Many Amalgamated families have been taking advantage of their Cool Culture cards to take their children to museums and zoos all over the city! Please remember to take pictures on your museum and zoo visits and to share them in the Cool Culture blue binder that is located in the big room.
Friday, April 30, 2010
COOL CULTURE!
Many Amalgamated families have been taking advantage of their Cool Culture cards to take their children to museums and zoos all over the city! Please remember to take pictures on your museum and zoo visits and to share them in the Cool Culture blue binder that is located in the big room.
NURSERY RHYMES - APRIL 2010
Little Hands 3
Barns and Books!
What a wonderful past two months we have had!
The children have been learning and exploring farm animals. We began our lesson creating and discussing barns. The children painted a big box red, we cut out doors and windows and added some farm animals inside. We made some very creative farm animals out of milk cartons and toilet paper rolls. I hope you enjoyed them as much as the children did making them. Our water table was emptied and filled with oats and small farm animal figurines. Our farm theme has been lots of fun.
The children have also enjoyed reading and acting out the books we read together. One of their favorite books to reenact has been Mrs Wishy Washy, by Joy Cowley.
Looking forward, we will be exploring nature and all of spring's wonderful new growths. Keep your eyes open for the wonderful art work to follow.
Hope everyone enjoyed spring break.
Luz, Jean, and Lynn
Barns and Books!
What a wonderful past two months we have had!
The children have been learning and exploring farm animals. We began our lesson creating and discussing barns. The children painted a big box red, we cut out doors and windows and added some farm animals inside. We made some very creative farm animals out of milk cartons and toilet paper rolls. I hope you enjoyed them as much as the children did making them. Our water table was emptied and filled with oats and small farm animal figurines. Our farm theme has been lots of fun.
The children have also enjoyed reading and acting out the books we read together. One of their favorite books to reenact has been Mrs Wishy Washy, by Joy Cowley.
Looking forward, we will be exploring nature and all of spring's wonderful new growths. Keep your eyes open for the wonderful art work to follow.
Hope everyone enjoyed spring break.
Luz, Jean, and Lynn
NURSERY RHYMES - APRIL 2010
Little Hands 2
Flowers, Trains, and Circle Time!
Spring is here and the proof is in the little stand of crocuses in the tire park. Back in November the Little Hands 2 children planted them on a cold morning and the children were thrilled to see them blooming now! In the park the children are really enjoying the climbing structures and sand area. Before we even enter the park – the requests for pails and shovels are loud and clear!! Walking to the park seemed to be a challenge with this group of children, but we seem to be really making progress on this front! We tried a new style of walking rope that keeps the children closer together and therefore the teachers closer to the children who need a bit more attention while crossing the street.
In the classroom, the children are busy with a variety art activities and their growing ability to plan more elaborate train track constructions. We hope to get the children more involved in block building over the next few months. We’ve baked Irish Soda Bread and cut and mashed strawberries for a strawberry yogurt snack. We will be adding other fruits to yogurt as this seemed to be a big treat to make as well as eat.
The children are enjoying circle time. We have a small repertoire of songs and stories that are well loved and we are finding that stories that can be sung or acted out. From Head to Toe by Eric Carle and If Your Happy and You Know It by Jane Cabrera are really what the children enjoy and do well with.
We are looking forward to spending more time outdoors and continuing the growth of friendships and spirit of community that is developing among the children in the class as the year moves forward.
Lisa, Jean, and Meg
Flowers, Trains, and Circle Time!
Spring is here and the proof is in the little stand of crocuses in the tire park. Back in November the Little Hands 2 children planted them on a cold morning and the children were thrilled to see them blooming now! In the park the children are really enjoying the climbing structures and sand area. Before we even enter the park – the requests for pails and shovels are loud and clear!! Walking to the park seemed to be a challenge with this group of children, but we seem to be really making progress on this front! We tried a new style of walking rope that keeps the children closer together and therefore the teachers closer to the children who need a bit more attention while crossing the street.
