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recap

Recap 11/30-12/1

December 1, 2017

Books, books, books galore! Our 2s have been loving every book that we read them and are starting to sit for longer amounts of time during circle time to listen to stories! We encourage them to ask questions, comment, and "read along" with parts that they have memorized. Whenever they engage in listening to a story, they are building valuable pre-literacy skills that someday will help them read!

On Thursday, we celebrated our love for Pete the Cat and his white shoes. We have been reading Pete the Cat book since the beginning of the year and Pete has emerged as a class favorite. We did an activity that worked on sequencing, predicting what happens next in the story, and color recognition. After the activity, we had a big dance party!

Friday, we read the story of the Gingerbread Boy again. Over the last week when we have read the story, the children have wondered what gingerbread tasted like. So, during cooking time today, we decorated ginger snap cookies with raisins and frosting to make our very own gingerbread people. The children loved decorating and then eating the cookies.

Here's some of what they said as they decorated:

Jack: "Happy"

George: "It's a cookie face"

Eliot: "Truck face"

Kyan: Yum face, yummy face face"

Thomas: "A monster"

Henry: "Happy"

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Miss Alana

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Recap 11/27-11/29

November 29, 2017

Hi everyone!

The Amazon wishlist for the school is up and running! We can't wait to open up presents on Polar Express day while in pajamas. Thank you all!

We continued using the beans in the sensory bin from last week. The 2's loved putting them into different sized containers, screwing on the lids, and then shaking them! We could tell that they the children were proud of themselves when they could maniuplate opening and closing the various jars. We were working on developing fine motor skills and gaining independence come snack and meal time! Monday we were so fortunate to have Evan come to do music. The 2's class loved singing and dancing with Evan and especially liked his guitar.

"He has a guitar! I have a guitar too, at home." -Henry

We took turn banging on different sizes of drums, listening to how they sounded different.

"That's a big drum!" -Nora

"It's so loud." -George

Tuesday, we explored with clay in a new way- by throwing it on the ground and the walls! When the clay hit the ground, it went, SPLAT! It was a fun and slightly chaotic experience. Children need outlets for their emotions that are productive. By throwing and squishing the clay, issues of both aggression and exuberant excitement were worked on. By combining a movement and sensory experience, children were able to explore clay in a different way than we usually do. This is an activity that we will revisit.

Today we had a busy morning with Spanish, science experiments, and a group painting project. Starting this morning, we had the whole school work on a group painting project on a poster board with tape patterns. This afternoon, we tore off the tape and will hang up the final product soon! It looks beautiful. In Spanish, we all enjoyed getting a hug- abrazo- from the special puppet our Spanish teacher brought. After science, we enjoyed an art and science project. Using oil and watercolors, we created works of art while learning about how the oil separates from the water, starting to examine some of the properties of liquids.

Remember, there are many more pictures on the flikr page. Those can be accessed at

https://www.flickr.com/gp/154795596@N08/Q13rhk

See you tomorrow!

-Miss Alana

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Weekly Recap 11/20-11/24

November 22, 2017

On Monday, we had movement with Miss Alana, did an art project with leaves, explored a giant block of clay, and built some interesting creations with magnitiles.

During movement, we introduced sticks for the first time! We worked on rhythm, following directions, and the differences between fast and slow. The children are starting to build some essential music skills, like following along with a simple rhythm.

On Tuesday, we thoroughly explored the different types of beans in the sensory bin. A class favorite were two little containers inside of the beans, complete with lids that they children worked on opening and closing independently. Children took turns filling up the containers with beans then shaking it all around, listening to the sound that the beans made! After a nice morning at school, we all went to the park together. At the park, the children helped collect leaves to be used in an art project. They also climbed, ran, rolled, and jumped, all while exploring the playground equipment.

On the day before Thanksgiving, we read some Thanksgiving books, baked yummy cornbread, made butter from cream by using a jar and a marble, and had Spanish! It was a busy day and the children are getting very excited for Thanksgiving.

