Happy Fall Families,
We would like to start off by saying THANK YOU to all the families who were able to attend the intake meetings. We loved getting to know you and your child a little more and exchanging funny stories. These meetings help us as educators to see the family dynamic and communicate about the similarities and differences we see in your child from when they are at here at school and at home. We are here to help you with resources if you need them. If you were unable to attend your scheduled intake meeting, please feel free to reach out so we can set up a time to check in with you and your family.
We have been working to build each child’s social emotional vocabulary and relationships with friends, inside the classroom. We have read the book The Color Monster. This book introduced feelings by associating colors to feelings (red is angry, yellow is happy, blue is sad). Learning feeling words can help children communicate how they feel and develop coping skills. “Tucker the Turtle” came to our classroom to help us learn how we can express ourselves when we are angry and what we can do to fix it. Tucker has taught the children that when they are angry, they can tuck inside their “shell” and take 3 deep breaths. When their body is calm, they are ready to problem solve and engage in play.
We also introduced the classic book, The Rainbow Fish, in the beginning of the book Rainbow Fish was more concerned about being beautiful and shiny, but he didn’t have any friends because he would not share his scales and that made him feel lonely. Once he shared his scales, Rainbow Fish was left with only one shiny scale, but discovered happiness by having many friends. This story helped the children visualize how we might not always want to share but sharing is a part of building positive relationships with peers. As part of friendship building, we also introduced puzzles and board games to encourage turn taking and working together.
Art is another way we have encouraged the children to work together. The class created friendship wreaths by working in pairs, sharing paint colors, painting their and each other’s hands, and ultimately, created a beautiful display of teamwork.
As fall approaches and the weather takes a turn to the cooler side, please make sure your child has adequate clothing for their bins. We look forward to another successful month and continuing to build happy healthy relationships!
Love,
Hillary, Bri, and Hailey