In the classroom, the children are busy with a variety art activities and their growing ability to plan more elaborate train track constructions. We hope to get the children more involved in block building over the next few months. We’ve baked Irish Soda Bread and cut and mashed strawberries for a strawberry yogurt snack. We will be adding other fruits to yogurt as this seemed to be a big treat to make as well as eat.
The children are enjoying circle time. We have a small repertoire of songs and stories that are well loved and we are finding that stories that can be sung or acted out. From Head to Toe by Eric Carle and If Your Happy and You Know It by Jane Cabrera are really what the children enjoy and do well with.
We are looking forward to spending more time outdoors and continuing the growth of friendships and spirit of community that is developing among the children in the class as the year moves forward.
Lisa, Jean, and Meg
NURSERY RHYMES - APRIL 2010
Three’s PM
Read, Build, and Play!
It is great to be back working with your children again! They have all grown so much over the short period of time I was away. I missed them all dearly and am happy to say that they have welcomed me back with open arms. Over the past month our class has had an awesome time exploring our current unit on transportation. Trains, cars, trucks, and buses are all modes of transportation your child sees on a daily basis and because of your child’s interest we have begun our unit with trains.
Together the children have enjoyed creating train stations with toy trains and train tracks in the block area. They have also experimented with building trains of various sizes with both large and small Lego blocks. At the art table they have made paintings using trains and cars as printing tools. The children also worked wonderfully together to create a group drawing of a steam engine and train cars.
Individually the children drew different parts of a train using crayons; they then taped their individual works of art alongside each other, and added detail to their drawings to create one work of art.
During circle time we have sung train songs and read many books about trains. Some of the books read in class include: Two Little Trains, The Little Engine That Could, All Aboard ABC, and Freight Train. The children have engaged in interesting conversations about the different types, colors, and sizes of trains, as well as the different purposes of trains. In the dramatic play area the children have organized the furniture to create a train and have pretended to be passengers riding on the train. Also, while outside in the “Train Park,” the children have engaged in pretend play where they created different roles for one another including conductor and passengers.
Now that we are back from spring recess we plan on creating a dining car in the dramatic play area for the children to explore and create wonderful meals for train passengers. We will continue our unit on transportation and with the change in temperature we will take nature walks to explore new sights and sounds in our neighborhood.
If you haven’t already done so please sign up as a parent of the day we would love to share our day with you. We welcome you to read your child’s favorite story to the class or lead a classroom art or cooking activity. Also, please remember to sign up to bring in a healthy snack for our class. Your children enjoy having fresh fruits and veggies for an afternoon snack!
Thank you,
Elaine, Yasmin, and Jan
Read, Build, and Play!
It is great to be back working with your children again! They have all grown so much over the short period of time I was away. I missed them all dearly and am happy to say that they have welcomed me back with open arms. Over the past month our class has had an awesome time exploring our current unit on transportation. Trains, cars, trucks, and buses are all modes of transportation your child sees on a daily basis and because of your child’s interest we have begun our unit with trains.
Together the children have enjoyed creating train stations with toy trains and train tracks in the block area. They have also experimented with building trains of various sizes with both large and small Lego blocks. At the art table they have made paintings using trains and cars as printing tools. The children also worked wonderfully together to create a group drawing of a steam engine and train cars.
Individually the children drew different parts of a train using crayons; they then taped their individual works of art alongside each other, and added detail to their drawings to create one work of art.
During circle time we have sung train songs and read many books about trains. Some of the books read in class include: Two Little Trains, The Little Engine That Could, All Aboard ABC, and Freight Train. The children have engaged in interesting conversations about the different types, colors, and sizes of trains, as well as the different purposes of trains. In the dramatic play area the children have organized the furniture to create a train and have pretended to be passengers riding on the train. Also, while outside in the “Train Park,” the children have engaged in pretend play where they created different roles for one another including conductor and passengers.
