Reminder: Closed Monday 7/4
A reminder that school is closed on Monday in observance of Independence Day. We will reopen the following day and look forward to seeing you and your children!
Additionally, the newsletter will take the weekend off for the 4th, to get that Uncle Sam costume in order, naturally. That beard takes time people. :)
Solstice Stroll
We had another beautiful day carved out on Friday for our first summer Solstice Stroll. We met at Town Hall and headed down the new stairway to march on the Rec Path. The children were happy to run at top speed (making it more of a Solstice Sprint...) and wave their ribbon sticks. At the top of the Quiet Path we did a quick rehearsal, then got right to our performance of "You Are My Sunshine" and "Mr. Golden Sun." The adults helped out as we tried a new song, a silly version of Pete Seeger (and later John Denver's) "Garden Song." There was lots of fun and frolicking to be had and we enjoyed having everyone out to celebrate the season. Look for this event next year, as well as our annual winter Solstice Stroll in December.
More from Graduation!
Weekly Updates
Infant I: There has been a lot of interest in circle time this week, many of the children gather together to listen to stories and look at books independently. On Monday we played with water indoors. We filled up a large bin and the children had a selection of containers for pouring, dumping and their favorite way to explore; splashing. The younger infants especially enjoyed the splashing. The room is also back to working on self soothing skills: We are allowing the children to work through reasonable levels of frustration when learning to roll, sit up and crawl. This affords them the time to problem solve and master new skills on their own.
Infant II: We have loved all the goings on outside this week. Of special interest are the insects and caterpillars. We've been very curious about all their movements, especially when they move from the grass to the dirt and back again. We've had many questions about the nearby construction sounds (and smells!) The sawdust and sander smells are the ones the children quickly picked up on. One child equated this noise to a weed-whacker. We also welcomed a peer from Infant I and this has been a seamless and easy transition.
Toddler I: The children in our room have been very into watercolor painting all week. We tried this out at the start of the week and the kids have been asking for it again and again. This style of panting requires us to work on a couple different skills. First, we have to be more gentle with the brushes, they are smaller and more delicate than the brushes and sponges we are used to. Second, we have to rinse the brush in water between colors, which requires greater concentration and focus. There has been a lot of conversation between the children about the colors they are using and what they are painting. We want to thank HS and her family for sharing their animal encyclopedia with us. The photos and details are incredible. We have been really into exploring this book. Here are a few of the conversations we've had:
HO: "Wow, what is that Melissa?!?"
Melissa: "I'm not sure, let's read the description."
MH: "I don't like it, it looks scary and mean."
Melissa: "Well why don't we find out about it." (They check the details) "He is shy and eats berries and leaves. Do you still think he is scary now that you know those things?"
MC: "No, that is silly."
MH: "No..."
OB: "Why does he look like that? Why isn't he mean?"
Melissa: "Maybe he looks like that to protect himself from other animals."
EG: "Is he fast like me or slow?"
Melissa: "Let's look....he's slow."
EG: "Where is a fast animal?" (They turn to the page on Cheetahs and begin to read).
Preschool: The children have been exploring the new structure outside, which seems to be used primarily as a house and kitchen for cooking. We enjoyed being in the water, both in the rain and playing with the hose and buckets on the hotter days. We have a new fish in our classroom named Bubbles. Bubbles is significantly larger than our previous fishes, Purple and Green. As the week moved on we spent time practicing our Solstice Stroll songs, and learning the new "Garden Song". Sarah attended a conference on Friday morning, so her mother, Diane spent time playing with us.
Pre-K: On Monday and Tuesday, Jen attended a training for the Vermont Early Learning Standards. These standards for early childhood (which VT defines as birth-grade 3) have been recently revised. Now all caregivers are able to better access the standards which have uniformity in the approach to developmental stages, language and tools. This helps educators to better scaffold and design activities for the children throughout their early years. On those days, Shannon and Megan spent time with the Pre-K and had adventures in our own backyard. On Wednesday it was lots of rainy outdoor play. Jumping in puddles and building rain catching devices was the order of the day. On Thursday it was off to the Secret Garden to do a little weeding...and munching on chives for sustenance. Others who chose to stay back ended up camping on the playground, building tents and chairs near the Costco, apparently, where they later went on to excavate some ancient dinosaur bones. Our imaginations are alive and well.
