Happy New Year Families!
Brrr, it sure has been a cold January, but we have kept warm inside by learning many new concepts pertaining to winter. So far, we have focused on, snow, snowmen, winter sports, and winter animals. Allowing children to brainstorm, we asked what you need to build a snowman. We wanted the children to think about the various size of snowballs and what items can be used to represent the eyes, nose, and mouth. We are hoping to get more opportunities to construct our own snowmen outside, weather permitting.
We encouraged the children to think about what types of clothing are needed to wear outside to stay safe in the cold weather and why we need protection. We also considered this an opportunity to present a sequence on how to get dressed successfully for outdoor weather. Inside the classroom, we have various visuals that list step by step the order of clothing. We use this to reference while getting ready. First, we start with snow pants, then boots, followed by coat, hats, gloves or mittens. Please encourage your child to follow this sequence at home to promote self confidence in taking care of ones needs.
With the winter Olympics on the horizon, we felt this was the perfect opportunity to learn about various winter sports that are played. Using an inflatable globe, we discussed how athletes from all over the world participate in the winter games. We displayed visuals of flags from different countries We specifically referred to the Chinese flag, which is where the games will be held this year. The children designed their own flags too. We wanted each child to cut and paste images of items that represent themselves, such as, their favorite color, toy, classroom materials, and food. We learned about snowboarding, skiing, cross country skiing, the skeleton, the luge, and snowmobiling, just to name a few. Watching YouTube clips of past Olympic events, the children were able to see the excitement of each sport being played. We discussed safety measures and how athletes must practice year-round to be the best at their craft.
We have been working hard on building number sense and counting concepts. Each day we count, write, and quantify the answer to the question of the day. This way, the children are seeing the number being written and how many are within each number. For example, if the number is four, we write the number 4 using our poem, down and over and down some more, that’s the way you make a four, and then quantifying the number 4 by drawing for items, such as hearts, circles, or squares.
You may have noticed that our classroom has changed up our sign in strategy in the morning. The children are now instructed to find their name card and write their first name or first and last name on the dry erase sheet rather than tracing each letter using a dry erase maker. This allows each child to build their own unique way of writing their name without mimicking the font. Also, we can still document their progress through pictures and video without wasting the paper. It has been amazing to watch the progress of each child build their confidence in writing and using writing materials while building their letter knowledge.
Cheers to a great 2022,
Hillary and Sam