Now that we are back from spring recess we plan on creating a dining car in the dramatic play area for the children to explore and create wonderful meals for train passengers. We will continue our unit on transportation and with the change in temperature we will take nature walks to explore new sights and sounds in our neighborhood.
If you haven’t already done so please sign up as a parent of the day we would love to share our day with you. We welcome you to read your child’s favorite story to the class or lead a classroom art or cooking activity. Also, please remember to sign up to bring in a healthy snack for our class. Your children enjoy having fresh fruits and veggies for an afternoon snack!
Thank you,
Elaine, Yasmin, and Jan
TRANSITIONING INTO KINDERGARTEN: What to expect...
At this time of year, the end of the school year is just a few months away. Our children are all settled into their routines, even our youngest. However at this time a year thoughts are turning towards the transition of our UPK students to Kindergarten. During the months of March and April, school lotteries are being held, school choices are being made, and parents and teachers are discussing the options or lack of options the children have for Kindergarten. It can be a very stressful emotional time for families and children.
Although this change to Kindergarten is not until September, children have a limited understanding of how long that is and often make assumptions that September is very soon. Children at this age view time sequentially – that is they understand changes, but not the actual length of time. So it is important to explain things sequentially for example– first Nursery School needs to end, then you will go to summer camp, then we have our family vacation to Canada, then we will come back home and then it will be time for Kindergarten. This is the same reason why predictable routines are comforting to children – they cannot comprehend that at “4:00” their grown-ups pick them up at school, but they know that after they go to the park or after the story it will be time to go home from school.
Children sense the nearing of the end of their time at Nursery School. They have made attachments to friends and teachers. Many children may begin to exhibit many regressive types of behavior. Children begin to act out, test limits, become irritable, hurt friends both physically and by hurting their feelings, begin having separation issues again or suddenly not want to attend school. These behaviors can be because children are anxious about the changes to come, are unsure about when exactly they will happen, or because they feel a bit betrayed by Nursery School –They wonder why they can’t continue to come school here. Explanations about age don’t really make sense to them. Children don’t always understand that all the children in the class will be moving on, they feel the class will be “going on” without them. There is comfort in the classroom and it’s routines that they know so well. So what do we do to help them?
In the classrooms, teachers understand that these feelings are being experienced. Teachers will gradually begin preparing the class for the end of the year. Children will participate in activities that will help them understand these changes, provide closure and build memories. Teachers will also involve children in packing away the class and preparing it for next year’s students, leaving behind artwork or messages for the children who will be moving up.
At home, it is important not to begin talking about Kindergarten too early, as mentioned earlier children’s sense of time is not well developed yet – even if they have all the language related to it. Reassure them that Kindergarten is still quite a while away. Even when the school year ends, focus on vacation and summer fun for awhile. It is also important to reassure your child that they may continue to see friends from their Nursery School. Keep up with play dates – or just visit the Train Park, always a gathering place for alumni! It is so important to acknowledge their concerns, but remind them how well they coped when beginning Nursery or the start of this school year.
When September is about 2 weeks away, begin preparing your child by driving by or walking by the new school, plan play dates with children who will be attending the same school and if known, familiarize your child with the teacher’s name. When the new year begins, use all the “tools” we suggested last summer! Get to bed early a few nights before school begins to get in sync, establish a comfortable morning routine and try to maintain a stress free morning. Expect there may be some separation tears the first few days of school, there may not be – but be prepared for it. Show your child that you trust their new teachers. When a child knows you trust them, they too will feel more trusting.
Although this change to Kindergarten is not until September, children have a limited understanding of how long that is and often make assumptions that September is very soon. Children at this age view time sequentially – that is they understand changes, but not the actual length of time. So it is important to explain things sequentially for example– first Nursery School needs to end, then you will go to summer camp, then we have our family vacation to Canada, then we will come back home and then it will be time for Kindergarten. This is the same reason why predictable routines are comforting to children – they cannot comprehend that at “4:00” their grown-ups pick them up at school, but they know that after they go to the park or after the story it will be time to go home from school.
