Happy Holidays!

This week was full of holiday preparations and celebrations! We enjoyed talking about Santa Claus and presents, and we began our exploration of family with our ongoing family graph project. We hung ornaments on the Christmas tree, we made a menorah for Hanukkah, and we even got to see Santa and have a dance party with family and friends. Don't forget the delicious food, too! This week really brought the 2B class together. They know about each other and each other's families now more than ever. Today, Sloane told Oliver "I saw your brother, Maxie." Oliver said, "Yeah, he came last night." Friendships and connections are blossoming along with a sense of empathy and a desire to share and play together. Let's see this spirit grow with the coming semester as we continue to learn more about our own and each other's families. 

Wednesday, December 13

Tuesday, December 12

Monday, December 11

Oliver's Here Today

We played together so much today and this week! In playing together, we've been making connections and building empathy, creativity, and communication skills. Remembering to ask before taking, expressing our needs and wants, and sharing imaginative play ideas have been in priority this week. It feels so nice to understand each other and be heard - just take a look at Oliver, then Sloane and Alisha when Devin S. sings who is here today. It's a great sign that they are recreating moments that they find special in school with each other.              

Season's Greetings

In this holiday season at Buckle My Shoe, we are busy making preparations like building a Christmas tree in our room, making ornaments for the shared school tree, and talking about when Santa is coming and what happens at Christmas and during the holidays. This week in 2B. we made pinecones with white glue and glitter, like festive little Christmas trees to match our fantastic colorfully-lit tree on the light table. Cole really loved the "acorns" (glitter pinecones) so much that he wanted to take one home with him.  Lauren has been asking, "It's Christmas? And Santa?" Not yet, almost! Today, we made ornaments for the shared tree, the kids carefully placed one hand in the roll and painted, then added glitter with the other.

In the season, there are other changes in the classroom. Everyone wants to use the potty, friends are beginning to play in groups instead of alone or in dyads, becoming more sociable with each other; and we are beginning to be more comfortable sharing, negotiating turn taking, and showing empathy towards others in the class. Today, classmates stacked their own magnet tile towers, then decided to work together after, building a tower even taller than Jude! Lauren said it was her tower, but she let everyone help her. Devin even handed out tiles to his friends so they could continue building, and when it was time to clean up he and Oliver teamed up to put away legos and tiles together, with one friend holding the basket and the other putting the items inside. It's so nice to grow together as a class, we can't wait to see what happens in January and next semester!   

Wednesday, December 6

Tuesday, December 5

Monday, December 4

Playing Store


Lately, the 2B class has been playing store in the gym. We like to set up the climbing blocks as store stands and sell ice cream, cookies, chips and juice. Some classmates like to be customers, while others like to be store owners. Today, Sloane and Jude set up a shop, and then Alisha, realizing their store was too crowded for three people, chose a different block to set up her own shop next door. Grady came by with some money, Jude and Sloane were busy with other customers, so he asked Alisha for ice cream.

Today, one shop became two, and maybe soon, as Reggio educators, we can facilitate a project to create a larger store or more stores that sell different goods, not just in the gym, but in the classroom and beyond. Where do our students want to go with this? How can we incorporate this into learning, STEM/curriculum, and social/emotional development. Perhaps, we can take a field trip to a local shop to sell how buying and selling works. We can count the money and take turns. We can vote or make decisions on what store items we like best. We can decide prices for items and negotiate our wants.

 Interestingly enough, with our school intent focused on identity this year, we are going from a focus on family to a focus on neighborhood, environment, and culture. Instead of the 2B class playing house at the moment, they've taken a natural interest in the next environment outside of the home - to places where they go with their families.  

Learning and Having Fun with Specialists

In the 2B class, our time with specialists gives us the opportunity to make connections in new ways. Not only do we meet and establish relationships with new adults, but we are using different parts of our brain to learn new material. Cooking, Spanish, soccer, music, and yoga provide creative ways to make connections to things taught everyday in 2B with Hillary and Debbie. Emotion recognition, listening, critical thinking, turn taking, sharing, following directions, and STEM curriculum are practiced constantly and with specialists coming in the learning and the fun are amplified. 

Wednesday, November 29

Tuesday, November 28

Monday, November 27

Today, we used group play, music, stories, and gym to get back into the swing of things after our long Thanksgiving break. 

Wednesday, November 22

Tuesday, November 21

Monday, November 20

Our Cupcake Trip!

This week, after lots of play and then parent teacher conferences, we took a cupcake break. We went to Baked to see how cupcakes are made, and then we got to decorate our own. We walked on the shape rope with our adults down the street in the wind and cold. We waited for the crosswalk light and we said hello to the construction man. We were careful on the stairs down into the bakery. "Big oven!" said one classmate. "Look, cups!" said Romeo. Everyone was so impressed by the display. When we sat down to decorate the cupcakes, we found out that Grady does not like frosting, while Oliver loves the frosting. Also, some classmates put lots of sprinkles, while others carefully put a few. It felt like one big family eating together with some of our actual families even in the same room. As November and December come, we will be asking "Who is our family?" and "What does family mean?" What an amazing morning! 

Wednesday, November 15

Tuesday, November 14