The Mitten

This week, we have been reading the story, The Mitten, by Jan Brett. We read the story on Monday and Tuesday so that the children would have a chance to get to know it really well. Today & tomorrow, we are working on re-telling the story. It's important for students to be able to recall information, events, and important aspects of a story (title, parts of a book, author, illustrator), and characters. I am so pleased with their ability to recall & participate in the re-telling! Everyone did a great job. If your child did not get a chance to be a character today, they will tomorrow!

Here are the characters who crawled in the mitten: owl, badger, meadow mouse, bear, snowshoe rabbit, hedgehog, fox, & mole. 

In "the mitten" wearing winter hats and reading stories! 

Here's Delaney telling about her favorite character from The Mitten, and a little bit about why this character is so memorable!

Not familiar with The Mitten? You can listen to it here! 

It's starting to look a lot like Christmas!

It's starting to look a lot like Christmas in our classroom! The tree is up, and we are beginning our Christmas crafts and songs. 'Tis the season for A LOT of fun throughout the winter months. I'm not quite sure where the snow is, or when it's going to get here, but we will be ready! 

Below, Zoe & Josie practice reading winter words at the ABC center! 

Allie is playing with Christmas Clip Its at the Fine Motor center. 

She's matching Christmas clothespins to the corresponding boards. It really works the finger muscles---which will help our friends with their writing and fine motor coordination.

Today we read the story The Mitten, by Jan Brett. It's a great winter story about a boy named Nicki and his Grandmother, Baba. She knits him mittens as white as the snow, and he loses one! Forest animals find their way into the mitten for warmth, until a big sneeze makes them all fly out! Using this story, we also talked about what characters in a story are, and how to predict. Throughout the week, we will read the story over and over & work on retelling the story, too! Below, Shelby is painting a decorating a mitten at the art center!

More fine motor work at the science/sensory area! We are cracking nuts. It takes a lot of hand muscles, and the nuts inside are continuously surprising and exciting! 

'Tis the seasons for crafting! Today our students made stocking wish lists. The stocking have been hung in the classroom with care, in hopes that parents soon will be there. Feel free to stop in and see what's on your child's wish list! 

A forest of cute little pine cone Christmas trees!

Desmond and Mackenzee are at the listening center, enjoying Jolly Old St. Nicholas song/story, as well as other holiday music! 

Lately, Ethan R. works to build towers much taller than himself! It's a daily challenge, which ends at clean up time with a fulfilling knocking down of the tower! The look on his face shows how proud he is!!

Glittery, pink, peppermint playdoh is a huge hit today! Lots of "baking" happening at the playdoh center. You must might see Clara and Megan on the reality show Cupcake Wars in the future! If they win, I bet their teachers would get free cupcakes for life! 

Thank you to Mrs. Schultz, Clarabelle's mom (AM Class) for being our very first Christmas Story Reader! We loved the book Snowmen at Christmas! A few of us may be inspired to build a snow dog, and check on the snowmen in our yards in the middle of the night to see what they are up to! 

We still have MANY more openings for Christmas Story Readers this month! Please consider taking time to come in and read to us. Contact Mrs. Powell if you are interested!!