Recap 6/4-6/8

June 8, 2018

Monday was our amazing trip to the New York Philharmonic. We loved seeing so many of you there! The Philharmonic gave a concert for the children about the "Building Blocks of Music." After the concert, members of the Philharmonic were available with instruments for the children to play.

On Tuesday we practiced for graduation at school, wearing our costumes and singing the songs. Everyone is getting so excited for the performance. After we practiced, we went on a quick walk to the mailbox to mail the check of donations for Elizabeth Seaton that we raised from our Spring Market.

On Wednesday, we had Spanish and sang about all different types of fruits in Spanish. Thank you for bringing in different types of fruits! The friends learned the different names for the fruits during Spanish then got a chance to sample all of them with lunchtime. We also went across the street to Integral Yoga to practice for our graduation performance! The friends were a bit excited (and confused) about being in the new space, so it is good that we have a few different practices before inviting all of you to see the performance.

Thursday we had another practice for graduation. Things are really coming together! The friends have been singing the Robot song often and are excited to show off their robot dance moves. We also had our last music session with Evan. The friends will miss him!

Friday was field day! Everyone had so much fun taking the train and playing different games with friends. Thank you so much to all the parent chaperones and volunteers. It really was a fantastic day!

Have a fantastic weekend! We can't wait to see you for the last week of school next week.

-Miss Alana

Recap 5/28-6/1

June 4, 2018

Hi! I hope that you enjoyed the long weekend. The friends were excited to be back at school on Tuesday. We explored more of our new doctor's kit materials and enjoyed the sensory bin filled with water. Taking advantage of the nice weather, we went on a walk around the neighborhood. We walked almost all the way to the high line and noticed many different things!

On Wednesday, we had Spanish and worked on learning the names of different animals. After Spanish, the 2's class made "medicine" with Ms. Carla. Using paint, water, shaving cream, and other concoctions, the friends created their own medicines and told us who they would give the medicine to.

On Thursday, the friends were very engaged in dramatic play. They have been pretending that the black closet is an elevator. The friends decided what floors to go to (floor 10), where the elevator was (in Florida), and how many friends could be in the elevator at one time (four). Counting while the elevator reached each floor was a favorite activity!

On Friday we had yoga with Lakshmi and discovered our shadows. It was so much fun to dance and watch each other's shadows! After yoga, the friends did "yo-yo painting." Using a pantyhose filled with beans, they got to choose what color to dip the yo-yo in and watch it bounce up and down creating unique patterns on the paper!

See you next week!

-Miss Alana

Comment

Recap 5/21-5/25

May 25, 2018

We did martial arts with Ms. Gloria at the park this Monday! After we were finished, we walked over to the jungle gym section of the park and explored to our heart's content. At snack time, we practiced our Robot Song.

We have so many doctors in the house, here at BMS. Our new supplies came in the mail, so we explored listening to our heartbeats with real stethescopes, looking at X-Rays, and reading new books about the doctor. The medical supplies and toys were bought using funds that we earned from our Spring Market. The friends were proud that their artwork bought them new toys to use at school.

Wednesday was Kristine's birthday! We enjoyed celebrating with her during Spanish, by singing Happy Birthday in Spanish. Feliz Cumpleanos, Kristine! Louis brought in an instrument, a finger harp, for each friend to try.

First time at Bleecker Street park with the whole group! We had so much fun playing with the toys that are there, exploring the jungle gym, and digging in the sand. The friends were very happy to be outside exploring somewhere new!

We were playing outside in the sun and the shade at the park today! First we had yoga and explored how air fills our lungs and is all around us when we move. After yoga, we had a quick park day. The friends have been thriving with fresh air and freedom to move around and run! We are very glad that it is springtime.

We hope that you have safe travels this weekend, or enjoy much needed extra time at home! See you all Tuesday.

-Miss Alana

Comment

Recap 5/14-5/18

May 18, 2018

On Monday, we were busy with several different art projects. We did spin art with salad spinners and different colors of paint. We used some dried flowers to paint a collaborative piece. We also had karate and enjoyed moving our bodies all around!

