Happy Feelings Friday! 😁☹️😡😱🤪🤨😍🤔Here’s today’s video (4/3):

All Kinds of Families Video

And here is the result of our egg science experiment from Wednesday!

Egg Experiment Results

Follow-Up Ideas:

• Write a letter to a family member or friend who you are missing. If you are unable to send mail right now, write the letter and read/show it to your loved one over FaceTime/Zoom or email!

• Keep an eye out for a letter from Ms. Rice in the next week or so!

• Do a feelings check-in. How are you feeling right now? If you are feeling sad, mad, lonely, scared (etc.) and want to feel happy and calm, what are some strategies you can use to get there? You can try deep breaths, counting to 10, squeezing a stuffy, being active, engaging in something that you enjoy, talking with a grown-up, or another strategy that works for you!

It’s Creative Thursday! Here’s the video…now let’s get creative! (4/2)

Home Tweet Home Video

• Make the bird nest craft from the video! Here are the materials that I used, but you can use any materials that work for you!

Update:

Here’s what your friends A and A made using things from nature! Now that’s CREATIVE!

• Birds live in nests…what other animal homes can you think of? Where does a bear live? How about a beaver?

• Pretend you are a bird! Maybe you can make a nest/fort out of pillows and blankets. Maybe you can dance like a bird. Maybe you can make up a bird tag game to play outside. Imagination can take you anywhere!

Here’s what your friends and teachers are up to!

Teachers:

Ms. Rice

I am enjoying spending time with my mom and dad at their house! We have been taking lots of walks outside, learning how to bake bread from scratch, and watching some movies! I have been having fun making videos for you to watch, and I have even learned some new things while making them! After I showed you the parts of a chicken egg, I made eggs for my lunch and noticed the air sac and the chalazae which I had never noticed before! I miss you all so much! Sending hugs 🤗

Mrs. Sue

Mrs. Sue says: “Hi Preschoolers! I sure miss you! Signs of Spring. My pond is melting and the ducks are visiting. Look what I found on my nature walk! A beautiful mallard duck!”

Mr. Matt

Mr. Matt spent a few hours with his kids collecting trash on the side of their road. We spotted 15 robins!

Students:

J:

Their chicken laid an egg with no shell! It’s almost like it knew we were learning about the parts of an egg!

J says, “We made mug cake and had lots of fun doing abc yoga! We love watching the videos. We are enjoying lots of time outside on the swings and taking walks to our mailbox. We made a huge snowman and helped daddy collect sap to make syrup! Our chickens laid an egg with no shell! It was squishy. Missing all our friends but happy seeing pictures of everyone.”

A and A:

C:

C has been playing outside enthusiastically despite the chilly weekend weather. His favorite thing has been digging in the yard and finding lots of worms, spiders, and other bugs. He also enjoyed reading “Fantastic Mr. Fox” by Roald Dahl with his mom, playing dress up, and even a little yoga!

P:

P has been doing lots of great learning with his sister – both inside and outside. He has been catching salamanders and polliwogs in the pond. He also had fun with the fizzy tray experiment.

E:

E had fun making bread, enjoying nature, and eating lunch “al fresco” with his brother!

E:

E has been spending a lot of time outside playing in the last (?) of the snow. She hiked on the Cross Rivendell trail and enjoyed playing in the driveway mud. She helped her dad prune an apple tree and is preparing to start some seeds.

S:

S has been having a lot of fun during this break! She watches Ms. Rice’s videos everyday and really liked the bird activity. She’s also been spending a lot of quality time with her brother jumping on their trampoline and going for rides on his go-cart. She misses everyone!

V:

V did a fun STEM project at home. She built a structure using gumdrops and toothpicks!

S:

S has been working on writing and cutting, playing with magnets, and taking apart a broken vacuum cleaner!

B:

B is loving the outdoors, he is doing his homework with auntie Abby, Mimi and daddy while mommy works. Then we do abc mouse at night time. He really misses his friends and teachers!!

A and K:

A and K have been watching Ms. Rice’s videos and enjoying outside time as much as they can! Playing in the dirt and collecting worms!

C:

C enjoyed making the cake mug! This week he has been riding his bike a lot around the block and making cards for his family members who he doesn’t get to see as much right now. 

C:

C has been busy jumping on his trampoline with his mom, brother, and sister! He also had a fun photoshoot with a photographer for #frontstepsproject. 

M:

M has been enjoying the videos and activities! Our mug cake did not work out so well but we had a lot of laughs! After she made the bird feeder, she sat by the window with her little camera waiting for birds.

F:



F has enjoyed taking her dogs (and goats!) on walks and snuggling with her cats!

O:

O has been doing a space theme this week! And trying to figure out riding a bike without his training wheels!

Here is our “I Wonder Wednesday” video (3/31):

An Egg is Quiet

Follow-Up Ideas:

• Do the experiment at home! Put a raw egg in a jar that is half-filled with vinegar. Place the lid loosely on, and let it sit for 2 days. Watch the magic of science happen!

