Pre-K Newsletter for the Week of 
November 16-20 
 
   

This week in pre-k, we continued our look at the solar system, and learned a little bit about space travel. We learned a great deal about the outer planets; Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus. We also learned about the dwarf planets, Ceres, Eris, and Pluto; the kids loved reading the book Poor Pluto! and learned about how Pluto was downgraded from planet to dwarf planet in 2006. On Tuesday, we went out onto the playground and drew a picture of the sun and the orbital paths of the inner planets using sidewalk chalk; then the kids took turns pretending to be planets orbiting the sun. Then we talked about how the Earth is always spinning on its axis as well as traveling around the sun; a few of the kids tried to spin and orbit simultaneously, and found that it was dizzying work. We also took this opportunity to ask the children why they thought that the outer planets took so much longer to orbit the sun; our class decided that it took a long time because the circles (orbits) get bigger the farther a planet is from the sun. Later in the week we learned a little bit about space travel, the space shuttle, and the hubble space telescope. During morning circle, we even watched a video of the shuttle taking off and leaving the Earth's atmosphere; the kids had a great time counting down to launch along with mission control! We learned about astronauts and everyday life on the international space station, and the kids thought it was hilarious that scientists have taken so many different types of animals into space; they were especially surprised to learn that jellyfish have been in space! 
 

Monday: On monday we talked about the planet Mars, we learned that Mars is a rocky planet with two moons, Phobos and Diemos. Several unmanned spacecraft have travelled to Mars to take pictures and send back information so that we can learn more about the planet. During circle we opened the letter I bag and sang our letter I song, counted the calendar, and checked the weather. At the art table we used cardboard rounds and glitter paint to create our own planets! The children had a wonderful time painting their planets and then naming them, we had a few Jupiters, and Saturns; a Planet Biddles; The Color Planet; Planet Sam Cat; Planet Earth; and a Planet Nintendo Jupiter!

Books we read: Mars, National Geographic: The 11 Planets, and The Guys From Space

Tuesday: Today our focus was on the planet Jupiter, the first of the gas giants. Jupiter is a giant ball of gas and liquid with little, if any, solid surface. Instead, the planet's surface is composed of dense red, brown, yellow, and white clouds. The clouds are arranged in light-colored areas called zones and darker regions called belts that circle the planet parallel to the equator. We also learned that although Jupiter is the largest of the planets it is so light, that it could float in water. We also learned that Jupiter has a huge storm on its surface called The Great Red Spot Which has been raging for at least 300 years!

At the art table we started making our space bottles. The kids used funnels, glitter, stars, oil, and colored water to create interesting space-like compositions inside of recycled water bottles! During circle time we sang the song "eight planets", counted the calendar, and practiced the sign language alphabet.

Books we read: Jupiter, Destination Jupiter, and Blast Off!

Wednesday: Today we focused on Saturn. We learned that Saturn is the second largest planet.  Saturn has seven thin, flat rings around it. The rings are made up of ice particles that travel around the planet. The gleaming rings make Saturn one of the most beautiful objects in the solar system. At the art table the children were able to make hanging paper plate Saturns with colored rings. During circle time we counted the calendar, checked the weather, and sang, "I know the planets."

Thursday: We talked about the planet Uranus, and learned that: Uranus is a giant ball of gas and liquid, and the farthest planet in the solar system that can be seen with the naked eye. We also learned that Uranus is colder then the other gas giants, and is sometimes called an ice giant. At the art table today we decided to have free art with clay. The children chose to make a variety of objects; everything from planets and moons, to mice and pancakes. The children had a great time sculpting with clay and are all eager to try again soon! During circle we made a list words beginning with the letter I, counted the calendar, and sang the song "Blast Off".

Books we read: Uranus, Can You Hear a Shout In Space, Eyewitness: Space Travel, and The International Space Station.

Friday:  Neptune. Papier mache solar system. Different sized balloon or other forms for each planet. The kids we able to add to any planet they chose,  and worked hard to cover each balloon with newspaper. On Monday we will paint the solar system and then hang them in our classroom for the rest of the year!

During circle time we read a great book, Jimmy Zangwow's Out-of-This-World Moon-Pie Adventure which Jack Twining Freeman brought to share, the kids all loved the story, especially the hungry monster!

 
Thanks and Reminders: 

* There IS school for kids on Monday, November 23, but NO SCHOOL for the remainder of that week.

* We will return to school Monday, November 30, but there will be NO SCHOOL Friday, December 4. It is a Teacher Planning Day.

* We are working hard to find a solution for the families who will be out of town during conferences; thank you for your patience and understanding.