Group Meeting:  I have been very pleased with how well the children have learned our daily routine.  They are learning very quickly!

Story:  I read Charlie Anderson written by Barbara Abercrombie.  Charlie is a cat that came to live with Elizabeth and Sarah.  He sleeps with them at night, but goes to the woods during the day.  One night, he doesn't come home.  Elizabeth and Sarah are very worried about him.  The next day, they search for him, asking the neighbors if they have seen him.   Ask your child to tell you where they found Charlie and why his name is Charlie Anderson. 
In this book, the girls find out that Charlie has two homes.  They also have two homes.  They live with their mom during the week and with their dad and stepmother on the weekends.  I like how this book ends by saying Charlie and the girls have two homes that love them.

Small Groups:   We started small groups today.  A note in your child's bag will explain how we do this.  I will list all of the small group activities today and the rotation throughout the week.
Activity #1 (Red Group)  The children explored the wooden pieces that we will use to make letters.   We call them big lines, little lines, big curves, and little curves.
Activity #2 (Yellow Group) The children sorted bear manipulatives by color and by size.
Activity #3 (Green Group)  The children drew self-portraits in their writing journals.

Letter Learning:  The children listened to the song "Where Do You Start Your Letters?"  They practiced starting at the top by drawing lines from the top of the paper to the bottom using the smiley face on the paper as a starting point.

Large Group:  The children used the wooden big lines to tap along with the song "Tap, Tap, Tap."

Snacks:  The morning snack was blueberry Belvita bars and milk brought by Sophia.  The afternoon snack was apples and granola bars brought by Ryan.  Thank you, Sophia and Ryan!