Monthly Archives: January 2014

During our morning outside, the children were using the crayons at the easel and wanted to try them out on the floor. In order to pursue their interests, Miss Michelle brought chalk out onto the cement for the children to explore. We talked about drawing around ourselves and a child asked Miss Michelle to trace her.

The children took turns tracing each other — and their teachers!

As part of our project on giraffes, Miss Maria brought our large giraffes out and we worked together to gently lay them on the ground and trace them from their horns to their hooves. This activity was a great opportunity for their language development. We compared and contrasted ourselves with the giraffes and talked about how the giraffe is much longer and taller than they are.

We look forward to exploring giraffes even further!

The first few days of school the children learned the new routine and reconnected with their peers. They have enjoyed playing with the new cozy spot under the tree, building with blocks, and using animals as props in their play. They have made the new members to our classroom feel welcomed. It’s amazing to see how much they have grown, not only physically, but how much they have improved in their communication with their teachers and peers.

Out bubble table was a hit! They had an opportunity to practice negotiating space and materials with their peers and exploring the properties of bubbles. We came together as a team and decided to introduce the book Bubble Bubble Pop.

A new addition to our classroom is a four foot tall giraffe that the children have grown very fond of. Some greet it in the mornings, feed it, groom it, and hug it. We added a smaller giraffe to the classroom and some children refer to them as the mommy and baby. The teachers have been pointing out how tall they are, how they have long necks and horns, “spots” all over their bodies, and that they eat leaves off of trees. As a team, we have done some research on this interest of theirs so that we can talk about it to them in greater detail. Part of the Reggio Emilia Approach is that teachers become researches as well when implementing projects along with children — we are all learning along with them. As we grow this project together we will keep you updated on things that we are exploring in case you would like to continue it at home.

Welcome to Spring 2014.  We are truly looking forward to seeing all of you next
week.  January 13th is almost here!  We have been busy setting up the classroom
for the children all week this week.  It’s ready to go… and so are the teachers! Here a few pictures of our interest areas.