Also, we wanted to give Luke's family a giant thank you for bringing in some wonderful leaves that we are using in art projects. The children painted them this week and now they are the start to our Family Tree. Over the Thanksgiving Break, please be sure to take photos of your family together for use at school! They will be added to our Family Tree and talked about often at school.

Have an amazing Thanksgiving! We are thankful for you and thankful that we get to experience learning with your children.

Best,

Miss Alana

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Recap 11/13-11/17

November 17, 2017

Monday it seemed like everyone was in an artistic mood! We followed the children's lead and encouraged them to paint, draw, then finger paint with shaving cream that they got to squeeze out of a glove. We were sure to ask them about what they were creating. George said, "I'm making a silly man!" On Monday, we also did movement and music with Miss Alana.

On Tuesday, the 2s did a special activity with Ms. Carla. Here is a bit from her about what they did!

"We read the story We're Going on a Bear Hunt and did a follow-up literacy-related activity in the sensory room. I re-arranged the sensory room so that most of the furniture was against the walls, giving us a big open space for our activity. In the book, a family goes on an adventure in search for a bear. The book is great for 2's and 3's because the author uses repetitive language as the family goes through obstacles such as through a forest and snowstorm. It also does a good job with exposing the children to directional concepts like over, under and through. Re-telling stories is something we have just starting doing in the 3's class.

To help develop reading comprehension and sequencing skills, we went on our very own bear hunt! Following the story, I introduced the children to the teddy bear hunt activity, where they went through the different parts of the story as told in the book. The children walked through tall grass, swam through a river, made their way through a forest, and snow storm before they arrived in the cave where the teddy bears were sleeping. I set up the room with materials to represent each of these areas along a path on the ground--fake grass for the grassy area, blue tarp for the river, leaves and sticks on a green rug for the forest, a white poster board with cotton balls for the snowstorm, and the dark cozy corner for the cave. As the children moved through the path in different ways (walking, hopping, crawling, “swimming”), we replicated the sounds that were repeated in the story (e.g. swish, swish), until they found a teddy bear picture in the cave. We will continue to choose stories to re-tell with whole body movements in the weeks to come." - Carla

On Wednesday, the children remembered the Bear Hunt activity and requested that we read the story again during snack time. It was incredible to witness their reading comprehension skills as they answered questions about the book! A few of the bear pictures were left in the "cave," so some friends went to the closet to get them, then put them in different places around the room. We also had Spanish and sang some familiar songs.

Thursday we had Parent Teacher Conferences. Thank you for coming to the school! Our conferences were very productive and we are so happy everyone made it.

On Friday we went on a walk around the neighborhood. Our 2's class loved walking around and pointing out all the things that they could see. We are planning many more trips outside! We also had yoga with Lakshmi and had fun with the model skeleton that she brought. We started learning about our bodies and how they move.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

-Miss Alana

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Weekly Recap 11/6-11/10

November 9, 2017

Hi Everyone! We are so delighted to introduce Marco, who will be with us on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Welcome Marco! Be sure to say hello to him and to his parents, Shana and Eric.

On Monday, we played with play dough that smells like cinnamon, had music and movement with Miss Alana, and played and played.

Tuesday was election day and staff development day. We hope that you enjoyed the rare midweek day off of school!

Wednesday we had Spanish with Patri and spent quite a bit of time with the sensory bin, which contained a wonderful mixture of flour and baby oil. We got messy, explored, and learned while playing in the flour mixture.

Thursday we did music and movement with Miss Alana again and spent even more time with the flour mixture. We read several book and focused on literacy during the day. Our twos are loving Pete the Cat. We welcome you to come in and read to our class anytime!

Have a wonderful three day weekend. We will see you on Monday!

-Miss Alana

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Weekly Recap 10/30-11/3

November 6, 2017

Before we jump right into the recap of the week, I would like to take a second to introduce Thomas! He is new to our Buckle My Shoe community, having just moved here from St. John. We were so happy that he could join us for a great first week and can't wait to play with him some more. Be sure to say hello to Thomas and his mom and dad (Jessica and Michael) when you see them. Welcome!

