January
Our weekly themes during the month of January will be:
The Five Senses
Hibernation
Polar Animals
Winter

Looking Back (Week of 1/17/22)
Pre-K students had a wintry week in the Arctic.  We read all about this frigid part of the world and the animals that call it home.  We also read about Antarctica and compared the animals of the polar regions.  We worked on animal art including a fluffy Arctic fox, a soft snowy owl, and a colorful and playful puffin.  Our Arctic creatures have come together to create an icy scene in our hallway!  We completed a magazine about penguins after reading about Antarctica and later we played an Arctic animal sorting game.

Our letter of the week was Oo so we read a poem about an octopus named Ollie and we looked for Oo words on our alphabet chart.  We practiced tracing and writing letter Oo on paper and we added it to our notebooks.  We also played a polar bear letter game using the SMART board.  In math, we practiced matching numerals with quantities on paper and using our number puzzles before working on a penguin measurement game.  We also used our bear counters and our ten frame trays to count in the math center and we worked on an Arctic animal pattern activity.  

Looking Ahead (Week of 1/24/22)
 Our week ahead will be chilly as we explore the season of winter.  We will work on icy artwork including colorful mittens, winter clothing, sparkly snowflakes, and ice painting.  We will read about the winter and create our own book about our favorite winter activities.  We will work on a snowman sequence activity and identify sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures of the season.

Our letter of the week will be the peppy and playful Pp and wine will read a poem about a panda named Pete.  We will practice identifying beginning sounds and sorting words using our picture cards.  We will trace and write Pp on paper and create a "P for pencil" art project.  In math, we will work on using counting strategies and continue to match quantities with numerals.  We will also enjoy reading our number poems.

Online Resources
*You can see a video about our school here!

*Fine motor activities are very important and will help the children to strengthen the muscles in their hands.  We do many of these activities in school and some of them can be done at home as well.  If you are seeking activities that can be done outside of school, you may like to refer to  this list of fun and practical fine motor activities.

*Our class prays daily, including the "Our Father" and the "Hail Mary."  
Before lunch, we pray:
Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts,
which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, 
through Christ, our Lord.  Amen. 

After lunch, we pray:
We give Thee thanks for all Thy benefits,
O Lord, who livest and reignest world without end.  Amen 

Before snack, we pray
Thank You for the food we eat; thank You for the friends we meet.  
Thank You for our work and play; thank You for this happy day.  Amen.

Additional Home Activities
You may be looking for ideas for activities that you can do with your child at home over the weekend.  Please remember to read together every day.  Here are some other activities you can do at home together at any time:

Puzzles
Building
Free Art
Drawing
Water play
Play dough
Watercolor painting
Cooking and baking