Children sense the nearing of the end of their time at Nursery School. They have made attachments to friends and teachers. Many children may begin to exhibit many regressive types of behavior. Children begin to act out, test limits, become irritable, hurt friends both physically and by hurting their feelings, begin having separation issues again or suddenly not want to attend school. These behaviors can be because children are anxious about the changes to come, are unsure about when exactly they will happen, or because they feel a bit betrayed by Nursery School –They wonder why they can’t continue to come school here. Explanations about age don’t really make sense to them. Children don’t always understand that all the children in the class will be moving on, they feel the class will be “going on” without them. There is comfort in the classroom and it’s routines that they know so well. So what do we do to help them?
In the classrooms, teachers understand that these feelings are being experienced. Teachers will gradually begin preparing the class for the end of the year. Children will participate in activities that will help them understand these changes, provide closure and build memories. Teachers will also involve children in packing away the class and preparing it for next year’s students, leaving behind artwork or messages for the children who will be moving up.
At home, it is important not to begin talking about Kindergarten too early, as mentioned earlier children’s sense of time is not well developed yet – even if they have all the language related to it. Reassure them that Kindergarten is still quite a while away. Even when the school year ends, focus on vacation and summer fun for awhile. It is also important to reassure your child that they may continue to see friends from their Nursery School. Keep up with play dates – or just visit the Train Park, always a gathering place for alumni! It is so important to acknowledge their concerns, but remind them how well they coped when beginning Nursery or the start of this school year.
When September is about 2 weeks away, begin preparing your child by driving by or walking by the new school, plan play dates with children who will be attending the same school and if known, familiarize your child with the teacher’s name. When the new year begins, use all the “tools” we suggested last summer! Get to bed early a few nights before school begins to get in sync, establish a comfortable morning routine and try to maintain a stress free morning. Expect there may be some separation tears the first few days of school, there may not be – but be prepared for it. Show your child that you trust their new teachers. When a child knows you trust them, they too will feel more trusting.
NURSERY RHYMES - APRIL 2010
Room 2 – Three’s AM
Transportation and Plants!
In the past two months our children have been busy learning about transportation, hibernation, and winter sports. The month of February was very short but it provided us with the opportunity to remind everyone that friends take good care of each other. We learned the song “February is a Short Month” and sang many songs about friendship. We also learned about friendship by being kind to one another.
We celebrated Chinese New Year in a big way. The children cut vegetables, whisked eggs and watched as Juan, Luke’s father, prepared a delicious dish of vegetable fried rice. We did not get to finish the dragon or have our parade this year. The contributing factors were the winter brake followed by the flood in our school. Thank you to all of you for being so understanding during such a difficult time. We said good bye to our friend Kevin Alma. Nicole, Jan, and I hope that he is adjusting well to the new environment.
We explored the different outdoor activities that people do for entertainment during the winter months. We read about sledding, ice skating, snowboarding, skiing, and ice fishing. We turned a big box into an igloo and a small box into an ice box to be able to go ice fishing. This activity was very popular. They also liked acting out The Three Snow Bears and Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
We had the opportunity to work with Iris Gaspar, a student teacher from Lehman College. She introduced a transportation unit. Then, she concentrated on trains. We learned about the different types of trains and charted down how many children have ridden a train. We sang “I’ve Been Working in the Rail Road,” and “Little Red Caboose.” The children enjoyed working with Iris making their own trains. Some of the books Iris read to the children included: Trains, by Byron Barton, I Love Trains!, by Philemon Sturges, and Freight Train, by Donald Crews. We will finish the transportation unit after the spring break and take some a walking trip to our neighborhood library as well as a bus trip to the firehouse.
Iris finished her student teaching with a preschool setting and moved on to another school to experience another age group. However, we are very fortunate to have a student from Lehman volunteering in our classroom. Her name is Isaura Martinez or Izzy, and she started to volunteer on March 25th. We would like to say thank you to both Iris and Izzy for sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm with us.
