Cleo is planting lemon seeds!
Happy Spring everyone!
It’s hard to believe that Winter has already finished and Spring is now in bloom. The trees have buds, the garden beds have green poking through. What a great opportunity to stop and notice all of the little changes that are happening in our environment. Even house plants seem to sense the change and are growing greener, taller and stronger than even a week prior.
Take some time to point out these changes to your child. Maybe start a dedicated notebook to drawing and writing down the changes that you both observe. I know we don’t all have backyards, courtyards and rooftops to observe - but perhaps there’s a tree out of your window, or the little bean Eudenis and I suggested you could grow. Barring that, there are a plethora of amazing books that detail these signs of Spring and can show your child the magic that happens as the earth wakes up again.
Little Blue Truck’s Springtime
Here in Brooklyn, we found some seed packets and started the process of growing some herbs. We’ll keep you updated of their progress!
You can make a simple weather chart and talk about it when you get up in the morning; have a schedule and creating a new normal is important.
The Importance of Recognizing Feelings
The world is on edge right now, and all of the tense, panic and negative feelings that we are having are trickling down onto our children. There is a lot of uncertainty right now and a lot of scary things in the world. Let’s remember to give our children the opportunity to express how they are feeling and why, and accept these feelings no matter what they are and how they come out. Challenging behaviors often have a root cause, whether it’s being tired, feeling anxious, or being hungry. Remember to take a deep breath and roll with the tide of these emotions rather than feeding into them and causing more stress for everyone. It’s not easy, but it is worth practicing. Counting to five is sometimes helpful, taking deep breaths, and giving space.
Calm down jars are helpful. We used glitter, pony beads, and water.
Letter of the Day
Starting on Monday, we will be implementing a letter of the day during our circle time. Please help your child find something that starts with the letter A to share with the group on Monday. Thank you!
Can you make an A out of ice? We made these watercolor ice cubes with a mini muffin tray.
Materials for next week
We need cornstarch to make Oobleck!
Eudenis and I have started to plan activities for next week. Here are some of the materials that you may need. I know it might not be easy to get them at the moment, so let me know if we should change our plan.
Seltzer & Raisins (or grains of rice would work too)
Paper towel or tp rolls
Coffee filters or paper towels
Cornstarch
Food coloring or liquid watercolors
A notebook or white paper
Markers/crayons/colored pencils
Tempera or watercolor paints
Did you make a memory game this week? What objects did you use? How did it go?
Remember- you can paint on just about anything!
With Love,
Rachel & Eudenis