Dear Threes Families,

February has been a very busy, but productive month. We have been working on our social-emotional skills and want to stress how important these skills are for our children. We have working on what it means to be a good friend, what it means to be a good listener and how to be a helper. We have implemented classroom expectations and picture charts to help the children navigate through the various classroom spaces and situations.

We have been exploring paint while using a variety of tools. We used our hands to finger paint. We dipped slinkies into paint and bounced them onto paper. String painting, using the primary colors, allowed us to mix colors to make new colors. Painting allows children to express themselves as well as promoting their printing and early writing skills.

We created a “Tinkering” station in the classroom and found it to provide many benefits to the children. Taking apart small appliances, such as clock radios and DVD players, and finding out the many small parts that must work together to make the machines work, provided excitement and curiosity. Tinkering boosts confidence and competence. In addition, it allows for heightened creativity, longer attention spans, stronger problem-solving skills, and an increased ability to persists through frustration.

As part of our professional development, the teachers of the CDFC have been attending classes on The Pyramid Model. The Pyramid Model is the conceptual framework of evidence-based practices for promoting children’s healthy social and emotional development. We have implemented several strategies throughout our curriculum and classroom. We are finding this to be very beneficial. We have learned to make “deposits” in our children’s emotional piggy banks. This is being accomplished in the classroom by really taking the time to listen, spending quality time during activities, asking open-ended questions, and of course being kind and patient.