(Winter Issue 2012-13)
The Official Newsletter of the Amalgamated Nursery School
Director's Corner
by Lisa Wenz
This is the first newsletter of the year and I’d like to welcome back our returning children and families and a warm welcome to our new students and families. The school year has gotten off to a smooth start with staff and children returning to classrooms that were well tended to by families who attended our first maintenance session in late August. Many thanks to those who turned out!
This year we welcome two new teachers – Francine Dunkel, our Little Hands 2 and 3 teacher and Margaret Meildybrodyzka our afternoon Three’s teacher. Both teachers have come with some background to our school. Fran is an alumnus herself and more recently was a parent of a child (Emily) and board member of our school. Fran is a lifelong member of the Amalgamated Park Reservoir community and recently retired as a Kindergarten teacher with the NYCDOE.
Margaret had done quite a bit of observing and field experience in our school as she has worked on her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education at Lehman College. She was scheduled to begin her student teaching here in the fall, but when a position became available, she was able to switch and fulfill her requirements as an internship instead. Margaret also has teaching experience in her native Poland.
We also welcome Nathalie Martinez as our new school secretary. Nathalie is a former parent (Diego) and current parent (Emilio) in our school. Nathalie brings a gentle, quiet, kind manner to our school office. She works with families with deep respect and concern.
Over the past year the entire staff was quite involved in preparing for our NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) visit. This once every five year site visit is the culmination of a year of self study and preparation of classroom and school portfolios. In mid November we had our reaccreditation site visit. We very recently received the decision report and we were reaccredited for five years! Our school scored at top levels at school and family relationships, teaching, curriculum, and leadership. I’d like to commend all our teachers (both assistant and lead) for all the planning, documenting and reflecting they have done over the past year.
So much has been happening here since the start of the school year! Children and teachers have settled into the rhythm and routines of the day, the classrooms are busy places where children are deeply engaged in their work. Children have established relationships with each other and their teachers and are now delving into our rich teacher planned curriculum. We have begun local field trips which enrich the children’s understanding of their community.
Classes have visited Van Cortlandt Lake with both the Urban Park Rangers Program and with Sarah Kempton form Friends of Van Cortlandt Park. The Three Year old class has taken autumn walks with Sarah Kempton along the edge of Van Cortlandt Park. Classes have visited the local Key Food Store to purchase snack or ingredients for a cooking activity.
We have also been “Wowed” (one of his favorite read aloud stories is Wow said the Owl by Tim Hopgood) by Mr. Johnson the enthusiastic, theatrical story teller from the Van Cortlandt Branch of the NYC Public Library. Many of you may know him as the serious man who covers the reference desk, but give him a children’s book and . . . amazing things happen! We hope to have Mr. Johnson visit us on a regular basis and when the spring brings better weather to go visit him at the Library. Of course more details about class happenings can be found in each teacher’s newsletter article.
Early in the school year (and well beyond) play dough is a comforting and popular activity for young children. Fran Dunkel our Little Hands teacher has included a recipe for play dough--so that you may make a batch at home. I have also included an article that touts the value of play dough play.
Just as the new school year gets underway, it quickly becomes time for families to seriously think about Kindergarten for UPK children. In October, we held a Kindergarten Options night where families were able to get information about some of our local schools. I can’t stress enough that families need to be pro active and gather as much information as you can about the schools in our area. There are opportunities for quality Kindergarten programs and beyond for your child. Become informed, visit the schools, choose a school that meets your philosophical framework of education and choose a few back-up options as many of the schools admissions are based on a lottery.
Whenever I come across information I will try to pass it on to families – but the best method is by e-mail. If you are not getting e-mails from school, please let me know so that I can try to correct that or get the information to you in paper form. In January we will begin our parent of the day program. We encourage families to join your child in school for the day (or a part of a day) – either just to share time with your child or to share an interest, talent or occupation with the class. Signup sheets will be posted outside of each classroom. Please come visit!!
Thank you for the opportunity to work with your children this school year. We look forward to good things to come! Wishing you Happy Winter Holidays and a Wonderful New Year! Lisa
Playdough Power
Squishing, rolling, sculpting, molding . . . young children love to play with playdough. Add some props from around the home and playdough play becomes a powerful way to support your child’s learning. This simple preschool staple lets children use their imaginations and strengthen the small muscles in their fingers—the same muscles they will one day use to hold a pencil and write. Using playdough with you, a friend, or siblings supports your child’s social skills such as sharing, taking turns, and enjoying being with other people. Playdough also encourages children’s language and literacy, science, and math skills—all at the same time! Homemade or out of a can, playdough can provide hours of fun and learning at home. Besides the playdough, all you need are a clear surface, a few household items, and lots of time for fun.