Tuesday we had a Park day! The weather was beautiful so we explored the jungle gym and drew with sidewalk chalk. The friends loved being outside.

Wednesday we had Spanish and worked hard on our projects for the Spring Market. The friends did shaving cream art that we cut out into letters to spell “Pop of Color,” the name of our Spring Market. They were proud of their work in decorating the school.

Thursday it was a rainy, slow day. We revisited some projects from earlier in the week like shaving cream art and spin art, and also finished up all the goods for sale at the market! We made the coconut lemon hand scrub that we sold. It was a great sensory experience smelling and feeling the scrub.

Friday was our Spring Market, a Pop of Color! We were so happy to see many parents and the friends loved having customers at their market. We will announce the total amount of money that we will be donating to Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center soon. After the adults left, we had yoga, had a dance party, and enjoyed building all sorts of things. The children were especially interested in the skeleton x-ray that Lakshmi brought in during yoga.

Have a fantastic weekend!

-Miss Alana

Recap 5/7-5/11

May 11, 2018

On Monday we had karate, painted on canvases, worked on some items for the Spring Market, and released our butterflies! The friends decided to release the butterflies right by school so we could see if they would visit again sometime. We all sang goodbye to the butterflies and enjoyed watching them flutter around.

We had a great Teacher Appreciation Day on Tuesday! Thank you SO much for the sweet cards, flowers, and gift cards. The friends loved having a special snack all together. Us teachers felt very loved and appreciated, so thank you! We also worked on crafts, had a drum circle, and did a lot of playing. The second group of butterflies were also released right outside of the school. Everyone loved watching them fly away.

Wednesday we had Spanish. We focused on transportation, which is always a favorite. The friends enjoyed singing the wheels on the bus, but in Spanish! We also worked on our very special items that will be for sale in our Spring Market. Everyone is very proud of the items they have made- we hope you will buy them!

Thursday we were busy preparing for Parent’s Day. We had music with Evan, finished arranging bouquets of flowers, and made cards. We also baked 40 muffins! The friends were amazing helpers, being careful to measure out the correct ingredients and mix the batter.

Friday was Parent’s Day! We loved seeing so many of you at school this morning. For those who couldn’t make it, we hope that you enjoy your muffin and flowers. We also had yoga today and enjoyed guessing what objects were hidden in the bags that Lakshmi brought in. The friends have really been paying attention in yoga and can do so many different poses. We finished out the week by playing in the water table and having a blast reading a new story at lunch time.

Have a great weekend everyone!

-Miss Alana

Comment

Recap 4/30-5/4

May 4, 2018

Monday we continued counting how many days it has been while we waited for our caterpillars to turn into butterflies. We took turns in a large piece of fabric shaking like the caterpillars in their chrysalises! Check out the Instagram for a video of us singing and shaking around in the fabric.

Tuesday was a beautiful Park day. We went straight there after playing in the morning, had a picnic snack, then ran around! We used the parachute to explore and play a few games. The friends have loved being in a chrysalis then emerging; just like butterflies!

Wednesday we had Spanish, complete with a special treat of chips and guacamole! We then went on a walk to see all of the beautiful flowers that are around school.

Thursday we had a special Park day with martial arts! Gloria came to do a makeup lesson and we enjoyed being outside while doing karate. Afterwards we explored some scarves, beanbags, and spots making up some silly games.

Friday we had a fantastic day preparing for the Spring Market and celebrating our butterflies! The friends had a dance party that ended with us singing a lullaby to some baby dolls. It was such a sweet moment to see all the children curled up with a baby!

Have a fantastic weekend!

-Miss Alana

Comment

Recap 4/23-4/27

April 27, 2018

Hi!

On Monday, we eagerly examined the caterpillars that arrived at BMS. We started our curriculum regarding the life cycle and the children are full of excitement about the development of the caterpillars to come. We created a chart and are counting the days until they will turn into butterflies! We also had karate and did collaborative art on a canvas and on a whiteboard.

