During the week we sang and read a variety of books!  We purchase a Christmas, and the children are creating and painting decorations for the tree and classroom.

The highlights of the week:

Music encourages movements, which is important for young children motor skills.  Picking up an instrument can also help your child break out of their social shell too.  As a class and team, we work together to create a beat that can correlate with the songs that we were singing.  We sang a Spanish song, Feliz Navidad (Merry Christmas).  It was interactive as we played different instruments and sang together. 

 

Counting different items has become one of our favorite things to do during circle time.  We select a variety of topics: feathers, fuzz balls, counters (bears), Lego Blocks, or how many children are in school today, are some examples. Teaching children to count involves more than helping them learn the numbers one to ten. It consists of helping children understand the meaning of numbers. At this age, it’s great to count together with a child. You might count the steps as you walk up to them or the buses as they go by; this helps children begin to move towards matching one thing at a time with the number as they say it.

We have been exploring the color red.  Different color items were placed in a box.   The children selected items that were red. 

Ellis smiled and expressed the words,  "Red, red!"

We placed all the red items in a small Ziploc bag and taped it on our Color Chart.  We visited the chart together and talked about the colors we have displayed.  

We are now exploring the color pink! We also have been discussing and observing the different things in our environment that has the circle shape.  I demonstrated a round plate, an item we use every day. Young children are eager to learn and are engaging in many activities that promote simple and gradual learning experiences. 

 

December 5, 2017, Happy Birthday, Harlow!!

Spanish Specialist:

We went for a neighborhood walk and saw people, dogs, cars, trucks, Christmas trees, and words.  Harry raised his voice as he articulated and recognized the letter "A!"  We saw and bought a perfect tree for Buckle My Shoe!

As we walked the different streets in our neighborhood, we enter a park and the children observed the birds!  The teacher talked about the leaves, trees, and our New York pigeons.  They saw them on the ground and suddenly the children averted their eyes upward.  The birds flew!  Some children articulated the word, birds, birds.

We are starting with our Holiday decorations!

Children interact with different materials, and some gravitate towards specific manipulatives. The Duplo blocks on the table, Luca observed and interacted with them.  He pressed one Lego onto another and continued building by stacking different colors and shapes.  Experimenting and investigating each piece Luca selects and rotates to design, helps him visualize his creation.  He appeared focused and determined as he lifts his structure to place it on top of another.  Luca realized that it was not stable enough when it tilted sideways.  This experience allows him to maneuver the Legos until he finds the right fit.  The fine motor and cognitive development are integrated into this activity.

The children seemed eager and excited to see the lights turned on.   We intended to put them on the Christmas tree; however, half of the lights were not turning on.  We will find another set of lights and decorate the tree on Friday.

  • We brought in some hats for the dramatic play center.  The children seemed to enjoy wearing and exploring the different hats.  Some of the children were wearing them for a length of time as they engaged in various activities.  
  • Luca interacted with the puzzles but also likes to align his manipulatives.
  • Harlow appeared to enjoy the sensory bag placed on the light table.  It contained shredded paper and hair gel.  It promotes  the illusion of snow.  The thickness and reflection give it a shimmery appearance.
  • The children enjoyed the special reader we had in the morning, Ben.  As Ben enters the classroom with Remy to drop her off, he takes a little time and reads a story.  Some of the children gathered to listen or selected a book from the bookshelf and sat beside him.  Thank you, Ben.
  • We were able to find another set of lights to decorate the tree.  The children helped carry the lights.   They appeared excited and eager to see the tree lit with the red, blue, and green lights.  Adela volunteered to take a picture of the class in front of the tree.  It required litttle patients for our little ones to gather in front of the tree, before taking the pictures.  
  • The children appeared to enjoy the process of making wreaths: Paper plates, tissue paper (green and red), glitter, and glue.  They also painted dreidels.
  • As we paint and allow the decorations to dry, the children will gradaully hang them on the tree.