The final article by Kendra

Our semester is already winding down! Can you believe it? What’s been going on in the pre-4 classroom?

The children have been very busy these past few weeks. There has been a great deal of interest in block play. I’ve seen the children build an airplane (that was traveling to San Diego), a house that filled all of the block area, and many different small structures. A tremendous amount of socio-dramatic play goes into this type of play as the children emulate daily routines, and family interactions, and construct items they see every day.

Friendship Fruit Salad

Leslie had all of the families that could, bring in their child’s fruit in a brown paper bag. We sat down as a group and she gave hints to the children about the fruit that was in each bag. The children guessed what was in the bag, and then Leslie revealed the fruit.

We gathered all of the fruit, washed it, cut it up, and put it in a bowl. There was apples, oranges, cantaloupe, pears, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and fresh pineapple. Everyone enjoyed a bowl of fruit salad! Yummy, yummy!

Winter Weather

I want to share with you some tips and information about winter weather while attending the CDFC. We go out everyday the temperature is 15 degrees or warmer. If the temperature is fluctuating between 10 -15 we will sometimes go out for an abbreviated period of time, usually about 15 minutes. So, it is important children are prepared with the appropriate gear. That includes- snow pants, coat, snow boots, mittens, and hat. Thank you for families who have brought winter gear in already. If you haven’t yet, or aren’t able to, just let us know. We have extras that are available for children to use if needed- no problem!

Kendra’s final word

This is my final semester in an early childhood classroom. It wraps up 30 years teaching young children, and nearly 20 years here at NIU. I still have a passion for high quality early childhood education for all children, and hope to be able to be able to support & guide the future generation of educators and/or support current educators gain more education and high quality early childhood experiences.

Thank you for trusting me with your children and the special memories I will carry with me always. I hope to see you around! And who knows, maybe our paths will cross when I move on to different positions.

With love,

Kendra