December felt like a whirlwind with preparations for the holidays and getting ready for break! The time seemed to go by so quickly that it felt like the month should have been longer. In preparation for the holidays, the toddlers helped to paint the Earth onto burlap ornaments and tiny peace sign pasta. When put all together and with the written message of “let there be peace on Earth”, it made for a very special gift to give their families. Aside from painting for others, the toddlers spent a lot of time experimenting with other painting techniques such as using toilet paper rolls, and their thumbs to create unique pieces to talk about and share with friends. Thumb print reindeer were the most popular creations right before leaving for break. These paintings also made for a fun sensory experience. Jingle bells could be heard often during circle time both in song and sound. The toddlers loved being able to shake their own jingle bells while singing along. We also practiced shaking the bells fast and slow. A favorite book was Blue Hat Green Hat by Sandra Boynton. The silly turkey who wears clothing in different ways gets everyone laughing when we read it. Coming back from break we welcomed Ms. Erica to our room. It is very exciting to have another teacher in the room to share new things with all of our friends in Rosa! In January we will continue exploring with different painting techniques, identifying different colors around us, and remembering to ask our friends if they would like a hug before going in to give them one. Welcome to 2015!
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This month in Rosa we spent a lot of time singing and talking about turkeys. The toddlers really enjoyed our “Gobble, Gobble” song and requested it almost daily. In the song the turkey’s head wobbled, his feet scratched the ground for bugs, his wings flapped, and of course he gobbled a lot. We sang the song in class and while outside, often when walking back to class. We also created colorful hand turkeys that were displayed in the classroom for all to see. The toddlers worked hard to glue paper feathers onto the cut out. Being able to see their work displayed in class encourages conversation and a chance for them to take ownership over their creations. We continued working on our grace and courtesy with lots of please, thank you, and excuse me to be heard. Many of the toddlers are very into helping their friends get ready to go outside. They usually try to help their friends with shoes and coats. For the most part, this help is accepted and it is nice to see the toddlers willing to let their friends help them. As a result, all of the toddlers are attempting to do things for themselves in getting ready before getting too frustrated in the process before asking for adult help. Bead stringing has become a popular work in class. Large wooden beads and a lace are available work on the shelf. They are easy for little fingers to hold onto while trying to figure out how to maneuver the lace through them. There have also been times when much smaller beads are available for toddlers to work with. These smaller beads are strung onto a pipe cleaner that helps to grip the bead and then easily slides down. When a friend becomes frustrated in starting to string their beads, there is always someone close by who is more than willing to help them. Often the toddler who is having a difficult time will ask another child who is diligently focused on stringing. It is wonderful to see the toddlers so eager to help their fiends when they are in need. Both bead works provide great opportunities for the toddlers to practice fine motor skills and have fun at the same time! The toddlers love to show off what they have made. In December we will be working on a special creation to give to our loved ones, discover new books and get lots of practice putting on mittens and gloves with the much colder weather that has come to the Pacific Northwest. With the cooler weather we will also be talking about and creating art involving different shapes and snowmen. The month of October brought a new friend, Adiv, into the classroom. It has been a pleasure to welcome him into Rosa.
This month we spent a lot of time talking, singing, carrying and coloring pumpkins. A favorite book to read during circle time was Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hills. We looked for leaves on the playground and talked about the leaves we saw on the ground during our walks outside. It was great to see the toddlers so excited when they found some of the biggest leaves on the playground and had to share them with their friends when they got back to class. We have been working on using grace and courtesy in the classroom. The toddlers have been learning to say “excuse me” to their friends when they need to get around them. Lately, the toddlers have been very interested in giving their friends hugs. We are working on asking our friends if they would like a hug before doing so without approval. Other forms of courtesy that have been observed in Rosa occur during lunch time. At times toddlers can be seen getting silverware for their friends, even if they are not in need of it. Towards the end of the month, we started making beautiful flower arrangements. In making these arrangements, the toddlers have been able to continue working on their pouring skills and learning how to use a funnel to help pour the water into the vase. This has been a chance for the toddlers to focus on their sense of smell and engage their peers by asking them to smell the flowers after placing them in the vase. The toddlers especially enjoy finding the perfect spot in the classroom to place their unique creation. Next month we will continue to focus on ways to spread grace and courtesy in our classroom. We will talk about opposites, learn new songs, and work on fall themed art projects. The month of September has brought new faces and a beautiful new classroom space to my Rosa friends. The toddlers have been acclimating well to their new space and learning a lot about each other and themselves. We have been spending the past month focusing on keeping our classroom clean and putting works back on the shelf. It is nice to see the toddlers fully immersed in cleaning tables and keeping classroom materials organized.
