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Preschool I Press April 3, 2009 Has
spring finally arrived? We are all
excited about the warmer weather which also brings mud season. Please be sure your child has a supply of extra
clothes at school each day. We also
still need puddle or winter boots, snow or rain pants, hats and mittens as the
playground and yard are muddy and wet.
Thank you! Celebrating the wonders of
early childhood April
will be a busy month as we celebrate the Week of the Young Child April
13th-17th. Please
mark your calendars and plan to join us on Wednesday, April 15th at
10:15 am, as we have our monthly community sing at T-Hall! We will travel by shuttle to campus along
with Preschool II, Kindergarten and Program II; we will have a bus
transportation waiver for you all to sign soon.
It is a great event that merges our CSDC community with the greater UNH
community. If you are teaching or in
class during this time, please feel free to bring everyone down, the more the
merrier!! After we sing we will stay on
campus to have a picnic lunch. We
will not be able to heat lunches, so please pack your childÕs lunch accordingly.
The schedule for the week has been sent out and we have a copy hanging in our
entry way for a quick reference. With good news often comes
sad news It is
hard to believe but Harlee will be re-joining our classroom at the end of this
month. She will be back part time during
the week of April 27th and full time the week of May 4th. Since Harlee is returning, it sadly means
that Katie will no longer be in our Preschool I classroom. She will be with us until Harlee returns full
time and remain at the center until May 15th. We will have a pot luck dinner on Thursday,
April 30th to celebrate Katie and her work with us. As these dates get closer we will talk more
about this transition with the children as we welcome her back Harlee and say
goodbye to Katie. WeÕve got mail! As part of our Annual CSDC Literacy Week celebration we wanted to
focus on literacy as a means of communication. We want children to experience
various forms of the printed word used to communicate a message. One of
the suggested ideas was to write letters to our friends and families. Coinciding with this event, we received an
email from our intern Maggie who is studying abroad in Australia this semester. Before she left she told us she would keep in
touch and send us emails. Children were
very excited to receive an email from her and to work on a note back to
her. Children have
also been asking about Harlee and when she would return from her maternity
leave. They have seen several pictures
of her baby and were eager to send her an email too. And so our letter writing beginsÉÉÉ WhatÕs in a shadow? We
have continued to look at our shadows and worked to identify the shadows of
friends. We offered children hats and
disguises, yet they still offered the same types of responses as they had
before such as, ÒI know because of his eyesÓ, ÒI see her nose and mouthÓ, and
ÒI see the shirt and bellyÓ. Teachers
reviewed the documentation we had been gathering to analyze and interpret what
the children are truly interested in about shadows. We discussed the concepts of science:
exploring physical objects, properties of light, physical knowledge; social studies:
identity (self), community building, relationships (intimacy); and math: size,
spatial awareness and finally decided that children seem most curious about the
social components of exploring shadows.
With this information we are moving forward to explore identity and
social intimacy. We introduced
two photographs of each childÕs profile and full silhouette. Each child has been asked to look through the
book of shadows and identify the photographs they think are their shadows. During this task, many children also shared
their ideas about which shadows could belong to their friends. It seems that when children are looking at
isolated shadows, of either themselves or others, they are able to focus on the
specific details to identify the shadows.
In the upcoming weeks, the photos will be hung over the cubbies for you
to take a turn identifying each shadow.
We will have papers to fill out, please share your thinking and describe
why you believe the shadow may belong to each child. Are you up for the challenge? Creating Colors! This
past month the children have done a lot of experimenting with color
mixing. Tempera paints were introduced
in primary colors (we started with blue and yellow and later added red) at the
easel. The children had a great time
mixing colors on their papers and discovering the secondary colors they could
create (green, orange, purple and sometimes brown!). Children painted on
construction paper and later experimented with painting on the surface of
bubble wrap (ÒIt feels bumpy!Ó). This was a good way for the children to
further refine their control over the brush to fill in the gaps between each
bubble. One thing the teachers in
Preschool 1 noticed over and over was the tendency for children to want to
touch the paint with their fingers and hands.
In response we will engage children in tactile experiences with
cornstarch and water and other household materials that are fun to dip hands
into. We will also experiment with
finger paints over the month of April. Make room for handprint paintings on the
fridge! Doctor Investigation with
Danielle My
goal to become a child life specialist, working with children and their
families to help reduce anxiety associated with being in the hospital, inspired
me to explore the idea of doctors with the children in Preschool 1. I am
interested to learn about their perceptions of what a doctor is, what a doctor
does, and how a doctor can help people. We have explored this idea together by
reading books and experimenting with doctor tools in dramatic play. The
children seem to have a very strong understanding of why one may go to the
doctor and what each of the different tools is used for. I am noticing in
dramatic play that children are going to the doctor because they are sick. Some
reasons include Òmy tummy hurtsÓ or ÒI have a feverÓ. They also have mentioned
going to the doctor because they are hurt (Òmy arm hurtsÓ) and going to the
hospital to Òhave a babyÓ. We are going
to continue exploring these ideas of doctors by thinking about the different
parts of our bodies. There have been some conversations about our hearts and
where they are located. For instance, Òinside my skeletonÓ and Òinside my bodyÓ
are some of the ideas I've heard from the children. TheyÕve also mention bones
and stomachs, so I am hoping to continue to explore these topics with the
children. What is inside a seed? We have been exploring many seeds and bulbs
lately. WeÕve brainstormed the different ways the children think seeds will
grow. They have been working on problem solving when their ideas do not work
the first time. WeÕve observed the seeds as they grow and change. The children
have been observing the roots and are curious about what they are and what they
do for the plants. Afterwards, some children started to ask ÒWhat is inside a
seed?Ó and ÒWhatÕs happening inside the seed?Ó We are going to start looking in
various seeds and bulbs to think about what is inside and what is happening. We
also will continue to plant some of these seeds in different ways to observe
what will happen. Warmly,
Nikki,
Kristen, Katie and Danielle |
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