We went to the zoo,zoo,zoo! How about you?

Wow! It's been such a busy October at Coop! The three's and four's classes went to visit the Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington this past Monday. We all had such a great time! The day began with gray, windy, and cool weather but it warmed up and became sunny as the morning went on. The sea lion and otter feeding was fun to watch! We enjoyed a picnic lunch in the park before heading back to C-U! Thanks to all the parents that helped on this trip! We always appreciate the extra help!

This week we'll be celebrating Halloween! It's hard to believe that we're almost two months gone for this school year! The Fall season always flies by!

A Zoo Book:
Though there are lots of great zoo books my 4's really enjoyed:

"The Zoo" by Suzy Lee

Zoo Song:

One Elephant went out to play,
on a spider's web one day.

He had such enormous fun,
that he called for another elephant to come!

Begin this with one child who walks around the inside of the circle of children, acting like an elephant is fun, he selects another child, who selects another child, and so on and so on and so on.

An easy Zoo craft:

Lion mask - Paint a paper plate brown, curl strips of yellow construction paper around a pencil, glue around the plate to make the lion's mane. When paint is dry draw on nose and mouth. Cut holes for eyes and attach to a tongue depressor. Very cute!

October

We've been learning about Fire Safety this week. I am always amazed at how quickly 3 and 4 year olds acquire and keep the knowledge of fire and its dangers. It is important to keep reminding them to not hide from fire but rather make their presence known (if they can't get outside) by standing near a window and yelling as loud as they can so that help can find them. They have a fun time practicing "Stop, Drop, and Roll". Our 3 and 4 year old classes went to a local fire department's puppet show and activities. They have such a fun time and really learn. The fire department does great job relating to the kids! Way to go Urbana, IL Fire Department!

A cute song to sing that helps kids learn about Stop, Drop, and Roll:

To the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"

What do you do when your clothes catch fire?
Three simple steps to put out the fire.
STOP where you are,
Don't run,
DROP to the ground, and ROLL all around.
What do you do when your clothes catch fire?
Three simple steps to put out the fire.

An art activity: Fire Painting

Paint yellow, orange, red, and black on a piece of paper, use globs of paint, cover the paper with wax paper and rub. Remove the wax paper and see the fire!

A good book:

Barn on Fire written by Heather Amery and illustrated by Stephen Cartwright
Look for the little yellow duck hiding on each page!