Since spring has sprung we are excited to be able to do more planting. The beans, turnip, and the potatoes were a success. We would like to encourage you to come and visit our class and plant with us. Children love to water and watch as the plants grow. The nursery viewing box allows children to track down and see the growth of the roots. The viewing box is available right now please see me if you would like to do this activity with the children.
April is a busy month we will be counting down to the arrival of our eggs which will arrive at our school on the fourteen of this month. They are due to hatch on May 5th. We are going to start a unit about birds giving us the opportunity to revisit the farm unit. We will explore with bubbles as an introduction to wind and rainbows. We will also be learning about the weather and the changes that occur during the spring season. Bugs and rain will be our focus during April but it all depends on how much enthusiasm the children show towards these topics.Towards the end of April, I would like to organize a trip to a farm. You will be getting a letter soon to see if we can work together to make it happen. We will need carpooling since we cannot afford to pay for a bus. The first week of May will be the time to say good bye to the chicks and start to learn about the role of lighthouses. We will visit the Little Red Lighthouse that is located under the George Washington Bridge in May to help us with this unit. Also during this month, I would like to invite grandmothers to spend time in our classroom and share their experience with us.
Thanks to Jan, one of our wonderful teacher assistants, we have adopted seven walking sticks in our classroom. They are growing so fast. Children like to spend more time at the science table using the magnifying glasses to help them as they count.
We would like to thank all the parents that have spent time with us as Parent of the Day, with a special thank you to Rebecca, Nadia’s mom, who has been volunteering in our classroom once a week. We know it is not easy with our busy schedules but feel free to come in and say hi when you are in the school. Children enjoy having their parents in the classroom even for a quick hello or to get a good bye kiss.
Thank you for the support and understanding of all my assistants. Without you the children would not be so comfortable while learning so much.
Maria, Alma, Nicole, Jan, and Isaura Martinez
Transportation and Plants!
In the past two months our children have been busy learning about transportation, hibernation, and winter sports. The month of February was very short but it provided us with the opportunity to remind everyone that friends take good care of each other. We learned the song “February is a Short Month” and sang many songs about friendship. We also learned about friendship by being kind to one another.
We celebrated Chinese New Year in a big way. The children cut vegetables, whisked eggs and watched as Juan, Luke’s father, prepared a delicious dish of vegetable fried rice. We did not get to finish the dragon or have our parade this year. The contributing factors were the winter brake followed by the flood in our school. Thank you to all of you for being so understanding during such a difficult time. We said good bye to our friend Kevin Alma. Nicole, Jan, and I hope that he is adjusting well to the new environment.
We explored the different outdoor activities that people do for entertainment during the winter months. We read about sledding, ice skating, snowboarding, skiing, and ice fishing. We turned a big box into an igloo and a small box into an ice box to be able to go ice fishing. This activity was very popular. They also liked acting out The Three Snow Bears and Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
We had the opportunity to work with Iris Gaspar, a student teacher from Lehman College. She introduced a transportation unit. Then, she concentrated on trains. We learned about the different types of trains and charted down how many children have ridden a train. We sang “I’ve Been Working in the Rail Road,” and “Little Red Caboose.” The children enjoyed working with Iris making their own trains. Some of the books Iris read to the children included: Trains, by Byron Barton, I Love Trains!, by Philemon Sturges, and Freight Train, by Donald Crews. We will finish the transportation unit after the spring break and take some a walking trip to our neighborhood library as well as a bus trip to the firehouse.
Iris finished her student teaching with a preschool setting and moved on to another school to experience another age group. However, we are very fortunate to have a student from Lehman volunteering in our classroom. Her name is Isaura Martinez or Izzy, and she started to volunteer on March 25th. We would like to say thank you to both Iris and Izzy for sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm with us.
