Hello, wonderful preschool families!
We are wrapping up the month of January with one major blast of wintery weather! Thankfully, the children continue to keep the classroom joyful and bright. This week, we are enjoying exploration in the art center, food preparation activities, creative flower arranging, music and movement fun, and lessons about South America! A huge thank you to Lennox, Ella, and Rafi for providing us with a fresh supply of oranges, vegetables, and flowers. The children are always excited to contribute supplies for these popular activities, and we greatly appreciate the support of our families!
Each Tuesday, we incorporate Share Time into our morning circle. This is a chance for the children select an item from home to bring to school. They place these items on a rug in the center of our group, as they arrive in the morning. Once it is their turn to share, the child is encouraged to stand up and talk about their item in a loud and clear voice. Sharing helps build self confidence, descriptive language, and organization of thoughts. The children listening also have a very important job. Aside from being patient, they are learning to be a good audience. They practice this by giving their attention through eye contact, quietly listening, and asking meaningful questions. Both the speaker and the audience are practicing and refining essential communication skills, and having fun while doing so! Planning which item to bring each Tuesday for Share Time can be a meaningful activity and discussion you enjoy with your child each week. We ask that each child brings one single item to share and discuss, with items being no larger than a backpack. Some great share items are photographs of special memories, souvenirs from travel, items discovered in nature, or, of course, new favorite toys. We love seeing what the children come to school excited to share each week!
As we continue to focus on art experiences in the classroom, the children have been enjoying a variety of painting experiences. This week, marble painting has been quite popular! The children carefully place a circular white paper into a small pot. Then, a single drop of pink paint and a single drop of yellow paint are applied. This requires precision and control…we get to observe some wonderful expressions of concentration during this step! Next, a marble is added to the pot. The child moves the marble through the paint and around the paper with tilts and shifts of the pot. Each masterpiece created is completely unique and oh so vibrant! We love the color these works of art are adding to our classroom!
We hope the week ahead finds you healthy and warm!
Morahs Kara, Uma, Kristy, and Chaya