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School Age:
Metallic Sharpies
,
pipe cleaners, old business cards
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of the sale of any item you purchase, but you must go through this link no matter what you may be purchasing.
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Infant/Ones -
Thank you to the Lavery family for the fruit and peas and to the Shailer family for the shoe donation
Mixed Toddlers - We want to thank all of the families who have been bringing in snack. The group loves the fruit and vegetables, so thank you again!
To Veda's family for the Halloween books for our classroom, to Sarah's family for the sugar pumpkins, to Ceci's family for the little pumpkins, and to Josie's family for the painting shirts!
PSA - To all the families for pumpkins, gourds, and corn contributions
To Heather (Cole's mom) for doing yoga with us and donating a Yoga book
To Julie and Eva for baking with us
To the Chenail family for phones and stickers
PSB - A big thank you to Kaarin Jeanson and Pam Heald for donating the various pumpkins to our classroom and projects!
As well as Karin Malo for her amazing stories and for letting us use her bag of books. The children have appreciated everything.
Thank you to everyone who continue to replenish our snack basket!
PSD - Thank you to the PSD parents for special snacks for our Halloween celebrations.
Thank you to Alex P for face paint and crafty items.
SA - Thanks to the Heald family for the colored tape and Origami paper!
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
CINDY HEANEY
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At ITC, we take professional development seriously. We have high expectations and hire well-trained, curious staff who are looking for challenges. For us, this is only the beginning...Teacher growth is built into the very fiber of our school and happens both formally and informally throughout the year. Ongoing professional development is the core of quality assurance and it is why we invest resources so heavily, particularly in time, an expensive commodity. Some of this time includes:
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Paid planning time for classroom teachers and lead teachers
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Weekly team meetings
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Lead teacher meetings
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Monthly staff meetings, where there is a business component and a training component
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2 professional development days each year (March and June)
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Our teacher Work Week in August
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Teachers are paid to attend outside workshops and trainings, for a total of 20 hours of training each year (often more...)
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When we can, we try to send a teacher or two to bigger conferences or early childhood forums in order to broaden our thinking and to keep us connected with the latest learning theories and research
This year we have two over-arching themes that are woven into our "in house" professional development plan: Documentation and Risk-taking. Our focus on
documentation
will help us look more closely at children's learning and will enhance our ability to share our "teacher-think" with parents. We're great at telling the story of children's experiences---what we are working on is sharing the "why" of our curriculum, the story behind the story. Some of this is in response to the parent survey at the end of last year, as well as our own desire to reflect on our practices as a staff.
On the surface
, risk-taking
might sound like a strange focus for an early childhood pro-gram. In fact, we think about risk-taking for children all the time. Providing safe risk-taking opportunities for children physically, emotionally, socially and cognitively allows children to develop great problem-solving skills, boosts self-worth, and generates a love of learning. We excel at creating a safe atmosphere for risk-taking for children...
Now we want to apply that same logic to each other, creating a staff that revels in experimentation, that allows for mistakes, that embraces change and is excited by unknown possibilities. In short, we want to make the adult learning environment as rich and vibrant as the one we provide for children because ultimately, what is good for children is good for teachers---and when the teachers are at their best
, imagine
what they'll be able to accomplish for the children in return. We can never have all of the answers, so instead we're making friends with the "What if's...?"
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Learn more about the full calendar of ITC Events and access links to RSVP or purchase at http://itcacton.org/events
!
Thanksgiving Pies & Treats!
Orders for Bisousweet pies, doughnut muffins, and whoopee pies were due by
Friday, November 4th. Pick ups at ITC
Tuesday, November 22nd.
Little Whisks Available Now
Our ITC cookbook, Little Whisks, contai
n
s 50+ recipes inviting your child into the kitchen
.
Each page shows a 'little whisk' listing child-appropriate tasks for each recipe. Copies are $16 and available in the ITC office (cash or check), online (credit),
or at Kitchen Outfitters in Acton. Shipping available online.
ITC Gear at Teespring
Miss your chance to order an ITC tee during the Summer Event? Our Teespring store is back online through
November 9th, offering adult, toddler, and child tees
and sweatshirts. Visit
itcacton.org/events
for the link to order.
