Banana's Class

   Hello Banana's Families, It is hard to believe this is almost our last blog post for the school year! We started our last unit of the year in the Bananas class this week and started learning about Summer. Take a look below for some of the things we did!  Our dramatic play center was transformed into a Beach! We added various materials to the center where the children could engage in play as if they were playing on the beach, swimming in the water, shopping at beach stores, and more! In the block center we added pictures of various pools and water parks and encourage the friends to construct their own pool or water park.  In the science center, the friends were able to explore various types of seashells! The friends used magnifying glasses, scales, and other senses to explore these shells. Our favorite thing was being able to hear the ocean in the shells! In table toys this week the friends counted using watermelon seeds! The friends were encourage to count ea...

  Getting Ready for Kindergarten/Pre-Kindergarten This week in the Banana's Class we explored the topic of Kindergarten/Pre-Kindergarten by engaging in various activities and centers around the classroom.    In the block center the friends used various blocks in the center to build different types of schools and classrooms. Some of the friends used the blocks to build the elementary school that they would be going to while others used different blocks to build Frankie Lemmon School. The friends also used small manipulative in the tables toys center to build their own classroom and schools. In the art center the friends engaged in a water color painting activity where they were encouraged to paint a elementary school/preschool. While creating their schools, many of the friends shared what they look forward to the most with the upcoming school year; most of them are ready for the play ground and slide!  In the table toys center the friends engaged in two diffe...

Sports/Balls Week 2 This week we continued learning about and exploring various sports/balls in different ways around the classroom! This week also ended up being a surprisingly short week but we managed to fit in many activities related to our theme.  We continued to have The Banana's Sports Store in the dramatic play center but added a bowling alley to the center. The children learned various aspects of bowling like how to set up the pins, how to take score, and the materials/equipment needed when bowling. In our table toys and literacy center the children engaged in activities where they sorted various balls to the sport that they were associated with. They also used their classification skills to identify some materials and equipment needed for different sports. In the art table the children created sports balls patterns using pom pom balls, q tips, and paint. They created and extended their own patterns while completing this activity. The children continued to build various ra...

Sports/Balls This week we began talking about different types of sports and balls and have had a full week of  exploring and learning through activities and play! Blocks In the block center, the children using the blocks in the center and constructed various types of ramps to race different balls on. The friends investigated how different heights and textures can effect how fast or slow the ball will travel down the ramp.  Dramatic Play The dramatic play center was transformed into a Sports Shop where the children engaged in various roles of play as employee and customer. I think most of the friends liked to be the customer so that they could try many of the sports equipment and balls out before buying!  Table Toys  In table toys this week, the children were encouraged to match, create and/or extend patterns using various types of sports balls. The friends worked so hard to create their own unique patterns. Art In the art center the friends were able to design thei...