We are welcoming back old friends and new at the beginning of the Fall Session. :) For this Small Group activity we worked on hearing beginning sounds of friends' names, and matching up the correct letter link. Ms. Harmony printed the names and letter links separately, and reused this idea later as a Planning tool. This activity was a great way to practice reading and saying our friends' names and developing phonemic awareness.
Another way we talked about friendship this week was through finger painting and storytelling. Here, Ms. Harmony presented the idea by talking about "Red Friend" who liked to play alone. She had a great ideas and really liked working on her own plans. Another friend at school, "Blue Friend," also liked to play alone. That's why we have an Alone Table. Sometimes that's a great place to choose. But one day, Red Friend and Blue Friend started working together. They SHARED their ideas by working on the same plan at the same time! When they worked together, they got something new! "Purple ideas!" When we work with other friends, we also get to play in new ways and hear new ideas. Sharing a plan is fun!
Then the school friends were given their own opportunity to tell a story about Blue Friend and Red Friend. We talked about whether the friends were playing alone, next to each other, or if they were playing WITH each other.
(Friend "K" prefers not to put her fingers in the paint. She solved her problem by getting paintbrushes from the art easel so that she could still participate in the activity. Good thinking "K!")
Then when friends moved into Work Time, we could use the same language that we had just practiced in Small Group. When we work together on the same plan at the same time it's called "sharing."
We can also choose to work alone and that's a great way to hear and practice doing our own ideas! Friend "S" was celebrating her birthday and used the monkey peg board to make a birthday cake! Happy Birthday, Friend "S." You are going to have a great time being FOUR! Wow! :-O