We have been reading new stories and singing new songs during circle time. A few of the favorites are Freight Train by Donald Crews and Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington. Songs that can be heard several times a day are “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”, the Train Song and the Elephant Song. If you hear your toddler calling elephants, that is where it comes from. There are times when one toddler will start the song, and those who are nearby will join in enthusiastically. We talked a lot about apples this month. A popular item in the classroom has been a basket of small apples that are transferred to a tall jar. Everyone has enjoyed working with this and learning that these apples are just ones to look at, not to eat. We wrapped up the month, by sharing in a snack of red and green apples for snack. The toddlers were very excited to watch the apples being cut and to see what an apple looks like on the inside. Next month, we will be continuing to focus on using our words to communicate with friends in the classroom. We will spend time talking about pumpkins and leaves as the weather becomes crisp and cool. May was a very busy month for all members of the Rosa classroom. The toddlers worked hard on painting their Mother’s Day gifts and also using other materials to paint in class. We welcomed our newest friend, Sabir, to Rosa. He has been spending the month getting acclimated to the class and all the exciting works he can engage in throughout the day.
The other big change for my Rosa friends, is that we moved mid-month to join the Fucsia classroom from now through the end of the summer. Although the move was due to the unforeseen flooding that occurred in our building, we have been adjusting to being in a new space with new friends. The toddlers doing exceptionally well these last few weeks getting used to the new routines and new learning experiences that our new classroom and new teachers have provided us. We have been walking over to the main playground each day and the toddlers have been working very hard focusing on keeping their bodies safe while making the long trek over there. It has been nice to see how well they are focused on walking there and back each day. The month of June brings the end of the school year. We have continued to enjoy the nice weather and spending more time outdoors on both playgrounds. We have been working on our Father’s Day gifts and will use other mediums to make art outdoors with chalk and water play. Starting June 30 through the end of August, the toddlers will be able to participate in the MCH summer camps in their own unique way through themes each week to engage them in both art, cooking, and outdoor activities. The themes of the summer are: stars and stripes, wheels, bugs, music, construction, farming, circus, and puppets. The daily schedule for the toddlers will remain the same. It is the activities during the day that will be slightly different depending on the week. April has been a busy and exciting month in the Rosa classroom. We welcomed a new friend, Amy this month. It has been exciting to get to know her. We have spent a lot of time moving and jumping during circle time with several jumping songs to get everyone engaged. A new favorite is "Sleeping Bunnies". The popular book of the month was Baby Beluga by Raffi. We talked about all of the different animals in the ocean that we saw in the book. This book allowed us to see the images and to also sing the song that goes along with it. Another animal that we have been talking about are the goats on campus. With the nice weather, we have been hearing the goats more and more. The toddlers also enjoy being able to watch the goats out of the back windows of the classroom.
During the week of Earth Day, we spent the week talking about the earth and the world around us. We sang the song "I've Got the Whole World in my Hands", read the book I Love You Sun, I Love You Moon by Tomie dePaulo and did several art projects with recycled items. One of the more popular works that week was creating collages with torn paper of different textures. Each toddler had the opportunity to add to the collages each day. In the month of May we plan to take longer walks around campus to experience all of the different sights and sounds that can be experienced with the warmer weather that is coming. We will continue counting different items around the classroom and learning our numbers. The toddlers will have many opportunities to use different items to paint with and make their own unique creations to display for all our friends to see. It has been such a joy to watch the toddlers spend longer periods of time focusing on the works they choose during the day. They have been continuing to work on their grace and courtesy by helping their friends throughout the day with their works and with keeping our classroom beautiful. March in the Rosa classroom was our first full month together. It has been such a wonderful experience to spend time with this energetic group of toddlers! Being able to watch them learn and grow, both physically and cognitively, constantly amazes me. We spent the month counting gold coins, decorating shamrocks, learning new songs and reading the book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See?, by Bill Martin Jr. and illustrated by Eric Carle.
In the month of April, we have spent time talking, reading and singing about different farm animals. We have colored different images of flowers and have just begun to talk about the different flowers that are starting to bloom around the community. The toddlers in Rosa enjoy helping to keep their classroom clean by washing snack and lunch dishes, wiping up spills that happen throughout the day and helping their friends pick up their works around the room. We will continue to learn new songs and talk about all of the fun and exciting sights and sounds that spring brings. |
Ms. Tara
Lead Teacher Archives
June 2018
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Montessori Children's House
5003 218th Ave. NE Redmond, WA 98053 Phone: 425-868-7805 Fax: 425-502-6608 office@mchkids.com |
Founded in 1987
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