SHOW AND TELL
Bring a thing to put things in.
Topic: Europe
Explore the European Continent
The value we’ll be studying is collaboration, which emphasizes the interdependence of all creatures.
For safety, we’ll learn about calling 911.
Outside, we’ll do a burlap sack relay.
The songs we’ll be singing are Pop Goes the Weasel, London Bridge, Green Grass Grows All Around, It’s a Small World, and Are You Sleeping, Brother John.
For creative dramatics, we’ll learn the story of The Elves and the Shoemaker.
Our art activities will be leprechaun ladders, sprout shamrocks, pasta sculpture, Michelangelo creations, and rainbow with a pot of gold.
For motor development we’ll work on strength with sit-ups, push ups, and deep knee bends in German, French, and Spanish. For bilaterality, we’ll play hopscotch, parachute toss, and ball bounces.
GIVE A BABY A HUG
Do you touch your baby enough? That may seem like a silly question. Still, just at a time when researchers are discovering more and more emotional as well as medical benefits from touch, they are also finding that young children are getting touched less than ever. They have some pretty good ideas why, too. For one, “Babies are spending too much time in infant seats,” says brain development researcher Lise Eliot of the Chicago Medical School. The convenience of these seats has a cost. In the simple motion of lifting a baby from stroller to car or vice versa, there’s often a quick kiss or big smile, some close contact with Mom or Dad’s face, voice, and body warmth. What’s more, every time a baby is moved without being lifted from the carrier, it’s one less chance for neck and abdominal muscles to get exercise and for vestibular stimulation, which helps develop balance.
Psychologist Tiffany Field, the nation’s leading touch researcher, tells parents to use the portable infant seats or strollers sparingly, especially for babies younger than six months. “Most infants prefer to be in contact with you, to smell and feel you,” she says. It’s a matter of emotional security as well as sensory stimulation. At birth, touch is the most highly developed sense, with biological and psychological benefits. An infant should be held for a portion of every waking hour but not 100 percent of the time. When they’re awake, babies need tummy time to strengthen upper body muscles. Stanley Greenspan, a child psychiatrist who teaches at George Washington University, says that touch is critical because it’s the only sense that accomplishes three things babies need; It provides a sense of security and safety through cuddling, engages them with the human world, and begins the process of back and forth communication.
The emotional wholeness of children is greatly enhanced when they have the warm, loving touch of parents. In infancy, children receive a lot of touching in diapering, dressing, feeding, and carrying. Even though they outgrow babyhood, they do not outgrow their need for warm caresses. During a child’s early years, hugs and kisses usually continue to be given quite naturally, but when the child begins to mature, such touching affection sometimes almost stops. Some adults are not comfortable with such expressions of affection themselves, or they deem it to be inappropriate or even unnecessary. It has been found that children who grow up without parental hugs or physical affection suffer emotionally. They grow into adults who are handicapped from adequately showing love or expressing emotions. Even more extreme, as teenagers they can be prime targets for the cults who offer a family-type atmosphere. Let’s start today to give a warm baby a hug.
On the Calendar
Wear Green – On Friday March 17, we’ll make it a fun day and we will wear something green to school. How many different shades of green will there be?
Past newsletters – If you have recently joined our family you are encouraged to visit our website to catch up on past newsletters.
Fire Drills – Each month the school has a fire drill and each time we have a fire drill we discuss with the children the reason for fire drills. Fire drills are successful at school and can also be successful at home and families are encouraged to start the practice in your home.
Coats/jackets – Your child only needs one coat or jacket at school please make a point to take home any extra coats, jackets or sweaters your child may have.
Equipment In The Class - Equipment in the Montessori classroom tends to be very expensive and very specialized. Its expense comes from being made of extremely high quality materials meant to last through many children for a long time. Each piece is designed to develop a specific skill at a specific developmental stage. It’s designed to be beautiful, and very satisfying tactilely. The child uses the equipment, learns the skill, and then passes on to the next stage, no longer dependent on the equipment that was used to teach the concept. Learn more under the curriculum tab on our website.
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