Dear Families,
Spring is on the horizon, and we could not be happier about it We are planning for warmer days ahead and hoping to be able to pack away all of our snow suits! Looking ahead into April, the first week we will be celebrating Week of the Young Child. This is a fun-filled week to celebrate children and all those who help them learn and grow. Stay tuned for fun activities each day of that week. The week after will be the scholastic book fair in the large motor room. Be sure to try to take time to look through all the wonderful books!
We ended the month of February virtually but dove into talking about Pizza. We learned the sequence of making pizzas and dough along with discussing the various toppings that can be put on pizza. Through repetition and review of making the steps of pizza, the children got to test their knowledge and make their own pizzas. We started with making the dough, which was a fun science experience. The children got to learn about the ingredients that go into dough as well as the steps taken. They got to see everything come together and the dough change from soup-like consistency to a rubbery dough consistency. The children also got to experience the dough rising over an hour time frame. The following day, the children got to continue the steps of making pizzas and make their own. Each child got their own ball of dough in which they got to roll out with a rolling pin, spread on their sauce, sprinkle on cheese, and place the topping they wanted on any way they liked. They were real chefs. We then discussed the baking process and after all that we got to enjoy our tasty pizzas! Please check out our display in the hallway to see all the pictures and objectives that go along with our pizza makings.
We also transformed our dramatic play into a pizzeria to allow the children to be able to act out their own shop. The children loved putting on aprons and chef’s hats and playing along. The children got to practice more sequencing skills with felt pizzas they got to tear apart and create repeatedly. They also got to practice their writing and literacy skills by creating and reading their own menus then were able to bring in more social interaction skills by taking their friend’s orders.
To conclude our pizza, we introduced the food groups and categorized familiar foods into food groups. During morning meeting, we introduced the groups: grains, vegetables, fruits, proteins, dairy, and sweets and fats, using visuals. Selecting familiar foods visuals, the children were encouraged to group each food item. We encouraged fruits and vegetables to be consumed more than sweets and fats and that proteins were typically, but not always, meats that we eat to keep our tummies full. We could see connections being made at mealtimes, by reviewing each food item the children were served. Most were surprised to learn that our center serves the majority food groups daily. We noticed it even inspired the children to try foods that they may not have been interested in before this discussion.
Moving forward, we will begin a new study on buildings. We encourage families to look at the newsletter about this study that will be attached to your child’s cubby after spring break. If you would like to take pictures of buildings in your neighborhood, please send these to our emails, we would gladly post these around the classroom. Our goal in the beginning of this study is to encourage children to think about what they already know about buildings and what they would like to learn moving forward. We will have several opportunities to explore the unique buildings here around campus and do several compare activities on buildings in our area.
Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions!
Thanks,
Sam and Hillary
