Christopher Columbus

• Look for our continent song to soon be added to the my time and more preschool you tube page
  

How many oceans are on earth?

Although the oceans of the earth are all connected and truly one "World Ocean," most often the world is divided into four major "oceans" - the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and the Indian Ocean.

Some consider there to be five oceans - the fifth being an ocean surrounding Antarctica called the Antarctic Ocean or Southern Ocean.

For our song, we only mention the 4 four oceans but please note the children may be introduced to 5 oceans.

In addition, we will sing this Christopher Columbus song today (see link below) as it does a great job introducing some facts about this historical sailor and explorer.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=christopher+columbus+songs+for+preschoolers+you+tube&mid=90DE9653F9E2C0AAE6D690DE9653F9E2C0AAE6D6&view=detail&FORM=VIRE6

Here is some more information about Christopher Columbus:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/famouspeople/standard/columbus/learn/page03.shtml#focus

Since we only meet once a week, we can only do so much during class time. Here is a link for extra activities to do at home if you wish, about Christopher Columbus:

More activities for home:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/c/columbus.shtml

Are we there yet?

K was for kite as the preschoolers traced a diamond shape, cut out their kite and added details like a yarn tail with triangle bows and fluffy cotton ball clouds. We also continued our "preschool city" collage and added some stop lights with red, yellow and green circle added to the tan rectangles and also red octagons as stop signs. Students also added squares with triangle tops for houses. We will continue to add more shapes and details to our preschool city map.

We worked on right and left with a game outdoors. We held hands in a straight line and stepped either right, left, forward or reverse. After practicing that a bit, we gave directions on how to get from one side of the yard to where we could touch the trampoline. We tried 10 steps forward, then 5 more steps forward, then 1 step in reverse, then 5 steps to the left and then - viola we reached the trampoline where we could touch it with an outstretched hand. Try this game at home. Have your child stand in the kitchen and guide him/her to the front door. Then have you stand by the refrigerator and have your child give you directions to the tv. At quiet time/naptime, hide a special treasure and write out the directions from your child's bedroom door to the secret hiding spot. Give him/her the written directions and read it together as s/he discovers the special surprise :)

Learning is a journey and there is so much to explore. We will be continuing this "Explore our World" theme as students get introduced to continents, the oceans, a globe, directions, a compass, Christopher Columbus, The United States and even Arizona and San Tan Valley.

Pictures!!!

Thanks Ivonne for coming to take our class picture, individual picures and a few candids. This preschool age is so much fun. I am so glad you were able to capture a few smiles of the bright, curious and amazing children I get to spend my Tuesdays with for a few precious hours!

Ivonne Ramirez-Carlton has started a new photography venture, Candid Moments Photography. Contact her for a great introductory offer. With the holidays around the corner, now is the perfect time to take advantage of this great offer. To view a small sample of her work and for more details, please visit her website at http://www.facebook.com/l/jAQFHCnURAQGeclgTaknBaz0s7cNP2PJn8hVQsD_WEdESZg/www.candidmomentsaz.com. If you're interested in booking a session please contact her at ivonner1979@msn.com or via her website.