October 18, 2019

Throughout the week we read and sang many songs. For example:

• Chicka, Chicka Boom Boom

• Brown Bear, Brown Bear

• Donde esta la Oveja Verde

• The Little Blue Digger and the Strongest Truck

• Mis colors

• Pete the Cat (Five Little Pumpkins)

• Pete the Cat, I’m Rocking in My School Shoes

• Pete the Cat, I Love my White Shoes

• Good Night, Good Night Construction Sit

• Llama Llama Misses Mama and many more………..

Songs:

• ABC

• Mr. Sun

• What’s the weather?

• Watermelon

• Five Little Ducks

• Five Speckled Frogs

• Five Little Monkeys

• Old McDonald Had a Farm

• Johnny works with one Hammer………..

• Jump in the Middle (Ex. Alexandra, your all wet) and many more………

Highlights of the Week:.

We celebrated Teagan's 2nd birthday with her mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa.  We all enjoyed singing “Happy Birthday,” eating the special snack, and Teagan’s father, John, read Circle by Jon Klassen. The children seemed interested as they listened.

Teagan’s grandma also read one of the children's favorite book, Pete the Cat, The Five Little Monkeys. Teagan appeared to enjoy having her family in the classroom and sharing this special day with her peers and teachers.  

Pumpkin Picking Trip

All the children enjoyed the Pumpkin Picking Trip! They explored the open space with many different size pumpkins. The seemed excited as they attempted to pick-up, sit down, and roll a pumpkin. They observed the animals close and afar. Feeding them was a treat for our young toddlers and very brave!! Everybody had FUN, including adults and teachers.

The children Explored and Engaged in different Activities and Centers

PAINTING

Sometimes not interrupting the child or ask questions, we can observe and may begin to understand the way a child perceives his/her world, his developmental abilities, and his/her needs or interests.

Children form many connections and ideas of how the painting process works for them, as well as what they enjoy about it. While we observe, a child painting, we see a fully engaged child. We can almost see children’s thoughts, such as when they push their brush flat, make lines or dips and stir the paint.

Painting with Sticks

The children appeared curious and puzzled as they stamp the twig (stick) onto the paper creating small dots and lines. Each smear, dot, or drip they established with the twig enabled them to explore the tool freely.

Engaging and introducing new materials, elicits children’s imagination. It stimulates and helps them cultivate their abilities. Painting with natural materials is a fun activity that produces a different kind of artwork. As children maneuver the natural painting tool, it provides them with opportunities to be creative and master their fine motor skills. One of the many reasons why art is essential, it builds children’s self-esteem by giving them the autonomy to express themselves.

Carlie, Annabelle's mother, brought some materials for the children to explore and create facial expressions. We talked about the different facial expressions: happy, sad, angry, and sleepy. As they selected, they seemed to enjoy the process of gluing and pasting the black shapes. I wonder what Annabelle feels as she applies glue on her hand. When the teacher asked her, she smiled and continued covering her fingers and palm with glue.

Some of the children did their self-portrait for the month!

We explore self-portrait as a way to engage children in examining the details which make-up their faces, and then, drawing what they see or drawing anything they would like to draw. This practice of observing details closely and separating the parts from the whole serves as an understanding and having an awareness of themselves.

The children's scribbles look like a lot of lines, loops, and squiggles. But these marks are significant to a young child. They are a child’s way of writing his/her thoughts. It is a visual way for them to communicate and also helps children to develop their eye-hand coordination, and creativity. Drawing and scribbling are the first steps in using the skills children will need later for writing.

As Annabelle maneuvered the writing tool, she sang some songs: ABC, Baa Baa Black Sheep, and the Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall (One of Mother Goose Rhymes).

SENSORY

On Thursday and Friday, 1A and 1B combined. They helped Ms. Janet to make Play-dough. As the children observed the different items, 1B children were able to articulate and recognize the items that are used to make play-dough. Repetition provides the practice that children need to master new skills. Repetition helps to improve speed, increases confidence, and strengthens the connections in the brain that help children learn.

MANIPULATIVE TOYS

These blocks are innovative and amazing. There are countless ways for children to build upward and outward. Different from most blocks, the coating allows them to stay stuck together after they are stacked. The children learn about geometric shapes and create shapes as they connect. For example, putting two rectangle shapes to create a square or two half-circles, creating a whole circle. They also help develop grasping and hand-eye coordination.

Ophelia interacts with these blocks a lot. She carefully stacks them together creating a structure. Ophelia articulates, “Tower!” “I build a house!” Exploring and investigating enables her to be creative and increase her vocabulary as she engages.

Classroom 1A joined 1B shared classrooms on Thursday and Friday. Even though it was different for the children, each group interacted and engaged in different activities together.

SPECIALISTS

Spanish

Ernestina demonstrated different facial expression pumpkin cards as she sang, Si Esta Feliz, one of the children's favorite Spanish songs. She also talked about colors. She articulated each color in Spanish and English. The children focused, listened, and most of the children participated with her.

Soccer

Another fun day at soccer! The children are exercising their legs as they run, kick, and maneuver the ball with their feet to kick it into the net.

Music