Thursday, January 28, 2016

Reggie Rainbow


Reggie Rainbow
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On Thursday afternoons we have been participating in a program called Reggie Rainbow, along with the rest of the center. Each week we "travel" to a different island where we try a fruit and a vegetable of a particular color. This week, we traveled to The Island of Yellow. We tried Starfruit and Yellow Peppers! 




Thursday, January 21, 2016

What's Happening in the Classroom?


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. 

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Meet the New Teachers


Meet the New Teachers
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Ms. Shatara


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.
Outside of the classroom, I live a very active lifestyle. I love being outdoors, going to the gym and spending time with my family. My favorite thing to do is travel. I have visited over 10 countries and plan on continuing my adventures this summer in Turkey. I also make frequent trips back to my home state of California.
I have had many experiences teaching with different age groups and I am excited to begin my journey with you and your children. I am sure they will be teaching me just as much as I am teaching them. If you have any questions or concerns, please, do not hesitate to email myself (fshatara@umich.edu) or Mrs. Stone at any time.


Ms. Goodwin

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.

Ms. Eid


           My name is Manal Eid and I am a Children and Families major at the University of Michigan.  This will be my last semester and I will be completing my internship in your child’s classroom for the next fifteen weeks.  My schedule will be Mondays to Thursdays from 8:00 am-12:00 pm.  I am very excited to begin working in Mrs. Stone and Ms. Shatara’s classroom and I look forward to learning from both of them.  I am also very eager to get to know, work with, and learn from you and your child. 
            While in college, I worked as a teacher assistant in first and second grade classrooms with Dearborn Charter Schools. I am especially interested in teaching preschool, which makes this internship a wonderful experience for me.
            As part of my internship, I will gradually begin teaching your child under the supervision of both teachers.  I will assist with lesson planning and daily activities and end the semester by taking over curriculum planning independently.  This internship is designed to increase my role in stages.
            I would like to share that I am a proud mother of a ten-year-old girl.    I assure you that I am a very dedicated and motivated person, and I will present myself with professionalism and caring behavior at all times.  I realize that every child in this class is equally and individually special and I will treat each student with the utmost respect.
            Please let me know if there is anything I can do to better help your child, you can contact me at mneid@umich.edu if you have any questions or concerns.