You love dogs. This goes to support my belief that you are either born a cat or dog person. While you also love our cats and they like you ever so much more than River, there is something special about the way your Nana's skittish dog wasn't afraid of you. The way he would let you grip his head in both his hands and sit in his crate with him even though he would run laps to get away from your brother and wouldn't enter the house if he could see Daddy anywhere around. You still approach random strange dogs or try to follow them. You seem to have this innate love of animals and a respect for their bodies. They seem to know it too. Except the squirrels who run in a deranged and panicky manner whenever you shriek with joy and point one out. 
This was an interesting lesson. A man from the car dealership came right at the end. I had to sign some papers and would not have a chance to drive 30 plus minutes to do so before we left for Georgia.
We got this car in place of my very small Nissan Versa. It seats six. So the only thing standing between me and a third child is not being ready yet (physically or financially) and the reluctant, resistant husband. It's also wonderful for all the traveling we do to see family. It allows me to cart around extra kids other than my own and/or extra friends and family members. Jason told me it is considered a hipster car. Sigh.. I can't help what I am, I suppose.
This is what my little hipster-mobile looks like. I call her Ruby. Alas, she already had streaks of animal crackers laced with drool on the inside of her windows.
Back to my story...
So this tall dude from the dealership shows up right at the end of preschool. Thankfully, he loved kids. He waited and participated in the last ten minutes of preschool. Afterwards he told me that he thought it would be dull to come by and watch me sign papers. Instead, he had a lot of fun talking to the kids. Then we talked for a bit about our children while the boys began to climb my furniture and wrestle on the floor. I swear they wait till I am distracted just so they can have testosterone inspired mini wars. Boys... *eye roll*
For show and tell River shared a "Thor" card.
While I love teaching, I have over a month off as I have been teaching more than usual to fill in for a mom who had a baby this fall. With River's birthday and traveling for Christmas, I'm glad to have the time off from lesson planning and having my home overrun with active little boys.
I'm looking forward to covering "Ocean Life" in the new year!
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Thanksgiving, Lesson Three
Friday, November 18th
1. Circle Time
-Hello Song
-Calendar (count days)
-Calendar (Season)
-Weather
-Count days with popsicle sticks
-Review schedule for the day
-Review Topic, Read Thanksgiving
2. Photos
Share images from the book, Giving Thanks
3. Craft
Placemat with handprint
First read the poem and discuss rhyming words. Have a big version written on the board.
4. Reading
Turkey Day!
5. Songs
I'm a Little Turkey
(to the tune of I'm a Little Teapot)
I'm a little turkey
Fluffy and brown Rub Tummy
My wings flip-flop
When I turn around Flap arms
I have lots of feathers,
On my back Bend down and wave hands over back
And a big orange beak Use hands to clap
That goes "click clack"
Did You Ever See a turkey
(to the tune of "Did you ever see a lassie")
Did you ever see a turkey, a turkey, a turkey
As he struts around the farmyard with feathers so bright?
With red ones and brown ones and yellow ones and orange ones,
Did you ever see a turkey with feathers so bright?
*Reinforce color recognition with this song. In advance, cut out a class supply of red, brown, yellow, and orange construction paper feathers. Give each child one feather. As the class sings the song have each child hold up his feather when the color is mentioned.
Thanksgiving Day
(to the tune of row, row, row your boat)
The Pilgrims sailed away,
Far across the sea.
They came to America
So they could be free.
The Native Americans
Helped them plant the corn.
Then they shared a great big feast,
Thanksgiving Day was born!
4. Snack
7. Math"Th"/Journal
Worksheet
What learned this week.
8. Conclusion
Review what learned and share journals with class
Show and Tell for week
Asking questions gets the students involved in learning. We took lots of breaks to talk about the books and to ask, "Have you ever done that?" and "What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?".
Once again, the craft was very popular. They loved being able to share what they were thankful for. Some of them picked things right on the table--a glue stick, a crayon, the ability to color. All of them mentioned family--though never siblings! River was very set on naming as his friends and later, Diego.
I was surprised by how much the students liked "churning butter". I poured one cup of heavy whipping cream into a mason jar and added a handful of glass marbles. I set the timer for five minutes and went first--shaking the jar. Each boy got to shake for one minute. By the end we could all feel how the cream had thickened. The marbles had almost stopped rattling around completely. We opened the jar and looked at our butter. I added some salt and let each child stir. Then I spread a half slice of bread with our butter for each child. Some wanted seconds! They loved the fact that they were eating something they had made!
Today I had the opportunity to really help a student with his cutting. The older boys all cut with one hand and hold the scissors correctly, but this child has been cutting with two hands. I showed him how to hold the scissors and held the paper while I helped him cut out shapes. His smile was proud and excited. It's so hard to give just one child, out of a mere four, individual attention. At this age, they really need one-on-one. One of the benefits of running a community preschool with other mothers is that we can work on school skills in a small, safe environment that is more likely to allow each child the one-on-one they need to develop skills for kindergarten and the confidence needed to be successful in a crowded school room.
At the end River was able to pass out his birthday invitations. He was upset that he didn't have one for himself. And so, I found an extra and gave him an invitation to his own birthday party.
Can you believe he is almost four?
I know, I can't.