Around-the-House Playdough Props
Birthday candles
Blocks
Bottle caps
Cookie cutter
Combs
Garlic press (be prepared to give it up forever)
Large buttons
Feathers, leaves, twigs, pebbles
Plastic knives, forks, and spoons
Rolling pin or bottle
Small toy people and animals
Straws
Strings or shoelaces
Tea strainer
Toothpicks (only for older children)
Around-the-House Playdough Props
Birthday candles
Blocks
Bottle caps
Cookie cutter
Combs
Garlic press (be prepared to give it up forever)
Large buttons
Feathers, leaves, twigs, pebbles
Plastic knives, forks, and spoons
Rolling pin or bottle
Small toy people and animals
Straws
Strings or shoelaces
Tea strainer
Toothpicks (only for older children)
What children learn
Playdough play at home or school supports development and learning in many areas. When children use playdough, they explore ideas and try different approaches until they find one that works. They compare and contrast objects ("Mine’s a fat pancake and yours is skinny”), actions ("No, don’t cut it! Scrape it, like this”), and experiences ("We’re not making a snake—we’re making a road”). In their experimenting, children come up with their own ideas, satisfy their curiosity, and analyze and solve problems. These are all skills that help children learn and succeed in school.
Social and emotional development
Creating with playdough lets children feel competent ("I’m good at rolling the dough”) and proud of their accomplishments ("Hey, I made a dog”). Pounding, flattening, and squeezing are healthy and safe outlets for extra energy. They can also help children cope with strong feelings. When children seem stressed or angry, get out the playdough and props! During playdough time at school, children talk about what they’re making and how. Re-create this atmosphere at home by inviting siblings or playmates and including yourself in the play. Make comments about their work ("You cut it again”). Ask questions so children can describe and think about what they are doing ("What does this do?”). Connect their play to the real world ("Can you make a red tomato? A green one might not be ripe”). Teach cooperation ("I can help you make your car”), and observe and compare actions ("I’m rolling my dough too”). Interactions like these contribute to development and learning, helping to prepare children for success in school and in life.
Creativity and imagination
With playdough, young children express their ideas through art and make-believe play. At the same time, they learn symbolic thinking by pretending that the playdough is something else. As 3-year-old Anna plays, she makes and names her many creations: Anna squeezes a piece of playdough and rolls it back and forth between her hands. "I made a worm!” she exclaims. Then she makes another long object and places it on top of the first one. "I made another worm—a bigger one!” Then Anna squishes some playdough together; There’s a turkey sandwich for you. ” Next, she rolls a ball of dough around, pounds it down on the table, and sticks several plastic knives vertically into the pile. "Look, a birthday cake with candles!” Anna declares. She pokes the pile with a spoon, raises the spoon to her mouth, and pretends to eat. "Yummy!” she says. As Anna makes her cake and eats it too, she engages in simple pretend play. Your child might pretend to make tortillas, dumplings, or pizza, or create alligators, airplanes, or houses.
Language and literacyCreating with playdough lets children feel competent ("I’m good at rolling the dough”) and proud of their accomplishments ("Hey, I made a dog”). Pounding, flattening, and squeezing are healthy and safe outlets for extra energy. They can also help children cope with strong feelings. When children seem stressed or angry, get out the playdough and props! During playdough time at school, children talk about what they’re making and how. Re-create this atmosphere at home by inviting siblings or playmates and including yourself in the play. Make comments about their work ("You cut it again”). Ask questions so children can describe and think about what they are doing ("What does this do?”). Connect their play to the real world ("Can you make a red tomato? A green one might not be ripe”). Teach cooperation ("I can help you make your car”), and observe and compare actions ("I’m rolling my dough too”). Interactions like these contribute to development and learning, helping to prepare children for success in school and in life.
Creativity and imagination
With playdough, young children express their ideas through art and make-believe play. At the same time, they learn symbolic thinking by pretending that the playdough is something else. As 3-year-old Anna plays, she makes and names her many creations: Anna squeezes a piece of playdough and rolls it back and forth between her hands. "I made a worm!” she exclaims. Then she makes another long object and places it on top of the first one. "I made another worm—a bigger one!” Then Anna squishes some playdough together; There’s a turkey sandwich for you. ” Next, she rolls a ball of dough around, pounds it down on the table, and sticks several plastic knives vertically into the pile. "Look, a birthday cake with candles!” Anna declares. She pokes the pile with a spoon, raises the spoon to her mouth, and pretends to eat. "Yummy!” she says. As Anna makes her cake and eats it too, she engages in simple pretend play. Your child might pretend to make tortillas, dumplings, or pizza, or create alligators, airplanes, or houses.
Through playdough play at home, children practice listening to and talking with friends, siblings, and
adults (you!). Materials like playdough help children build their vocabulary as they explain what they are doing. For example, when a child exclaims, "Chop!” as she brings down the plastic knife, she uses just the right word to describe her action. Children use language to invent stories about their playdough creations. You may notice your child using facts or ideas from books you’ve read together. Children also refer to things they did or saw in their everyday lives ("This is a burrito like we had at lunch”). When the two of you make a batch of playdough together, your child learns about print and why people write. Following the recipe helps him connect written and spoken words and learn that writing can be used for different purposes. In this case, the writing explains how to make playdough. Encourage him to roll snakes and use them to form letters. Discuss action words like pound and slice and descriptive words like mushy and sticky. These types of experiences help children learn new words and communicate their thoughts and ideas effectively—skills they will need when they learn to read and write in the primary grades.
