Three Cheers for Week 3!

Week 3, already?

Goodness, where does the time go?  It is already week three and we are moving and grooving in the Beach Buddy class.  After 5 long weeks of being sick, I am finally feeling better! That means it is time for me to post some awesome pictures of what we have been doing.  My goal is to post every day this week.  Topics are:  Button Factory, Science, and R-E-D week.

This week we have introduced fine motor stations in Daily 5.  I will explain more about Daily 5 at Parent Night but Daily 5 is what students will be doing independently during reading groups (starting week 8 or 9).  They will rotate every 12-15 minutes to each of the 5 stations. Since our friends can't quite read to someone else yet and since they listen to read alouds daily our Daily five will include the following:

* Fine Motor

*Writing

*Word Work

*Math

*Reading

This week are taking 15 minutes out of our Language Arts block to focus on the Fine Motor tubs.  This was introduced Monday.  We have been talking about how important it is to strengthen our hand muscles so we can have amazing handwriting and great quality work. This week students have been able to choose to make a puppet (focusing on coloring and cutting), putting the correct number of beads on a pipe-cleaner, pinching pom poms with clothespins and putting them in cups (no touching pom poms with fingers allowed), puzzles, and play doh!  

Fine motor is a great thing to practice at home, and it is easy to make it fun.  Here are some ideas:

Play doh

Coloring in the lines in coloring books

Drawing pictures with pencil, then coloring

stringing beads on a string

writing words around the house with a dry erase marker and board

tearing construction paper and gluing to make a picture

cutting

puzzles

Anything using fingers!! :)

All our friends need practice with fine motor, however; if you feel this is a big struggle for your child and you would like more ideas please let me know!

-Bennett