IED PRE-K NEWSLETTER

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 1-5    

This week in Pre-K we continued our look at the world of the dinosaurs; the week was made especially exciting due to recent developments in the field of paleontology. We learned that many of the dinosaurs may have been warm-blooded, and feathered rather than scaly and cold-blooded like reptiles. We also learned that scientists have also found recent evidence about dinosaur pigmentation; rather than being muted colors, some may have been bright oranges, reds, and bold black and whites. We also talked about the differences in dinosaur teeth, and looked at pictures of the teeth of both carnivores, and herbivores. After looking at a model of a T-rex tooth, and discussing what it ate; we tried to see how many Pre-K kids could fit within its jaws. The jaws of the T-rex were about 4 feet across, and we were able to fit eight children inside the jaws of our Tyrannosaurus! Later in the week we made our own dinosaur fact book; written and illustrated by our class, built salt dough volcanoes and talked about extinction theories,  cracked open our dinosaur eggs, and had a question and answer day where the children decided the topics for the day. In the sensory table the kids had access to sand, an assortment of dinos, and a water filled lagoon (bowl); and Sam S., Landon, and Trevor helped to transform the dramatic play area into a dinosaur cave complete with volcano!    

Our special person of the week was Scarlet! We learned that Scarlet is four years old, and has brown hair, and blue eyes. When Scarlet grows up she would like to be a farmer, and have lots of animals. She likes dogs, cats, and dinosaurs; but she does not like babies or getting shots. If Scarlet had three wishes, she would wish for: A pet dog, a pet cat, and a pet dinosaur. After reading Scarlet's book on Friday, the class sang "Old McScarlet Had a Farm" it was great fun!

Monday

Special activity:

Person of the week Books

Suggested BooKs:

Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs (scholastic), Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed  

Tuesday

Art activity:

Paper Dino tails, Materials: large sheet of construction or butcher paper, crayons/markers, yarn, and hole punch.

Books:

Littlest Dinosaur, Dinosaur Discoveries  

Wednesday

Special activity:

Making a dinosaur fact book. 

Books:

How Big Were the Dinosaurs?, Dinosaur Train, Danny The Dinosaur

Thursday

Special Activity:

Play dough or paper mache volcanoes; materials: newspaper, starch, bowls, water, vinegar baking soda, food coloring. If you are making individual playdough volcanoes, each child will need a large lump of playdough and a paper plate. Once the volcanoes are complete, the children can add the ingredients for the mock eruption.

Prior to the activity, talk to the children about the meaning of the word "extinct" read about several of the mass extinction theories and talk about the fact that one of the ways scientist think the dinosaurs may have gone extinct was caused by a large volcanic explosion which shot ash and gases into the air, which may have kept sunlight from reaching the Earth, and changed the climate making it difficult for the dinosaurs to find food.

Books:

What Happened to the Dinosaurs,   The Last Dinosaur  

Friday

Art Activity:

Completing volcanoes, dinosaur coloring sheets, and pictures for Scarlet's person of the week book.

Books:

I Dreamt I was A Dinosaur, Dinosaur Train