Science
Young children learn about science through hands-on experiences. They learn by observing, thinking, and talking about how materials feel and how they change. You can encourage scientific thinking. Provide sawdust or sand to add to the playdough and then talk about how this new kind of dough looks and feels. Introduce words like texture, grainy, smooth, and lumpy. Your child might declare, "I’m making this flat!” as she pushes down on playdough with the palm of her hand. Or she may say, "I’m making it soft,” as she adds water to dry playdough to make it more pliable. When you ask, "What do you think would happen if we added too much water?” you are helping her understand the scientific concept of cause and effect.
Math
Measure and count while you make a batch of playdough together. Your child can learn about measurement and numbers by filling the cup and comparing the size of teaspoons and tablespoons, and about counting as he adds the ingredients. Children note changes in shape and size as they comment on, compare, and contrast the objects they make ("I made a triangle” and "Mine is a tiny ball and yours is big”). Others notice who has more or less playdough. Ask your child to count how many pieces she is making or to arrange her creations by size or color. Encourage mathematical thinking by asking, "What shape is that?” “Which snake is longer?” or “How many pieces do you have now?” These play experiences encourage children to practice counting, learn about shapes (geometry) and how they relate to each other (spatial sense), and practice sorting and classifying. Such mathematical ways of thinking prepare children for learning more complex math concepts in the coming years.
Physical Development
Science
Young children learn about science through hands-on experiences. They learn by observing, thinking, and talking about how materials feel and how they change. You can encourage scientific thinking. Provide sawdust or sand to add to the playdough and then talk about how this new kind of dough looks and feels. Introduce words like texture, grainy, smooth, and lumpy. Your child might declare, "I’m making this flat!” as she pushes down on playdough with the palm of her hand. Or she may say, "I’m making it soft,” as she adds water to dry playdough to make it more pliable. When you ask, "What do you think would happen if we added too much water?” you are helping her understand the scientific concept of cause and effect.
Math
Measure and count while you make a batch of playdough together. Your child can learn about measurement and numbers by filling the cup and comparing the size of teaspoons and tablespoons, and about counting as he adds the ingredients. Children note changes in shape and size as they comment on, compare, and contrast the objects they make ("I made a triangle” and "Mine is a tiny ball and yours is big”). Others notice who has more or less playdough. Ask your child to count how many pieces she is making or to arrange her creations by size or color. Encourage mathematical thinking by asking, "What shape is that?” “Which snake is longer?” or “How many pieces do you have now?” These play experiences encourage children to practice counting, learn about shapes (geometry) and how they relate to each other (spatial sense), and practice sorting and classifying. Such mathematical ways of thinking prepare children for learning more complex math concepts in the coming years.
Physical Development
While poking, rolling, and squishing playdough, children develop the small muscles in their fingers and hands. They use hands, fingers, and tools to pound, push, poke, shape, flatten, roll, cut, and scrape. Through these manipulations, children develop eye-hand coordination, the ability to match hand movement with eye movement. They also gain strength and improve dexterity in their hands and fingers, critical areas of physical development for writing, drawing, and other purposes. Playdough is a powerful learning tool for many reasons. And when you play with playdough at home with your children, you’ll discover the most important reason of all: it’s just plain fun!
UPK AM 2012 Fall
Between hurricane Sandy, and this year’s fall holidays it seems like we are just beginning to experience full 5 day weeks of school. Nevertheless children have become comfortable with each other and are eagerly participating in our curriculum.
We started the year with both a seasonal focus on apples and pumpkins as well as a supermarket study. We have cooked with apples….made applesauce, apple pie, apple muffins, pumpkin cookies, and pumpkin cake. Your children have diced and sliced and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Although most of the children enjoy preparing food, not everyone is as enthusiastic about trying new foods. We encourage, but we don’t force it. We also cooked our own special Thanksgiving feast, where we exchanged our pumpkin seed and cranberry necklaces that the children made. We’ve also collaged apples, sponge printed apple trees, cut paper apples and baked pretend apple pie in housekeeping. We’ve read about apples and pumpkins, using a fabulous selection of children’s literature.
Our loft has been turned into a supermarket where the children may shop, inspired by our trip to the local supermarket. Our children had to make their own shopping lists in order to go to our supermarket and thereby gain fine motor pencil skills as they start to make important connections about the relationship of writing (or drawing, scribbling) to communication and meaning. They also enjoyed singing, “The Corner Grocery Store a la Raffi” and “No More Pie a la Ella Jenkins”.
