Hello Pre-4 Families and Friends!
We have had a blast kicking off our summer with fun in the sun, water play, new experiences, long walks, and much more. For the first half of the summer, we have focused on creating familiarity with our routines, setting classroom expectations, and making new friends. We combined three classrooms into this one room so it has been great to see all the children (from a multitude of age groups) combine into one. We have seen such great friendships blossom and are looking forward to seeing more grow as time goes on. Some areas of interest that we have focused on are outlined below:
Water Play
Our friends have enjoyed getting into their swimsuits and playing in the water on those really hot days. We have sprinklers, an outdoor water table, water balloons, and other water toys to add into the fun. With this, we remind you to bring in a swimsuit for your child if you have not yet. We also suggest bringing closed toed sandals/water shoes as well as a towel so our children can stay safe during play and dry after. Thanks for your cooperation, as this activity would not be possible without your help!
Blocks and Building
The block area has been the most used area in our classroom by far. We have seen structures great and small built with teamwork. Materials used include magna tiles, small hollow blocks, unit blocks, and sensory blocks. Some of the block accessories we have in the area are dinosaurs, rainforest foliage, and of course people! Block play requires the use of cognitive, fine motor, gross motor, and social emotional skills to name a few. Some of the benefits of block play include development of problem solving, imagination, self expression, mathematics, and creativity, as stated in the linked article.
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/mar2015/ten-things-children-learn-block-play
Sensory Play
Sensory play has been highly requested by all of our friends. We started the year off with play dough, then made some slime (which didn’t last long). We also have individual buckets for our children to fill with water and soap, their own water tables! We also have opened the sand box outside, which has made for some messy friends at the end of the day! Attached is a link to the benefits of sand and water play for our children, as it enhances mathematical learning, science concepts, language development, and social skills.
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/blog/importance-sand-and-water-play
Reminders:
Please sign in and out on the clipboard each day at pickup and drop off.
Pick ups and drop offs will take place outside on the Gabel playground, weather permitting, from 8:15-9:15 and 3:30-4:30. Please come meet us there!
We look forward to continuing with a fun-filled summer. As always, if you have any questions please feel free to reach out.
Much love,
Xena, Melissa, and Ana