*
Thanksgiving, Lesson Two
Wednesday, November 16th
1. Circle Time
-Hello Song
-Calendar (count days)
-Calendar (Season)
-Weather
-Count days using popsicle sticks
-Review schedule for the day
-Review letter blend TH and topic
Build puzzle
Talk about what we learn yesterday
Read, The story of The Pilgrims
2. Song
Turkey and Dressing
(Are You Sleeping?)
Turkey and dressing,
Turkey and dressing.
Pumpkin pie! Pumpkin pie!
Everyone is humming.
Thanksgiving Day is coming!
Yum, yum, yum!
Yum, yum, yum!
Over the River and Through the Woods (Book)
3. Craft
Thanksgiving is about being thankful for what we have. What are you thankful for?
Cornucopia craft/what are you thankful for
4. Reading
My Thanksgiving
5. Snack Science (Churning Butter)
Ask, what do you do when you want some butter for your toast?
The pilgrims couldn't do that. They had no refrigerator and no stores. So them made there own.
Show student a youtube video of someone churning butter
Have students make their own butter.
7. Cutting
robot shape cutting sheet
9. Summary/Conclusion
Read a book for fun. (Dora's Thanksgiving and The Giving Tree)
Review with jellybeans what talked about today.
Homework handout--Turkey Maze
Goodbye song
It is difficult to teach preschool age children about history. They don't have a good understanding of time. Speaking about "a long time ago" can be very confusing to them. I know this from River. He often asks, "Where was I before I was born?" or "Where were the people when dinosaurs were around?" The fact that something in his current world did not exist baffles him. Comparing Colonial Times to camping seemed to help the boys grasp what life might have been like before. We also made good use of pictures of how people dressed and what their homes looked like.
Opening children's minds to other cultures is something to see. One student was shocked that a man (a Native American man) could have long hair "like a girl". I also heard, "So, if Native American shoot deer to eat, they must be bad guys?" Which led to a whole digression about where our food comes from.
By far, their favorite part of the lesson was the craft. This is a big change from September when they all would groan and I'd hear a chorus of, "I don't like doing crafts!" As long as creativity is allowed, these boys talk happily with each other as they craft away.
I also see improvement in their abilities to count and recognize numbers. For Math I first conducted a mini lesson where I used Popsicle sticks to be fence posts. I talked about how lightning hit a fence post and we took one away. How many did we have now? I asked. We added to and took away fence posts--playing with the terminology of simple addition and subtraction. I wanted them to see it happening.
I noticed that most of the student are fisting their pencils. I tried to move their grip, but they went right back to fisting their markers. This is something we will have to continue to work on.
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Colonial Times/Thanksgiving, Lesson One
Monday, November 14th
1. Circle Time
-Hello Song
-Calendar (count days)
-Calendar (Season)
-Weather
-Count days with popsicle sticks
-Review schedule for the day
-Review letters (B, A, G, F, H, D, C, S and P)
Have letters written on the board. Review what is what, big/capital and little/lowercase and sounds
Say letter and toss ball to student. When they get the ball they must make the sound.
Have students think of words that begin with the letters on the board.
-Introduce letters of the week, the blend, (TH) by making sound.
"Does anyone know what letters this is?" Open the mystery bag and look at letters. Talk about what it looks like, what words start with it.
-Introduce Topic, Colonial Times
Have you ever gone camping? What was it like without electricity? How did you cook your food? Was it dark?
Long ago, people lived a lot like you did when you were camping. We're going to talk about that time a bit this week.
It is called Colonial Times.
2. Native Americans
Show students a map of our country
Tell them how a long long time ago, before this land was called the USA, it looked very different. Covered in forests. No cities and not as many people. No cars, television or electricity. Life was very different for the people who lived there. We now call them Native Americans.
Use the book, "What you preschooler needs to know to talk to them about this topic.
Show, a youtube video of Native American dance and costumes
3. Writing
T worksheet and have children practice h's on back to make a t & h
4. Pilgrims come to America
Use the book, What your preschooler needs to know to talk about how the pilgrims came to America.
Use map to show students how the pilgrims came across the ocean and where they settled.
Sing, row row row your boat.
Show them images of houses the settlers built here in book, Life in the Thirteen Colonies
Game, Blind Man's Bluff (Use book Colonial Days)
5. Churning Butter (forgot heavy cream so we did some math sheets instead!)
Ask, what do you do when you want some butter for your toast?
The pilgrims couldn't do that. They had no refrigerator and no stores. So them made there own.
Show student a youtube video of someone churning butter
Have students make their own butter.
6. Snack
7. Reading
This is the Feast
Tell, "And we still celebrate Thanksgiving today."
Ask, "What do you do for Thanksgiving?"
Ask, "What do you eat?"
8. Craft
Show picture of a real turkey in book, Happy Thanksgiving
Read students a Turkey poem
Paper plate Turkey with clothes pins and paint
9. Read
Sesame Street Thanksgiving
10. Summary/Conclusion
Pass out JellyBeans for the following review.
"What letter blend did we learn about today?"
"What sound does 'th' make?"
"What people lived here first a long long time ago?"
"How did the Pilgrims get to America?"
Explain and hand out homework
(as a variation I had one student hand out the homework to everyone else. At first we had them find their own in the mailbox--testing their recognition of their own names. Having one student hand them out I actually got to see him use his phonics to give out homework to his friends.)
T is for Turkey
Goodbye song
The creation of Chocolate Saver--defender of children's chocolates everywhere and his arch nemesis, Chocolate Stealer. 
