Aug/September Week 1: Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy

Every year I start with an easy song that children can pick up quickly.  The lyrics are simple, the body movement is repetitive, it allows practice for keeping a beat, focuses on concrete What-questions, and the kids learn anticipation/waiting skills.

Materials: Laminate Letter B

Song:  Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy
Artist: Rachel Arntson
CD: VocalMotion
Bouncy, ® Rachel Arntson and Chez Raginiak, 2007
Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy. Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy. Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy. Now we stop. Wait! Wait! Ready, set, go!

Phoneme: /b/.  Practice b-b-b.  Does anyone have that /b/ sound in their name?  What other words have that sound?  Baby, bubbles, banana, boy, bounce.

Practicing tracing:  Start at the top and draw down.  Go back to the top and bounce around.

Vocabulary: bounce, bouncy, wait, ready-set-go, back, top, down, body, head, toes, legs, knees, shoulders, tongue, head, feet, elbows.

We started with bouncing hands, feet, head, and elbows.  What other body parts can we bounce?  The kids came up with  knees, legs, whole body, and hair.  Miss Carrie came up with shoulders, noses, and tongues.  Try to bounce your tongue and sing the song at the same time!  We ended up in a fit of giggles and then bounced our way to our tables for Snack Time.

YES, I CAN!

I'm sharing the best commercial in the history of EVER!  This is my theme for our students this year. The video is a promotion for the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, Brazil.  Catchy song, great message, and incredibly motivational.  Check it out.  This tune has been running in my head since the trailer aired.

Welcome: 2016-2017 School Year

Summer is over, at least for me!  I had a great summer.  I went diving in Grand Cayman!  Unfortunately, everyone on the boat forgot to bring an underwater camera, so no pictures.  I saw moray eels, sharks, stingrays, angel fish, incredible coral and so much more.  It was incredible and I am very glad that I went out of my comfort zone to certify in scuba diving last year.

We're gearing up for classes next week.  We've had two Back To School Nights in order for parents and children to come meet the staff and see the classrooms

We have two classrooms:

This is the team for Miss Jeana's classroom.  L-R:  Miss Jeana (teacher), Miss Carrie (Speech-Language Pathologist), Miss Suzanne (paraeducator), and Miss Jan (paraeducator).  We're still waiting for one more paraeducator to join our team.

This is the team for Miss Julie's Classroom.  L-R:  Miss Shirley (paraeducator), Miss Carrie (Speech-Language Pathologist), Miss Debbie (paraeducator), Miss Sarah (paraeducator), and Miss Julie (teacher). 

We have the best teams at our school!  These women are all passionate about their jobs.  We are all excited about the new school year and have some great plans in the works.

First thing on my list is teaching the children to wash their hands.  We'll be learning a hand-washing song and about germs, covering our mouths when we cough or sneeze, and when we need to wash our hands (before snack time, or anytime hands are dirty).  I will be posting our lesson so parents can use the same vocabulary at home.

See you next week!