More Frog Fun

Today we were able to look more in depth into a frog's life cycle while on our field trip to The School Forest.  We were able to catch a few tadpoles and frogs today!  When we took a closer look, we realized that we had found some tadpoles before they had front legs, some with front and back legs and then full grown frogs.  It was so neat to see them in all different stages!!  While walking we saw mushrooms, beautiful flowers and tree roots of a fallen tree, to name just a few.  We looked really hard for deer tracks but couldn't find any.  The kids really enjoyed this trip.  It is so nice to get them out for some fresh air and thankfully the weather was cooperative!

Owen, Bryce, Ian, Mason, Paxton and Gabriel taking a break after our big walk to the pond!

Lily, Sydney, Alexandra and Emily listening to the rules!

This bug was caught in the spider web.  After I took the picture, we looked again and it had gotten out!  Lucky bug!

Owen, Sadie and Kyrissa laying on their tummies to check out the water.

Angie and Hannah on the dock..

Some of our friends were waving at their reflections in the water.

Ms. Teresa was a frog catching machine.  The children were so interested!

We put them in a bucket to take a closer look.  Once everyone looked, we placed them back into the pond.

We talked about how the color of the frog helps it to blend in with its surroundings.

Here is a tadpole with front legs.

Here is one without.

Here are all of our friends taking a hike around the pond.

Bryce said it best, "Look at those beautiful buttercups!"

Owen and Hannah enjoying their snack!

Jeweliana saying, "CHEESE!"

Once snack was finished we decided to play Simon Says!

Good bye Froggy!  Thanks for letting us pester you for the day!

Before our walk back, we had one last game...Red Light, Green Light.

Bugs and Frogs

Greetings,
I hope you all enjoyed your Memorial Weekend!  This week is flying by so quickly that I haven't had a chance to update our blog yet!  Today was our first trip to the school forest.  The kids did a lot of walking and seemed to enjoy their time in the woods.  We searched for different colored flowers, frogs, tadpoles and other wild life.  We were lucky enough to see LOTS of frogs, some mushrooms growing on a tree, beautiful flowers, butterflies and many trees.  We didn't see much wildlife in the woods!  Some friends thought we might see bears, deer, and alligators, but no such luck.  :)  Here are a few pictures of our excursion.

Here is one of the many spider webs we saw on the dock.

The kids were fascinated with the webs.

Two friends visiting the dock.

A little froggy hiding out.

Here are some of our friends way on the other side of the pond.

Ms. Kirsten was very brave!  She tried to catch frogs for our friends to see but unfortunately those frogs were too quick!

Levi, Natalie, Devyn and Lexus enjoying their snack by the pond.

Jason, Evan, Gage, Tony and Mason saying CHEESE!

Brier was very happy to be in the woods! 

Caterpillars and Butterflies

This week in Pre-K we will be learning about caterpillars and butterflies.  We will talk about the life cycle of a caterpillar and how it turns into a butterfly.  At circle time, we will discuss how butterflies are symmetrical, meaning they look the exact same on each side of their bodies. We continue to review the names and sounds of each letter throughout the days at school.  Please continue to do so at home.  Your child will be coming home with a book that is similar to The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  Please encourage them to read it to/with you and color in the pages.  It is a fun book!  This week some of our projects include making a symmetrical butterfly using watercolor paints, learning how to round off the corners of squares to make a patterned caterpillar, making a book about the life cycle of a caterpillar/butterfly, and tying up a few loose ends before the school year is finished.  On Wednesday, we will be heading over to the high school to visit with our high school friends.  Awhile back, our Tuesday/Thursday friends were invited to MASH to do a project with the high school students.  So now the other class will have a turn!

I have recently finished up testing all of the children on the 4th quarter skills and continue to work on getting those report cards ready to go home.  It is amazing how much progress the kids have made since the first day at school.  I am so proud of each and every one of them!  I keep telling them that they are getting closer and closer to kindergarten but that I'm not quite finished with them yet!  :)  Many big smiles appear on their faces!!  I think they're getting ready for what lies ahead.  I'm so thankful to have been given the opportunity to work with your children.  It has been a great first year!

REMINDERS/IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

·        Our theme for next week will be “Bugs & Frogs”.

·        There will be no school on Monday, May 28^th due to Memorial Day.

