News and Reminders: Thank you to those of you that were able to make it to our Parent Potluck on Thursday. A reminder that they are on our school calendar so please feel free to join us for any of the scheduled meetings.
Kitchen News: This week for lunch we tried a new recipe for zucchini pancakes. Everyone seemed to really enjoy them. We also had treid out mac and cheese with butternut squash, it was delicious. We also enjoyed a snack of mango popsicles one hot afternoon.
We would like to thank Luzsa and her Mom for bringing their baby ducklings to school for a visit last week. We had a wonderful time meeting them, practicing being careful, and talking about what we really loved about them.
Classroom Updates
Infant I
Another calm and quiet week for us. It has been nice to be able to slow down and focus on little things like using utensils to eat and mimicking all sorts of sounds. All of our children have also been challenging themselves physically this week, whether by climbing to new heights, using less support to stand, or rolling over and over again. Finally, we enjoyed some beautiful days outside; we're definitely not afraid of getting wet and dirty!
Infant II
This week we spent lots of time focusing on communication and conflict resolution with our class. We emphasized the importance of using our words with our friends and walking away from unkind behavior. This week we also introduced open cups for the children at meal times. We are practicing taking small sips and not dumping the water out. We enjoyed the nice weather and got in lots of outside time. On Friday we had a surprise visit from the Preschool 2 room. They read us their Friday book. Our children loved it and it was nice for our children to interact with an older class.
Toddlers
We had a nice calm and peaceful week in our classroom. We enjoyed some beautiful weather and we made the most of it; we sure do love fresh air, physical play and socializing with the older classrooms. We are working very hard on using the bathroom, wearing underwear, and recognizing when it is time to use the bathroom. We are becoming quite successful! Our gross motor skills have really developed recently too. Many children have been spending quite a bit of time on the orange climbing structure out back. They are able to swing, climb, and flip! Make sure to ask them for a demonstration, they are all willing to show off their skills.
Preschool I
We have had a couple of children out on vacation this week, and some of the older students are spending more time in other classrooms to prepare for transitions later in the summer. This means we had much smaller numbers this week. While we miss distant friends, these kinds of weeks are valuable for deepening relationships both between adults and children, and the children to their peers. The students have truly welcomed Shannon T into their tribe, and have mastered specifying "Shannon E" or "Shannon T". Some highlights this week include making more play dough, a play "bug house" for "bees" in the sensory table, and a "parade" outside while playing tambourines. The children also did a great job helping cut more fruit for Fruit Salad Friday.
Preschool II
Please, thank you, and you're welcome, have been our kind words of choice the past two weeks. We kept a tally of how many thank you's and you're welcome's we could get in one day. The tally lead friends to find different ways to receive a thank you so we could give a you're welcome, and some of us would even sing "you're welcome, you're welcome!" We have been on some great adventures this week, with a special trip to the creek by the ball fields at SES. We beat the heat with a splash while building a dam of mud, sticks, and rocks; working like busy beavers we made a nice pool to cool off in. Next week we have many plans, including drums, more piggy and elephant books, paper and glue, a kitchen remodel, and trips back to the playground, to the creek, and to the Art Center.
PreK
It's been a creative week in PreK. We've been inventing games, writing songs, creating a group art project and thinking up new ways to use what we have. For example putting tons of pine needles on our yellow slide to make a "dry water slide." We've done a lot of digging on the playground with the giant hole alternating as a "nest", a "meteor hole" and a "foundation." With lots of vacations and relaxed summer schedules, it's easy to forget important routines. We are working hard on remembering to wash hands often, use the bathroom before going outside, etc. We use the term "self-talk" and encourage children to talk themselves through these routines.
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