January 2017

​ This month was filled with lots of excitement, from the upcoming holidays to the excitement of possible and actual snow. We begin our month by finishing up our November theme of Bodies of Water, and beginning to introduce the children to our December theme, Music Around the World.

The children had a chance to hear what Jazz music sounds like, and also had opportunities throughout the month to play a variety of instruments, from the triangle to the maracas, to a small drum. We continued our exploration of music with picture and word cards of all different kinds of instruments from around the world. In keeping with our music theme, the children each got to make their own castanet instrument!

There was a lot of excitement during the first week of December when Mother Nature decided to bring a few snowflakes to the Pacific Northwest! We embraced this excitement and took the children out for a walk on our schools nature trail, in search of “snow”. The children were very curious about how snow is made, so we spent some time this month talking about weather and what kind of clouds and temperature make snow. We also discussed the difference between big and small snowflakes.

For art this month, Miss Michelle spent time with the children helping them each create a special holiday gift for their parents. The children were very excited to have a “surprise” for their moms and dads. Miss Amy has been singing a variety of Holiday songs with the children during the last week of December before the Holiday break.

The children have continued their Spanish with Miss Sonja, learning a variety of words, including colors, animals, and body parts. This month, the school set up donation boxes for a variety of goods to be donated to Mary’s Place, a charity organization which provides basic needs items for children, women, and families. A big thank you to everyone that so generously donated!

Coming up in January, we will be studying the continent of South America. I look forward to exploring this with the children! Happy Holidays to all!