Monday we had a busy day and the everyone was excited about our Halloween parade the next day. We gutted a big pumpkin, danced around, banged on a drum as loudly as we could, and squeezed balloons filled with different materials.

Tuesday we had our Halloween Parade! Check out last week's blog post for costume details and pictures. Remember, even more pictures are on the flickr account, so be sure to check there.

Wednesday we had Spanish with Mimi. Our class loved using the parachute while singing and dancing. We spent a lot of time exploring different centers, with children focused on exploring different elements in the school. Using the water table with submergible lights and the projector, we explored how light can look different when color is added!

Thursday I was out of town for a conference, but Noelle, Carla, and Deborah had a blast exploring shaving cream and celophane with the 2's. We also got a new book, Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, a new favorite book that is helping the children learn how to count. We were so happy that Thomas's mom, Jessica, read the book to us during snack time!

Friday we had yoga with Lakshmi and also created beautiful mini canvases with paint and a q-tip. They are hanging up on the wall of the sensory room, come check them out! The week ended with everyone playing together happily.

Enjoy the day off from school tomorrow! See you Wednesday.

-Miss Alana

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Weekly Recap 10/23-10/27

October 27, 2017

This morning was a very successful Curriculum Breakfast. We were so happy to see so many of you. In the coming weeks, we look forward to expanding upon Identity by now focusing on family.

Monday we did music and movement with Miss Alana. This week we joined forces with the 3’s class and had a big party, complete with beanbag games and dancing. The game that we played was a way to work on the children’s impulse control and listening skills, something that we are always working on! We were busy at work on our Halloween costumes, with several more friends finishing the painting aspect of their costumes.

We spent a lot of time on Tuesday making oobleck and pouring it from one container to another. Continuing to work on our Halloween costumes took up a lot of time. Also, we had a dance party to Moana songs, which got everyone up and moving and excited. Lots of smiles all around! The art project that we worked on was letting children draw half of their face with the other half as a printed out picture. The results are hanging up all around the school.

Wednesday we had Spanish with Mimi again. The children were especially excited about getting stickers after learning to say pumpkin in Spanish. Calavasa! It was a fun session focused on Halloween and feelings, two topics that we are talking about daily.

Thursday we had more music and movement with Miss Alana. This time, it was a giant Halloween themed dance party. We also explored different instruments while dancing around the entire room. Movement and music exploration is just as important for development as the more structured games that we played on Monday. Also, we had a very exciting impromptu visit from some firefighters, who were checking out safety codes across the street with the construction. One of the firefighters came and gave high fives to any friends who wanted them! During the afternoon, we had a playdate with some future potential friends who might go to BMS. It was great to learn and share with new friends.

Friday was our fantastic curriculum breakfast, presentation of the social stories, and art project. The social stories that you helped your children paint are drying at school over the weekend, then they will be safely tucked away into cubbies to be used at school throughout the weeks ahead. Please read them at home too!

Happy Halloweekend! We can't wait to see you all again for the parade on Tuesday.

-Miss Alana

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Weekly Recap 10/16-10/20

October 25, 2017

Hi families! I apologize that last week’s recap blog is a bit late. Hope you enjoy!

Monday we did music and movement with Miss Alana. The twos were excited to be in the larger room. We worked on impulse control with freeze dance. For a two year old, controlling impulses is quite tricky! Practicing it in a fun way through dance can carry over to other aspects of life, helping the children master the concept. We also did a lot of painting.

On Tuesday, we went on a walk in the brisk October weather. All clad in our coats and Buckle My Shoe t-shirts, we went to the market to buy some pumpkins! Celebrating the autumnal season, we will be doing several projects with pumpkins over the next few weeks. After our walk, we came back to give the pumpkins a good scrub in our sensory bin. Now they are ready to be used in all sorts of projects!