Barefoot Books
Love books? Ready to re-stock your library or have some holiday shopping to do? Join us for our Barefoot Books online fundraiser. All books purchased through http://bit.ly/ITCbooks will directly support ITC. Orders shipped directly to you. Shop open through November 30. This is a great opportunity to share with friends & family!
RSVP for the Holiday Sing-Along
Join us at Indian Hill Music on Sunday, December 11th to celebrate the season. We'll gather at 10am for a holiday sing-along. Open to ITC families. Please RSVP at itcacton.org/events.
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Thursday, November 24 - Friday, November 25 - ITC closed for the Thanksgiving holiday
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Finally we got some much needed rain and some pretty chilly weather last week. You can't fool Mother Nature but she can sure fool us.
This month we talked about squirrels, nuts, and fall colors. There are three species of squirrels in the Acton area: Gray, Red, and Flying Squirrels, and they each fill a specific (sometimes overlapping) niche. Flying squirrels are nocturnal and prefer hardwood forests. They have large eyes, very soft fur, and are really gliders, not flyers. They are very cute!
I think red squirrels are my favorites. They prefer mixed forest with lots of conifers (cone producing trees). Cone seeds are their favorite food. They also love maple sap. They can be seen in the spring when sap is running, biting through the bark of sugar maple limbs then resting there and licking the sap. They are my favorites for two reasons. First their coloration is really very attractive. Secondly, they have an attitude! They will yell at any intruder in their territory, no matter how big. I have often been scolded by red squirrels, and have watched them chase grays (twice their size) for quite some distance.
Gray squirrels are the largest of the group and can be found in three different color morphs. Gray is by far the most common color, but here in Acton the black phase is quite common. Other localities may show large numbers of cream colored gray squirrels. Gray squirrels prefer hardwood forests with lots of nuts, but eat a wide variety of foods. They are very good problem solvers and may drive some people crazy. I once watched a mother squirrel teach all three of her babies how to get bird seed from my squirrel proof feeder. Oh well.
Next we talked about nuts. They are not just squirrel food! Many animals, birds, and insects depend on a good supply of nuts to survive the winter. Squirrels, deer, bear, fox, coyote, ducks, geese, turkeys, and many other birds eat as many nuts as possible during the autumn nut fall.
Acorns are probably the most abundant nut in the local woods because there are many varieties of oak trees; but hickory, walnut, butternut, beechnut, hazelnut, and many others also provide a good food source. Sadly the American Chestnut, once the king of hardwood forests, rarely provides nuts. A disease from Europe devastated the American Chestnut around the turn of the century. In the Big Woods you can see young chestnut trees growing from centuries old roots, but succumbing to disease before maturity. Someday we will see them again, mature in the forest.
Finally we talked about fall foliage. It has been a strange year for color. Temperature and drought has affected things in a big way. Some trees colored up very early, others are still mostly green. But why do trees change color? Every fall a magical little girl in a blue jumper and red beret takes her paints to the forest and paints every leaf. But after a time the heavy paint makes the leaf fall to the ground. Only kidding!
Really, the green in leaves is chlorophyll, the plant's food. In the fall, shortening day length signals the plant to stop food production. The yellow is the color of a leaf. Reds and oranges get more complicated. The plants produce anthocyanin that changes leaf color to orange, red, or purple depending. You have to love fall here in New England. We live in a very special place!
November is a great month for exploring our local habitats. But hunter orange or other bright colored clothing is a good idea. Watch for migrating raptors. Red tailed hawks and vultures will be heading south. Watch for red dragonflies on sunny warm days. Lady bugs and stink bugs may be invading your home. Wood asters may still be blooming, and also Witch Hazel, the last shrub to bloom. Watch for slate gray juncos. These northern birds are one of the first to migrate to and stay in New England.
Till next time; enjoy the outdoors. |
Infant/Ones - Amanda Lambert
As October winds down, everyone in the classroom has settled into a predictable yet content routine. They are comfortable enough to explore their environment as well as let us know what their needs are throughout the day.
Piper, Maeve, and Effy are fans of getting the opportunity to travel to spaces outside the class-room. They request that their shoes are brought down from their cubbies by pointing, and will bring teachers their shoes (if in the classroom) to signal that they are ready to move! They are also beginning to test out putting on each other's parts, such as hats, shoes, and coats, while everyone gets ready to go.
