Beach and Ocean week made such a splash! Between face painting, field trips, and fun, beach and ocean week almost seemed like letter F week all over again! Read below to learn about the fun that was had!
Monday was Face-Painting Day and the teachers did not disappoint! The children each selected something to be drawn on either their faces or their arms. The children came up with some interesting choices. The teachers prepared themselves to draw animals like lions…
and dolphins,
and monkeys;
what they did not expect were unique requests like the one from this child. He wanted a house!
This child requested “All of the Disney Princesses” but settled for just Snow White. Regardless of what they asked for, the teachers delivered (as best as they could!)
Tuesday began with a reading of a classroom favorite – The Little Fish Who Cried SHARK! by Trish Phillips. Much like the boy in the story, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, the little fish enjoys frightening the other sea creatures by yelling out “SHARRRRRRRRRK!” After scaring all of his friends, the little fish hears someone else yell out “SHARRRRRK”. He thinks that his friends are playing a joke on him and decides that he will not be fooled. Well, here is the final page of the story – What do you think happened?
After reading the story, the children learned all about sharks and even had an opportunity to create their own shark. Once the sharks were assembled, the children then glued little labels on the various parts of the shark’s body that had been discussed earlier.
Wednesday was another perfect opportunity to create an ocean/beach inspired craft. The best part about Wednesday’s craft was that it was wearable! The children first were given a page of shells that they had to color in.
Once the shells were colored, the teachers quickly cut them out and hole-punched them all. The children walked over to the “lacing” table where there was a string and a whole bunch of noodles waiting for them. The students got right to work to complete their…
Thursday was quite possibly the most exciting day of the summer so far! With a field trip to the Jersey City Fire Department and not one, but TWO birthdays on the agenda, the children were bursting with excitement! A little before 10:00 a.m. the children (and some parents!) headed off to the firehouse to meet some of Jersey City’s best and bravest firefighters!
Upon arrival to the firehouse, the children of Park Prep were greeted by numerous firefighters and led into the station. After a brief introduction, the firefighters informed the children about the IMPORTANT job they do. They even showed the children exactly what they wear and they explained why they have to wear it.
The children were scared at first, especially when the firefighter demonstrated how he would approach them if they were trapped by a fire.
As he crawled towards the children, he took turns slapping them high-five and letting them touch his equipment. He even took off his face mask to remind them who was in there! Once they were reminded, the children were no longer scared but excited!
The excitement only grew when the children learned that they would have a turn at the hose! Each child patiently waited in line for their turn to spray the hose like these children did! Could this field trip get any better?
Yes it could – and it did! The children were led to the back of the firehouse where the ladder truck was held. They even saw a firefighter climb up the ladder (nearly ten stories high) and wave to them!
Just as everyone thought the trip was over, the firefighters brought out gifts for the children! Each child went home with their own Fire Safety Coloring Book, a pack of JCFD crayons, a JCFD Fire Hat, a JCFD Jr. Firefighter Badge, and a JCFD pencil!
Boy, the JCFD really took care of the Park Prep Academy children! A special thank you to all of the firefighters from the JCFD #14!
Friday marked the first bus trip of the summer! As always, the children were nearly equally excited to ride the bus as to attend the field trip to the Turtle Back Zoo!
Upon their arrival, the children hopped off the bus and began exploring the newest area of the zoo – the Asian exhibits! These exhibits featured such unique animals as:
Muntjacs,
Red Pandas,
and some silly and jumpy Cranes!
A bit deeper into the zoo, the students spent time looking at some extremely large and exciting animals, such as: cougars, a shy, sleepy leopard, horses, kangaroos, eagles, porcupines, a HUGE pig, and penguins! They even had the opportunity to watch the penguins during one of their feedings!
Although the penguin exhibit was a bit smelly, the appetite of the children was not affected as they headed towards the picnic tables to eat their own lunches.
Luck was surely on the side of Park Prep because shortly after the students sat down for lunch, rain began pouring down! The students enjoyed their lunch (and some even enjoyed the rain). They even received a special ice-pop surprise from Dr. Greenwald!
The rain picked up and the teachers decided it was probably best to head back to school a bit early. Fortunately, the group had already made their way through nearly all of the zoo at that point anyway! With little sign of stopping or slowing, the rain continued to pour and prohibited the children from getting to the bus. Even the peacocks were taking cover!
Eventually the rain did lighten up and the teachers and children boarded the bus to head back to school.
What a fantastic day at the zoo and an even more amazing week! A special thank you to all of the families that accompanied us on this week’s field trips. As always, thank you for reading and have a wonderful weekend!
-PPA