Thursday 11/9/17

This week the children are still exploring with the big boxes in our room. Now we are seeing a more intentional collaborative play. They'll go into their box, and each time their idea of play may differ from the next time depending on who is inside. Because they are using the boxes in different ways, we are supporting them by providing tools that may bring more thought to what they are playing with. This creates a more unified classroom, helps every child build a bond with each other, and gives them an opportunity to learn more about what they themselves are capable of.

Friday 11/3/17

Yesterday the children painted with short chubby brushes that are made easier for them to hold. We put sticky tape over a blank paper with initial first name, had them paint all over however they wished, and removed the sticky tape after. The children were really engaged and were able to stay on task for 20 minutes. Today, we let the children have a more free will approach to our centers. We let them take out what they wanted to play with, instead of having toys out that may lead to an activity. The big box was left open for the children to use as they saw fit. They truly love our box! It has become the go-to center. 

Thursday 11/2/17

This week was packed with activities! On Monday we continued to paint our "yellow bus". It is almost done. The children are already using it for their beautiful adventures. We also had some of the children do their hand-prints on the small canvas. On Tuesday, we trick-or-treated around the neighborhood for our Halloween celebration. We got to collect candy from the firehouse, got balloons from the toy saloon store (which coincidentally matched our yellow bus attire), and continued to get more candy from the Law School and Elite's Gym. Thank you all for contributing to our Halloween snacks/goodies. They were all delicious! Yesterday, we decided to unwind a bit with play-doh for our center/activity time. We even added classical music in the background for some inspiration. 

Friday 10/27/17

On Friday we had our curriculum event! Thank you all for attending. I can not wait until we get to see the final result on your hand prints. These will be displayed on the walls for the children to look at. 

Lately the children have been much more unified and looking at one another to play with. They are also beginning to "copy" one another. If one child gets up, a different child will get up as well. We love it! This is what is expected for them to do at this stage.

Thursday 10/26/17

I want to thank the parents that took time out to help us with our yellow bus costume! I loved how we all came together to be part of this fun-filled day. Here are pictures of the children painting our "yellow bus" box. They really enjoyed painting our bus. They kept coming over and over to keep adding yellow paint.

Friday 10/20/17

Today was such a fun busy day!! We did a quick Diwali celebration with Laura lighting a diya and playing with the sari. We had a fall sensory table set up with our jack-o lantern, mini pine cones, leaves, pumpkins and gourds. After a quick snack we decided to take advantage of this gorgeous day and head outside. We took a trip to Morgan's Market, picked up some mini white pumpkins for a Halloween activity. As we headed to Washington Market Park, we bumped into the 3A class where Barak got to see his big brother Dylan!

Thursday 10/19/17

Yesterday we went to the market to get a few pumpkins. A big one, a small one, and a white (also small) one. Today, Laura helped us carve out the big pumpkin. She cut out the eyes, the nose and the mouth. She also showed what the pumpkin looked like on the inside. The children were really intrigued. They touched the seeds, tried to put the small pumpkin inside of it, and each had a turn holding the stem. Some were courageous and tasted the inside of the pumpkin too!

Also we had music with Evan today. He showed us what a Marimba looks like. I even heard little voices singing along to his songs while Evan played his guitar. When it was time to dance, John went right ahead and showed some of his moves. When Isabelle saw John dancing, she went on to shake her shoulders and little belly. The other children were more comfortable just watching (for now...).

10/12-13/17

We experimented with glue and it went very well! We gave them wooden pieces to see if they could put them together. They did. The wooden pieces also come with small colored wooden squares that are great for them to use and create a pincer grasp with their fingers. We also worked on finger-painting mirrors. They also had the option to use paintbrushes, which most children ended up using as to not feel the paint with their fingers. We are beginning to notice that although they may not want to get messy, they definitely love coloring with paint.