Tinkering with Toddlerhood

Hello Everyone:

We are back after a very very long break! Here is a copy of the weekly update. We will update this blog more often this semester, promise!!!!

We had a wonderful first week of school. The children enjoyed exploring the new set up and the meeting new teachers in the classroom. We are off to a good start! During small group last week we shared our Winter Break Journals and visited the Art Studio to draw about our vacation. If you have not had a chance to bring in the journals, it is not too late. If you cannot find the journals, you can bring in photographs of what you did over the break so we can talk about it during group time. In addition to Winter Break Journals, please remember to bring in a composition book, we will be using them during small group to journal and record observations. Thank you.

For this week’s learning plan please visit: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sv484MoJweBg_8RXLUTNTbXE96vmJmtFL-olYI4Adew/edit?usp=sharing and https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M7ZvjdGxAnBwgJw4imMPf5XAReLwMWogW9i-1sVd1ys/edit?usp=sharing

There are several projects we are planning on doing with the children this semester including gardening, exploring performing arts (includes mask making), and investigating butterflies and other creatures in our environment. We are looking for families who are experienced in any of the areas to be our resources in these areas. Please let Yi-Cheng know if you are interested in being involved in any of the areas. We truly appreciate your time and effort. In the mean time, we are collecting empty gallon size milk jugs (rinsed and air dried) for our mask making project in February, we need one for each child in the class (35). The children were very interested in face painting last semester, and we plan to expand this interest into mask making and explore masks from around the world.

In addition to empty milk jugs, we are also in need of gardening supplies such as soil (no fertilizer) and large pots (24 inch or bigger) to start. We will prepare the garden beds for planting and ask the children to decide on what they will like to plant. If anyone is interested in taking charge of this effort, we will really need your help.

We started the month of September with a classroom calendar that everyone will be contributors. Each day, we invite a child to draw a picture which tells about his/her favorite part of the day. This on-going project serves as a way to help children become aware of the concepts of a calendar in a meaningful way. In addition to gaining understanding of the abstract concept of a calendar, the children have an opportunity to keep records of the various events that happened during the month when they are in school.

As we cleared the garden for planting, we pulled out a few dried up sunflowers that were planted last year. The teachers invited the children to explore the seeds by pulling them out individually with tweezers and by observing them with magnify glasses. The children were fascinated by the fact that there were seeds in the middle of a flower. Some of the children talked about how they eat sunflower seeds at home and attempted to eat the seeds. We have the seeds in the sensory tub this week for children to explore. After exploration, we plan on sprouting the seeds in the garden to observe the cycle.

Sometimes the best toys are timeless materials which we adults played with when we were young. The geo boards invites the children to explore freely and create countless shapes and patterns. Children are exposed to geometric concepts such as shapes, patterns, and sizes. In addition, the geoboards also provide the oppourtunitiy for fine motor development and hand-eye coordination.

Environment Planning -9.8.14

We have successfully finished three weeks of school, and it looks like the children are beginning to be comfortable with new routines, new environments, new classmates and new teachers. Speaking of teachers, we will like to officially welcome Ms. Izabela to Room 4. She will be the classroom on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We are excited to have her join our team.

As we approach week 4, we are noticing the children are very interested in cooking for each other in the loft, building various structures in the block area, and pretending to be cats in the classroom.

We started transforming the area under the loft into a Veterinary Clinic on Friday with children assisting in making signs, packing away dress-up clothes, and selecting materials they want to place in the clinic. Having children involved in designing the classroom environment gives them a sense of ownership and responsibilities. We will be adding to the clinic in the following weeks we gather more materials.

In addition to transforming the clinic, we are also planning on a project focusing on cats. The teachers met on Friday and created an anticipatory web about cats. We plan to talk with the children throughout the week to determine what they already know about cats and what they want to know. Base on the children’s interest, we will be able to plan investigations and activities. If you know someone who can come to speak with the class in regards to cats (your veterinarian, someone who works at an animal shelter, or the pet store), please contact Yi-Cheng. We will love to have visitors to share their knowledge and answer questions about cats.

Hello Everyone:

Hope you are having a wonderful long weekend. We spent last week focusing on classroom health and safety rules. We talked about what germs are and how we can wash our hands to prevent the spread of germs. We learned a new song to help everyone remember to scrub areas of the hands and for at least 20 seconds. Here is a link to a video so you can learn the song at home with your child: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdydIP5-9A8b

Besides discussing safely rules and hand washing, we have worked on clearing the garden last week while we were outside. We will soon have worms to help us make compost for the garden. If you have a green thumb and would like to help us with gardening, please let one of the teachers know. Thank you! In addition, we will start our classroom calendar this week. Each child will have a chance to draw a picture and talk about what he/she did for the day. This child-made calendar will help children become aware of the days of the week, number sequence, and memory recall. You can extend this activity by making or printing a calendar at home for your child and mark special days/events together.

Lastly, we would like to thank everyone for arriving to school and picking up on time. In order for children to have uninterrupted time to engage deeply in exploration, please help us remind the children that they need to stay on the tile area of the classroom during the first and last 15 minutes of the day (drop off and pick up). This way, we do not have to ask the children to stop their play when we gather for morning group. We will have activities ready for the children to explore at the tables to help the children stay engaged. Thank you.

Environment Planning -9.2.14

Yesterday we found a bug in the yard. One of the teachers in Room 5 put the bug in a jar for everyone to observe. The children used magnify glasses to see the bug up close and were very excited to see the various body parts of the bug. We invited the children to draw what they have observed as a way to provoke their thinking. One of the children remembered that we had some bug specimens in the Science area and brought the specimens over to compare the different types of bugs. When children have the freedom to explore their environment, they take ownership of their learning. One of the roles of a teacher is to provide children with the tools needed and ask open ended-questions to further the investigation and understanding.

Planning for Week of 8/26/14

Environment Planning -8.25.14

This week we read The Surprise Garden by Zoe Hall during group time and we asked the children what they wanted to grow in the garden. Here is what they had to say:
Esperanza: Sunflower
Mason: Watermelon
Connor: Watermelon
Lizzy: Strawberries
Andi: Peas
Bronson: Sunflower
Obie: Watermelon
Alexis: Watermelon
Aiden: Watermelon
David: Peas
Aspen: Giant Bean
Sienna: Giant Sunflower
Mia: carrots and cabbage
Lauren: Watermelon
August: Watermelon
Mark: Giant Leaves and Giant Meatballs