Landon has been working his large muscles out quite a bit! He can move around the play yard with ease, crawling off the edge of the porch without hesitation and even tries to climb up the red slides like our big friends from the YT and Mixed Toddler classroom.
Ryan is exercising her vocal chords as of the past couple of weeks. Her babbling is starting to include strings of "Ba"s and "Da"s. She has perfected blowing raspberries, and has be
gun to giggle and screech as she explores the materials in front of her while on her belly.
Abby loves to spend time outside watching the leaves on the trees blow in the wind. She quietly and observantly touches and explores the natural materials that are within reach as she sits on the porch or under the trees. Abby also lights up when Leo and his friends come to talk to her through the fence between the play yards.
Bode has been working hard to move his body from back to belly and then back again. Once he gets on his belly he can see the world, which makes him quite happy. He especially likes to roll onto his side and talk to Pierce. The two of them find each other's hands to hold while hanging out side by side on the carpet.
Pierce joined the classroom at the beginning of the month and its as if he's been here from the beginning. He is quite a talker, and makes the best growls and gurgles as he explores his new classroom. He, Bode, and Ryan spend quite a bit of time hanging out around the mirror on the floor babbling back and forth to one another.
With the weather getting cooler be sure to send layers or fleece suits for your child to wear while out on the play yard. We try to get out at least once a day, weather permitting, and it can get a little chilly for everyone while on the ground exploring. This group of infants
continues to amaze us at what they are capable of doing! We can't wait to see what November has in store for everyone.
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Young Toddlers -
Sonny Apodaca
Hello YT Families!
This newsletter is going to be a recap of what was talked about on October 26 during Open House Night. We believe that there are three protagonists in a child's life: the parents, the teachers, and the environment. These protagonists help the children make discoveries and build their own understanding of the world through their exploration.
You all, the parents, are your child's first teacher. Although you are not physically in the classroom with us, your children are still making their own discoveries using the tools you have given them to help them learn and grow. You also assist us by ensuring your child has all of his/her parts for the day (i.e. lovies, warm clothing for outside play, pacifiers, etc.) this way your child can feel completely comfortable in the classroom. We also want to have an open line of communication between you and us. Our toddlers are pre-verbal and are trying to figure out how to express and regulate their emotions; this means you may see more hitting, pushing, and pulling than we would like to see. Please come and talk to us if you ever have any concerns about your child and any new behavior you are seeing at home. The YT's are working so hard throughout the day and when they are upset or angry remembering to ask for help or waiting for a teacher to assist them is not an easy task. Sue, Aline, Debi, and I often give them the words they need to express themselves or identify their emotions (i.e. we may say: "I see it made you upset when [insert child's name] took your toy," or "You can tell [insert child's name], 'my turn.'"). It is also important that you share with us any new thing that may be happening at home (i.e. grandparents coming to visit) because this may change your child's behavior and it will help us to know how we can support your child.
Teachers are the second protagonist in your child's life. We view ourselves as partners with your children in learning. Your children teach us just as much as we teach them. I like to call this the 101st idea; meaning I may bring something in for the children and think of 100 different ways the children might use that object but one child may come in and think of the 101st idea that I had not yet considered. We are also helping your children learn to trust us. We have been heavily focusing on building relationships with your children and will continue to strengthen these throughout the year. We have a predictable routine so that the YT's know what to expect and can then focus on their play. We also help them by understanding they are pre-verbal and give them the words needed to express themselves when they are happy or sad or frustrated.
The third protagonist, I think, is the most un-expected: the environment. We view the environment as the third teacher for your children. We are very intentional about what materials we put out in the morning and how they are presented. We want the materials to look appealing so that your children come into the room and can immediately begin working. Although we may put out the same materials a couple times a week, they will usually be presented in a new and interesting way. We decide what to put out through our observations of your children. We want the room to reflect the group as a whole, as well as the interests of individual children. For example: after we discovered many of the children loved cars, trains, and airplanes we began bringing books about things that go as well as cars and trains for the children to play with. We then expanded this exploration by adding blocks so they could build a road and animals for the children to use in the trains.
If you have any questions about the three protagonists or would like to see some examples of what we are talking about please feel free to ask any of us at pick-up or drop-off.
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Mixed Toddlers - Brianna McGregor
What have the Mix Toddlers been up to in October? Well let me tell you. There are four BIG things this group has been doing a lot of and they are - - music, obstacle courses, baby play and sensory activities.
