Curriculum Newsletter

Dear Parents,

This semester we have been working to support the teaching and learning in the classroom. Before we have our break next week we’d like to take the time to highlight the important developmental and learning achievements the children have made since our start in January. We work hard to ensure our explorations align with the TS Gold Objectives.  

On Mondays and Wednesdays with Ms. Nulph, the children have been exploring and comparing texture through use of different materials. The children have been manipulating textures like sticky slime, rough sand paper, and soft faux fur.  Through these explorations the children develop their comparative skills, fine motor skills, problem solving, and communication skills. We have explored how the material’s texture may influence how it interacts with the world through our Sticky Mosaic Mural exploration too. In the upcoming sessions, we will continue exploring different textures while working on comparing what we have worked with as well as encouraging use of expressive vocabulary.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays with Ms. Lee, the children have been exploring how to create new colors. We have been mixing colored playdough, painting with water colors, and blending colors in bags. The children are beginning to recognize how mixing different combinations of red, blue and yellow creates new colors. As the children explore they are developing their fine motor skills, expanding vocabulary, solving problems, making connections and building relationships. Upon our return from break, we will continue to focus on the development of these skills as we encourage color matching and sorting.

You can support their learning in relationship to these activities by pointing out colors in everyday things.  If your family loves book reading, Mouse Paint by Ellen Walsh teaches color-mixing and the idea of color change. When there’s a car driving by or when they are playing with toys, ask them to notice the colors. You can even ask them to sort toys as a way to clean up or have them sort their clothes. These are all fun ways to encourage your children to think about colors. In supporting our experiences with texture, try to encourage vocabulary through introducing different textured items and asking how they think it feels. We have had children say items were sticky, soft, and even scratchy! Even walking through a store or park can present many different materials to feel and investigate as well as present a good opportunity to describe in conversation what the materials are like.

We also would like to invite you to come to curriculum night on Wednesday, April 12th between 4:30 PM and 6:00 PM. Here you will meet with us and see more of the learning that has been taking place this year. This is a great opportunity to stay engaged with your child’s learning so we encourage you to stop by.

We look forward to seeing you there. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Kind Regards,

Ms. Nulph & Ms. Lee

February News

Dear Families,

February has already started and we are so busy in our classroom!  Ms. Nalph and Ms, Lee are starting to teach more lessons on the days they are with us and have really seemed to get to know the children pretty quickly.  At this point in the term they are looking at different kinds of textures and how different substances mix together.  We are excited to see where these ideas progress to as the semester moves along.  We have also been very excited about dancing and moving our bodies in different ways, testing our different objects as the Lazy Susan spins, and reading!

We also have been enjoying the weather outside a little this winter.  It has been fun to see the children experience snow, and try to walk around the playground in their snow pants!  Just a reminder that we do go outside typically if the wind chill is above 20 degrees, so please make sure to bring the necessary outside gear.  We know that this time of year colds and runny noses run rampant because we are stuck inside a lot, but just know if you feel your child is well enough to come to school, they should be able to participate in all parts of the day, including going outside.

February 14^th is Valentine’s Day.  Some parents have been asking if we do anything special in our room and we do not.  If you would like to bring in Valentines that day we will make sure they are placed in each child’s cubby.  We have 10 children scheduled each day and we do have allergies in our classroom so bubbles, playdough, etc. are preferred as opposed to chocolate or candy if you would like to do something.  We are on Spring Break from February 27-March 3^rd so the building will be closed that week. 

The Scholastic Book Fair will be at the ECEC the week after Spring Break.  Books of all kinds will be on sale – it will be exciting to see the front of our building transform into a bookstore!

As always, please do not hesitate if you have any questions, comments, or concerns!  Have a great day!

Catie Stone & Becca Petee