![[music1]](../Images/music1.jpg)
The children may look at books, write on the white board, or use felt figures to retell stories. They are practicing early reading skills and developing concepts of print.
The children use a variety of educational programs to practice their computer skills and practice skill lessons taught in class. Some of the programs the children may use are Jump Start Kindergarten, Bailey's Book House, Millie's Math House, and Earobics (a special program designed to help develop the ability to hear rhyming words and letter sounds)
The children also participate in lessons using the internet to find information on a topic being discussed. There will also be some internet web sites bookmarked for the children to use. They will only be allowed to use approved, bookmarked web sites containing educational activities for children.
The children use a variety of materials (markers, glue, scissors, colored paper, craft items etc.) to create many different kinds of art projects. They have the opportunity to develop their creativity and develop their small muscle control.
The children change the dramatic play quite often. Sometimes it is a restaurant. It may also be a veterinarian's office with many sick beanie babies as patients. At other times it could be a fire house, doctor's office, school, or grocery store. The children have an opportunity to practice language and social skills. There are paper and writing tools so the children can write menus, prescriptions for patients, and bills for grocery customers.
The children love to visit the science center and explore the many items found in this center. The items change to accompany the current unit of study. The first items the children will explore have to do with color and light. They can experiment with color mixing, see what things look like through color paddles, and experiment with a prism . They may also observe fall items under the large magnifier. The children are doing what scientists do: observing, experimenting, predicting and making discoveries.
The children will use a variety of math manipulatives in the math center. They will use pattern blocks, unifix cubes, balance scales, geoboards and attribute blocks. The manipulatives will be presented in a large group lesson and then placed in the math center for the children to practice the concept taught in small groups or individually. The math center provides hands on experience in counting, comparing, patterning, measuring, addition and subtraction.
The children have access to markers, crayons, colored pencils, stamps and stamp pads, letter and word stamps, paper and many ready made blank books for the children to practice writing stories, letters and books.
The children use large and small blocks of many shapes to build. They have the opportunity to develop math concepts, spatial awareness, and motor skills.
The children come to work on a special art project with me at the project table. The project may be an extension of a book we have read and may involve a writing component. We will be practicing small motor control and following directions. There may also be practice on a skill we have just learned. For example, the children may be making a book of opposites, and drawing a picture of two things that are opposites on each page of a little book.