Although the semester has just begun, the children are showing interest in a wide variety of materials and explorations. We are planning based on their interests and our observations of how the children react to the materials we provoke them with. Take a look at what each group of children have been working on!
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Shadows and Light
The Tuesday/Thursday children have shown an interest in dancing in the past. We showed them a video of dancers, in order to get them excited about following their motions and dancing with them. This turned into the children observing their shadows and becoming intrigued by the light. They began using the flashlight in the classroom to highlight different objects and trying to follow the path of the light. By observing their actions, we decided to bring in the big projector and shadow screen. The children enjoyed watching how they could alter their shadows' sizes. We are excited to see how the children's thinking expand with shadows in the next few weeks.
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Caring for Babies
The Tuesday/Thursday children are also very interested in caring for the babies we have in the classroom. They feed them, change them, rock them to sleep, and give them baths. This week, we are introducing the doctor kit with the babies to see if the children are interested in taking care of them in a different way.
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Cooking/Mixing
Both groups of children have shown an interest in cooking and mixing. They spend a lot of time in the kitchen, pretending to cook and mixing with the big bowls and spoons. We have introduced water with the bowls and later on added cornstarch. This made a substance called Oobleck. The children enjoyed mixing the substance and then using their hands to manipulate it and watching it drip.
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Ramps
The Monday/Wednesday/Friday children love using the cars and trains. We introduced the ramp with these materials and they have enjoyed watching them travel down the ramp. They push them down, up, and have experimented with different types of cars and objects to see how they travel differently and similarly down the ramp. This is something we plan on continuing throughout the semester.
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Classroom Donations
The children's interests play a big role in the explorations we plan throughout the week. We have many resources and materials present in our center and classroom, but there are always things that we need more of. We are running low on working flashlights and kindly ask that if you have any old ones you are not using at your house, to please bring them in for the children to use. We are also in need of baby bottles, so the children can continue caring for the baby dolls in our classroom.
My name is Freda Shatara and I am eager to announce that I
will be your child’s new teacher this semester. I have recently graduated from
the University of Michigan – Dearborn with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education with
focuses in Early Childhood Education and Mathematics. Although this is my first
time being your child’s teacher, this will be my 5th year as staff at this
center. I have been a teacher’s assistant in a few of the classrooms and
co-taught with Mrs. Petee last spring.
My name is Kayla Goodwin I am in the Children and Families
program a Michigan Dearborn. I will be an intern this semester in your child’s
classroom. I will be in the class on Mondays and Wednesdays. This is currently
my last semester in the program. I currently live in Allen Park. In the past I
have babysat for multiple families that had children from the age of six months
to about ten years old. I have worked summer camps for my city were I
interacted and watched children from three years old up to thirteen. I have a
lot of experience working with all different types of children and I truly
enjoy working with them. I hope to learn more about your children this
semester. I was in this class last semester so it has been really remarkable
watching the children grow. I hope to help them continue to find new ways to
develop and discover new things. I look forward to seeing you all and working
with your children.
