SHOW AND TELL
Bring some small objects (tiny rocks or seashells, macaroni, pieces of tree bark, etc.) to glue in our peek-a-boo pictures.
Topic: Colonial Times
How colonists lived.
The value is courage, which is to be willing to deal with difficult, painful, or dangerous things.
For safety we’ll practice handling being scared, being lost, and having bad things happen to us or our friends.
Outside we’ll play horseshoes and hoops.
The songs we’ll be singing are Star Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful, Yankee Doodle, You’re a Grand Old Flag, and Polly Wolly Doodle.
For creative dramatics we’ll practice being safe.
Our art activities are quilting, silhouettes, apple faces, weaving, and peek-a-boo pictures.
For motor development, we’ll work on stamina by paying jello and dance freeze. For motor planning we’ll pretend to swim, follow the leader, obstacle course, and hopscotch.
SUMMERTIME
In the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, it’s time to revel in the sensorial pleasure of the season, especially if you’ve started to drag a little with the heat. It’s such a natural dip that we might not realize the importance to the developing mind of the little child. Our brain receives most of its early input through the senses. The wonderful tactile sense teaches a child what something feels like that looks squishy (like a cloud or whipped cream). The ability to use the body is a reflection of how well the brain is processing information, and we can help our children process information by working actively with their bodies. So in the summertime, consider on playing with some of these really great games.
- Get out a can of shaving cram and spray it all over all of you in the back yard, then hop in the sprinkler when you’re through playing. If you want to make art, add glitter, sand, food coloring, or glue to the shaving cream before you smear it on a big piece of paper.
- Fill a tub with ice cubes, lay a piece of string on the ice, and watch what happens when you sprinkle some rock salt across the top. Put ice chips and some powdered tempera on a big sheet of art paper and watch what happens.
- Punch a row of holes from the bottom to the top of a 2-liter soda bottle, either vertically or in a spiral, and fill the bottle with water. Figure out why that happens.
- Float rubber or foam letters on water and use small fishnets (like for an aquarium) to spell words.
- Make funnels out of the tops of plastic containers. Put sand or water or tiny stones through them. Use shampoo or detergent bottles as squirters.
- Use lengths of plastic pipe, whole or cut in half lengthwise to use as canals and ramps for rolling marbles, balls, blocks, and small cars.
- Make cookie dough, yeast dough, or finger paints. (We have some great recipes for finger paint, play dough, and silly putty.) Clean up afterwards in the sprinkler.
- Establish a daily routine of physical activity. Do it with your child. If sports or games don’t seem to work very well, try non-competitive activities like horseback riding, swimming, or swinging at the park.
- Develop proprioceptive skills, which tell the child where his body is in space, important for math and reading. Play row the boat where you two sit apart facing each other, touch feet and grab hands, and slowly rock together. Jump, climb, wrestle, carry heavy stuff, and play tug of war.
- Lay on the floor and read or play games to facilitate head and trunk control.
On the Calendar
Safety Scenarios – In our enrichment curriculum we’ll be talking about having courage and what we can do in scary situations, like being scared or being lost or having things happen to you that you don’t like. We’ll not only talk about what we would do if those things happen to us but how we can help our friend if that’s who was dealing with the problem. Listen honestly if your child wants to talk about these issues.
Thinking Deeply – The children will be talking about the American Revolution and why colonists felt like they had to resist English rules. We’ll also study symbols of the United States (like flag, Liberty Bell, and the American eagle). Enjoy this trip through history with your child.
Classroom News
In conjunction with our enrichment curriculum on professions we’d like to thank Emma’s mom for her presentation of an Engineer who works on a big oil rig. The students were told why hard hats, goggles and steal-toe boots are required. Students were eager to answer various questions and everyone went home with a gift. We were delighted to the students in the infant class shaking hands. We observed Alexis walk up to her classmate Lionel and extend her hand and he reciprocated accordingly. Alexis also enjoys making sounds with the drum she bangs it until she’s satisfied then she selects another work.
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