Music- we love to randomly start dancing and singing with our friends all around our room at any time, even in the bathroom. Some friends will sit in a lap and instead of a story they will ask for "Row-Row your boat" or ask for the egg shakers. It has become a nice little routine in our day. During lunch and snack time is when we start to sing about what our friends have in their lunch or we sing about what we are wearing. Another nice routine they have all mastered is sitting on the bench before heading to our next location. Everyone will sit and wait for everyone and then we will start singing "The bench" song.
Climbing, jumping and balancing - - yes they all have mastered all of the different types of obstacles courses we have designed in the room. At times some friends will bring out the different blocks and design their own obstacles for their friends to try. It is pretty amazing to watch everyone and how they challenge their bodies each and every day.
Baby play is another big part of our day. Everyone loves to pretend to put the babies to sleep, change their diapers, feed them and play with them. They also love to pretend they are babies. Their friends will rub their backs, feed them, bring them on car rides, etc. It is amazing to sit back and listen to the way they all interact with each other but also amazing to watch the way they play independently with the babies and listen to the conversations they are having with the babies.
One last big part is our sensory activities like coloring, sand, paint, water and sticky paper. All with a variety of materials like trucks in the sandbox, Q-tips, OUR hands, paint brushes, and little cups. We also carved a pumpkin and explored the inside of that- ooey gooey! These activities are enjoyed by everyone in different ways - some like getting all messy and others like to get cleaned up right away.
We said goodbye to our good friend, Evie. Her last day was Wednesday, October 26
th.
She will be moving and is going to go to another school. We will surely miss her. Thank you to Evie's family for the yummy fruit and blueberry muffins for our goodbye party. In other news: Veda became a big sister on Oct. 23! We want to extend congratulations to her and Sara and Brian Bohne on the birth of their baby boy, Bennett!
Thank you to everyone who came out on October 26 to our Open House! We had a really good time getting to share photos, videos and stories about what the children have been doing so far. If you weren't able to come, we still have pictures posted around the room for you to have a look at! We will be having more opportunities to get together soon, such as the Sing Along in late December, and a Mixed Toddler Family Pot Luck (or event) on a date yet to be decided in January. Keep a look out for an email about these future dates.
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2/3A - MB Condron
Looking over the daily logs in preparation for writing this monthly newsletter I am struck by several things, the variety of experiences the children have had, the patterns and preferences that are emerging through repetition of certain play and activities, the social connections that are developing, and the increasing physical skills and challenges the children are willing to take on.
We introduced decorative gourds to our inside and outside areas; and they have been used in so many ways. The children first observed their attributes, big, bumpy, heavy, light, as they played with them in the sensory table, painted them, and discovered what was inside when we cut one open. Outside the children made more creative and dramatic uses of the gourds in their own play, (and later BIG pumpkins, thank you to the Napoli family!). One day Rose hid a small gourd in the sandbox, this has developed over weeks of repeated play into an elaborate hiding,seeking, discovering, and chasing game. It takes cooperation and planning to run as a group from one end of the play yard to the porch. Rose, Halle, Graham, Charlie E., Mateo, James, Hayden, Rita, Thomas, and lately Niko are often playing this game. They play
Puzzles are another activity that has become very important to our group. And another example of repetition leading to positive developments. We brought 7 or 8 puzzles into the room a while ago. They were at first a challenge, and caused some frustration. But we decided to keep the puzzles and offered help when helping was supportive. Everyone tries puzzles, yet Niko and Conner in particular, have worked daily on certain puzzles, and they are getting closer and closer to completing their puzzles. They have set a challenge for themselves and they are meeting that challenge.
Predictable, positive experiences the teachers have developed over the first two months create a secure and supportive environment. Weekly cooking with Beth, making play dough with Mb, and trying new paint/art experiences with Sandy are activities the the children look forward to now. Having a daily circle where favorite songs are sung, and everyone is acknowledged as a welcome member of our class are are other ways we build community. In 2/3A "Itsy Bitsy Spider"," Jumpity Jump", "Old McDonald", "We All Clap For You" and "Rocket Ship" are some of our favorites. Favorite story books right now include "Bear Is Scared", "Construction Site", "Trucks", "My Side Of The Car", "Rosey's Walk" and "The Door Bell Rang". Chances are good that at home the mention of one of these songs or stories will prompt a sing along or conversation.
