-SHOW AND TELL
Bring a thing that can be recycled or reused.
Topic: Earth Day
Develop a sense of personal
responsibility for our earth.
The value we’ll be studying is frugaility, which is being careful not to waste and only using what we need.
For ecology, we’ll make a scrapbook of leaves.
Outside, we’ll pass the Earth ball.
The songs we’ll be singing are Mr. Sun, Edleweiss, This Land Is Your Land, Catch a Falling Star, and When You Wish Upon a Star.
For creative dramatics, we’ll act out being a forest.
Our art activities will be Earth Day collage, trash sculpture, soda can faces, and ants and reptiles.
For motor development, we’ll work on coordination. . For bilaterallity, we’ll play bounce into the hoop and toss and catch.
SING A SONG OF SPINACH*
It’s amazing how tiny things can add up to a good life. Even something so small as a trip to the grocery can be a productive and fun experience between you and your child when you have a great technique. Try this:
o How is everyone feeling? - Is your child too tired or hungry to shop? Are YOU? If you’re tired or not feeling well, scale back and get just what you need for right now.
o Have a talk. – Before you leave, let your child know that it is a privilege to go shopping with you. You can both go shopping and have fun when you both understand your family’s shopping rules. (Make it a point to have your rules reasonable for everyone, not just for mom.)
o Make your expectations clear. – For instance, “Stay close to me” or “Use your quiet voice”. “Be good” is too general for preschoolers.
o Select a secret word or signal. – You can use either words or signals for “Stop”, “Come here”, or “Be careful”. Use them when you’re in public. Children love special secrets.
o Reward good behavior. – Agree on a reward if the trip is a successful trip. It might be a stop at the park or library before you go home or choosing a package of gum at the checkout station.
o Follow through. – If a thing your child wants to do is the last thing on the trip schedule and you have to go home because of misbehavior, your child doesn’t get to do what she wanted to do on the trip. If one of your rules is that you will have to leave your child home the next time you go shopping if he misbehaves, make sure you follow through and DO it.
o Bring-a-longs – With a little preplanning, you can shop while your child keeps busy with a favorite blanket, toy, or book from home. Other things that help are a nutritious snack, a book, a small action or manipulative toy, a pad and pencil or markers, or an older child that you’ve borrowed from a friend or neighbor.
Sometimes we see someone else struggling in this situation. Here are some simple, supportive things to say or do: “She seems to be trying your patience”; “It looks like it’s been a long day for you both”; strike up a conversation with the parent to divert attention away from the child, divert the misbehaving child’s attention, or praise the child and parent at the first opportunity. We’re all in this together, and when I help others, I help myself.
*From the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse.
For Your Information
Mother’s Day Tea - Moms, please put Friday, May 10, on your calendar for the Mother’s Day Tea. Your little one thinks you’re the most wonderful mom in the world and is preparing a wonderful tea for you. Plan to arrive about 3:00 and it should last about an hour.
The Butterfly Effect – This week is Earth Day, and the children will be learning how everyone helps make the Earth a better place. It’s the butterfly effect. They’ll learn how just a tiny correction in the ship’s path can make a big difference in where it ends up, how a tiny match can start a raging forest fire, and how even a small effort by a lot of people can have a big effect. Watch for ways your family can reinforce the reduce/reuse/recycle/repair mentality.
Parent/Teacher Conferences – The conference forms are out for you to choose a time when you would like to meet with your child’s teacher. If you are unable to meet during our scheduled times let us know and we can make arrangements to meet at another time.
Classroom News
Jad completed his work on the continents, where he traced each one using the map puzzle and learned their names; Jad is also working on writing his name. Jonathan S. is showing interest in reading, “I want to read those three letter words” he told his teacher, together they went over various words as Jonathan sounds out each letter and then connect the sounds to make words. Serene enjoys working with the colored bead stair. The Bead Stair is a colorful work that helps students master the numerical understanding of 1-9 and identifies each number with a color that will be used later in other advanced work. In the toddler class we noticed Tyler working with straw insert work. This work helps to improve fine motor skill and his attention span. Edie was also using her fine motor skills as she worked with the bead string working and Ian was introduced to numbers as he worked with the sandpaper numbers which will helps him to recognize numbers along with the corresponding name.
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