Amazing Applications....

I love technology and technology in the classroom is a way for the children to use the latest technology in their learning process.  I have been fortunate to introduce an iPad into the classroom and the available resources both online and through the apple app store is AMAZING!!*

iPad Applications

ABC – Alphabet - This application allows children to work on writing the letters of the alphabet both upper and lower case letters.  The application also takes in strokes encouraging children to form the letters correctly.   **** (Love this app)

Learn Numbers - This application ask children to recognize numbers using everyday items.  The app may say number 2 and it will use a street sign or address numbers.  This applies real life materials into the learning process.  ** great application for number recognition

Preschool Pop Quiz - I love this application for use of vocabulary.  Awesome app to use with English Language Learners, although it is timed and that frustrates the children it is a great application to see what vocabulary children recognize.

Storia - Free application offered through scholastic.  When registering Scholastic offers 5 free books.  This is a great reading application and the illustrations are shown on the page as well in color.  My Favorite thing about this app is that it READS to the children also!!! ***** Love, Love, Love this app!!!

Websites

ABCya.com - I love this website because you can choose the level of learning you can choose the activity. 

Starfall.com - I use this website to help children play with letters.  The children can choose a letter and it plays with words that have the beginning letter and the beginning letter sound.  Also when studying a project of interest this website has some games around themes such as pumpkins, earth day, the gingerbread man, etc.

  

Turtlediary.com - Similar to ABCya.com this website allows you to choose the grade level and the subject.  This website provides a great variety of resources at different learning levels. **

The Busy Bees and Technology

 

A Bushel of Apples

The Busy Bee’s are Buzzing about Apples. We have been extra Busy learning all about Apples.

Our Bubble Map…We started by asking the children what they know about apples…what color are apples, where can you get apples, to label the parts of the apple…as we started to learn and discover more and more we would revisit our bubble map and add to our learning. 

In math we counted apples for the apple trees…working on number recognition and one to one correspondence.  The Busy Bees also worked on number sequence by placing numbers into numeric sequence from 1 to 10.

 

We finger painted apples and made stain glass apples to hang around the classroom.  The stain glass apples worked on fine motor development as the Busy Bees cut the outlines out and tore the tissue paper. 

Our classroom is becoming the perfect apple orchard.

 

The Busy Bee’s were excited to learn that A is for apples.  We worked on Busy Bee names that begin with the letter A and that letter sound of letter A.  The Bees also worked on sorting and matching…we picked upper and lower case A apples to place in our basket while making the /a/ sound as we placed them in our basket.

   

The Busy Bee Orchard is Open and learning is taking place. 

Open House

It’s the most exciting time of the year. As the Busy Bee’s entered the classroom each Bee was greeted at eye level by Mrs. McLean. “Good Afternoon_____, did you know I’ve been waiting to meet you.”
As each family signed in, it’s now time to explore and discover the hive... Let the FUN BEGIN!!!

 

Greeting the Bee’s as parents sign in...each family signs in so that I can later see who attended.  This is also a time that parents confirm home visit schedules.

Discovering the Busy Bee Hive and making lasting friendships already....there is no better place than the Classroom...Learning from the start!

The Busy Bee Hive setup.....2013

Welcome to the Busy Bee Hive class of 2013-2014…

the setup of the classroom is exciting and inviting….awaiting the Busy Bees.....

 

 

Spiders!!

The first BIG interest of the Busy Bee's .....they saw and became fascinated with those creepy crawly spiders.....so what did the children know before we begun our lesson... it's always fun to see what they think they know about a subject.

Then we needed to know who's scared of Spiders.......I won't take part in this survey because I want to never show them my FEAR....of course I'm not scared....(wink).

Then the learning begun....we made cobwebs....we counted spiders for their webs, we sorted bugs by color and then by make (amazing job my Busy Bee's) the children had books all around the classroom about spiders and we added spiders and webs to pretend play center.

We did lots of spider walks on the playground...including a spider race.

We sorted bugs and spiders....first by color

We made our own spider webs

(equal parts salt and flour then add water to a squeeze bottle.  Let the children squirt what they need on black paper then shift and move the paper to make your design.  When it drys there is a nice sparkle)

We put spiders to there webs.  Each web had a number and we added that many spiders to that web.

We put our spiders in numerical order.  This is one to twenty....play around with this idea depending on how far your students can go.  Some students only worked on numbers one to five.  (spiders were found in Mailbox catalog colored added number and dots then laminated).

We focused on the shapes circle and rectangles...then the children built spiders with these shapes. This smarty Busy bee needed some squares also.....look at the eyes :)

Introduced new vocabulary and the children wrote the new words copying letters from the sentence strips that were introduced to the writing center.

We sung "Their's a spider on my head", and re enacted the story with the plastic spider rings.  These rings also helped with postional words.  We worked on put your spider beside you.  under your leg, on top of your hand, between your feet. 

Making our spider hats....adding a little creation the children's hats are spectacular...(will show photos later when all the glue dries)

Needed something sticky....we made slime.

(equal parts Elmer glue and liquid starch)

Creating webs with paper plates...the children finger painted their plates then they weaved their webs.

A few of the wonderful books that where added to the classroom.....The art work was for the children to recreate in the art center...they really added their creativity to this project.

We caught an awesome BIG black house spider...The children added him to the science center and observed his movements....he even spun a web in the top of the container!!

Completed and on display....a finished web and a handprint spider.

Up close and personal with our Black House Spider!

We added a web to our cozy library center...this was an added bonus to get the children into the Spider books.

We also added spiders to our water....

This awesome lesson is not done yet...Check back for more awesome spider fun!