Another week comes to a close as we shake off January and head into what will hopefully be our snowiest month...looking for more outdoor winter adventures!
Classroom Happenings
Infant I: The older children completed a large scale painting project this week. It spanned two days, and while we always emphasize process over product in making art, the end product is rather beautiful! The children worked with both warm and cool colors as well as tape to influence their design. They used their bodies, brushes, and sponges to paint. There is a lot of walking and exploration of the classroom space, and the younger children have been sitting up, grabbing toys, and inching forward on their bellies. On Thursday, the children played in the pop up canvas structure and were very happy to play peek a boo with teachers and peers.
Infant II: Some delicious oranges made their way to school from Florida, and it's led to a rather "citrus centric" week. The children enjoyed sitting together and trying the oranges, so much in fact that they took to requesting them at several points throughout the day. The two year olds in the class had a blast visiting the big playground in the back, they discovered all types of new surroundings and marveled at the big hill and how to conquer it. This week we have also been reading a new book called "Where is my Dragon?". The kids love the book; it has only a few words on each page, but contains detailed illustrations, most of which are in black and white. The colored parts on the page are the items the dragon searches for on his trip around the city. We continue to work on quiet voices as well as putting our toys away in their proper place after playing.
Toddler I: It's been a good week, with a greater look at expected vs. unexpected behaviors. We are talking more about following the rules of our classroom, some of which include using walking feet, speaking with quiet voices, putting our materials away, and keeping our hands to ourselves. We are working on more on using our toys in specific play areas; these stations help break up the room better and encourage the children to play both independently and in small groups without their play taking over the whole of the room. Circle remains a very important part of the day overall, and we are trying new foods during our group snack times.
Toddler II: A big focus of our week was a multi-day project that ended in a mobile. We began by using beads and pipe cleaners; we used our fine motor skills to string the beads onto the pipe cleaners. Next, we collected sticks and cut them to size to form the shape of the mobile. Finally we connected the beaded shapes with string and hung up the creation. This process led some of the children to become frustrated, and these were valuable moments towards building resiliency. This also allowed for moments for some children who had mastered specific skills to teach others. Keeping at something even though it's difficult is a trait we work to foster in the children every day, and these types of projects are another way to do that. We were happy to explore the wooded area across the street which we affectionately call "Deer Playground." We identified rabbit and dog tracks as our interest in tracks continues. Indoors we have been paying close attention to the little details: from carefully matching up corners to fold blankets, to keeping our cubbies organized so clothes hang to dry properly. The children are really eating up all of the logic behind how and why to do things a certain way. We loved having a younger sibling come to visit, Burke also made an appearance in the room as well.
Pre-K: The week has been about snacks and snow. We've been reading books about trying new foods. The children cheered on Pete the Pig when he finally tried his green slop. The class continues to try new foods and revisit more familiar ones as well. Next week the class will talk more about manners at the table and around food in general. On the snow front, the kids discovered a perfect area for building snow people on Tuesday. The class spent time in the thawing snow, packing it together to complete a snowman. When the class returned to the spot on Wednesday they were disappointed to find the snowman had been destroyed. However, the children bounced back and made a snow octopus instead. Ever the optimists, the class concluded that, "kids might have found the snowman and liked it so much that they laughed so hard that they knocked it over." On Thursday, the snow devotees carried sleds all the way to the big hill behind SES (and back!) and had the BEST TIME sledding. So in case you're wondering, yes, we would like a little more snow.
As Seen at MVS
Thanks for Reading
Enjoy your weekend!
-Sam
Classroom Happenings
Infant I: The older children completed a large scale painting project this week. It spanned two days, and while we always emphasize process over product in making art, the end product is rather beautiful! The children worked with both warm and cool colors as well as tape to influence their design. They used their bodies, brushes, and sponges to paint. There is a lot of walking and exploration of the classroom space, and the younger children have been sitting up, grabbing toys, and inching forward on their bellies. On Thursday, the children played in the pop up canvas structure and were very happy to play peek a boo with teachers and peers.
Infant II: Some delicious oranges made their way to school from Florida, and it's led to a rather "citrus centric" week. The children enjoyed sitting together and trying the oranges, so much in fact that they took to requesting them at several points throughout the day. The two year olds in the class had a blast visiting the big playground in the back, they discovered all types of new surroundings and marveled at the big hill and how to conquer it. This week we have also been reading a new book called "Where is my Dragon?". The kids love the book; it has only a few words on each page, but contains detailed illustrations, most of which are in black and white. The colored parts on the page are the items the dragon searches for on his trip around the city. We continue to work on quiet voices as well as putting our toys away in their proper place after playing.
Toddler I: It's been a good week, with a greater look at expected vs. unexpected behaviors. We are talking more about following the rules of our classroom, some of which include using walking feet, speaking with quiet voices, putting our materials away, and keeping our hands to ourselves. We are working on more on using our toys in specific play areas; these stations help break up the room better and encourage the children to play both independently and in small groups without their play taking over the whole of the room. Circle remains a very important part of the day overall, and we are trying new foods during our group snack times.
Toddler II: A big focus of our week was a multi-day project that ended in a mobile. We began by using beads and pipe cleaners; we used our fine motor skills to string the beads onto the pipe cleaners. Next, we collected sticks and cut them to size to form the shape of the mobile. Finally we connected the beaded shapes with string and hung up the creation. This process led some of the children to become frustrated, and these were valuable moments towards building resiliency. This also allowed for moments for some children who had mastered specific skills to teach others. Keeping at something even though it's difficult is a trait we work to foster in the children every day, and these types of projects are another way to do that. We were happy to explore the wooded area across the street which we affectionately call "Deer Playground." We identified rabbit and dog tracks as our interest in tracks continues. Indoors we have been paying close attention to the little details: from carefully matching up corners to fold blankets, to keeping our cubbies organized so clothes hang to dry properly. The children are really eating up all of the logic behind how and why to do things a certain way. We loved having a younger sibling come to visit, Burke also made an appearance in the room as well.
Pre-K: The week has been about snacks and snow. We've been reading books about trying new foods. The children cheered on Pete the Pig when he finally tried his green slop. The class continues to try new foods and revisit more familiar ones as well. Next week the class will talk more about manners at the table and around food in general. On the snow front, the kids discovered a perfect area for building snow people on Tuesday. The class spent time in the thawing snow, packing it together to complete a snowman. When the class returned to the spot on Wednesday they were disappointed to find the snowman had been destroyed. However, the children bounced back and made a snow octopus instead. Ever the optimists, the class concluded that, "kids might have found the snowman and liked it so much that they laughed so hard that they knocked it over." On Thursday, the snow devotees carried sleds all the way to the big hill behind SES (and back!) and had the BEST TIME sledding. So in case you're wondering, yes, we would like a little more snow.
As Seen at MVS
Thanks for Reading
Enjoy your weekend!
-Sam
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