Since spring has sprung we are excited to be able to do more planting. The beans, turnip, and the potatoes were a success. We would like to encourage you to come and visit our class and plant with us. Children love to water and watch as the plants grow. The nursery viewing box allows children to track down and see the growth of the roots. The viewing box is available right now please see me if you would like to do this activity with the children.
April is a busy month we will be counting down to the arrival of our eggs which will arrive at our school on the fourteen of this month. They are due to hatch on May 5th. We are going to start a unit about birds giving us the opportunity to revisit the farm unit. We will explore with bubbles as an introduction to wind and rainbows. We will also be learning about the weather and the changes that occur during the spring season. Bugs and rain will be our focus during April but it all depends on how much enthusiasm the children show towards these topics.Towards the end of April, I would like to organize a trip to a farm. You will be getting a letter soon to see if we can work together to make it happen. We will need carpooling since we cannot afford to pay for a bus. The first week of May will be the time to say good bye to the chicks and start to learn about the role of lighthouses. We will visit the Little Red Lighthouse that is located under the George Washington Bridge in May to help us with this unit. Also during this month, I would like to invite grandmothers to spend time in our classroom and share their experience with us.
Thanks to Jan, one of our wonderful teacher assistants, we have adopted seven walking sticks in our classroom. They are growing so fast. Children like to spend more time at the science table using the magnifying glasses to help them as they count.
We would like to thank all the parents that have spent time with us as Parent of the Day, with a special thank you to Rebecca, Nadia’s mom, who has been volunteering in our classroom once a week. We know it is not easy with our busy schedules but feel free to come in and say hi when you are in the school. Children enjoy having their parents in the classroom even for a quick hello or to get a good bye kiss.
Thank you for the support and understanding of all my assistants. Without you the children would not be so comfortable while learning so much.
Maria, Alma, Nicole, Jan, and Isaura Martinez
NURSERY RHYMES - APRIL 2010
UPK PM's
Becoming Independent
Welcome Spring!
We hope you all had a very lovely vacation and enjoyed your respective holidays. After the winter we have had, it’s nice to see Mother Nature beginning to wake up and show us some warm weather.
No one enjoyed the snow as much as our children. In the last newsletter I was hoping that we had more snow for the class to enjoy. I guess you have to be careful what you wish for! As difficult as the snow was on us adults, the children enjoyed it tremendously, and that’s what’s most important. Sometimes it takes a good afternoon of playing in the snow to bring out the child in all of us.
Our paleontology unit was very enjoyable, and we learned a lot about dinosaurs and how they may have lived. Our class had a great time becoming scientists and digging up bones, reading dinosaur books, and doing dinosaur-oriented art projects. We felt just like real paleontologists!
We have been working hard in our classroom and we are growing every day. Watching the students in our class becoming so independent is very gratifying to see. When we started the school year there were so many things that we had to do as teachers. Now, the students set up the tables for snack all by themselves and sign their own artwork. These are just a few of the things our students have mastered. Independence is so vitally important at this time in a child’s life. The more they can do for themselves, the more autonomous they feel.
It’s hard to believe that the long winter is finally over and that spring has finally arrived! Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth, when gray days are replaced by the beautiful colors of spring. Mother Nature will be putting on quite a show for us in the next few weeks, as everything begins to bloom. This is a time to marvel at what Mother Nature can do, and to that end, we we’ll be setting our sights on the environment. Earth Day is April 22 and our next unit will find us considering the fragility of our planet and steps we can take to preserve it. After all, this is the only planet we have that sustains life. If we don’t take care of it, how can it take care of us?
Stay tuned. We will take the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” to new heights!
More to come!
Andrea, Alma, & Nicole
Becoming Independent
Welcome Spring!
We hope you all had a very lovely vacation and enjoyed your respective holidays. After the winter we have had, it’s nice to see Mother Nature beginning to wake up and show us some warm weather.
