Newsletter Oct, 26-30, 2009
IED PRE-K NEWSLETTER FOR THE WEEK OF
OCTOBER 26-30
OCTOBER 26-30
This week was spent exploring the interesting world of arachnids. In the dramatic play area, the kids played in their spiders' lair, using a variety of spiders, web, and a few spider and insect puppets; of few of which became ensnared in our web! We started off the week by listing the things that our class already knows about spiders, which turned out to be quite a long list. Most of the kids were quite knowledgeable on the subject already, noting that spiders do not have bones, they have eight legs, and that they build webs. During group time the following day, the kids developed a list of questions that they had about spiders which informed our reading over the next several days and led to some interesting discoveries about arachnids. On Friday, we brainstormed a list of things that we had learned about spiders this week, and looked back at the things we had known about spiders just a few days ago; the class really has learned a lot. At the end of the day, we celebrated spider week by reading the book, Miss Spider's Tea Party and having a spider party! The kids all had a wonderful time making paper spider hats, decorating spidery cupcakes, and then gobbling them up!
Monday: During morning circle we read Eric Carle's Very Busy Spider and talked about the body parts of the
spider. We learned that spiders have two main body parts, encephalothorax(head) and abdomen.
At the art table the children made collages of the busy spider using pre-cut body pieces and baby spider stickers, then, children that wanted to write stories about their spiders worked with a teacher to add words. The finished spiders are hanging on the bulletin board above our dramatic play area, and they look great!
We sang the song There's a Spider On The Floor
Tuesday:
During circle time a ball of white yarn tossed back and forth and sideways to create a large spider web.
After our web was completed several children at a time took turns pretending that they were flies caught in the web. The children holding the web could feel the vibrations of the "flies" much as a real spider would.
As a special project the children will created spider webs by threading yarn across paper plates and adding a spider. During group time we sang, The silly willy spider and Five Little Pumpkins
Wednesday: We read the books: Spiders Spin Webs, Anansi The Spider, And Spiders!
We learned a poem about spiders during circle time to help us remember their unique characteristics, and drew a picture at group time by telling the teacher which body parts needed to be added to our spider, a rose hair tarantula. It had a head, abdomen, fangs, eight eyes, palps, eight legs, and even spinerettes!
At the art table the kids made lovely silver webs by drawing the spokes and spirals of a web in white
pencil on black paper and then tracing with glue and glitter, a few of the artists were quite sparkly by clean up time!
We also had oil pastels and paper available for free drawing, many of the children chose to draw spiders, webs, and a variety of prey for their spiders to eat!
Thursday:
We learned the song The Spider Spins A Web
Books we read: Spider, Spider, Eyewitness Spiders
At the art table today we made Yarn puffball Spiders. The kids even named their spiders, and at the end of the day we had a dance party with our pet spiders!
Friday: Circle Time: Read Miss Spider's Tea Party
Other books we read: Leonardo the Terrible Monster, The Spider And The Fly
After reading the story of the spider and the fly we discussed spiders as hunters, and how they have to eat insects to survive.
Special Project: Spider hats. Children will glue head and legs that they’ve accordian-
folded onto hat form, then add eyes, mouth, teeth, etc. to add character. Have The
Spider's Tea Party!
Make and eat delicious spider cupcakes.
Follow-up: During the Insects theme in the Spring, we will compare and contrast spiders
and insects to see why they’re classified as distinct.
Available all week during choice time:
Sorting insects and spiders
pictures of spiders & mag. Glass