It is great to be back and the children seem ready to be here. We said goodbye to Finn MacPherson and Vivian Schmitt as they progressed to Primary, and we welcomed new students, Alex Ichiuji and Dylan Wilson. Everyone is adjusting great! We are all comfortable with the routine of the classroom and I see helping hands everywhere.
Many practical life lessons have become routine chores in the classroom and the food tastings with Mrs. Carter are a real treat! This week we tried avocado and tomato sandwiches - Yum! The class is excited about exploring the outdoors in winter - how cold it is and how water freezes and the ground gets hard. We are looking at pictures and reading books about snow and we are waiting for the day when we can shovel and play in the snow for real!
A special thanks to all of the parents who were so generous with their gifts to our classroom. Our new toaster oven bakes our homemade pizza just right!
November 17, 2008
The Toddler Community is in full swing now with the children familiar with the routines of each day.The children know the day of the week by the food that is on the menu that day.They take pride and joy in cooking pasta on Monday, soup on Tuesday, pizza on Wednesday, and sandwiches on Thursday.The child who brings the ingredients for the week has already had a food adventure with their parents shopping for their favorite fruits and vegetables and choosing a few they have never tasted.We all enjoyed the avocado and tomato sandwiches we had last Thursday! The actions and tools involved with cooking provide valuable language experiences and we are in the midst of a word explosion.Our animal language cards and models are also very popular – a current favorite word is "cheetah."
We are thoroughly enjoying the autumn season.The children love to rake the leaves in careful piles then scatter and toss them into the air.We carved a pumpkin and roasted and ate its seeds.A few weeks later we got to see what mold can do for a jack-o-lantern, poor thing.We visited an orchard and picked some apples and later peeled, sliced, and cored them with a "machine" and cooked them into some of the best apple sauce ever!
The cold air has us wishing for snow and we are reading some books about it.The class is looking forward to a trip to the local fire station to learn what fire fighters do, see fire trucks like the ones we have in our books and puzzles, and maybe even push some buttons!Soon we will be singing holiday songs accompanied by our jingle bells – one for each fist!
October 2, 2008
The classroom is getting very busy with children carrying pitchers of water to their activities and preparing food for snacks and lunch. We have seen many changes in the short time the children have been in school. Puzzles are being put back on the shelf - put together! Language materials are being placed on mats, and our daily dining experience at lunch includes numerous examples of children using "grace and courtesy." The children are mastering dressing skills and are putting on their own slippers and coats - big work for toddlers! We look forward to our apple picking trip at Stribling Orchard. Just around the corner will be winter when we can go out to play in the snow!!! We love to play outside and parents really support our addage, "There is no bad weather, just insufficient clothing."
Just a note of thanks to Anne Carter, our wonderful classroom assistant and to all you parents for supporting your children's smooth transition into school. It's a great year!