Park day on Tuesday! We took advantage of the good weather and went to the basketball courts for snack and free play, then went to the playground. Being outside is so great.

Wednesday was a busy day. We planted seeds for our window planters and made some delicious strawberry banana smoothies. We also had Spanish and enjoyed having George's grandparents come to visit the school. We celebrated George's half birthday and were so surprised and happy to receive some beautiful finger puppets, puzzles, and books about Australian animals!

We had a makeup karate session on Thursday and then went straight to the park. We ran and ran! We are also learning responsibility by taking care of our flowers each day by watering them.

On Friday, we watched a video about the caterpillar life cycle. All of our caterpillars are in their chrysalises now! After watching the video, we decided to become caterpillars ourselves through a movement activity. The children all took turns being swung by teachers in a chrysalis and then emerging like a butterfly.

Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!

-Miss Alana

Comment

Recap 4/16-4/20

April 20, 2018

This week was Week of the Young Child. Each day had a theme that we enjoyed following.

On Monday, we celebrated Music Monday. The morning was filled with all sorts of musical experiences, from singing along to favorite songs, to being as loud as we could be on the drum, to listening to some new music. The friends listened to two very different classical pieces, The Flight of the Bumblebee and Brahm’s Lullaby. We talked about what made the two songs different, then danced to both of them. On Monday, we also had karate and enjoyed having George’s grandpa come in to read to the class.

On Tuesday, we had Tasty (Taco) Tuesday. We read the book “Dragons Love Tacos” then made some delicious tacos. The friends love eating them! We also had an early birthday celebration for Luke. His family came in and we enjoyed some cupcakes and silly hats.

Wednesday was Work Together Wednesday. We made paintings together by using paintbrushes that were tied together. As usual, we had Spanish. The friends are really starting to learn the Spanish words! We also explored clay and had a special visitor, Alana’s Mom, Mary Alice. She read some books and enjoyed her visit from Canada!

Thursday was Artsy Thursday. We worked on decorating our flower pots and started a big canvas painting as a group art piece. We got messy painting with fly swatters. Good thing we had some old T-shirt’s to wear while we painted! We also had music with Evan. Alana was out, so Bridget from downtown came in.

Friday was Special Persons Day. It was a very special day indeed. Every child in our school had an adult with them and we were delighted to see all of the adults that are so special to the children. We planted flowers in our painted flower pots and enjoyed eating a snack together.

I hope that you all have a great weekend! Try to remember to water your new flowers.

-Miss Alana

Comment

Recap 4/9-4/13

April 16, 2018

Welcome back from Spring Break!

On Monday, we loved hearing about where all of the friends went on vacation, or about the exciting things they got up to on their staycation. We had karate, painted on easels, explored sand, and had many conversations about the break.

On Tuesday, Luke's grandma came in to make beautiful flowers on sea shells with us. Our school is starting to look like springtime is coming! We enjoy it so much when adults who are special to the children come in to do projects or read stories. Thank you!

We love Luis, our Spanish teacher! He is so silly. The friends really enjoy his goofy energy. We worked on the days of the week and listened to the familiar story of the Very Hungry Caterpillar in Spanish. The friends were able to make connections from the English version, showing great pre-literacy skills!

Thursday was a fantastic Park Day! We ate snack quickly, then spent all morning at the park. The friends loved the gorgeous weather and were full of chatter about spring time. The 2's class is looking forward to the changing seasons and more days to explore outside!

On Friday, we were so happy to go back to the park!! The friends were very excited the whole walk there, but then the park was closed. It was a disappointment to the friends, but a good lesson in flexibility. We walked around the corner and sure enough, the basketball courts were open. We enjoyed being in the open space and making our own games! There are a lot of pictures from both Thursday and Friday on instagram, so be sure to check those out if you haven't already.

We are so excited for Springtime to finally emerge!

-Miss Alana

Comment

Recap 3/19-3/23

March 23, 2018

Happy literacy week, everyone! The friends have loved learning more about Dr. Seuss during our author study.