Everyday the children pump bikes and pull wagons round and round the play yard circle.
Everyday Charlie M. and Conner, Thomas and Graham can be counted on to spend time digging, dumping and filling in the sandbox. In the Little Woods they challenge themselves on the stone wall and steep hill, balance across fallen logs and climb tree stumps, the big rock and the "big" ladder. You would be pleased and perhaps surprised to see how often your children help each over these obstacles. So nice!
On the practical side of things the weather is getting colder, so bringing in a pair of mittens and a warm hat is probably a useful (if not welcome ) idea.
And of course thank you all for your generous and healthful snack contributions.
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2/3 B - Alex Daum
This month started with weather in thnow it's freezing temperatures in the mornings and we are all bundled up. Please remember that we do go outside every day that is above 20°. Make sure to bring warm shoes, coats, hats and mittens for your children.
During the month we have been keen observers of the change in seasons. In particular we have watched one maple tree go from having lots and lots of red leaves to having no leaves at all. Our noticing doesn't stop there. We have observed the hundreds of fallen leaves to practice sorting and classifying. We have noticed several different kinds of maple leaves, birch leaves and beech leaves. We have had experiences with pumpkins thanks to everyone that donated a single pumpkin or several pumpkins. We have carved them, sang happy birthday for them, painted and decorated them, and most recently used our big muscles to roll them around the playground.
Our themes for indoor play have been puzzles,
play-doh, birthday parties and taking care of babies big and small. One of the popular choices is to make one of the teachers the baby.
At meal times we are thoroughly enjoying being together as a community, sharing songs, stories and books. We strongly encourage you to bring in fruits and vegetables that your family enjoys at home that you think we will enjoy together during our snack times. Thanks for another great month in the 2/3 B classroom.
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Preschool A - Amy Maney
We have had an amazing month of pumpkin and gourd explorations, sensory experiences, baking opportunities, acting out favorite songs and stories, music, and visits from parents. At the end of last month, Eva (Eden's mom) and Julie (Ella's mom) came in to make challah with the preschoolers and tell us about the tradition of Rosh Hashanah. PSA really enjoyed the experience of working together to mix ingredients and the end result was delicious. Ida has also been doing a lot of baking with the group and the children love making muffins! We've made zucchini muffins, banana muffins and some with chocolate chips. Janet has made guacamole with PSA a couple of times now and it's so much fun to see and hear their reactions when they taste the lime juice.
As stated earlier, we have a wide variety of pumpkins and gourds that have been contributed to the classroom from families, thank you! These have been used for provocations, during free play and also for circle times. At circle one day we collected all of them to bring to the rug. In passing them around the children used rich vocabulary words such as bumpy, hard, smooth, humongous, and little. We've used our pumpkins to act out a favorite song of
Five Little Pumpkins. We've discussed what we know about pumpkins and wondered about the word pumpkin and where it comes from. The children have been measuring the pumpkins with tape and then tying the measuring tape around a chair with pumpkins on top of it to pull around the room. They work together to carry the biggest pumpkins all aournd the classroom, and sometimes they will roll the pumpkins all over the room. We've painted the pumpkins on paper as well as the pumpkins themselves, we've washed the pumpkins and recently opened the gourds and pumpkins up to see what's inside. Janet cooked up some pumpkin seeds that most of the children loved. And of course, a vote was had between which two Jack O' Lanterns our biggest pumpkin would be made into and everyone had a part in that as well.
PSA is enjoying a variety of music experiences this month. Rhythm sticks are a favorite of this group and many of them love to tap their sticks and have their peers imitate what they do. Egg shakers have been added to songs at circle time and recently PSA had an opportunity to create their own band using a variety of bells, clackers, color rods (as drum sticks) and blocks. On Mondays the children look forward to music with Joey and we are learning some new songs and exploring many new instruments.
The playground and Little Woods have been fascinating to watch as the leaves have slowly changed color and all of a sudden they're all over the ground. PSA has been doing big muscle work as they sweep the leaves into a pile to jump in. They work hard at self-regulation as they take turns to jump into the leaf pile. We've also been noticing a lot of balancing and concentration on this difficult skill as a number of children continue to challenge themselves walking along the boards set on the big rocks or the black wall around the mulch area.
