Costello Building Blocks- Weekly Happenings: October 20-24, 2014

Description KDIs

Small
Group
Activities
1. Rubber Band Boards:
Children were given geometric boards and rubber bands and
asked to find ways to put their rubber bands on the board.
The children had a great time and were very engaged in
finding all sorts of way to do this (by making shapes,
randomly, sorting by color of rubber bands, etc.
Approaches to Learning: initiative, engagement, reflection, planning, problem
solving, reflection
Social/Emotional: self-identity, sense of competence, community
Physical: fine motor skills
Language/Literacy: comprehension, speaking, vocabulary
Math: counting, number words, shapes, spatial awareness, part-whole
relationships, data analysis, patterns
Science: observing, experimenting, drawing conclusions, communicating ideas
2. Lacing Cards:
Children were given lacing cards and lacing strings. The
teachers helped to demonstrate how a lacing card works and
then gave children the opportunity to try. Many of them
were very successful in weaving their string in and out to
each hole.
Approaches to Learning: initiative, engagement, reflection, planning, problem
solving, reflection
Social/Emotional: self-identity, sense of competence, community
Physical: fine motor skills
Language/Literacy: comprehension, speaking, vocabulary
Math: counting, number words, shapes, spatial awareness, part-whole
relationships, data analysis, patterns
Science: observing, experimenting, drawing conclusions, communicating ideas
3. Letter Dotting + Fall Words: Continuing our focus on
alphabetic knowledge and phonological awareness, we
practiced tracing the shapes of letters with q-tips and paint.
Children used their q-tip with paint on it to dot along the
outline of the letter they were working on. Children were
also asked to identify the letters that they were given and
each letters sound. Each letter also had a picture
accompanying it (ex. The S had a squirrel), children were
asked if they knew why that particular picture was with that
particular letter (because squirrel starts with s).
Approaches to Learning: initiative, planning, engagement, use of resources,
reflection
Social/Emotional: self-identity, sense of competence, community,
Language: comprehension, speaking, vocabulary
Physical: fine motor
Math: spatial awareness, counting, patterns
Creative: art
Science: communicating ideas, tools
Social Studies: diversity
4. Counting Forward 1-10 & Backward 10-1: Using a song by
Dr. Jean we practiced our counting by counting forward from
1-10 and then backward from 10-1. We did this several times
as a group and then each child was given the opportunity to
sing it on their own if they wanted to.

Approaches to Learning: initiative, engagement, reflection
Social & Emotional: sense of competence, community, self-identity
Physical: fine motor, large motor
Language: comprehension, speaking, vocabulary
Math: number words and symbols, counting
Creative: music
Science: communicating ideas









Costello Building Blocks- Weekly Happenings: October 20-24, 2014



5. Ghosts: Getting in the Halloween spirit, children used various
materials to create their own spooky (or not so spooky)
ghost!

Approaches to Learning: initiative, planning, engagement, use of resources,
reflection
Social/Emotional: self-identity, sense of competence, community
Physical: fine motor, body awareness
Language: comprehension, speaking, vocabulary, book knowledge
Math: number words, counting, part whole relationships
Creative: art
Science: communicating ideas
Social Studies: diversity, decision making
Large
Group
Songs, Fingerplays & Activities:

Song Artist
Birthdays Jack Hartmann
Seven Days of the Week Jack Hartmann
The Itsy Bitsy Spider Jack Hartmann
Silly Willies Greg & Steve
Learning Letter Sounds Jack Hartmann
Put Your Finger On Parachute Express
Witches Brew Dr. Jean
Your Face
Scamper
ABC Bones
Had a Little Rooser
5 Little Pumpkins Fingerplay
Head & Shoulders Baby Jack Hartmann
The Freeze Greg & Steve
Listen & Move Greg & Steve

Discussion-

Rhymes: What makes a rhyme? Things that rhyme vs. things that
dont rhyme

Seasons: What is a season? What types of thing do we do and see in
the Fall? What happens to the trees? The temperature? What types of
things do we wear in the fall?


Approaches to Learning: engagement
Social/Emotional: sense of competence, community
Physical: gross motor skills, fine motor skills, body awareness
Language/Literacy: comprehension, speaking, vocabulary, phonological
awareness
Math: number words and symbols, counting, part-whole relationships
Creative: music, movement
Social Studies: diversity

Costello Building Blocks- Weekly Happenings: October 20-24, 2014

Literature: Book Title Author
My Little Sister Ate One Hare Bill Grossman
The Haunted House that Jack
Built
Helaine Becker
I Know an Old Lady Rose Bonne
Good Morning Farm Lori Reiser
The Farmer and the Soup Freya Littledale
The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin Margaret Wise Brown
A is for Autumn Rober Maass
Fall Mixed Up Bob Raczka




Language & Literacy: comprehension, speaking, vocabulary, phonological
awareness, alphabetic knowledge, concepts about print, book knowledge
Sensory
Table

Colorful rice, pumpkins, scoops and pans


Approaches to Learning: initiative, planning, engagement, problem solving
Social/Emotional: self-identity, sense of competence, emotions, community,
cooperative play, conflict resolution
Physical: fine motor, body awareness
Creative: pretend play
Science: experimenting, communicating ideas, natural and physical world, tools

What
were
working
on at
school
that you
can work
on at
home
Coats and zippers!

Weve been working hard on becoming independent with our skills.
The children can all put on their own coats and jackets and most of
them can zip them on their own. The children that cant quite zip are
encouraged to try before a teacher assists them. You can support us
and your child at home by having them put on their own coat and
jacket when its time to go somewhere, and practice zipping it on
their own too.

Social/Emotional: self-identity, sense of competence
Physical: gross motor, fine motor, body awareness, personal care, healthy
behavior

Geometric Boards