Learning Centers

This week the students not only worked in their play based centers but also participated in learning centers.  Each day they worked in one math and one phonics center.

Our math centers focused on numbers 0-5.
In this center students used number lines to count links, find missing numbers and put numbers in order.

In this center students worked on number formation by using play-dough, gems and dry erase markers.

In this center students worked on sorting by putting numbers and pictures in groups and used clips to complete a counting wheel.

In this center students practiced counting using beads, buttons and corks.  They also used sticks to show different amounts.

In this center students worked with my co-teacher to make number models. First they chose a number and made it with pipe cleaners. Then they drew that amount, wrote the number word and used dots to show it in a five frame.

Our phonics centers focused on letter recognition.  In this center students used rice bags to find the hidden letters. They also matched the letters with magnets.

In this center students used sand-paint to trace their uppercase letters. Then the letters were cut into cards and sent home.

In this center students used play-dough to practice letter formation.

In this center my co-teacher played a popcorn game with the students. Students would pull out a letter from the basket then everyone would "butter" that letter on their paper.

Finally I worked with the students in the last center. They used oil pastels to write their name and add it to our word wall. Then they used name/picture cards and dry erase markers to practice writing their classmate's names.

Colors, Colors Everywhere

Since the first day of school we have been working with the students on colors.  In addition to identifying colors we also worked on identifying items in the environment that were that color, spelling color words, mixing colors, making shades and tints and we even made our own colors! The students also had a project to do at home. They had to find an object for each color and bring it to school. We used all the objects to make color collages. We had so much fun!

These our the color bulbs we made. Each time we learned a new color and color word we would put the paint in the bulb and hang it up. They really loved it when we started mixing to make secondary colors.

For each color, the students got to practice their pincer grip by using a cotton swab to paint with the color inside the lines of the word... They also got to make a picture of something that was that color.

When we got to secondary colors, we had the students mix the colors themselves.

For our color project, the students brought in items that were the colors we had learned. They sorted the items by color into bins.  Then we painted wood squares and glued the objects on to make color collages.

The students also got to make their own paint color by choosing paint, mixing it and then naming the color.  These paint color creations will go in our art center to be used for center time.

                  

And of course... You can't do colors without Brown Bear, Brown Bear! We read the story and sequenced the characters and then students made their own book page which will be compiled into a class book called Students, Students, What Do You See?