Many children this age love and benefit from a variety of sensory experiences. The children enjoy helping to make play dough and often want two colors to mix and investigate. Painting at the easel is always a favorite choice. We've been offering trays or bins of more novel experiences such as ooblek (cornstarch and water) or salt and sugar mixed together, and finger painting has been a great activity with this group. Many of them will scoop up the paint and play with it in their hands first then back down onto the paper to mix it up. We look forward to adding to this list of experiences in the upcoming weeks.
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Preschool B - Andrea Cooperman
We have definitely settled into life in the PSB classroom. With lots of excitement and getting into the Halloween spirit, the children definitely had their hands full. This time of year naturally brings us so many wonderful things to experience; we welcomed all of them with questions, observations and sharing of ideas. Pumpkins, leaves and even the occasional corn cob were incorporated into the curriculum since they were such a big interest with the children. We've had a month full of scientific explorations through our trips to the Big Woods, extending literacy learning, tapping into our musical potential and creating beautiful pieces of art with our pumpkins and leaves!
Last month the apples were such a hit that we welcomed all of the pumpkins and gourds that were donated, and we have had some amazing pieces come in. They are so great for the children to incorporate into play and investigate hands on. These pumpkins have been put to good use in our circles as well, as the children were able to estimate the weights and compare and measure them using conventional (a scale) and un-conventional methods of weighing (using their own senses to decide which was heavier). This created such a rich dialogue that the idea was extended to hopping on the scale and finding out how much they weighed! This was a perfect experience that touched upon different math concepts such as estimating, weight, data collection and using mathematical language (words such as pounds and scale). Not only were they used for math purposes but they were also used in our art and science experiences as well. The children had multiple opportunities to create a classroom jack-o-lantern, all having input into the shapes of the eyes, nose and mouth and even had the chance to acrylic paint their own child sized pumpkin to take home!
Music has been very important to the children in PSB this month. The children started by using various blocks in dramatic play as guitars and microphones and then branched out to our hand made PSB guitars and jingle bells. Throughout the month the children had the opportunity to use rhythm sticks, clappers and various bells to create magnificent concerts for all to hear (vocals included!). Music is incorporated almost every day, whether its singing our favorite songs or pretending to be a cat while listening to Animal Action (a class favorite).
Finally, towards the end of the month, the excitement of Halloween made its way into the classroom. The children really jumped aboard the decoration train, cutting, ripping, taping and gluing beautiful decorations that they were so proud to hang around the room. We also made slime and read numerous Halloween books. By far our favorite had to be "Room on the Broom." This piece of literacy even opened itself up to props and reenactments. The cauldron, bow, wand, and hat were added to our dramatic play area and the children jumped at the chance to all pretend to be the witch on the broom. Riding around the classroom and the playground has been a great deal of enjoyment for these PSB kids!
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Preschool C - Tara Whitmer
It's been a curriculum rich month and we have been busy exploring everything October. On the playground, as the weather has gotten cooler and the leaves have changed colors and fallen from the trees, we added materials to extend the play such as rakes, wheel barrows, and a variety of gourds and pumpkins. The children have been enjoying moving these materials from place to place outside as they include them in their play.
In the classroom, as you may have noticed, we were excited to explore all things Fall and Halloween. As we continue our story telling as a group, the subject matter has become Fall and Halloween related. The children are getting very good at expanding their thoughts to create richer stories. In addition, we have extensively explored pumpkins and gourds in the classroom. We've collected a wide variety from many families (Thank you for your contribution) and have measured them, weighed them, compared them, stacked them, cut them open, cooked with them, hammered them, decorated them, and more. We also created a fall mural on our classroom board with multiple pieces and techniques to showcase the things we see in the fall. We've been singing seasonal songs during the day such as "Gray Squirrel", "Five Little Pumpkins", and "Acorn Brown" as well as reading many books that tell us about Fall and Halloween. Also, you may have noticed that, in our sensory table, the children could be found scooping, counting, sorting, and categorizing fun Halloween shapes and colorful rice.
Also in the classroom, we began a monthly calendar which we update daily during circle time. The children seem to enjoy counting and practicing writing their numbers as the month goes on. We'll continue to explore the monthly calendar as long as the children still show interest. In addition, working on fine motor skills has been an ongoing interest. The children often want to use writing materials, scissors, hole punches, eye droppers, or stickers to create amazing booklets or pictures. We also have been lacing beads and practicing using clothes pins to strengthen those hands.
