room 9 made their own Chinese New Year lion during theme centers last week.  Today, the children were able to give the lion lycee at the school-wide Chinese New Year presentation.  Some of the children already knew the phrase, "Gung Hay Fat Choy", which is the Chinese New Year greeting that means “wishing you prosperity” in Mandarin. Each year is associated with one of twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac. For 2012, it’s the Year of the Dragon.  Here are some shots from our Chinese New Year celebration.

 
This week we talked about the role of an architect. We looked at samples of blueprints and discussed how the architect plans, designs and may create small-scaled physical models to help explain where certain buildings are to be constructed.

Blue Print of My Dream School: After showing children a sample of a blueprint, Room 9 ‘arkidtects’ went to work, drawing up plans for their dream school. 

Thoughts from our aspiring architects:

“My dream school will have a huge slide going to the ground. The classrooms are right next to the ladder that takes you inside the slide. You can only go in if you have a swimming suit. In the school the kids play inside for a long time.”

"My dream school comes with a rollercoaster and a pool. You slide down the rollercoaster and then you land in the pool. Me and daddy are waiting for the rollercoaster ride and I am playing with Transformers. It will have party supplies and whenever they have a party, they take out the party supplies. The new school has new friends and star stickers. It is kinda like Disney Park and the school is Disney Park."

This semester, we've incorporated Lunch Dates to our eventful day!  Parents, it's your turn to kick up your heels and let your child become the host/hostess as he/she serves you the finest CUPS Cuisine and provides  the warmest hospitality! 

Beginning this month, we invite you to come and have a lunch date with your child and his/her friends.   Grandparents are welcome to join us too! You may read a story to the class prior to your lunch date and then be escorted by your child to a reserved seat at our lunch table. Next, your child will serve you your lunch and drink. Many parents have told us that this is the FIRST time that their child has ever served them!  Take a 'load off' and make your reservations on GoogleDocs now!!

CAUTION! CHILDREN AT PLAY!

Signs of construction surround Room 9- inside and outside of the classroom! Inside the classroom children were introduced to different types of tools used on a construction site.  Through hands-on and practical life activities such as sanding (blocks of wood), "Tool Time" BINGO, using paint rollers to paint on large butcher paper, hammering activities, experimenting with PVC pipes in the water table, sorting nuts and bolts and participating in the opening of our new dramatic play area: 'Home Depot', children are fully immersed in learning opportunities that provide relevant information so that they can apply that knowledge to real life scenarios.