Today was washing day!
Did you know that there is a specific domestic activity happening here based on the day of the week?
Each day has its own "job" that we do with love and care.
For example we may do dusting on Monday, washing outside toys/clothes on Tuesday, bread making on Wednesday, woodworking and sweeping on Thursday, and inside toy cleaning on Friday.
This type of work for a child helps them connect with the natural rhythms of the days of the week in a tangible way. They may not understand that today is Wednesday, but they know that it is bread making day and that the next day will be a time of woodworking.
Therefore, young children have a framework of time and feel a security and peace in knowing what will happen and what to expect.
The car washing today was wonderful fun and everyone earnestly helped to get many vehicles shiny and clean!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Projects
You may be wondering where all the artwork is going that your child is creating here.
There are always lots of projects happening and we have decided to do a few different things with them.
First, we are in the process of making our own books based on the stories we hear and read together. We read or hear a story for usually two to three weeks to let the ideas fully internalize. Then we will act out the story and do a variety of related projects based on the themes we are learning.Then we also draw a special picture as a reminder and this is what we are using for each "book". The collected drawings and projects will be sent home during the last week of May.
There are always lots of projects happening and we have decided to do a few different things with them.
First, we are in the process of making our own books based on the stories we hear and read together. We read or hear a story for usually two to three weeks to let the ideas fully internalize. Then we will act out the story and do a variety of related projects based on the themes we are learning.Then we also draw a special picture as a reminder and this is what we are using for each "book". The collected drawings and projects will be sent home during the last week of May.
Preschool Evaluations
Preschool evaluations will be ready during the first two weeks of June.
This is a fun time of meeting with you and discussing your child's development here and specific things they are learning individually.
You will get an evaluation form with helpful checklists for a handy way of keeping track of learning and development at home and there will also be forms filled out by me that you may keep in your personal files.
We will start setting up the parent appointments during the last week of May.
This is a fun time of meeting with you and discussing your child's development here and specific things they are learning individually.
You will get an evaluation form with helpful checklists for a handy way of keeping track of learning and development at home and there will also be forms filled out by me that you may keep in your personal files.
We will start setting up the parent appointments during the last week of May.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Spring days
We have been delighted with the weather of this past week.
It's time to include sunscreen and a sun hat in your child's bag for these sunny and warm days!
There are baby kittens here and the timing worked well with our story of Papa Piccolo.
Geography studies have taken us to Venice, Italy, where the story takes place. We have located Italy on a map, colored pictures of cats, gondolas, flags, and canals, and acted out the story with many great "cats".
New words we have learned: bambini, caro mia, (my precious dear), Buon giorno (good morning).
Talking about fatherhood has been fun as we have discussed the many ways that fathers are able to care for little ones. We are also focusing on how we can each take care of our friends and those around us who are smaller.
Occupations on the water we have learned include laundry barges that carry fresh linens to the hotels, garbage barges, police motor boats, and water taxis.
Many new words have been introduced as well such as:
canal, trinket, sardine, ledge, signora, situation, chime, carnival, regatta, skiff, gondola, persistent, forlorn, glum, and gilded.
We have also used language to match descriptions. For example, on p. 8 of Papa Piccolo it says "And then Papa Piccolo sang a little song he remembered from long ago about stardust and moonbeams and goldfish". Papa sang a lullaby. Together we thought of some phrases that would put a dog to sleep like "I'll sing of bones and treats, slippers and silver-lighted dog houses" Then we discussed what we could sing to put a butterfly to sleep, a tree, or an eagle, etc.
There have been many mud cakes, stick, and rock collections forming, and new interest in basketball, soccer, and balls in general.
Our spring circle time is going along nicely and in the next few weeks our focus will be on planting seeds.
We have designed many creative "ball runs" with long cardboard tubes and blocks to direct the paths of little balls, cars, and anything else we can find to roll down the tunnels.
It has been another fun and inspiring week with this lovely group of children and we wish you a happy and peaceful weekend!
It's time to include sunscreen and a sun hat in your child's bag for these sunny and warm days!
There are baby kittens here and the timing worked well with our story of Papa Piccolo.
Geography studies have taken us to Venice, Italy, where the story takes place. We have located Italy on a map, colored pictures of cats, gondolas, flags, and canals, and acted out the story with many great "cats".
New words we have learned: bambini, caro mia, (my precious dear), Buon giorno (good morning).
Talking about fatherhood has been fun as we have discussed the many ways that fathers are able to care for little ones. We are also focusing on how we can each take care of our friends and those around us who are smaller.
Occupations on the water we have learned include laundry barges that carry fresh linens to the hotels, garbage barges, police motor boats, and water taxis.
Many new words have been introduced as well such as:
canal, trinket, sardine, ledge, signora, situation, chime, carnival, regatta, skiff, gondola, persistent, forlorn, glum, and gilded.
We have also used language to match descriptions. For example, on p. 8 of Papa Piccolo it says "And then Papa Piccolo sang a little song he remembered from long ago about stardust and moonbeams and goldfish". Papa sang a lullaby. Together we thought of some phrases that would put a dog to sleep like "I'll sing of bones and treats, slippers and silver-lighted dog houses" Then we discussed what we could sing to put a butterfly to sleep, a tree, or an eagle, etc.