• Cook an egg and notice it’s parts. Do you see the yolk? How about the albumen (egg white)? Which part is your favorite to eat?

• Watch this cute PBS video about different animals that hatch from eggs:

https://vermont.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ket-earlychild-sci5/what-comes-from-an-egg/

Happy Nature Tuesday! Here’s the video for 3/31:

A Nest Full of Eggs Video

Follow-Up Ideas:

• Make the bird feeder from the video! If you do not have those materials, see the first link that I posted in the “Activities for Bird Theme” post for different homemade bird feeder ideas.

• Look for nests in your backyard or while you’re on a walk (but make sure you don’t touch them if there are eggs in them)!

• Look for robins and listen for their “cheer-up, cheer-up” song. With all of the rain we just had, there are bound to be lots of worms, and do you know who loves to eat worms? Robins!

Here is the video for this bird-themed Math Monday:

Birds Video

Follow-Up Ideas:

• Use the Bird Nest Counting Mats that I emailed you along with the eggs (or any egg-like object in your house) to practice counting on your own!

• Look for birds in your own backyard! You can make the bird watching binoculars that I posted in the previous post.

• Use your sense of hearing to listen to the different songs that birds sing. Do you hear the “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” of a chickadee? Or the “cheer-i-lee” of a Robin? Can you mimic the bird sounds that you hear?

Here is today’s video (3/27):

Ms. Rice’s Birthday Party Video

Follow-Up Ideas:

• Follow the recipe in the video! Here are the ingredients and directions:

Send Ms. Rice a picture of the results! Was yours purple too? How did it taste?

• If you don’t have the right ingredients for this recipe, get creative with substitutions or find a recipe that you can make with what you have!

• Have a great weekend! Spend lots of time outside in the sunshine! ☀️

Here is today’s video (5/26):

ABC Yoga Video

Follow-Up Ideas:

• Do some more yoga! Here are some great videos (but there are many more online):

https://awakeandmindful.com/best-kids-yoga-videos-on-youtube/

• Come up with your own yoga poses! Think about your favorite animals. What might it look and feel like to pose like that animal?

• Do you like Frozen, yoga, and dancing? Here’s a fun event happening on Facebook live on Saturday:

https://www.facebook.com/events/160665361724081/?ti=icl

Here are some updates on your preschool friends and teachers!

Ms. Rice

I have been enjoying some extra time with my roommate and her kitties! I’ve been taking lots of walks outside, learning how to knit, baking delicious treats, and of course, taking videos of myself reading stories for my wonderful students. I miss you all so much and I am always thinking about you! ❤️

Mr. Matt

Mr. Matt says, “I have been busy teaching! Instead of preschoolers I have a 1st grader and 3rd grader. Today we learned about the State of Ohio and ar/or words. I enjoy reading too! Have you read Duck on a Bike?“

Mrs. Sue

Mrs. Sue says, “My family and I have been busy sugaring. Our dogs, Halle, Red and Callie always want to join us; especially when we throw them their frisbee! Have you been playing outside with your pets or family members?“

Students:

M:

M is really enjoying watching Ms. Rice’s stories. It is so hard to understand why she can’t go back to school. In the mean time we are spending lots of time on the farm. She has a daily job to check on the calves and has been playing with her baby dolls. She misses all her preschool friends!

A and A:

A and A have been busy with their writing books! They are drawing pictures and rainbows. They made homemade play dough and made cupcakes for Momma’s birthday.  They picked unicorn cupcakes and pink frosting. Their favorite part was the sprinkles and frosting them! They miss their friends. They miss Ms. Rice, Ms. Sue, and Mr. Matt. They miss the grown up that says good morning to them with the coffee cup.

C:

C and his sister have been enjoying lots of outdoor time this week, and have been especially enjoying lots of digging and spraying with water bottles. We also have been having daily “dance parties”! C has also been having fun writing in his writing book and playing dress-up with mama’s robes.

E:

E has been doing a lot of yard work and picking up sticks. She’s having a fun time doing puzzles, drawing in her writing book, and counting her penny collection. 

A and K:

C has been exploring outside seeing signs of spring which include his family’s flowers beginning to bloom. Inside, we tried the fizzy tray activity and Caleb had lots of fun!

G:

V has been working hard on writing and drawing in her writing book. She had fun with the Fizzy Tray activity! V has been practicing her counting with “unicorn chocolate chips.”

Surprise! Here’s a special early video to get us started! (Sorry, I had to post it in 2 parts because it wouldn’t upload the whole video).

Here are some ideas for follow-up activities:

• Go outside and look for signs of spring (rain, birds chirping, mud, buds, plants growing, animals emerging, etc.)

• Take a sensory walk: what do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? What can you feel? You can focus on all senses or just one.

• Draw and/or write about spring in your writing book. What are you most excited for? What kinds of details could you add to a picture of spring?

• Plant a seed (inside or outside) and help to take care of it. What does a plant need to grow? Will a plant grow faster by the window or in a closet? (There are countless seed science ideas you can find online)

• Spring yoga: https://www.kidsyogastories.com/yoga-for-spring/