As of tomorrow, we will be just one month away from the Autumnal Equinox. The goldenrod is out, gardens seem to be in all stages of harvest and “fair season” is in full swing. While plenty of summer still awaits, this is certainly a moment to take it all in!
Classroom Happenings
Infant I: A new baby has begun school and we wish them a warm welcome! We have been observing more social interactions between the infants. The older children try to make eye contact with peers, even if their peer’s head is bent down, they persist in connecting until they lock eyes. Another social interaction among the children who can sit has been rolling balls back and forth to one another. They have also been trading toys. The infants that are on their bellies more are usually spending time together over one toy. At times when our classroom door is open and the gate is up, the children will head over to say hello to those in the Infant II room.
Infant II: There are a couple of exciting things the children have been into exploring this week. During in-service, the green tunnel was moved from the back playground to the front. This has been a place for climbing over, onto and through. The kids also enjoy peeking through the tunnel to see classmates on the other side, leading to lots of joyful laughter. The rain has brought some changing conditions to the playground which has been another source of exploration; the mud and puddles offered different temperatures and textures to check out. Plus, the worms and insects come out to play which is something we can’t see to get enough of. We have been showing a lot of progress in using our words during difficult or frustrating situations. Additionally, there has been more developing empathy between the children, helping a friend back up when they fall, offering a friendly hug or toy to another, or giving a comforting pat when noticing someone is upset.
Toddler Room: It’s been a terrific week. Amanda Stebbins has joined the room as our second teacher and we’re thrilled to have her in the classroom. We also welcomed a new student to the room and he has easily adjusted to the classroom routines. We completed a project this week that was both fun and engaging for the children; we worked with newspaper and glue in a multi-step process. First the children ripped the newspaper into various sizes and shapes. Next, they carefully spread glue onto paper using cotton swabs or their fingers. Finally, they affixed the newspaper pieces to the glue spots. The act of ripping the paper was very enjoyable, as was working with the liquid glue, a real sensory experience! This week we also have been using a larger sensory table in the room. The children used soapy water (and later purple soapy water) to wash a variety of stainless steel bowls. The language of the children continues to flourish. There seem to be more and more stories told and new words used on a daily basis.
Preschool I: We’re getting accustomed to some physical changes in the room; we have moved our easel to make it more accessible to the children. It currently is set up for painting on one side and chalk on the other. In the coming weeks, we hope to have the children setting up their own art projects and supplies more, as well as cleaning up after their projects. In the sensory tale, the children have been big helpers in putting out the materials for the day: for instance, filling the table with water little by little, then adding the bubbles, mixing it together, adding toys, putting on each other’s smocks. The process of completing tasks such as these is just as valuable as actually playing in the water table! In circle, we started working on a new morning song, which incorporates some of the yoga practice the kids have worked on in the past. The children listened to the “chant” style melody and combined that with the words and actions. We’re going to keep up this practice! One of our classroom goals is to allow for greater independence when using the toilet. While many of us are at different stages of the potty, for the most part this means a few less reminders and check ins from adults as well as having the children do more to independently care for their bodies, including wiping themselves and properly caring for soiled clothing.
Preschool II: This week the children spent even bigger chunks of time outdoors. They even asked to start their day outside. This time yielded the following experiences:
Pre-K: After several quiet days many children returned back to school on Thursday after time away. We talked about our current classroom goal together: “I will clean up my things when I am done and put them where they belong.” Popular choices this week included watercolor painting and play dough. We also began a study about shoes. So far, we have drawn and taken pictures of shoes, and described their attributes. That means we are learning vocabulary such as sole, trim, straps, laces and interior. We have read several books on shoes, both “real fact” and “imagination” books. We have also been talking about what kinds of shoes are appropriate to wear for different activities.
