Trucks

We made trucks today. We read a book called 'Trucks roll' by George Ella Lyon.

We talked about the different parts to a truck or semi, and then started creating our own. We had the cab, the trailer, the wheels, and talked about what trucks carry....and why. We glued, cut, and tore tape. Miss Olivia went and got the book so she could give everyone helpful tips on what to put on their truck. Great investigating!

Masterpiece...

Quincy is workin' hard...double fisted and everything. When he gets too much paint he stands back a little and watches it drip down the paper. And he makes sure to use the whole piece of paper....reaching really high to get to the top.
This is Quincys view.... This is my view.....

Climber makes it up front

New big/little toy up front!! So exciting! This was in our backyard for...well, forever, and we would switch off back and forth. Front yard/back yard. FINALLY, I made my family take it apart and pull it up front. We (or I should credit Paul) cut the legs to make it a little shorter and we (he) added another slide. It is so much easier for the little ones to climb on. The only thing missing is the swings. We might add a tire swing....we are just trying to figure out space. Anyway...the kids love climbing (duh) and I love the fact we can climb, play in the sand box, and ride bikes all at the same time!

"all about me" week

we painting feet....we used Q-tips to paint with.
We watercolored 'Friends'....

And this....pardon the artwork.....is us telling stories. Connor and Olivia were telling me who to draw and how to draw them. then they were telling me stories about them. It was a pretty fun activity.....See PaPa with his mustache and a flower on his shirt.....It really bothered them that Anna was so big...I tried to explaine distance perception....but I wasn't convincing enough.
I suppose you all are on the floor in hysterics over my totally acurate and realistic representations! Have a super day!

water is a beautiful thing...

water is wet....and it makes you wet....and can be a pain sometimes. But....water is the most facinating object to children. These 2 were at the water table all week last week for the majority of the time we were outside. Here are some things your children are learning while playing with water. Scooping, pouring, measuring, small motor, scocialization, sensory exploration, observation, gravity, float vs sink, and more.....along with the fact that when it is really hot outside you can keep cool by dumping the water on you.... and when it is cold outside...well, you really don't want to get too wet because then it doesn't feel so great. They LOVE to dump out water. I try to get them to dump it in plants or on the grass....but watching the water hit and splash on the cement is just too cool. Quincy poured about 432 cup fulls of water on the sidewalk.
These are Olivias rock. She is cleaning them in the container full of water. she mixed them around. they came out all sparkely.
She filled and unfilled and filled and unfilled this bag of sand.

SO cute!

random photos

Olivia is working hard on fixing a meal for her family. Look at all the bowls...she has a big family. She is trying to get all the bowls even (good math skill)...so its fair. At one point she starts to divide the pasta shapes by color....some get red, some blue, some yellow. These two were cracking me up! They were playing hide and seek and ring around the tree. As if you couldn't see them hiding behind that little tree.

Just look at those cute little faces.....they think I am a little cooky with my camera.... awwww....where did Bryan go?
Oh...the water.

Back to school....

Back to school! We have 2 new little people joining us...WELCOME!
This is how our room is set up this week...we have a new table in the block area that will host a variety of things. Right now the train is set up for Dawson...it is his last week, and the train is his favorite. Dawson is going to stay home with his Mama and new little brother.This is our new Fort. It has a little table so the kids can climb up but for some reason that is not in the picture. There is a little window on the side for them to play puppet show, peek-a-boo, or whatever they like.Here is the Math center....this week we are counting cookies (to go along with our book 'if you take a mouse to school') and there are some school bus puzzles. Our circle time spot. Time is a very difficult concept for children to understand. At circle we talk about yesterday, today, and tomorrow. We chant the days of the week, the ABC's and we count the numbers. We talk about the weather and the kids look outside to see what is happening. We sing songs (ones we know and ones that relate to our theme) We count on the flannel board and have stories. This is where we come together as a group, talk, and get to know each other better.
We were making mice today....but mostly squeezing out glue. I set on the table 1/2 circles, eyeballs, buttons, and yarn. They just had fun gluing!
Red, Blue, and yellow, are the colors around the room right now. The sensory tub is filled with red, blue, and yellow noodles. Scooping is cool.
The light table has egg cartons with red, blue, and yellow colored water. I love the 'Colorations liquid watercolors' from http://www.discountschoolsupply.com/ . I use them to color my noodles, rice, stamp pads, playdough, and all sorts of stuff.