As you can see, a lot of art, music, dramatic play, science, social studies and language revolve around our theme, but we are not limited by it. In addition to special projects, crayons, cray-pas or markers, are available every day. Sensory items such as sand, water, rice, or playdough are also available almost every day.
We’ve made a book called “What’s for Lunch?” where each child collaged a page with pictures of food that they like to eat. The children are able to “read” this book. We pass it around so that every child in the class will have a chance to share it with their family. We made another book that all the children can read using their favorite cereal boxes. They open the flap and see whose cereal box it is.
We hope these books afford families the opportunity to open discussion about what’s going on in school. So please, read the class books out loud with your children including the title page with everyone’s name.
We’d like to remind families that everyone wants a turn with class books, and we’d really appreciate it if the books were promptly returned. If your child wants more time, let us know and after everyone’s seen the book, perhaps you can have another opportunity to borrow it.
We went on a trip to the lake in Van Cortlandt park, where we met park rangers. This trip gave the children a wonderful introduction to the natural world, it will also provide us with a common experience from which to base much of our ongoing learning experiences. We made a class book about our experience which is currently being passed around.
We were also lucky to have a student teacher at the beginning of the year, and now we have a wonderful volunteer, Lena Simmons, from a former nursery family, who helps out in our classroom several mornings a week and whom the children adore.
Looking forward to an exciting year with hopefully boring weather to come, Minia
UPK PM's
Welcome to the PM Universal Prekindergarten 2012-2013 school year! It has been very nice to get to know you and your children in these recent weeks. We have a large group of friends this year, which makes for a busy and exciting atmosphere in the classroom. Although many of the children are new to the school and new to each other as well, the group has settled down into a regular routine in a relatively short period of time. As the days and weeks progress, friendships are being developed and everyone is becoming comfortable in the classroom. Our group of strangers is becoming a community of friends working together and learning about one another, which makes school an enjoyable place to be. Many students in our class are experiencing school for the first time, and being in the school setting can presents some challenges for children not accustomed to a school environment. We begin our school year learning the fundamentals of being in a classroom together, such as sharing and taking turns, as well as adjusting to the flow of the day. We focus on improving communication skills between students so that everyone’s needs are met and we can get along with one another. Since we have such a friendly social group this year, the transition to the school setting has been easy.
Our school day is packed with things to do and includes dance, arts & crafts, sand and water play, story time, cooking, and music, among other activities. We have started the school year off by working on learning and reinforcing our color concepts, which we have been doing through art experiences such as collaging and painting. It’s fun to mix two different colors together to see what we get. It makes us feel like mad scientists!
Our school day is packed with things to do and includes dance, arts & crafts, sand and water play, story time, cooking, and music, among other activities. We have started the school year off by working on learning and reinforcing our color concepts, which we have been doing through art experiences such as collaging and painting. It’s fun to mix two different colors together to see what we get. It makes us feel like mad scientists!
Some of the other areas of study we have covered since September have included apples, autumn, pumpkins, and Thanksgiving. Imbedded in these areas of study are diverse activities covering a wide range of concepts in math, science, literacy, art, and drama. We cooked with apples, painted with apples, and had the Great Apple Taste Test to find out what types of apples our friends prefer. Environmental changes were observed as summer turned to autumn and the leaves started to fall. We tried pumpkin painting and made some delicious treats with pumpkin (not all of our pumpkin experiences were delicious, however. Don’t forget to ask your child what is in the big jar in the science area). Thanksgiving brought us the concepts of sharing and togetherness as we sat down to a feast all together, and joined the whole school for a group sing along.
Every Wednesday is cooking day, which is an enjoyable part of the school experience, as well as a wonderful teaching opportunity. There are so many lessons inherent in cooking. Literacy is needed in
order to read a recipe and follow the directions. Math is needed to measure ingredients correctly. Science comes into play as we see how combining and cooking changes the ingredients. We also have a wonderful opportunity to socialize while we are cooking, to discuss what is going on and make predictions about what may happen next. The best part, however, is that we get to eat it for snack.
Our classroom is always bustling and full of activity. It might seem as though we are just playing, but imbedded in that play are lessons that will lay the groundwork for future learning. Every activity is intentionally chosen to reinforce concepts already learned, to introduce new concepts, or to support concepts already in process. The materials chosen encourage learning through exploration, and
hands-on is the best way for a young child to learn.
As the fall comes to a close, we will begin to involve the children more in the management of the classroom. We have a Class Helpers chart in our room that we will begin using. The jobs are simple, such as helping set the tables for snack or making sure all the chairs are pushed in at the end of the day, but to a child they are a tremendous responsibility. There’s a great sense of pride in a job well done, and when children help out in the classroom it gives them a sense of accomplishment. Children love to help out doing little jobs, and this is a perfect time to encourage them to help out at home as well.
Children can assist with small tasks such as helping set the dinner table or sort socks after the laundry is done. Besides teaching them responsibility, there are also little math lessons in these small tasks, such as sorting and one-to-one correspondence. And the children enjoy it.
