Rhinos are some of the largest animals in the world and are well known for the horns on their snouts. There are five different species of rhinos. They use their horns to dig up roots, break branches to access food or water, and defend themselves against predators.
Today, the children created a rhino using the letter 'R.' They also enjoyed exploring the Valentine sensory bin, which of course, I sprinkled with a little literacy (letter beads). One of the little ones was so excited to search for and find the entire alphabet! I love their eagerness to learn and grow.

Elephants are magnificent animals. They are the largest land mammals on earth. Just like us, their body parts help them do daily tasks. Their trunks help pick up food and suck up water and their ears help keep them cool. They use their tusks to remove tree bark, dig for roots or make holes to find water. Elephants travel in a herd and the baby elephants hold the tail of bigger elephants, just like when you have to hold your parents hand sometimes! During this Invitation to Create, the children used their creative drawing skills to complete the missing half of an elephant. During this activity, the children made a plan and decided if they would make a complete elephant or create something different. The children saw how different each complete picture looked and discovered that there is no wrong or right way to create art. 
They used paint sticks to rainbow trace the letter R.

Lions are known as the "King of the Jungle." They usually live in the savanna and the grasslands. Lions hunt large animals such as zebras and wildebeests. Lions are patient animals.
They created their own lion mask today!   

There are a variety of safari vehicles such as jeeps, land cruisers, buses and vans. They are usually made to withstand rough roads and potholes. We searched our theme posters for colors, shapes, animals and vehicles! 
Baboons are large and powerful monkeys with a very distinctive appearance. They have large heads with a long, dog-like muzzle and a heavy brow ridge protecting their eyes. They also have cheek pouches for storing food. Baboons prefer semiarid conditions and can be found throughout Africa's savannas and bushland. During this Invitation to Create, the children looked at a contemporary image of a baboon face, then explored layering various shapes and colors to design their own versions of a baboon. Through the process, children relied on their fine motor skills and spatial awareness while also learning a bit about natural sciences. 
They sorted letters Rr and Ss in their fine motor journals. 

A game reserve is also known as a "Wildlife Preserve." It is a protected area of land where wild animals can live safely. We talked about why animals would want to stay together in a group; I explained that similar animals group together to stay safe because there is safety in numbers. They cut paper and created a collage hut in their journals.  We used orange paper, since that is our color of the month. They played a matching game with safari animal cards. 
I asked if they would rather see a lion close up or far away? They colored paper and we made into safari binoculars. They were encouraged to spy the animals from a safe distance with their binoculars, then checked off their list!

There are common items that people pack when they go on a trip. Some items include a variety of clothes, shoes, toothbrush, sock, etc. We went through our packing list, and discussed items that are wants or needs! 
Ss is for sock. I put travel photo cards in a sock, they took turns pulling a card from the sock, identified the photo and determined if it begins with the /s/ sound. If yes, they placed the card on S card. I gave them socks and they were encouraged to find the matching sock. They played stinky socks and thought it was really funny to put on mismatched socks! 
We discussed how hats protect our heads and reasons people may sometimes wear hats, safety, weather or personal preference. The weather in the African savanna is very hot. There are only two seasons: a dry season and a wet season.  They each made their own safari hat. 
​For fine motor, they cut ovals or if still learning to use scissors they cut scrap paper. 

Today, we explored the concept of passports as a travel document that includes your picture, date of birth, and place of origin. We discussed how passports are required for entering other countries.
I showed them what real passports look like and encouraged them to find the page with the photo and look for any stamps. They then had the opportunity to create their own passports! Each child drew a picture of themselves, wrote their name and used stamps to mark their pages. 
To make the activity even more engaging, we looked at the seven continents. They were encouraged to find the matching continent in their passport and color it accordingly.
I also explained the importance of signatures and how they will need to sign their names for many things as they grow up. Each child was encouraged to practice signing their name on a name plate provided for them.
It was a fun and educational experience that helped them learn about travel, geography, and the value of their unique identity!
They made squiggly lines in their journals, we are working on the letter Ss.

Stringed instruments create sounds through vibrations. When the strings are rubbed by a bow struck or plucked they create different sounds. Examples of stringed instruments are guitars, harps, violins and sitars. Some of the earliest stringed instruments came from Asia and India. Today they created their own violin!
Today we explored stringing letters!  They used yarn to create letters O & P or another letter they wanted to create. 
Guitars have six strings. Violins, Viola, cellos and basses have four.  We wrapped six rubber bands around an open shoe box, they took turns rolling the die, identified the number and encouraged to pluck that many rubber bands (strings).  
They rainbow traced letters P and O in their fine motor journals. 

Woodwind instruments create sounds by blowing air into or across a mouthpiece. Examples of woodwind instruments are flutes, clarinets, oboes and saxophones. The first woodwind instrument was a flute carved from the thighbone of a bear.  They made different sounds by blowing through their flute. Then they took turns tossing the cube with color notes, they were encouraged to place their fingers on the flute according to the colors.  
They used a straw and paint to create "blow art!"  They used watered down paint and blew softly and with greater force to move the paint!