Hello, Toddler Families
What a beautiful scenery we've been gifted this past week with all this snow! While we can't go out in negative degree weather, we have been sure to bring the weather to us! This month we have a winter sensory bin out with frozen blue "ocean" water, sea animals, and textured earth including gravel, moss, and sticks. The way our children watch in joy as the ocean starts each day frozen and slowly melts while we go about our day. We also have a snowman story on the language shelf, snowflake 1:1 correspondence counting, and a "melted snowman" art that includes glue, paper, felt, googly eyes, and more! When we step back and watch, we can see the wonder in the children's eyes as they explore nature in the classroom, observe nature outside the windows, and tell stories about being outside at home.
As we've entered the second half of the year, we can truly see that the children have taken ownership and responsibility for the classroom and each other. There are concerned looks and notifying a morah if a friend begins to cry, pats on the back or check ins, and a beautiful interest in caring for the environment. Each child's sense of order has blossomed and we see them caring so beautifully for this shared space.
At home, consider stepping back and seeing what your child can do in a setting such as clearing the table, helping load the dishwasher, using a dust pan and brush, or folding the laundry. Ask your child to be a special helper and watch their eyes sparkle as they accept what we see as mundane tasks with excitement and newness. As we continue to foster this autonomy and care in our classroom, we encourage you to do the same at home as we work together in this journey.
As always, thank you for trusting us with your little ones and we hope you're able to enjoy this magical season with them!
Morahs Megan, Sarah, and K