We also participated in two out of the classroom experiences on a regular basis - Science and Nature with Rob and Music with Joey. This month during Science and Nature, Rob taught us more about squirrels, helped us find different kinds of leaves and what happens to them in the Fall, and he showed us the various kinds of nuts we find in the woods. We began Music with Joey this month. He visits us every Monday. He is teaching us lots of new songs that we will eventually learn and sing along with him. We also do some familiar songs as well. Hopefully, you've had a chance to listen to the CD Joey gave to each child so you can sing along, too!
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Preschool D
- Carole Cammarata
What a month! We were so busy this month starting with our second harvest of our Red, White & Blue potatoes. Finding every tiny potato was like opening a present! After a good wash we cooked them with butter and salt and enjoyed every last one of them! We found that the children were starting early with talk and excitement over Halloween so we centered some of our learning around the symbols and colors of this holiday. We received 22 pumpkins from Quentin and his family, and have used these all around our room, counting them, using them in our block and dramatic play areas, and by the end of the month-painting them to take home. They looked quite beautiful painted with many colors such as blue, purple, silver and gold. We worked on our literacy skills while we told our own Halloween stories, and practiced creating stories that had a beginning, middle and end; both in groups and individually. At circle, we counted witches in a haunted house, and created a magical witches brew by counting various items to add to a witches cauldron. We learned about bats and how they live in groups, and eat 1,000 mosquitoes an hour! Our room has decorations hanging from our loft (spider webs made from white string, chains made from paper) and from the ceilings! Be careful if you come in PSD, bats and spiders are all over the room!
Outside we can be found swinging on our swings, riding one of 4 bikes, raking leaves or jumping in leaf piles! We have enjoyed many trips to the Big Woods, collecting bags full of leaves and acorns. We have added many of these beautifully colored leaves to sticky paper and it hangs on our window. On our last trip we were lucky enough to find a salamander and a woolly caterpillar.
We were so excited to have Myles' mom, Katy, join us to talk about animal families...it's always a treat to have company to teach us new things! If you would like to come in sometime this year to read a favorite book or cook-up something yummy we are always open to visits. Hannah's dad, Scott, came to a Science & Nature trip to the big woods. You become a celebrity when you come in!
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School Age - Valerie Dupell
Fall and Halloween were on our minds a lot during October! As the leaves began to fall, the School Age children began raking or sweeping them to clear off the area around the pallet house. Later in the month they were able to rake the leaves into piles that were perfect for jumping into! During these activities there was a lot of negotiating over what rake or broom someone could use, where to put the leaves, who could jump into the pile first, etc. After the Columbus Day holiday we ventured back into the Little Woods that were now safe from dead trees. The Thursday group had a great time going down the yellow slide. The slide isn't too fast, so the children collected leaves to put on the slide to make it faster. This morphed into using a piece of wood or small pine branch, which sped things up a bit! The ladders and stumps are great for climbing, as is a tree near the PSI playground gate. The newly fallen trees add another challenge as we walk and balance on top of them. We are using a lot of different muscle groups as we climb, lift heavy objects, and slide. We are also getting some great sensory input from all of the different smells and textures in the woods! The children have asked to do this on all of the recent early release Thursdays, so it looks like this w
ill be part of our routine now!
Halloween play started at the beginning of October! We began planning our costumes, talking about having Halloween parties, and thinking
about ways to decorate the School Age room. We had a number of ghosts, spooky trees, Jack O' Lanterns, and other decorations on our loft. On one of our school vacation days we had a pajama day and watched a Halloween movie. We also made some 3-d pumpkin decorations, carved 2 Jack O' Lanterns, made some Halloween paintings, made a Halloween snack, and did some face painting.
We are beginning to be interested in using the Sharpies and fuse beads lately too! The Sharpies are fun because they make really bright, bold drawings and work on many different materials. The fuse beads challenge us to work carefully so that we don't break our design. We have to use our fine motor skills in order to place the small beads on the pegs. We all have different ways of making our fuse bead designs - using random colors, making small designs on a larger shape, or making a
specific pattern or design. We are always busy and love a good art or craft activity!
November brings us a few more school vacation days and extra early release days! I'm sure we'll have more fun things to tell you about next month!
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