Classroom Happenings
Infant I: A new baby has begun school and we wish them a warm welcome! We have been observing more social interactions between the infants. The older children try to make eye contact with peers, even if their peer’s head is bent down, they persist in connecting until they lock eyes. Another social interaction among the children who can sit has been rolling balls back and forth to one another. They have also been trading toys. The infants that are on their bellies more are usually spending time together over one toy. At times when our classroom door is open and the gate is up, the children will head over to say hello to those in the Infant II room.
Infant II: There are a couple of exciting things the children have been into exploring this week. During in-service, the green tunnel was moved from the back playground to the front. This has been a place for climbing over, onto and through. The kids also enjoy peeking through the tunnel to see classmates on the other side, leading to lots of joyful laughter. The rain has brought some changing conditions to the playground which has been another source of exploration; the mud and puddles offered different temperatures and textures to check out. Plus, the worms and insects come out to play which is something we can’t see to get enough of. We have been showing a lot of progress in using our words during difficult or frustrating situations. Additionally, there has been more developing empathy between the children, helping a friend back up when they fall, offering a friendly hug or toy to another, or giving a comforting pat when noticing someone is upset.
Toddler Room: It’s been a terrific week. Amanda Stebbins has joined the room as our second teacher and we’re thrilled to have her in the classroom. We also welcomed a new student to the room and he has easily adjusted to the classroom routines. We completed a project this week that was both fun and engaging for the children; we worked with newspaper and glue in a multi-step process. First the children ripped the newspaper into various sizes and shapes. Next, they carefully spread glue onto paper using cotton swabs or their fingers. Finally, they affixed the newspaper pieces to the glue spots. The act of ripping the paper was very enjoyable, as was working with the liquid glue, a real sensory experience! This week we also have been using a larger sensory table in the room. The children used soapy water (and later purple soapy water) to wash a variety of stainless steel bowls. The language of the children continues to flourish. There seem to be more and more stories told and new words used on a daily basis.
Preschool I: We’re getting accustomed to some physical changes in the room; we have moved our easel to make it more accessible to the children. It currently is set up for painting on one side and chalk on the other. In the coming weeks, we hope to have the children setting up their own art projects and supplies more, as well as cleaning up after their projects. In the sensory tale, the children have been big helpers in putting out the materials for the day: for instance, filling the table with water little by little, then adding the bubbles, mixing it together, adding toys, putting on each other’s smocks. The process of completing tasks such as these is just as valuable as actually playing in the water table! In circle, we started working on a new morning song, which incorporates some of the yoga practice the kids have worked on in the past. The children listened to the “chant” style melody and combined that with the words and actions. We’re going to keep up this practice! One of our classroom goals is to allow for greater independence when using the toilet. While many of us are at different stages of the potty, for the most part this means a few less reminders and check ins from adults as well as having the children do more to independently care for their bodies, including wiping themselves and properly caring for soiled clothing.
Preschool II: This week the children spent even bigger chunks of time outdoors. They even asked to start their day outside. This time yielded the following experiences:
- We watched a chipmunk crawl in and out of a new hole that popped up on the middle of the playground.
- Danielle caught a frog and we watched it carefully in a jar before letting it go.
- We tried to rebuild our tepee, but concluded that we would need to collect more large sticks.
Pre-K: After several quiet days many children returned back to school on Thursday after time away. We talked about our current classroom goal together: “I will clean up my things when I am done and put them where they belong.” Popular choices this week included watercolor painting and play dough. We also began a study about shoes. So far, we have drawn and taken pictures of shoes, and described their attributes. That means we are learning vocabulary such as sole, trim, straps, laces and interior. We have read several books on shoes, both “real fact” and “imagination” books. We have also been talking about what kinds of shoes are appropriate to wear for different activities.
Another way we are talking about details/attributes is with ourselves such as eye color, hair color, height, etc. We have also been paying close attention to the raised beds in the front yard and celebrating all of our hard spring work. We’ve loved eating things right from the garden, and we already have some plans for next year!
As Seen at MVS
Thanks for Reading
-Sam
As Seen at MVS
Thanks for Reading
-Sam
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