There have been many mud cakes, stick, and rock collections forming, and new interest in basketball, soccer, and balls in general.
Our spring circle time is going along nicely and in the next few weeks our focus will be on planting seeds.
We have designed many creative "ball runs" with long cardboard tubes and blocks to direct the paths of little balls, cars, and anything else we can find to roll down the tunnels.
It has been another fun and inspiring week with this lovely group of children and we wish you a happy and peaceful weekend!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Winter's come and gone
We have definitely enjoyed the change in weather this past week!
Winter's come and gone has been one of the songs we have listened to by Elizabeth Mitchell and we are transitioning into our spring circle time which warms my heart as I think about how long these little ones have been in my life.
Wrapping up our story called, "Mama, Do You Love Me?" we ended with pictures of the various animals from the book, a book of Inuit poems, maps and books of Alaska, and a recording of whale songs.
Papa Piccolo will be our next book to read over the next few weeks. This story is about a tomcat who finds responsibility, joy, and satisfaction as he decides to adopt kittens! We will take a closer look at Venice, Italy, Italian words, Fatherhood, flags, Marco Polo, water occupations, matching descriptions, fables, color matching, counting, and types and breeds of cats. There will be age appropriate activities for each child here to integrate different subjects from the reading.
Our menu for the week:
Monday: Organic brown basmati rice with broccoli
snacks: rice cakes with almond butter, grapes
Tuesday: Oatmeal with flaxseeds, raisins, and syrup
snacks: oat muffins, apples
Wednesday: Millet tacos, corn tortilla chips, salsa
snacks: bananas, trail mix with walnuts, sunflower seeds, dried fruit
Thursday: Vegetable barley soup
snacks: sliced oranges, carrots, cubed tofu
Friday: Homemade bread, apple pear sauce
Winter's come and gone has been one of the songs we have listened to by Elizabeth Mitchell and we are transitioning into our spring circle time which warms my heart as I think about how long these little ones have been in my life.
Wrapping up our story called, "Mama, Do You Love Me?" we ended with pictures of the various animals from the book, a book of Inuit poems, maps and books of Alaska, and a recording of whale songs.
Papa Piccolo will be our next book to read over the next few weeks. This story is about a tomcat who finds responsibility, joy, and satisfaction as he decides to adopt kittens! We will take a closer look at Venice, Italy, Italian words, Fatherhood, flags, Marco Polo, water occupations, matching descriptions, fables, color matching, counting, and types and breeds of cats. There will be age appropriate activities for each child here to integrate different subjects from the reading.
Our menu for the week:
snacks: rice cakes with almond butter, grapes
Tuesday: Oatmeal with flaxseeds, raisins, and syrup
snacks: oat muffins, apples
Wednesday: Millet tacos, corn tortilla chips, salsa
snacks: bananas, trail mix with walnuts, sunflower seeds, dried fruit
Thursday: Vegetable barley soup
snacks: sliced oranges, carrots, cubed tofu
Friday: Homemade bread, apple pear sauce
snacks: sliced vegetables, hummus, kiwis
Other books we have read lately:
Animal Crackers
Willow on the River
River of Life
Whoever You Are
How People Live
Hello World! Greetings in 42 Languages
Songs Are Thoughts poems of the Inuit
Arctic Stories
My Granny Went to Market: A Round the World Counting Rhyme
The Little Island
Rickie and Henri
Over in the Meadow
John Denver's For Baby
Other books we have read lately:
Animal Crackers
Willow on the River
River of Life
Whoever You Are
How People Live
Hello World! Greetings in 42 Languages
Songs Are Thoughts poems of the Inuit
Arctic Stories
My Granny Went to Market: A Round the World Counting Rhyme
The Little Island
Rickie and Henri
Over in the Meadow
John Denver's For Baby
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Spring is coming!
Spring is coming as our little crocus flowers announce new beginnings on the front lawn....
Our story focus for the next three weeks will be Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Joosse.
This is a very tender and sweet tale of a child testing the love of her mother which proves to be unconditional. The setting for the story is also quite captivating as it revolves around life in the Arctic regions. We will be talking about all of the different animals in the book, the interesting clothing we see, the weather in the region, and of course, parent and child relationships.
A personal book for each child is being put together as well that will be a special keepsake and memory of all the stories that we are reading together. The pages will have a simple drawing or other creative artistic expression related to each story.
Our story focus for the next three weeks will be Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Joosse.
This is a very tender and sweet tale of a child testing the love of her mother which proves to be unconditional. The setting for the story is also quite captivating as it revolves around life in the Arctic regions. We will be talking about all of the different animals in the book, the interesting clothing we see, the weather in the region, and of course, parent and child relationships.
A personal book for each child is being put together as well that will be a special keepsake and memory of all the stories that we are reading together. The pages will have a simple drawing or other creative artistic expression related to each story.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY
We will be celebrating Valentine's Day this Monday and Tuesday. Our days will include sharing Valentine's Day cards with friends, going on a heart hunt, making pictures with our "finds", and reading stories about love. Please make very simple Valentine cards with your child to bring for their friends here on Monday or Tuesday, depending on which day your child is here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
