It has been a busy time of year for not just our classroom but everyone at the center. There was a lot involved in prepping for our NAEYC accreditation and we are all glad that time is behind us. Thank you all for your support during that time. Us teachers really appreciated the support we get from our families. That rolled right into our annual Week of the Young Child planning/celebration which takes place next week- April 3rd-7th 2023. This is the week to honor and celebrate the young children in your lives! The center (as well as the individual classrooms) has spent time planning fun activities for the children. Be sure to read all of the posted signs by our classroom to stay in the know of what is going on next week!
I will be holding Parent/Teacher conferences on Tuesday April 25th and April’s will be on Wednesday, April 26th. Stay tuned for a sign-up sheet to be posted near our classroom bulletin board. (Although you will sign-up with your child’s posted primary, April and I collaborate throughout the year regarding all of the children’s growth and development). “Primaries” are just a way to have a “division of responsibility” per say.
Wish You Well
I wanted to share with you one of my favorite parts of the day- group time! One of the many things we do at our group times is our “Wish You Well” board. This is the way we take attendance and get to know our friends and teachers. If our friends and teachers are “here,” they put their picture on the board and we sing “Good Morning!” to them. If someone is absent- their picture is placed on the heart and we “Wish Them Well.” At the end, we put our hand on our heart and sing them the “Wish You Well” song. We have recently extended the “Wish You Well” experience by counting our friends who are here and who are absent. I have included the simple song for you as well as the link to the creator of the “Wish You Well” board if you are interested to learn more about it’s purpose in the classroom.
(Sing to the tune of: Farmer in the Dell)
We wish you well,
We wish you well,
All through the day today,
We wish you well!
Sensory Play
Sensory play continues to be a very integral part of play in our classroom. We have had various materials and props inside of our sensory table. The children build fine motor skills in a way that is calming as they run their hands through and manipulate the sand, water or cloud dough. They use their imagination and build language skills as the teachers ask them open-ended questions as they engage with the materials. The children also have access to playdough daily. And if there just so happens to be puddles on the playground- rest assured the children will find them! I have included an article that talks about the benefits of sensory play along with some ideas you can do at home using common household materials. Let us know if you enjoy sensory play at home like we do in the classroom.
https://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/sensory-play
Reminders-
- Look out for the themed days for Week of the Young Child Next Week
- Make sure to sign up for Parent/Teacher Conferences
- The weather is changing- be sure your child has extra clothes at school
Until next time,
Nadine and the 2s/3s-2 team
