Category Archives: Visual Arts

Listening to the Rain…

During the cold, rainy, and windy day of February 28th, we opened the door for the children. It was such a great sensory experience for them as they heard the wind blowing, saw the leaves moving on the trees, and felt tiny raindrops splash in through the open door.

watchingtherainn

listentotheraiin

A child commented that the trees were “dancing” in the wind. Another child noticed the puddles on the ground and the teacher pointed out that the raindrops were making ripples in the water. The children were offered clipboards and paper so that they could draw what they saw.

drawing puddless

They chose pencil and blue colored pencil to represent their puddles and made various shapes across their paper. This helps them to develop their symbolic thinking: the concept that a drawing, for example, can represent something else and that they can express their ideas through art.

puddles

Music Project Update

Our music and movement project continues in our classroom. During these past few weeks we have observed the children use the materials in appropriate ways. They have learned to shake the wingo egg shakers instead of tossing them. When using the Peruvian drum they tap it gently with their hands. The children have also been asking the teachers to play musical instruments with them by offering instruments or by requesting songs.
Parent involvement/comments: We are excited to share with you that some families have commented on how the children have been singing at home. The teachers in Room One sent an email out with words to the songs we sing on a daily basis and some families have decided to bring out the instruments they once played but had stored away.
Next Step: We hope to invite Ms. Laura from Room 4 to play the flute.

 

 

 

Songs we sing everday!

Due to the children’s interest in Music and Movement and parents asking for the words to some of the songs we sing with the children, we wanted to share with you the lyrics to the children’s favorite songs.  We hope you enjoy singing at home with your children.  Here are a few of the children’s favorite songs:

The Wheels on The Bus By Annie KublerSAM_4223
The wheels on the bus go Round and Round. [Move your hands and arms round and round in a circle.]
Round and Round, Round and Round.The wheels on the bus go Round and Round. All day long!

The wipers on the bus go Swish Swish Swish. [Mimic the motion of windshield wipers with your hands and arms.]
Swish Swish Swish, Swish Swish Swish.
The wipers on the bus go Swish Swish Swish. All day long!

The horn on the bus goes Beep! Beep! Beep! [Pretend to honk the horn on the steering wheel of a bus.]
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
The horn on the bus goes Beep! Beep! Beep!All day long!

The driver on the bus says, “Tickets Please! Tickets Please! Tickets Please!” [Pretend to extend your hand to collect a ticket] The driver on the bus says, “Tickets Please!” All day long!

The parents pm the bus go Chat Chat Chat,Chat Chat Chat,ChatChat Chat. [Move your hands as if they were talking to each other] The parents pm the bus go Chat Chat Chat,Chat. All day long!

The babies on the bus go Wah Wah Wah. [Place your hands next to your eyes and pretend to cry.]Wah Wah  Wah. Wah Wah Wah.The babies on the bus go wah wah wah. Wah wah wah. All Day long!

The people on the bus go “Shhh Shhh Shhh.” [Place your finger in front of your mouth as you make the shhh sounds.]
Shhh Shhh Shhh. Shhh Shhh Shhh.The people on the bus go “Shhh Shhh Shhh.”All day long!

The children on the bus say, “Party Time”

 

Row, row, row your boat

Row, row, row your boat,

Gently down the stream.

If you see an crocodile,

Don’t forget to scream. (Place your hands on your cheeks and scream)

Row, row, row your boat,

Gently down the stream.

If you see an crocodile,

Don’t forget to scream. (Place your hands on your cheeks and scream)

 

 

The Wheels on the Bus by Jane Cabrera

One of the children’s favorite books is The Wheels on the Bus by Jane Cabrera. The children enjoy following along as we read  the book and when we ask them to pretend to be the animals in the story. The children roar like a lion, flap their wings like a flamingo, and chomp like a zebra. While we sing as a group we are building a sense of community. The children are also practace their listening skills, concentration, self-control, and cooperative skills.

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Puzzles

The children have been spending a lot of time working on puzzles every day. While they flip, turn, and remove each piece of the puzzle, they are working on their eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills. Working on these skills early on will help the children later on when they learn how to write. Puzzle-solving experiences also help young toddlers learn math concepts such as size, length, and spatial awareness. Room One teachers pay close attention to the type of puzzles that are set out for the children. You will see that in our shelf we have puzzles with knobs which help with small-finger coordination. Also, our puzzles are based on the children’s interests and abilities. Room One teachers also scaffold the children while they work on the puzzles by doing the following:

Using language: Are you looking for a big piece or small piece? I wonder what will happen if you try turning that piece around? I see you are trying to fit the duck into the spot.

Offering direction: Taking a puzzle piece and turning it to see if would fit.

Recognize their accomplishments or progress: Look, you have been working so hard on completing this puzzle. You have two pieces left and you will be done.

You can also do puzzles while at home to support your children with these skills.

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Our first week of school together!

During the first week of school we work on building relationships with the children and their families. We also spend time learning the school routine and helping the children get comfortable with the environment and their classmates.

A few snapshots of what we did the first week of school:
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