Making beautiful ART together!

 Our classroom had a go at cutting circles last week as part of September's studies. We each cut our circles of different sizes and colors and glued them onto a square. When brought together, these individual works became one big masterpiece, somewhat replicating Wassily Kandinsky's work "Farbstudie Quadrate", or "Squares with Concentric Circles".  Here is the Russian expressionist's famous piece, circa 1913-

And here is the Saint Paul Parochial School Pre-K's work of art, circa last week-

 

See what I mean- BEAUTIFUL job, Preschoolers!

 

 

MAY 2012 BOOK REVIEWS

   Preschool Classroom Top Picks

Vivian- Goldilicious by Victoria Kann
Sullivan- Farm Tractors by Matt Doeden
Mardella- Oh, The Places You Will Go by Dr. Suess and Alphabears by Katherine Hague
Kenneth- No Excuses by Dr. Wayne Dyer 
Kelsey- Mermaid's Bracelet by Patricia McCarthy
Miles- A Step Into Reading book,  Race Around the World by Disney
Sierra- Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky
Grady- Scooby-Doo and the Ghastly Giant by Jesse Leon McCann
Cora- The If You Give A Mouse A Cookie Treasury by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond
Grant- Busy Boats by Peter Lippman
Diego- Burger Boy by Alan Durant  and Eight Silly Monkeys Ill. by Steve Haskamp
Franklin- Baker, Baker, Cookie Maker (Sesame Street) by Linda Hayward
Mikayla- Princess Jeweliana's Party by Allia Zobel

Our oral book review week was a success! Instead of a toy or other Show-and-Share item that week, I had the students bring in a favorite book to discuss and recommend. In some cases, it turned out to be a book they could read already, or had heard so many times they could recount the story page by page. Almost all of the children told about how they use their books for quiet time or just before bedtime. I liked hearing their stories about getting comfortable and winding down with a book! Loving stories and placing value on the written word (and compelling illustrations) is a great way to motivate a child to learn to read.

I love these colorful birds in our classroom window. Made with black construction paper and colorful tissue paper, they were the perfect way to warm up for our day last Tuesday. It provided a little fine-motor practice and helped build our skills in following instructions. I like them so much, think I'll have the children make some every Spring.

                                          THE LOVE OF JESUS IS BLOOMING IN US!
It's a little difficult to see in this photo, but the lunchroom was decorated with tulips made by each of the Preschool students' hand prints. If you get a chance, I recommend that you pop in and check them out!
                                                  "Where flowers bloom so does hope."

Every year during Spring Break, the killdeer come to nest on the St Paul Parochial School playground. Not just one, mind you, there's always two and possibly three nests placed there along a fenceline. This always ends badly for the killdeer! When the children return from break, they return in full force, screaming, laughing, running, and often trodding on the nests breaking the killdeer's eggs. As many of us know, the killdeer nests on the ground and then goes to great lengths to draw people and predators away from the nest by pretending to be hurt or injured. The problem is that the eggs are cleverly camouflaged and look just like the gravel and bark chips. It's not the students' fault. Given the choices of places they nest, it's a wonder this bird isn't extinct!
The Preschool discussed it as a group and decided to make this year different. We got some shiny tape and silver curling ribbon and went to work making an elaborate bird deterrent to keep them away. We practiced knot-tying and made streamers on the tape. It was an excellent bit of teamwork, I could almost hear the theme song to "Rocky" while they worked, a truly applaudable group effort. Sadly, the day we were to put it up, Preschool was called off due to snow. I went to the school the following Saturday to install our creation on the playground myself. It was glorious, if I do say so.

A few days later I returned to the playground to see how our project was faring. Unfortunately, the tape had disappeared! What's worse, and what really made me panic, is that I could see some killdeer in their favorite nesting spots running and calling. Not a good sign. I so hoped they hadn't already made a nest! I didn't want to be the one to tell the class that our efforts had failed. So I got more tape, hastily put it up, and this time had the sense to include a sign explaining it's purpose. Thankfully I did not spy a nest or eggs (although the killdeer did seem anxious.) This is how it looked when I was done. (below) Nowhere near as elaborate as the original!

When we all returned, refreshed from Spring Break, I explained to the children that the original tape disappeared, but I had replaced it with a sub-standard effort of my own. During recess we examined it to make sure it was sound. Satisfied, we continued with playtime. (And believe it or not, it was beautiful that day, sunny and clear, warm, the way we imagine Spring to be.) Right before I called the children in to line up, I looked at a nest a robin had been working on before break. The robin had clearly been very industrious, because the nest was complete. It was made on a drainpipe that ran under the eaves of the school and along the building to the ground. What caught my eye, though, was, as one of my students Grant put it, the "decoration" the bird used on the nest. That robin had somehow found some of our curling ribbon and used it in it's nest! That suddenly made it OK, that the original tape was used for another bird, for a different reason. As Grady, another student, said, "I'm glad the robin could use it!"

LEPRECHAUN TRAP EXPOSE' 2012

    The Preschool students share their home-made Leprechaun Trap designs with Mrs. Fessenden's 3rd/4th grade class.

                                               Mikayla explains the "Party Trap".

                         Grant had an audience when he showed  his "Fall-Away-Floor" trap.

Sullivan had fun making his trap with Lucky Charms and sticky glue.

A Leprechaun would have to be very quick to escape Kenny's trap.

 

                                      Diego is pretty sure camouflage is the way to go.

                                     Gold, gold, gold! Vivian knows they like shiny things.

Mardella describing the rope and tube the Leprechaun must go through to reach the gold.

The older children had a LOT of questions!

It's a good thing we know so much about Leprechauns and how to catch them!