Toddler 1 Families,
Happy New Year and welcome back to school! We hope that you all had a relaxing winter break and are getting back into the routine of things. We are excited to start the new year with a new group of practicum students. Emily, Jazmin, and Khamrym will be doing their practicum in our classroom this semester and we look forward to working with them and seeing what ideas they have for the children when it comes time for their lead teaching.
Mask Wearing
This semester, if they aren’t already, a lot of your children will be turning 2 years old. Per the CDC guidelines, anyone 2 years of age or older needs to be wearing a mask. We ask that you bring a mask or two to school for your child to wear throughout the day. We will provide a bag for your child’s dirty mask to go in each day (runny noses, saliva, etc.). We understand that this will be new for the children and may be an adjustment for them. In a team effort, having your child wear the mask to school would be even better. We can work together on practicing with your child to keep them and others in the classroom safe and healthy! While the children play outside, they will not need to wear their mask. Below is a link to the CDC website with guidelines for mask wearing.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html
Art and Sensory Play
In the few short weeks we’ve been back at school, we have been doing a lot of art in the classroom. The excitement in the children’s eyes and voice when we open our art closet doors really shows how eager they are to sit at the table. We’ve recently been painting with foam brushes and water color paints on ice. A lot of stickers and tape have been peeled and stuck to paper. Providing process art for the children really allows them to showcase their creative expression and abilities.
Gross Motor Play
Not being able to get outside due to cold weather really leaves a lot of energy built up in our toddlers! We have had dance parties, and our toddlers have become very adventurous and brave jumping off of our climber in the classroom onto the mat.
Something new we did this month was bring in scooters for the children to take turns on riding on our tile floor. Using their legs and feet to push and scoot themselves across the floor, the children also had to maneuver their body to avoid obstacles in the way (shelves, counters, other children, etc.). Some children sat on the scooters while other children held onto the back of the scooter and pushed the children across the floor.
Reminders:
- Please remember to sign your child in and out every day on the clipboard on top of the cubbies outside our classroom.
- Winter is upon us and we go outside daily, weather permitting. If you haven’t already, please bring warm outdoor clothing for your children. This includes boots, snowpants, hats, gloves/mittens, winter coats, etc.
- We are in need of some new family pictures! Please email them to one of the teachers, or bring in a copy that can be laminated for our classroom.
- If your child is experiencing any of symptoms of COVID-19, please remember to follow the IDPH COVID-19 Exclusion From School guidelines. This will help us all stay healthy and safe.
Sincerely,
Krysten, Ana, and Ecila