Due to the snow day, we have decided to extend literacy week into next week. If you didn't get a chance to come in to read to the children, we would love to have you any day next week! Come in at 9:30 or 11:30 and read a story. Send me an email if you are interested. Thank you SO much to all of the parents who came in to read to the 2s class. It was fantastic! We are also extending our book drive, so keep those donations coming.

Monday we explored water beads with red fish and blue fish. We read the classic "Red Fish, Blue Fish" as we explored. We had karate like usual on Monday and also had some exciting parent visits from Cara, Jack's Mom, and Kate, George S.'s mom! Thank you! The children listened to part of the story "Horton Hears a Who," then watched and listened to a clip from the musical Seussical.

Tuesday we explored all things Cat in the Hat. We did puzzles with Dr. Seuss themed pieces, listened to more music from Seussical, and made Cat in the Hat inspired slime. The friends enjoyed exploring the different sensory and color aspects of the slime. It started out as red and white stripes, just like the Cat in the Hat's hat. After while, it turned to pink as it was mushed together. A big thank you to Dy, Yvie's mom for coming in to read to us!

Wednesday was an unexpected spring snow day. The teachers enjoyed a day off and the children returned to school on Thursday full of stories of snowballs and crunching in the snow.

Thursday we explored "Horton Hears a Who" even more by pretending that pom poms were the tiny planet of Whoville. We searched for and saved the whos! We placed them down (with glue) safely on a very soft clover (paper mache balloon). Search and rescue is a familiar theme in play- every child enjoys being the hero sometimes! After we "saved" all the "whos," we watched a clip from the movie where the littlest one of all saves the day. Marco's mom, Shana, came and read to us at snack time, and his dad, Eric, came to read to us at lunch time. Thank you! Even though it's literacy week, the friends are still interested in robots and our robot song. During music with Evan, they had the treat of being able to sing along to the Robot Song while Evan played his guitar.

George's last day before he moves back to California was on Thursday as well. We celebrated by reading a new social story for him and having a dance party. We will miss George!

Friday was focused on "Green Eggs and Ham!" We read the book as a large group and then took turns cooking the classic. The children thought it was very funny that the eggs turned green as food coloring was added! We listened to the song "Green Eggs and Ham" from the musical Seussical and danced while we were waiting for the food to cook. We also had yoga with Lakshmi and did a lot of deep breathing while we counted to different numbers. Nora's dad, Nate, came in to read during circle time and Aidan's mom, Delphine, came in to read during lunch time. Thank you both so much!

We hope that everyone has a fantastic weekend filled with wonder to rival that of a Dr. Seuss book. See you on Monday!

-Miss Alana

Comment

Recap 3/12-3/16

March 16, 2018

On Monday, we were so excited that Jack's dad, Jared, came in to help us learn all about how pizza is made! He brought dough, flour, and rolling pins. The children were able to explore the different sensory aspects of the pizza dough as well as begin to understand that it would turn into delicious pizza with just a little work and an oven. It was a messy but very fun day!

On Tuesday, we used some (clean!) dough gifted to us by Jack's dad to make mini pizzas. The children had a lot of fun spreading sauce and sprinkling cheese. At lunch time, we got to sample the pizza! The friends thought it was delicious. The children love it so much when their parents come to school and do activities with us. The impact lasts all week! The friends talked about Jack's dad and made sure to fill in their friends who weren't there on Monday.

The twos are loving Spanish more and more each week. They sing the songs throughout the week and have started to request certain Spanish vocabulary words or to count in Spanish! We have been talking about the weather and the days of the week. With the changing seasons up ahead, the children have been interested in how the weather and seasons work. We also used up the last of the pizza dough to make more pizzas. The friends were excited about having pizza two days in a row!

No school for the children on Thursday, but we enjoyed seeing so many parents! Thank you so much for the wonderful Parent Teacher Conferences. It truly is best for the children when we can work together to help them grow and learn.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We celebrated in school on Friday with many green things and talking a bit to the children about Ireland. I have some Irish heritage and my cousin is a professional Irish dancer! I showed the children a few steps that I knew while we listened to Irish dance music. We also watched a short clip of a performance- one that showed a stage, the audience, and the performers. This was a nice segue way into talking to them about our upcoming performance featuring our Robot Song! The friends also tried out Irish dancing for themselves and loved going around the room hopping on their tiptoes.

Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!

-Miss Alana

Comment

Recap 3/5-3/9

March 9, 2018

We had a new friend join us this week at BMS! Welcome Noam and family. They just moved here from Israel and are joining the 2s class. We are so excited to get to know you!

Welcome Noam!

Monday we had an amazing day celebrating Kyan's 3rd Birthday party. We decorated a photo frame, dressed up, and had so much fun taking instant pictures with a special camera. Happy Birthday, Kyan!

In addition to Kyan's birthday, we also had karate.

On Tuesday, we made a marble run with some of the recycled materials that you all have been bringing in. Keep them coming! The friends have been interested in construction and putting things together to make new things. We also had a makeup karate lesson, letting us do martial arts two days in a row. What a treat!

Wednesday we explored light and building in our block area. We also had Spanish and started to compile recycled materials to accompany our robot heads made out of paper mache.

With the lights, we pretended to make a cake (clearly, Kyan's birthday was still on everyone's mind!) and sang happy birthday to each friend.

Thursday was PICTURE DAY! The friends had so much fun and the photographers took some excellent pictures. For a sneak peak of the photos, check out the instagram. We can't wait to see how everyone's picture turns out.

Friday was our Friday Fun Day! After a great day filled with fun center time and yoga, we transformed the large room into a movement studio to play some games. The friends got out tape and explored building an obstacle course to work on gross motor skills. To clean up, the friends practiced ripping and peeling up the tape working on their fine motor skills. We then got out the large parachute and moved all around! Eventually, the parachute turned into a boat, and all the children rowed the boat right to lunch time.

Remember to look at the google drive. There are so many more fantastic pictures from every day! Also, stay posted for a newsletter today explaining more of our recent projects.

Have a great weekend!

-Miss Alana

Comment

Recap 2/26-3/2

March 2, 2018

Hi! I hope everyone is staying dry and warm in the storm today.

On Monday, we had martial arts and made play dough. Carla wrote out the recipe on the whiteboard so the friends could have a visual aid while they made it! By actively participating in the preparation aspect of one of their favorite activities, the 2's have started to make important scientific discoveries. This time around, they got to squeeze fresh lemon into the recipe. Over zealous (as always!), the 2's decided to squeeze the entire lemon into the dough. They chose to have the play dough be yellow, just like the lemon. Smart!

Tuesday brought time learning a new song with Noelle and walk to smell flowers at the market. We have been working on writing a song about robots together with the children. Expect a recording of the song soon, so you can sing along at home!

On Wednesday, we had Spanish and learned a new song about sharks! Check out the Spanish home review Carla sent out today. You might be surprised how much the 2's are picking up in Spanish! After Spanish, we took a quick trip to the park.

On Thursday, we had music with Evan. The 2's get so silly during music- check out the video on Instagram! One of the songs we sing every time we have music, is one where the friends have to pretend to be asleep while Evan slowly counts to three. After he gets to three, he plays his guitar loudly and we all sing, "Wake up! Wake up, wake up, wake up!" It's a great way to work on impulse control and patience. It's hard to wait until he gets to three, but the friends can do it!

Just a reminder to follow us on instagram at Bucklemyshoe13 and to be always checking out the google drive. All of the photos that we take throughout the day are on there. You can get to the google drive by clicking here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DRmYYUnip2ucyM6NzLodgCZfjaCmggQn

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

-Miss Alana

Comment

Recap 2/19-2/23

February 23, 2018

I hope that you all had a fantastic President's Day holiday and spent time enjoying the long weekend. We were so happy to see everyone on Wednesday and to have a blast this very short week!

Wednesday we took advantage of some unscheduled time, as Spanish got moved to Thursday for just this week. The weather was beautiful, so we went to the park for a long morning. The children moved every inch of their bodies, working on gross motor skills, played some very silly games, working on imagination, and used sidewalk chalk to express the joy they felt, working on their artistic skills!

