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Toddler
Tribune A Newsletter
from the Toddler Classroom October/November 2009 With
the first few snowflakes falling as we played on the playground just a short
time ago, we can no longer deny that Winter is right
around the corner. The Toddlers have
been relishing what little time we have left of the Fall
by watching as “Chippy” the chipmunk hurries to gather acorns, the leaves fall
from the trees and excitedly jumping into the raked piles of leaves. You Are Invited! Please
join us on November 17th, 2009 from 4-5pm to create your child’s
Family Page. As we mentioned in the
Parent Packet back in August, we like to have a Family Page for the children in
the classroom as a way to connect school and home. Sarah recently discovered that many of the
photo printing websites (Walgreens, Walmart, Snapfish, etc) have new collage
pages that you can create. Though they
come with a cost depending on the size that you choose and the company that you
go with, they can be a great time saving measure. If you have any questions about the process,
feel free to ask Sarah. If you choose to
use this method, we ask that you choose a page that is either 8”x10” or
11”x14”. We
ask that bring in photos for your family or a collage page and we will provide
the paper and markers to help build and/or decorate your page. Curriculum Fruits and Vegetables – Recently, the children in
the Toddler Room help put the gardening space in the
back yard to bed for the year. The
children in the past few months have been able to explore so many wonderful
vegetables from that garden as well as the large community garden. Children were offered the opportunity to
explore zucchini with Abe, our gardening student. They were quite excited to find a tiny white
pumpkin. We have also brought some of
the large pumpkins from the Harvest Festival into the classroom. Painting – While inviting children to
be inspired by our Monarch butterflies, we noticed that our children use
painting not only as an art experience but also as a sensory experience. This has led us to think about our painting
with Toddlers in a few different ways.
We have offered our children a variety of materials to be inspired by as
they paint. We may set out a pumpkin, Fall leaves or the butterflies as a provocation for the
children like an artist preparing to paint a still life. While we do not expect that the children in
our room with be making representational work, we hope that these items may
inspire what the children paint through the conversations that they might have
or the way in which they move their brushes. Light and Color – In a recent discovery, one
of the Toddlers noticed that there was “purple on the wall.” What he didn’t realize was that as he held
the Magna-tile (the magnetic builders on the light table) in his hand, the
sunlight was shining through and projecting the color on the wall. Since then, we have introduced the light
projector as a tool during small group time.
We have used it to explore shadows, colors and shape. Spotlight: Each
month, we will choose one area of the classroom or our day to highlight in our
newsletter so that you can have a window into our thinking as teachers about
your child’s time at CSDC. This month,
we will focus on circle time. So What
is Circle Time About? Each
day, we gather children in the linking space for “circle time” but there is
more to our decision to offer it than tradition. Circle time is a place and a
time in which children are participating in some really important
skill-building activities. First
children are welcomed to do some reading from the books displayed in the
shelf. We take the time to carefully
choose the books that relate to children’s interests and current
curriculum. Children can read
independently, with teacher one-on-one or in small groups. We
then invite children to sing with us. We
always start our circle by singing “The More We Get Together” The
More We Get Together The more we get together,
together, together… The more we get together the
happier we’ll be With Anders
and Kian and Kavi and Ryan and Emmaline and Sadie and Eliza and Elliot and
Sophie and (During
this time we sing the names of all of the children in our class that are at
school that day, as well as all of the teachers and students) The more we get together the
happier we’ll be. We
may have children sing more songs after singing The More We Get Together by
gathering our songs cards and inviting children to choose a song or we may have
another musical activity prepared. So
what do children get out of circle time?
Our children are offered the opportunity to practice skills from many
areas of development during circle time: Social Awareness: Gathering as a community Literacy and Language
Development:
reading books as exposure to print, singing songs, using symbols as an early
literacy experience on the song cards, and using sign language as a form of
expression. Fine and Gross Motor
Development:
using hand gestures and movements during our singing Mathematics: counting, use of rhythm and
beat. Reminders: Lunch Time: We
ask that all of our families place the items that they would like warmed up for lunch in the small black refrigerator by the
children’s cubbies. Outside Time: Unless
the rain is pouring, we hope to get the children onto the playground or out for
a walk everyday. We ask that you keep
this in mind as you bring your child to school.
With chilly mornings and cold late afternoons, heavier winter coats may
be needed as opposed to a light wind breaker.
We also ask that you bring in hats and mittens for your child that are labeled with their name or their
initials. If you have rain or wind
pants, you may want to pack them for your child to protect their clothing
during the mornings but do not feel obligated to purchase new ones if you do
not have a pair at home already. Happy Birthday to You: ·
Elliot
turns 2 on November 1st! ·
Ryan
turns 3 on November 15th! Dates
to Remember: November
11th: CSDC is closed to observe Veteran’s Day. November
17th: Toddler Family Event- Creating Family Pages. November
26th and 27th: CSDC is closed for Thanksgiving Break. Warmly,
The
Toddler Team |
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