As the weather gets colder, please remember to dress your child appropriately. We go outside as often as we can, so make sure your child comes to school dressed warmly. This is a good time to check you child’s extra clothes to make sure they are appropriate for the season and there is nothing missing. Also, please make sure your child has gone to the bathroom BEFORE they come into the room. We try to go outside first most days and taking kids to the bathroom after we have arrived at the playground leaves us short-handed.
Thank you for the pleasure of your children’s company, and for entrusting them to us. We really enjoy working with them every day.
Winter will bring us even more fun stuff! Happy holidays!
Andrea, Alma, and Yasmin
Three's AM
Within the first week of school we made our first class book titled Friends. One copy is circulating among families to build a connection between home and school. It offers children an opportunity to become familiar with print. This book is meant to help the children learn the names of their friends and their teachers as well as building a sense of classroom community. Our second book titled Friend, Friend, Who Do You See? Started to go home with children. This has become their favorite. We made three copies of this book and unfortunately none have been returned. I ask these families who have them to please return these books to school so they can be shared with the rest of the class.
Inspired by children’s interest in cooking we took a field trip to the local supermarket to buy vegetables. Each child was equipped for the trip with the Ziploc bag with the picture of the vegetable to purchase and one dollar bill to pay for it at the casher in the supermarket. The very next day we cooked our colorful vegetable soup and engaged ourselves in conversation about the trip and vegetables we bought. Your children were very enthusiastic about cutting, dicing, and slicing ingredients for our vegetable soup. Trying the final product was another story. Even though we always encourage tasting new foods, we don’t force it.
We also painted apples, printed pumpkins, build supermarket out of blocks, and turned our housekeeping area into supermarket with cashers, shopping baskets, and various pretend plastic vegetables for children to reinforce through play their shopping and cooking learning experiences. We’ve read books about apples, pumpkins, and vegetables, using fabulous selection of children’s literature.
Our classroom is always bustling and full of activity. It might seem as though we are just playing, but imbedded in that play are lessons that will lay the groundwork for future learning. Every activity is intentionally chosen to reinforce concepts already learned, to introduce new concepts, or to support concepts already in process. The materials chosen encourage learning through exploration, and
hands-on is the best way for a young child to learn.
As the fall comes to a close, we will begin to involve the children more in the management of the classroom. We have a Class Helpers chart in our room that we will begin using. The jobs are simple, such as helping set the tables for snack or making sure all the chairs are pushed in at the end of the day, but to a child they are a tremendous responsibility. There’s a great sense of pride in a job well done, and when children help out in the classroom it gives them a sense of accomplishment. Children love to help out doing little jobs, and this is a perfect time to encourage them to help out at home as well.
Children can assist with small tasks such as helping set the dinner table or sort socks after the laundry is done. Besides teaching them responsibility, there are also little math lessons in these small tasks, such as sorting and one-to-one correspondence. And the children enjoy it.
As the weather gets colder, please remember to dress your child appropriately. We go outside as often as we can, so make sure your child comes to school dressed warmly. This is a good time to check you child’s extra clothes to make sure they are appropriate for the season and there is nothing missing. Also, please make sure your child has gone to the bathroom BEFORE they come into the room. We try to go outside first most days and taking kids to the bathroom after we have arrived at the playground leaves us short-handed.
Thank you for the pleasure of your children’s company, and for entrusting them to us. We really enjoy working with them every day.
Winter will bring us even more fun stuff! Happy holidays!
Andrea, Alma, and Yasmin
Three's AM
Our class has had a great start! The children have learned the routines and are becoming more comfortable in school. Friendships are forming and all the children are actively participating in all aspects of the program. We started the year reading books the children are familiar with to help them learn the story-time routine. We also introduced simple stories to help build their attention span. Some of the books we read are: Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See, From Head to Toe, I went Walking, David Goes to School, Where Is Spot, and Spot Goes to School.
Within the first week of school we made our first class book titled Friends. One copy is circulating among families to build a connection between home and school. It offers children an opportunity to become familiar with print. This book is meant to help the children learn the names of their friends and their teachers as well as building a sense of classroom community. Our second book titled Friend, Friend, Who Do You See? Started to go home with children. This has become their favorite. We made three copies of this book and unfortunately none have been returned. I ask these families who have them to please return these books to school so they can be shared with the rest of the class.
A pumpkin unit was developed when Tovah’s family donated a pumpkin to the class. We explored pumpkins starting from the outside and then moving to the inside. Using their senses the children determined the type of surface that covers a pumpkin, the color, the smell, and what’s inside. Predictions were made before we open two sugar pumpkins we used for cooking. The seeds were planted and the children proudly took home their plants. The following books helped us understand where do pumpkins grow: Pumpkin Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington, From Seed to Pumpkin, by Wendy Pfeffer and Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden by George Levenson and the most popular book in class Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hill. Then, a chart was created to assess how much the children have learned. Finger plays and pumpkin songs were also learned. The song Five Little Pumpkins became their favorite.
