Pre-K is a HOOT! : Stone Soup

"We're making Stone Soup,

We're making Stone Soup,

Stir the pot,

It's getting hot,

We're making Stone Soup!"

This week we completed our Stone Soup unit. There are many versions of the story but we focused on the old French tale about three hungry soldiers. In case you don't know the story, the three soldiers used trickery to convince the inhabitants of a village to provide them with the ingredients for a feast. At first, the villagers were afraid, but they were intrigued by the soldiers, who told them that they were going to prepare soup out of stones. After the soldiers hinted that the soup would be better with a few vegetables, each villager went home and returned with something to contribute, resulting in a feast that they all enjoyed together. It is a perfect story to read right before Thanksgiving. We discussed how a little cooperation can go a long way, and could yield something to be truly grateful for.

Morning Meeting: During morning meeting we spent some time discussing what we were thankful for. Some of the children's responses included: family, toys, school, winter, and cutting (with scissors). We also sang stone soup songs. The children loved the song, "Chippity Chop." Ask your Pre-K kid if they remember the lyrics and hand motions that go with the song!

"Chop Chop Chippity Chop,

Chop off the bottom,

Chop off the top,

What we have left we throw in the pot."

Chop Chop Chippity Chop!

Also during morning meeting we made Alphabet Stone Soup! We used magnetic letters and numbered stones. I arranged the numbered stones on the white board ledge and I arranged various letters on the white board. I asked the students to find specific letters and numbers and add them to the pot. This activity reinforced many skills - letter identification, making letter sounds, identifying numbers through the teens, and comparing size.

Math: Turkey Clothespin Counting - great for both fine motor development as well as counting practice!

Fine Motor: To get ready for Thanksgiving the children made handprint turkeys! The kids practiced scissor skills cutting out the feathers. We also used our fine motor skills to decorate a baby shower gift for Mrs. Vanchieri! Not only did the kiddos have fun decorating, but they learned the value of doing something nice for someone else. The kiddos also participated in a color sort using tweezers.

Reading Extension: After reading the book, "Stone Soup" we discussed different kinds of soups. We asked the kids, "What kind of soup would you make?" One of the students said that they were going to make noodle soup! Another said they were going to make carrot soup! The kids dictated what kind of soup they would make and the ingredients they would use. Then they created their soup using various colors of scrap paper.

Spanish: Twice a week the Pre-K kids have Spanish. They have been working hard on their colors! This week the kids practiced sorting colored pumpkin seeds. Their job was to pick up a colored pumpkin seed, say the color in Spanish, and put into the correct container. Ask your Pre-K kid if they can teach you the colors in Spanish!

Free Choice: Every morning when the children arrive, they get to participate in Free Choice. This is a great opportunity for the kiddos to get to explore their own interests and to practice problem solving skills. We teach language that the kids can use on their own, in order to problem solve without a teacher stepping in. Free Choice is also a time where I get to work individually with students to practice writing.

Zoo Phonics: Everyday we spend about 10-15 minutes practicing letting identification and letter sounds. We are making our way through the alphabet and we are already on letter "V."

Reading Buddies: On Friday we spent some time with our Reading Buddies. The Reading Buddy program benefits both the younger and older students. The younger students benefits from hearing stories read-aloud (modeling of reading fluency, phrasing and expression), having conversations with an older student about topics that interest and involve them (extending their vocabulary, oral language abilities), enjoying fun, positive experiences with ‘big kids’ who are now a recognizable face in the school community. The older students benefit by further developing their own literacy skill, fostering leadership and problem-solving skills, improved self-confidence that comes from being looked-up to, and an opportunity to be ‘caught’ (and praised) for positive behavior.