·        School Forest Field Trip: We will be exploring our school forest Wednesday, May 30^th and Thursday, May 31^st.

·        Park Field Trip: To celebrate the end of our Pre-Kindergarten year, on Tuesday, June 5^th and Wednesday, June 6^th we will be walking to the park and having a picnic lunch.

o       The school will be providing a bag lunch for each child.  The lunch will include an Uncrustable (peanut butter & jelly sandwich), a bag of chips, a fruit, a vegetable, a cookie, and milk.  If you know that your child will not eat this, please pack them a lunch for the day – all items in his/her lunch need to be disposable as we will not be bringing anything back to school.

·        Pre-K LAST DAY OF SCHOOL: Pre-Kindergarten’s last day of school will be Tuesday, June 5^th and Wednesday, June 6^th. 

o       Note: This is also the day of our field trip to the city park.  Your child will still need to bring his/her backpack to school this day.

·        LAST DAY OF SCHOOL: Medford Area School District’s last day of school will be Wednesday, June 6^th.  This will be an early release day (dismissal at 1:22 p.m.).

o       Note: The early dismissal time will only apply to our Mon./Wed. group.

·        Pre-Kindergarten Registration for 2012-2013 School Year:  If you have a child that will be 4 years old before September 1^st and you have not registered him/her for Pre-K next year, we encourage you to do so at this time.  To register, call Luanne Olson at (715) 748-4620.

Day 2 on the Farm

Today was another thrilling day at the Klussendorf farm!  We were able to see a calf that was just born this morning and another one that was just born yesterday!  They were so cute and even let us pet them!  All of the farmers and FFA students (from the high school) did an exceptional job giving us the tours and teaching us about the farm.  The children thoroughly enjoyed this field trip...especially the sandbox.  :)  Enjoy!

Each child was able to feed the calf from a bottle.  Here is Ian's turn.

Here Sydney is switching spots with Bryce! 

Bryce is listening to the heartbeat of the day old calf.  It sure was beating fast!

Here are all of our friends in the milking parlor.  The Klussendorf's can milk 20 cows at once in their swing parlor.

Farmer Dick was teaching us about the bulk tank.  We got to feel how warm the milk is when it comes out of the cow, then how cold it gets after being in the bulk tank.  He also showed us some tools used to help give cows medicine.

We enjoyed our delicious snack of milk and string cheese!

Gabriel and Alexandra driving the helicopter.

And the most excited part!?!?!?!?!  THE SANDBOX!!!

Owen being king of the tire.

The children loved climbing up these!  It's great for their gross motor skills.

Kyrissa, Alexandra and Hannah

Angie, Sadie, Jeweliana and Emily in the helicopter.

Here is the mom cow that just had a baby calf.  Ms. Cheri was talking to us about how they feed the cows.

Here is our class in front of the bulk tank.  Thanks for a great trip Mr. Ryan and Ms. Cheri!!

Farm Excursion

Well today kicked off our field trips to the Klussendorf Farm!  Boy oh boy was it a FUN filled trip!  We were able to see, feed and feel the heartbeat of calves, check out where the cows are milked, see a cow that is almost ready to have a calf, have a tasty snack, and play in the HUGE sandbox!  Today I am posting picture I took of just the Monday/Wednesday group.  Pictures for the Tuesday/Thursday group will come later on tomorrow!  The children had a blast and Ms. Cheri and Mr. Ryan were awesome tour guides!

Ms. Cheri found the calf's heartbeat and we got to take turns listening to it!  Here's Neo's turn!

Now Gage's turn.

Each friend was able to feed the calf from a bottle.  Owen is showing us how!

We met Farmer Tim in the parlor.  He is showing us how they milk the cows. 

Lexus, Mason and Mya enjoying our string cheese and milk snack.

We met a new friend named Cole (the dog).  He was very friendly and very old.  He enjoyed hanging out by Levi.

All of our friends enjoying snack.

The Klussendorf's have a huge sandbox!  It was one of the best stops on our tour!

Lexus, Mason, Gage and Brier flying the helicopter.

Tony and Mya were king and queen of the tractor tire.  There were two tires buried in the sandbox.

Ms. Teresa's turn to fly the helicopter.  She was afraid that once she got in, she wouldn't get back out.  Hehe!  :)

What a surprise!  The milk truck came to empty the bulk tank while we were visiting!

Looking and waving at our reflections in the side of the truck.