As part of our weekly routine they baked pumpkin bread and pumpkin cookies which were enjoyed almost by every child. I showed them pictures of a pumpkin patch I took while pumpkin picking with my family. I also brought in a pumpkin vine from my garden. The children experienced firsthand were do pumpkins grow. Hammering tees to a large pumpkin helped develop eye and hand coordination.
Literacy was taken to a new level when the children acted out the story Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman. It became very popular around Halloween since the characters are a witch, a ghost, a vampire, a mummy, and a bat. We provided the props and the children were eager to participate in this fun activity. Since October is the apple picking season we also learned about apples. We talked about what the children knew about apples and then we read The Apple Tree. We ate apples at snack time and made apple sauce. The children tasted three different types of apples and charted their favorite. We also collaged a small plate to resemble each child’s favorite apple. Everyone enjoyed singing apple songs and learning finger plays too.
Our main focus for the month of November was families. The children collaged family photos and created their own family portrait to decorate our bulletin board and make the connection between home and school. They learned that families are different in many ways and very special too. Some of the books we read included: Family by Isabelle Monk, Families by Rose Lorenzo, and Families Are Different by Daisy Baez.
First, we focused on "Who’s in your family?". We discovered that families come in many different sizes and color. We created our own family book by counting ginger bread people and use one to one correspondence to glue them onto construction paper. Then, it helped us create a bar graph to better illustrate how many people are in each of our family. Second, we explored What do all families need?The song, “All I Really Need”, helped the children learn that every family needs love, food, and someone to take care of us. A binder for this song with pictures and corresponding lyrics was created to make connections with print. Then, we moved on to: What do families do together? We discovered that families celebrate different holidays: Halloween, and Thanksgiving were discussed. Kwanza, Christmas, and Hanukah will be discuss as they approach us. A class book titled whose In Your Family was put together and is circulating among families.
After learning about families we started a theme we called “All About Me” Books like I Like Me by Nancy Carlson, I Like My Self by Karen Beaumont, I like Being Me by Todd Parr, We Are All Alike…We are All Different by The Cheltenham Elementary Kindergartners and Laura Dwight, were used to introduced this theme. Reading these books helped the children see how different we are from one another and yet at the same time how much we are alike. To help children understand the concept of valuing differences I demonstrated using two eggs, one brown and one white. I started by asking the children to tell me how these two eggs were different: different color. Then, I asked how these eggs are similar: same shape. Finally, I place the eggs in a box cracked them open and show the two plates asking if they could tell the eggs apart. We couldn’t because they are the same on the inside. The children learned that we might be different on the outside but on the inside we are all the same. I am a firm believer that we need to start by loving ourselves the way we are in order to love others. We are in the process of making another class book titled What I Like About Me! which includes a collage of each child’s face (using the multicultural color paper of their choice) and a quote about what they like about themselves. The use of mirrors helped the child make this collages. This book will be going home with the children very soon. To help us with the All About Me unit we also read books like I Call My Hands Gentle, Hands Are Not For Hitting, My Hands as well as feelings books to help children express their feelings.
Next, we learned about the changes that occur during fall. Neighborhood walks guided the children’s inquiries about this topic. Our classroom tree has been decorated with green leaves the children painted which since then had changed color and fallen of the tree and sent home.
The focus for December is our body and the holiday different families celebrate. During the winter we will learn about hibernation, freezing and melting, and will explore with magnets. On Thursdays we cook our own snacks. The class is enjoying cooking with Alma and Nicole; we are currently baking cookies. We hope you get to taste some if they make it home. If you have a family recipe please share it with us. Every Tuesday we have dance with Mary, our Music and Movement teacher. The class is divided into two groups. Each group spends half an hour in the big room with Mary. They really enjoy this activity. Please be on time especially on this day. We would like to alternate between the two groups. Also, make sure the children are wearing clothes that are loose fitting and pants that are not too long.
We have been learning about colors at the easel and at the art table during finger painting. The children have mixed red and yellow, blue and red, red and white, and blue and yellow to make new colors. They love to discover the formation of a new color. We are also making color collages.
Playing with dry and wet sand, cornmeal, water, colored rice, and red sand is a big hit! These materials provide opportunity for activities such as emptying, pouring, and funneling which engage the children’s minds and offer fundamental math and science concepts as well as prepare them for everyday tasks. Many children find it a soothing place to play. In the future we will play with salt and clay in the tactile table. I noticed how much this class enjoys playing with our home made play-dough.
Another loved activity is singing. We hope you are enjoying the lyrics we sent home of the songs the children learned so far. This class has learned many new songs in this short while. Since then we learned If You’re Happy and You Know It, Who Stole the Cookies from the Cookie Jar, Five Little Pumpkins and The Monkeys and Mr. Alligator and many more.