Thursday we had the special treat of having Spanish on a different day. That meant that the Tuesday/Thursday children got a chance to have Spanish! They were fascinated. We also did our February self-portraits, working on both artistic skills and fine motor skills. The self-portraits have evolved since the start of the year! They are hanging up on the wall at school. Be sure to check them out!

Friday we enjoyed yoga with Lakshmi, worked on self-portraits, and continued working on our newest project- a song about robots! The children are working hard to create and learn an original piece of music, all about robots and emotions.

Finally, Friday was Ms. Carla's birthday!! The friends enjoyed cupcakes and loved celebrating with her.

Have a great weekend!

-Miss Alana

Comment

Recap 2/12-2/16

February 15, 2018

We have had such a joyous, eventful week! Monday and Tuesday we were busy setting up for our Valentine's Day party. Monday we had karate, Wednesday we had Spanish, and Thursday we had music. Wednesday was our very exciting party and card exchange. Thursday we had a park day and celebrated Chinese New Year. We hope that you enjoy your very long weekend and look forward to seeing everyone next Wednesday!

Here are some very cute pictures from our Valentine's Day Party with our Mr. Robot mailbox. Thank you all for your contributions for our party, the snacks and decorations were much appreciated!

Make sure to check out our Instagram for some great videos from today at the park. We are very much looking forward to more park days as the weather gets warmer.

See you all Wednesday!

-Miss Alana

Comment

2/5-2/9 Recap

February 9, 2018

We have been so excited to celebrate Valentine's day next week. The friends have stayed busy making Valentine's to take home, for friends, and for teachers.

On Monday, we painted with gears and spoke about what the inside of robots look like. We also crushed candy hearts, working on fine motor skills and enjoying watching them turn into powder as they were crushed!

Tuesday we were excited to continue making Valentines and to build, build, build with blocks. The friends have been pretending to make a ship and explore the ocean!

Wednesday we had Spanish with Michelle and also started an in-depth conversation and exploration of what an anatomical heart looks like. With all the talk of hearts for Valentine's Day, the children began to make the connection that they also have a heart inside of them. We used droppers to "squeeze" water (symbolizing blood) through a balloon heart!

Thursday we combined both classes and spent all day together. We made hot chocolate to combat the chilly day and read a new book, How Full is Your Bucket (more on this book at the end of the blog in a special note from Carla). We continued talking about Valentine's Day even more, this time turning our conversation to acts of kindness and love.

Friday we had yoga and made more Valentines. The twos are very much figuring out empathy and kindness. See below for a note from Carla describing our new school-wide initiative with acts of kindness.

A note from Carla:

This week we read the book titled, How Full is Your Bucket, which encourages mindfulness and acts of kindness to all. Inspired by the story, we now have a class bucket, which can be filled with drops of water (marbles) when friends show kindness towards each other and their school. Today, we witnessed so many kind acts, from sharing toys to helping to clean up other's messes. When our bucket is full, we will have a reward for all of the children.

At the end of today's reading, we had a conversation about kindness and Valentine's Day. We are having a party with games, dancing and more, however there are children who cannot celebrate Valentine's Day the way we will due to illness. This led us to think of ways to make them feel happy, and we thought to make them beautiful cards and paintings for Valentine's Day. We are partnering with Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center to send a group of children Valentines from the friends. The children were so eager to make them cards today!

More info on how this project unfolds coming soon!

Have a great weekend!

-Miss Alana

Comment

Recap 1/29-2/2

February 5, 2018

Hi families! Apologies for the lateness of this blog. I was ill this weekend and Friday and was unable to finish the blog until today. Hope you all are staying well during this flu/cold season!