Wednesday got off to a busy and happy start as we met with our Spanish language specialist, Mimi. The children learned some songs and also how to say goodbye and hello- Hola and Adios! We also did a science experiment for Science Wednesday. Using apples picked last week at the apple orchard, we made tiny apple volcanoes, complete with red lava!

Thursday we had a fun morning, reading several Halloween books to prepare for the upcoming holiday. Then, we put on our Buckle My Shoe tee shirts and headed to the park. The weather was beautiful and we very much enjoyed running, jumping, climbing, and rolling around at the park. The class did so well walking on the rope all the way to the park and back.

Friday was Jack’s second birthday! Happy Birthday Jack! Cara, Jack’s mom came to read some stories and to eat yummy cupcakes with us. We also had yoga with Lakshmi. Everyone was excited to move our bodies and learn about new animal (yoga) poses like downward facing dog and cat/ cow. Aidan’s mom, Delphine, came to help us make some oatmeal, which we cooked together then ate with our lunches.

-Miss Alana

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Weekly Recap 10/9-10/13

October 13, 2017

Hello! We had a shorter but very fun week, complete with a field trip to Riamede Farms to pick apples.

Tuesday was focused on clay. We explored the different sensory aspects of clay and also did so much playing with apples to prepare for the trip on Wednesday. A favorite song of the day was Wheels on the Bus; perfect to prepare for the field trip on the bus.

Wednesday was our fantastic trip to the farm. We started with yummy cider and donuts, then went on to a hay ride on a tractor. We learned all about pumpkins and apples grow. Seeing pumpkin flowers was a highlight! Each child got to pick out a small pumpkin from the pumpkin patch. By twisting the apples around and around on the tree, each child picked some apples to take home. After picking apples, we got back on the tractor! Everyone had a great time then fell asleep on the bus going home.

Thursday we read books about Halloween and started conversations about what our costumes will be. Stay posted for Halloween ideas! We had an apple tasting using apples from the farm. We tried them with honey, caramel, cream cheese, sugar, and lemon. The lemon was sour! Eliot tried every option! Then Evan came to do music. The children warmed up to him quickly and enjoyed singing both new and familiar songs.

Friday, Arya's mom (from our 3's class) came to do some cooking with us. We made applesauce. Mushing cooked apples, adding spices and sugar, and mixing it all together was a great sensory experience. It looked and smelled delicious! To finish up our cooking, we ate ice cream with the applesauce. Delicious! We also had yoga with Lakshmi. It's always nice to stretch, wiggle, and sing some songs.

Hope that you all have a great weekend! See you on Monday.

-Miss Alana

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Weekly Recap 10/2-10/6

October 6, 2017

It was a fun filled and busy week here at Buckle My Shoe.

On Monday, we did music and movement with Alana. Using just the drum and handheld instruments to start out, we explored what types of music could be made from different rhythms. We also practiced FREEZING when the music stopped. This was a challenge for all, but a great way to work on issues of impulse control!

We also started our self-portraits on Monday. You might have noticed that they are all hanging up on the door to the sensory room at school! Come check them out, they really are marvelous.

On Tuesday, we started to paint a big box that came in the mail. We are making it into a cozy space, complete with pillows, a light, and stuffed animals. We love getting cozy and taking a minute to relax our bodies!

On Wednesday, there was a tour for prospective families. Kyan saw the school's logo on a brochoure and wanted to show his new friends that the logo was also on the door! It was a great moment. We also danced around quite a bit to our recent favorite song, We are the Dinosaurs. After the tour finished, we made Oobleck! It was a neat and messy experience for everyone.

Thursday we had an exciting first adventure outside. We sang songs as we walked around the neighborhood, making sure to notice all of the buses, taxis, and airplanes that passed by!

Then Friday we had our first day of cooking at school, making a delicious fruit salad; complete with sugar on top! Lakshmi came to do yoga with us. We rolled around, stretched our bodies, and sang some silly songs. We look forward to yoga on Fridays!