As we all know, part of the day is spent outdoors. The children must be dressed for the weather. We do go outside in the winter. The children especially enjoy playing in the snow. Snow pants, snow boots, and mittens are an absolute must to stay dry and enjoy the outdoors. Mittens not gloves need to be attached to jackets with clips or by string so when taken off, as they invariably are, will not be lost. Please help by updating your child’s extra clothes for the cold weather. Please label all clothing! We cannot always remember whose sweater or hat belongs to whom. Also please send spoons, forks, and napkins as needed for lunches-we do not supply these on a regular basis. It is a good idea to always provide your child with a fruit and/or a vegetable.
I would like to thank all the parents for your donations, sending the class books back to school and bringing your child to school on time every day. Soon, the school will be posting a list of fruits and vegetables parents can donate for snack. Your fruit and vegetable donations are appreciated. Thank you for entrusting your children to us.
We have a great team working hard together to make this the best possible experience for your children. I am thankful for this year’s team. Without their support, staying in for a few extra minutes when needed, and working cooperatively the classroom would not be running so smoothly. Lastly, remember a child’s work is play. Your children are learning a lot as they are working each day. We look forward to sharing their growth with you.
Wishing you a peaceful and restful holiday season.
Maria, Alma, and Nicole
Three's PM
Our class has had a very successful start to an exciting new school year. In September, we focused on forming classrooms routines as well as making the children feel comfortable with each other, and with us in their new environment. The children enjoyed Our Friends. The book with children’s names and pictures in it along with the song they sang during circle times was very helpful for the children while learning names of their new friends. We started the year with focus on colors, which was then connected to seasonal study of apples and pumpkins, and other colorful vegetables. We have cooked with apples- applesauce, and with pumpkins– muffins and cookies.
Inspired by children’s interest in cooking we took a field trip to the local supermarket to buy vegetables. Each child was equipped for the trip with the Ziploc bag with the picture of the vegetable to purchase and one dollar bill to pay for it at the casher in the supermarket. The very next day we cooked our colorful vegetable soup and engaged ourselves in conversation about the trip and vegetables we bought. Your children were very enthusiastic about cutting, dicing, and slicing ingredients for our vegetable soup. Trying the final product was another story. Even though we always encourage tasting new foods, we don’t force it.
We also painted apples, printed pumpkins, build supermarket out of blocks, and turned our housekeeping area into supermarket with cashers, shopping baskets, and various pretend plastic vegetables for children to reinforce through play their shopping and cooking learning experiences. We’ve read books about apples, pumpkins, and vegetables, using fabulous selection of children’s literature.
The children loved acting out “The Enormous Potato” by Aubrey Davis. The children filled up a huge paper leave bag with paper inside, and painted brown on the outside to represent the potato. Each child then took the role of the many characters in the story who helped pull up the gigantic potato.
While studying our color unit, we have also worked on color mixing. Your children have explored mixing paint through finger painting, sponge painting, and easel painting. They have also mixed play dough to create new colors. Beyond color mixing, the children truly enjoyed creating various shapes and objects with the play dough by rolling, slicing, and molding the dough. They have had the opportunity to make play dough during one of our cooking activities. Books we have read pertaining to colors and colors mixing are Brown Bear, Brown Bear, Little Blue Little Yellow, and Mouse Paint.
As you can see our special projects on color study involved a lot of art, music, dramatic play, science, social studies, and language. Additionally, however there are always crayons or markers available to the children in our writing center, as well as water, send, or rice in the sensory center for further exploration. We will be going on the nature walk to explore the new sights and change of seasons in the neighborhood. We are so lucky to be guided by Sarah Kempton from the Friends of Van Cortland Park, a former nursery parent. Not only will this trip give the children a wonderful introduction to the natural world, and activities like collecting leaves, twigs, acorns, making tree trunk rubbings, it will also provide us with base to our ongoing learning experiences. In the upcoming weeks we will continue our study on autumn happenings, including falling leaves and winter hibernating animals.
Our class is full of curious, energetic, and fun loving individuals, who continue learning more and more every single day. As your children play, they investigate and learn about the world around them and about each other as well. We appreciate the opportunity to support and guide them through these wonder years of their early childhood.
"Farmer Brown"
Be the Parent/Family Member of the Day!
Help Keep Our School Clean!
While studying our color unit, we have also worked on color mixing. Your children have explored mixing paint through finger painting, sponge painting, and easel painting. They have also mixed play dough to create new colors. Beyond color mixing, the children truly enjoyed creating various shapes and objects with the play dough by rolling, slicing, and molding the dough. They have had the opportunity to make play dough during one of our cooking activities. Books we have read pertaining to colors and colors mixing are Brown Bear, Brown Bear, Little Blue Little Yellow, and Mouse Paint.
