Play Group: Sense of Touch

As part of their Senses Unit, the play group created these beautiful personal hand prints. Students used their original hand print and put different fabrics in the groove of each finger. These turned out really well and were a great keepsake for their parents.

Beehive Fun

Today students spent some free time outside riding the bikes, swinging, sliding, and playing in the sand box and train. Afterward, the play group created beautiful works of art using paints of their choice and their own technique. They turned out quite well. The collage above shows some of the highlights of the day.

Making Marmalade Jam

Today at the Beehive, all students had the chance to make homemade marmalade jam. First, the teachers explained the ingredients such as sugar and oranges, and each student cut up the oranges and placed them in the pan. They then cooked the oranges, added the sugar, and allowed it to cool. They all enjoyed this hands on activity.

The preschool, pre-kindergarten, and kindergarten students were able to participate in cooking the oranges and adding the sugar to create the jam. Each student had a chance to help in the making of the jam which was great to see.

Pouring the Maramalade into Jars

Once the marmalade was made, students were able to help pour the mixture into specific jars with their names on them to bring home and enjoy with their family.

Freeplay at the Beehive

Free Play at the Beehive School

Students Learn about Pancakes and the Tradition behind Shrove Tuesday

Students take a minute to learn a little about Shrove Tuesday. The teachers explained how during Lent, many people clean out their cupboards of fattening foods. Pancakes are one of those foods that they must abstain from. In this lesson students are taught the ingredients that are needed in order to make pancakes and then were told that they would take part in The Pancake Race contest, like they do any many parts of the world, right before Lent. Students strapped on aprons and held pancakes in their frying pans and competed against each other in the race. Afterwards, they were able to eat some pancakes with or without jam.

Pancake Race Starring the Teachers

The teachers even joined in on the fun while being cheered on by the students. Pancake races are fun for adults too!

The Pancake Race Starring the Playgroup Students

Each one of the playgroup students took turns racing against each other and at the end of the race, tried to flip their pancake and catch it in the frying pan. The students did a great job and had fun doing it!

The Pancake Race Starring the Preschool Students

Students within the pre-kindergarten and preschool, each took chances running against each other. First, it was narrowed down to four finalists who were Kaia, Johan, Robyn, and Emma and these four ran against each other for first and second place. At the end of the race, they each took turns flipping the pancake in the pan. Great job to all students. They did a great job and had fun doing it.

The Winners of The Pancake Race

The winners of the pancake in both the preschool and play group are as follows: in preschool, Kaia received second place, and Emma and Robyn tied for first place. In playgroup, second place was awarded to Christopher, and first place was awarded to Geno. To show our appreciation of their first race, these specific students received their own Pancake Award Certificates. Well done students!

Preschool Pancake Race

Students in the preschool will be learning about Shrove Tuesday which is traditionally a day, like Fasnacht, of merriment and food before the fasting that takes place in the Lenten season. It has been said that it is during this time, that people were to clean out their cupboards with any foods that were forbidden. Students will learn about Shrove Tuesday and the customs and traditions associated with the pancake and end this unit of inquiry with a pancake race.

Play Group Lessons of the Week

Winter Term 2 Week 1 2010

The Sense of Smell, Art, and Free Play

Today at the Beehive, the play group students started their day with smelling and tasting different fruits and spices and guessing what each jar contained. They smelled oranges, lemons, apples, cinnamon, and vanilla. When each child had a chance to smell the vanilla, they all thought that it was chocolate.

Next students took time to either finish art work they had been working on previously or free paint a picture. Students also had time to free play with toys that they were particularly interested in. Great first day back from holiday!

More Fasnacht Fever

Creating Fasnacht Masks in Preschool

Happy 4th Birthday Kim!

Fasnacht Masks

The students created Fasnacht masks at school the other day in celebration of this event.

Afternoon Play

Students had the chance to play outside the other day. They each had the chance to pick out a bicycle to ride and they took a ride through the neighborhood. They even had a chance to visit the horses down the road too.

Role Playing

Students in the pre-k class spent some time playing with the castle during free time and role playing different characters.

Fasnacht Activities

During their Fasnacht celebrations, the students were able to bake bread masks and decorate the bags that they brought the bread home in.

The students then worked with the dough and created their masks.

The playgroup and pre-K kids did the same, rolling their dough into their own creations.

The students had a great time working together on this project.

Fasnacht Celebration

Fasnacht festivities are once again upon us, and today at the Beehive, students came in many colorful costumes.

Students came dressed as princesses, spiderman, devils, clowns, dogs, knights, cats, and cowboys just to name a few.

The students had fun celebrating Fasnacht with their school community.

What a great day filled with imaginative play and fun!

Pre-K Penguin Art

Preschool and Prekindergarten Winter Art

Sense of Taste

Here the preschoolers are learning about their sense of taste. Students tasted bowls filled with sugar water, salt water, lemon water, and plain water using cotton swabs for tasting. Here they also learned how their taste buds respond to different things.

Five Little Monkeys

All students had the chance to read and role play the children's book No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christlelow. The book's main theme is as follows:

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed

One fell down and bumped his head

Mommy called the doctor and the doctor said…

(child’s part) “Doctor please come quick”

(child’s parts) “No more monkeys jumping on the bed.

Here is a photo collage of the students acting these parts out.

Snack Time

Students took a break from their studies to reinforce their sense of taste and smell.

Students had the opportunity to smell and taste fresh popcorn being made in the air popper.

I think their favorite part just might have been tasting the popcorn!

Five Senses Art

Five Senses Art

Students in the preschool created art that dealt with their sense of touch. Here are the results.

Pre-K Winter Art

The students in the pre-kindergarten classroom had fun creating igloo and penguin art. Here is a collage with some of their creations.