Also Seen at MVS
Thanks for Reading
Sam
A reminder that school is closed on Monday in observance of Independence Day. We will reopen the following day and look forward to seeing you and your children!
Additionally, the newsletter will take the weekend off for the 4th, to get that Uncle Sam costume in order, naturally. That beard takes time people. :)
Solstice Stroll
We had another beautiful day carved out on Friday for our first summer Solstice Stroll. We met at Town Hall and headed down the new stairway to march on the Rec Path. The children were happy to run at top speed (making it more of a Solstice Sprint...) and wave their ribbon sticks. At the top of the Quiet Path we did a quick rehearsal, then got right to our performance of "You Are My Sunshine" and "Mr. Golden Sun." The adults helped out as we tried a new song, a silly version of Pete Seeger (and later John Denver's) "Garden Song." There was lots of fun and frolicking to be had and we enjoyed having everyone out to celebrate the season. Look for this event next year, as well as our annual winter Solstice Stroll in December.
More from Graduation!
Weekly Updates
Infant I: There has been a lot of interest in circle time this week, many of the children gather together to listen to stories and look at books independently. On Monday we played with water indoors. We filled up a large bin and the children had a selection of containers for pouring, dumping and their favorite way to explore; splashing. The younger infants especially enjoyed the splashing. The room is also back to working on self soothing skills: We are allowing the children to work through reasonable levels of frustration when learning to roll, sit up and crawl. This affords them the time to problem solve and master new skills on their own.
Infant II: We have loved all the goings on outside this week. Of special interest are the insects and caterpillars. We've been very curious about all their movements, especially when they move from the grass to the dirt and back again. We've had many questions about the nearby construction sounds (and smells!) The sawdust and sander smells are the ones the children quickly picked up on. One child equated this noise to a weed-whacker. We also welcomed a peer from Infant I and this has been a seamless and easy transition.
Toddler I: The children in our room have been very into watercolor painting all week. We tried this out at the start of the week and the kids have been asking for it again and again. This style of panting requires us to work on a couple different skills. First, we have to be more gentle with the brushes, they are smaller and more delicate than the brushes and sponges we are used to. Second, we have to rinse the brush in water between colors, which requires greater concentration and focus. There has been a lot of conversation between the children about the colors they are using and what they are painting. We want to thank HS and her family for sharing their animal encyclopedia with us. The photos and details are incredible. We have been really into exploring this book. Here are a few of the conversations we've had:
HO: "Wow, what is that Melissa?!?"
Melissa: "I'm not sure, let's read the description."
MH: "I don't like it, it looks scary and mean."
Melissa: "Well why don't we find out about it." (They check the details) "He is shy and eats berries and leaves. Do you still think he is scary now that you know those things?"
MC: "No, that is silly."
MH: "No..."
OB: "Why does he look like that? Why isn't he mean?"
Melissa: "Maybe he looks like that to protect himself from other animals."
EG: "Is he fast like me or slow?"
Melissa: "Let's look....he's slow."
EG: "Where is a fast animal?" (They turn to the page on Cheetahs and begin to read).
Preschool: The children have been exploring the new structure outside, which seems to be used primarily as a house and kitchen for cooking. We enjoyed being in the water, both in the rain and playing with the hose and buckets on the hotter days. We have a new fish in our classroom named Bubbles. Bubbles is significantly larger than our previous fishes, Purple and Green. As the week moved on we spent time practicing our Solstice Stroll songs, and learning the new "Garden Song". Sarah attended a conference on Friday morning, so her mother, Diane spent time playing with us.
Pre-K: On Monday and Tuesday, Jen attended a training for the Vermont Early Learning Standards. These standards for early childhood (which VT defines as birth-grade 3) have been recently revised. Now all caregivers are able to better access the standards which have uniformity in the approach to developmental stages, language and tools. This helps educators to better scaffold and design activities for the children throughout their early years. On those days, Shannon and Megan spent time with the Pre-K and had adventures in our own backyard. On Wednesday it was lots of rainy outdoor play. Jumping in puddles and building rain catching devices was the order of the day. On Thursday it was off to the Secret Garden to do a little weeding...and munching on chives for sustenance. Others who chose to stay back ended up camping on the playground, building tents and chairs near the Costco, apparently, where they later went on to excavate some ancient dinosaur bones. Our imaginations are alive and well.
Also Seen at MVS
Thanks for Reading
Sam
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