As you can see our special projects on color study involved a lot of art, music, dramatic play, science, social studies, and language. Additionally, however there are always crayons or markers available to the children in our writing center, as well as water, send, or rice in the sensory center for further exploration. We will be going on the nature walk to explore the new sights and change of seasons in the neighborhood. We are so lucky to be guided by Sarah Kempton from the Friends of Van Cortland Park, a former nursery parent. Not only will this trip give the children a wonderful introduction to the natural world, and activities like collecting leaves, twigs, acorns, making tree trunk rubbings, it will also provide us with base to our ongoing learning experiences. In the upcoming weeks we will continue our study on autumn happenings, including falling leaves and winter hibernating animals.
Our class is full of curious, energetic, and fun loving individuals, who continue learning more and more every single day. As your children play, they investigate and learn about the world around them and about each other as well. We appreciate the opportunity to support and guide them through these wonder years of their early childhood.
We are looking forward to sharing an exciting year with your children and the families.
Margaret, Meg, Kirsty, Nicole
Little Hands—Adjusting to School
Both Little Hands 2 and Little Hands 3 are off and running. Most of the children in both classes are now entering the room on their own. The children have learned the daily schedule, and they are able to tell us what comes next. They have been exposed to a variety of art activities, including collage, painting, shaving cream art, and drawing.
A favorite activity, especially for Little Hands 2, is the Play Dough table, where they have rolled out clay and pounded clay. They also like to stick various objects into the clay. Little Hands 2 has made Play Dough twice. Little Hands 3 planted an amaryllis bulb and they have been watering it three times a week. We are charting the growth of this plant. Both classes have been busy at the easel, painting with one color. Soon we will add a second color.
In the housekeeping corner, the children have prepared many pretend-meals. Little Hands 3 also uses the area for pretend fires, pretend picnics, and pretend movies.
The children have been using the sand table daily, but this week we will transform it into a water table. Little Hands 2 especially loves the sand table.
The children have enjoyed using cars, trains, and animals in the block corner. I am finding some of the boys, if left on their own, would spend the entire time playing in this area. However, we encourage them to come out and try other things, and all of them are cooperative in this way.
We have a pet frog, “Chubby, ” who eats crickets. The children like watching Chubby eat them. We also have snails that are fun to watch, especially when they stick their heads far out of their shells.
The children have been enjoying playing with trucks and pails in the “tire” park. We will continue to go outdoors all winter, so please remember to dress your children warmly, including hats and gloves. On snow days, please send your child in with boots and snowpants.
Please remember to check the bottom of your children’s cubbies for their wonderful art work. Not only can you admire your children’s artistic ability, but you can also get an idea of how they spend their time at the Amalgamated Nursery School.
Here is the recipe for Play Dough, which you can make with your child:
2 cups flour
3 Tablespoons oil
1/2 cup salt
4 Tablespoons cream of tartar
2 cups water
Food coloring
In large pot, mix dry ingredients and oil. Add 10 – 20 drops of food coloring to the water, and add water to flour mixture. Cook this until it thickens into a large Play Dough lump in the middle of the pot. Remove “lump” from pot and allow to cool. Have fun!
Thanks for lending us your children – it is a pleasure to get to see them adjust to the beginning of school so nicely.
Fran, Jan, Meg, and Sharis
Share a Song or Fingerplay
We have been singing these songs while we wait for friends to come out of the bathroom:
"The Monkey and Mr. Alligator Song"
(You can start by counting how many children or people are listening to the song or with any number below 10)
Five Little Monkeys swinging from a tree (pretend you are swinging from a tree)
Teasing Mr. Alligator,
'You can't catch me!' (place thumbs by your ears and wave fingers up and down)
Along came Mr. Alligator hungry as can be...
Snap! (snap at one child using both hands)
Ask children how many monkeys are left (count together)
Keep repeating the song until there are no more monkeys
left.
"Farmer Brown"
Farmer Brown has five red apples hanging on a tree,
Farmer Brown has five red apples hanging on a tree,
He picked one apple and ate it hungrily,
Leaving four red apples hanging on the tree.
Farmer Brown has four red apples...
Farmer Brown has four red apples...
Farmer Brown has four red apples...
Farmer Brown has one red apple hanging on a tree,
Farmer Brown has one red apple hanging on a tree,
He picked that apple and it hungrily
Leaving no red apples hanging on the tree.
A Variety of Announcements
Protect Our Green!
Please remind your child that s/he is not allowed to walk ot run on the grass along the entrance/exit pathway to the Nursery School. Please use the sidewalk/walkway when
arriving at and leaving from the building.
Be the Parent/Family Member of the Day!
Beginning in January, participate in the classroom by scheduling to be a guest in your child's room for a monring or afternoon. Share something you enjoy to do with the children. Check with your child's teacher for more information.
Help Keep Our School Clean!
Don't forget to check the cleaning schedule to find out when your family is scheduled to clean up your child's classroom. It involves only a few hours of your time and includes things like wiping down the aprons, vacuuming the floors, and wiping down the common areas with disinfectant wipes. Let's work together to keep our rooms germ free! (Please note: If you missed your assigned date or if you need to change your scheduled date, please contact Amy Dunne amydowling2003@yahoo.com)
