Dramatic Play in Kitah Gimmel-Daled

Our kids have been doing a ton of dramatic/imaginative play lately. 

Last week they started off as pirates. 

The children wanted to wear pirate hats, so we looked up pictures of them, then made them out of paper.

This preoccupation has encompassed building, art, and language. 

It extends from inside to outside.

The children built a pirate ship inside using our large blocks. They used cardboard tubes as spy glasses.

 We were learning about the letter “X”. 

This led to talk of treasure and treasure maps. We then looked up pictures of treasure maps. 

We made our own maps with playground landmarks on them and “X” marked the spot. 

The Morahs buried a “treasure box” outside and the children had to use the map to find it by following the map.

Inspired by the treasure hunt, the following day the children went on a sort of scavenger hunt for objects that began with the same letter as their name.

This is the beauty of the Reggio method of education. We follow the children's interest and provide opportunities for them to delve deeper and expand their knowledge.

We will keep you updated and let you know where the children take us next!

Letters, Sounds, and Literacy in Kitah Gimmel-Daled

 

        Each week we focus on one letter sound. At circle time I pass out objects that begin with the sound and we make a visual list of those words. Each child takes a turn telling us what object they are holding. This allows the children to associate an image with the sound we are learning. Then, after asking the children if they notice a pattern (usually someone shouts "They all start with "H", or whichever letter we are learning about). We talk about the shape of the letter in terms of sticks and curves. The children then recreate the letter (uppercase and lowercase) using blocks, and sometimes even their own bodies! We end the circle time by doing an action that begins with the letter of the week.

Alphabet art

To integrate literacy into our inside play and art time, each week the children can trace a letter and decorate it according to the sound (such as: Feathery "F" and Hairy "H"). 

Feathery "F"

Yarny "Y"

Hairy "H"

Leafy "L"

Tie-dye "T"

We also have literacy trays that are changed weekly in accordance with the sound of the week. Children learn to make the shape of the letter by tracing it in sand, push-pinning them, and they learn the sound by discovering the alphabet objects of the week.

Book Making

We often make books as a class. Each child makes a page. They dictate their own part of the story and then illustrate it.

Names

We use the children's names all over our classroom. Their names are above their hooks where they hang their backpacks, on their cubbys, and on their chairs. The children also made a name tag to leave by their workstation. Below Morah Lindsey is dismissing children by name. 

Bracha Board

We are making a bracha board in which the children are illustrating each of the food groups. They are also writing the name of the food.

Writing Center and Mail

The children love to give and receive mail! Here, they often draw pictures for one another, make books, and also practice writing.