Monday turned into "Mixed Media Monday!" We used paint with brushes, paint with trains, markers, and watercolors. The friends were very creative and enjoyed making different art projects. We also had karate and learned about how robots dance... by doing the Robot! With techno music playing in the background, the children got a chance to dance like robots, using sharp movements. It was a challenge for our twos to slow down and isolate one body part at a time. Their efforts are on Instagram in video form, so be sure to check that out! If you play some techno at home and goof around with your children by doing the robot, you might be amazed by the creativity that they can show with their bodies.

On Tuesday, we made slime! The friends mixed it together and then explored all the different ways that they could make it move. We also used a black light to look at neon colored paints, exploring how the colors looked different under the light. We repeated our super cool techno robot dancing, then had a chance to get out some wiggles by having a big dance party.

On Wednesday, we spent quite a bit of time exploring the different ways that clay felt. Some of our clay was very hard, so we put water on it to make it soft. The twos were very good helpers; by the end of the day, all of the clay was soft and is ready for next week! The friends also washed some baby dolls, worked on their robot alphabet, and sang lots of songs together on Wednesday.

Two things in particular captured everyone's attention on Thursday; music and the sandbox. Even before Evan came, the friends were excited to sing "Old MacDonald" in the magnitile area. They sang and sang to each different plastic animal that they could find. Then Evan came to do music. A favorite during music with Evan is pretending to be asleep then waking up while singing a silly song. After music, everyone was drawn to the sandbox and practiced filling up water bottles with sand.

What do robots eat? Apparently, they eat PASTA! We made pasta sauce and pasta on Friday, then ate family style all together. Before we ate, we worked up a big appetite during yoga. We did Acroyoga this week and the friends had fun exploring what it felt like to be up in the air (with the help of Lakshmi, our yoga teacher of course).

Hope that you all had a great weekend!

Comment

Recap 1/22-1/26

January 26, 2018

Hello everyone! We had a productive and fun week at BMS. The twos have developed an interest in robots this week.

Monday we had karate, took very good care of Carrot, our classroom bunny, played so hard in the sandbox, and explored the sensory aspects of water beads. During snack time and lunch time, the children wanted book after book. They are developing literacy skills daily and have become much more invested in storytelling and imagination.

Welcome Luca! We were so excited to have Luca start at 13th St. He has been at Tribeca for the beginning of the year, but now that he is two he is joining our little 13th St. family. Be sure to say hi to him and his dads, Victorio and Philip.

Obstacle course Tuesday! The children were able to follow step by step directions to complete an obstacle course. We worked on gross motor skills, focus, and sequencing. The children had to throw two balls through a hoop, take the hoop to hop on several different mats across the room, then put the hula hoop around the stuffed giraffe's neck. Last but not least was giving a teacher a high five! To celebrate everyone completing the course, we had a dance party to "Let's Dance," by David Bowie. Here is a four minute video of the children being their very best creative selves. It's long, but worth a watch, especially with your child!

In Spanish, we talked about robots and emotions. We also started learning the names for the colors in Spanish, by picking the corresponding robot to each color. After Spanish, we made a fort and played with water beads in the sensory table. During Spanish, the children started assigning emotions to each of the robots. This integration of two preferred topics sparked conversations about further curriculm planning and we are going to incorporate multiple different domains of learning within those two interests of the children.

On Thursday we had music with Evan. We had such a great time moving all around that we decided to keep moving and dancing in the middle room. We built another fort with the fabrics, but this time we danced underneath of it and pretended it was an umbrella. Henry was worried that his head would get wet! Nora said that she liked getting rained on and she didn't want to go under the umbrella. We liked how the friends made choices about what they wanted to do and how they wanted to move their bodies while pretending. Meanwhile, the children went to the back room in small groups to read some books about robots with a teacher. A favorite book is the "Robot ABCs." It introduces sounds that begin with each letter of the alphabet. For example, the "P" robot says, "puff, puff, puff." The twos loved it and are intreged by both the alphabet and robots.

Friday we had yoga, worked on our ABCs (singing the song very loudly!), pretended to write different letters on whiteboards, and got more in touch with our emotions with a new robot feelings chart. The robot interest is now in full swing. We talked about how we felt today, then decided that our class robot the children made felt happy! After yoga, we worked in small groups to create robot faces out of different materials. They are up on the wall of the back room, come check them out sometime next week! Here are some comments the children made while constructing them:

George- "My robot has a trumpet."

