We began the day with the Touch and Feel full of toothbrushes. Now....I must admit....it was difficult to keep them out of the kids mouths, but they had fun exploring the toothbrushes and brushing each other's hands in different directions.
Because our day was so busy, we had to skip our usual morning circle routine and read our story early. The book today was Going to the Dentist by Stephen Cartwright. This book describes all the things that children will see and experience when going to the dentist. It introduces some new vocabulary like plaque and cavities, that we will talk more about tomorrow. The kids all had something to add to the book about their own dentist trips and/or brothers and sisters who had lost teeth before.
After the story, we walked to find Ms. Michele. She was set up inside today because the weather was a little chilly outside. The first activity was Kid Yoga. It was very clear, very quickly that the children have had very little practice moving their bodies in a coordinated way like this. We attempted three poses....and with LOTS of help.....everyone made an effort! Now that they know what to expect, maybe next time won't be so difficult. The next activity was some fine motor practice working puzzles and using lacing boards. The kids each took a turn and then passed it to their neighbor. The wooden puzzles were a big hit, but the lacing boards needed some assistance. The last thing we did with Ms. Michele was dot art. Each child was given a large white piece of paper and some do-a-dot markers. The markers give the kids practice with their grip, and you need some strength to make the marker work on the paper. The kids loved the freedom to create....and used some good communication skills negotiating a turn with different colored markers with their friends.
Next on the agenda for the day....after some playground time.....was a special visitor. Ms. Debbie from Eastover Pediatric Dentistry came to talk to our class about how and why we should take care of our teeth. We watched a video called The Adventures of Wiggly Tooth about a girl who loses her tooth. She also brought all sorts of neat props to help the children understand. Doogan the dinosaur showed the kids the correct way to brush their teeth. A bag full of snacks helped the kids decide if different foods were healthy for our teeth or not healthy for our teeth. Ms. Debbie used a jump rope to help us understand about flossing. Two friends pretended to be teeth....and she put the "floss" in between the teeth to clean the space that is too big for our toothbrush. She even let us look in the special dentist mirror and feel the tooth explorer that helps her count our teeth. Before she left she let the kids ask questions and then she gave everyone a goodie bag to take home. It was an interesting and informative visit......THANKS Ms. Debbie!
We watched a few fun videos about teeth then went to the table for art. Art was using white paint, or toothpaste, to "clean" yellow teeth with our toothbrush. The kids all worked very hard to make sure that none of that yucky plaque....or sugar bugs, as Ms. Debbie called them....stayed on their teeth. It was serious business around the art table!
I hope that the kids all ask to brush their teeth tonight before bed.....Ms. Debbie taught us a lot about how important it is to keep our teeth clean and healthy. No stinky breath or cavities for us!
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