Eliot- "Only one ear."

Comment

Recap 1/16-1/19

January 19, 2018

Hi! We hope that you enjoyed your long weekend.

On Tuesday, we had a new student start. George M. will be here on Tuesdays and Thursdays and we can't wait to get to know him! On his first day, he played in the sandbox, made art with his mom, and made a self-portrait. He came into school very excited and showed his mom different things around the school. We made playdough, explored different centers, and read books together. During lunch, we listened to calm music and practiced taking deep breaths, giving the 2s some excellent techniques for self-regulation.

In addition to Spanish on Wednesday, we started to talk about the weather and what we wore outside to keep warm. Each child got a turn to choose which item of clothing that they wore that day. Giving each child choice and a chance to share something with the class allows our 2s to gain leadership skills and self-confidence in their choices.

Nora- "It's cold outside! I wore my pants and coat and hat."

Henry- "Miss Alana I wore my hat and my coat and my sweater and, and, my hat!"

Aidan- "I have boots"

During yoga on Thursday, Lakshmi got out "snowballs" and led the children through a movement exploration. The 2s were able to put the snowballs on different body parts. Then, each child got a turn with all of the snowball in a big black blanket. Teachers picked up the blanket to make a swing! The 2s loved swinging back and forth, pretending to play with the snowballs.

We had a fantastic curriculum morning and want to the parents for showing up! We will get started sewing together the quilt squares after they dry and are delighted to display it in our school. The watercolor family portraits are also drying and are looking great. There are many more pictures on the google drive, so remember to check that out!

Friday was also my birthday! We celebrated with cupcakes and a dance party. Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes! I had a great day.

Additionally, I wanted to personally invite all of you to a free demo class of Music Together that I am teaching at the Tribeca location.

We will be offering a free demo class for Music Together, the internationally known early childhood music and movement program now being offered at BMS on Wednesdays at 4:15.

The free demo class will be at 3:00 on next Wednesday, 1/24.

Children from birth-5 years are welcome to attend with a caregiver. There are a few more slots in the 4:15 class, but they are filling quickly! The demo class will be a perfect opportunity to learn about the program and to reserve your spot for the ongoing classes.

For enrollment information and other questions see the website at www.musictogethernyc.com.

We hope to see you there to make music and movement together!

Have a great weekend!

-Miss Alana

Comment

Recap 1/8-1/12

January 12, 2018

Hi Families! We have had a fun week.

Please follow our Instagram if you aren't already! We post on there several times a day and upload all of our photos to google drive. Please head on over to those two places to see all of the pictures from the week!

Monday, the dentist came to tell the children all about brushing their teeth and the "sugar bugs" that will visit when children do not brush their teeth! It was a great visit and we hope that you are enjoying the goodies from the dentist office. We also had martial arts and used our whole bodies to hit the mat with both hands.

Tuesday we did music with myself. We worked on basic rhythm competency and used drumsticks to stick to a beat. Each child had a chance to lead the group, gaining some leadership skills through music.

Wednesday we had Spanish and made instant snow. When we added water to the special solution, cold, fluffy snow was made! We also talked about what winter clothes we wear! Each child said what clothes they wore to stay warm. It was Arya's (from the 3/4s class) birthday. We all celebrated by dancing together then having a yummy treat.

Thursday was Marco's birthday celebration! He turned 2 and we are so excited for him. Because Marco loves to build things and use the play tools, we set up some centers with building and tools materials. His family came to celebrate at snack time. We loved hearing some of his favorite stories and eating a treat! We had music with Evan afterwards, which was fun as always.

Friday we had yoga with Lakshmi. After yoga, the 3/4's class went to the store across the street to pick up some fruit while the 2's class build some structures in the block area. When the other class got back with our ingredients, we made smoothies with strawberries and bananas. What a treat! The blender was loud, it was exciting, and the smoothies were cold and delicious.