No one enjoyed the snow as much as our children. In the last newsletter I was hoping that we had more snow for the class to enjoy. I guess you have to be careful what you wish for! As difficult as the snow was on us adults, the children enjoyed it tremendously, and that’s what’s most important. Sometimes it takes a good afternoon of playing in the snow to bring out the child in all of us.
Our paleontology unit was very enjoyable, and we learned a lot about dinosaurs and how they may have lived. Our class had a great time becoming scientists and digging up bones, reading dinosaur books, and doing dinosaur-oriented art projects. We felt just like real paleontologists!
We have been working hard in our classroom and we are growing every day. Watching the students in our class becoming so independent is very gratifying to see. When we started the school year there were so many things that we had to do as teachers. Now, the students set up the tables for snack all by themselves and sign their own artwork. These are just a few of the things our students have mastered. Independence is so vitally important at this time in a child’s life. The more they can do for themselves, the more autonomous they feel.
It’s hard to believe that the long winter is finally over and that spring has finally arrived! Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth, when gray days are replaced by the beautiful colors of spring. Mother Nature will be putting on quite a show for us in the next few weeks, as everything begins to bloom. This is a time to marvel at what Mother Nature can do, and to that end, we we’ll be setting our sights on the environment. Earth Day is April 22 and our next unit will find us considering the fragility of our planet and steps we can take to preserve it. After all, this is the only planet we have that sustains life. If we don’t take care of it, how can it take care of us?
Stay tuned. We will take the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” to new heights!
More to come!
Andrea, Alma, & Nicole
NURSERY RHYMES - APRIL 2010
UPK Full Day
Bread, Bread, Bread!
It all started with a trip to the pizza shop. After that trip we had an experiment with yeast, water, and sugar. Next we had one with yeast, water, sugar, a bottle and a balloon. We added flour and so far we have baked about 8 different kinds of bread with an enthusiastic group of children who love to bake and love to eat their bread. We’ve also been grinding wheat into flour, and beginning to understand how hard The Little Red Hen had to work and what a miller does.
Using bread as a theme has opened up the door for lots of learning across the curriculum. Books like Bread, Bread,Bread, The Little Red Hen, and The Little Red Hen makes Pizza establish literacy connections and give children an opportunity for dramatic play. Math connections happen several ways, like following the recipes, and keeping track of the different kinds of bread we are making. Science knowledge grows as we experiment with yeast and watch the change of state that occurs in the oven, not to mention some understanding of the seed to wheat to bread process. Our homemade bakery will give us the opportunity to make signs and draw about bread, and of course we’ve already made some fabulous pictures for our Pizza Book. In addition, bread making offers children the opportunity to explore traditions of other countries as we learn that people all over the world eat some kind of bread. And yes, we even sing about bread and how it is made.
Often, each batch of bread made 2 loaves, so we would have one for snack and save the other one in the freezer. We will take all the breads out of the freezer and slice them up so that we can invite our parents to our bakery to taste some of our delicious bread. The children are looking forward to sharing a piece of their school lives with you and of course they are so proud of themselves.
We’re hoping to turn into Paleontologists when we get back from vacation and think about just how big T-Rex was, and what did he eat, and what happened to him and how do we know what we know about him and his fellow dinosaurs.
Minia, Lucy, Kirsty, Jan, Jean, and Yasmin
One of our favorites is Pita Bread, so here is the recipe in case anyone wants to try it at home!
Pita Bread
1 package yeast
2 tbs honey
1 tbs salt
2 cups hot water
5-6 cups flour
Combine yeast, honey, and water in a large mixing bowl. Stir to blend.
Add 4 cups flour and salt. Mix well.
Add more flour to make dough stiff.
Place dough in a greased bowl. Turn greased side of dough up.
Cover. Let rise 1 hour
Use butter knife to cut dough into 36 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Cover. Let rise 10 minutes.
Preheat oven 450
Press and pat each ball to flatten (approximately 1/4 inch thick by 3).
Place rounds on baking sheet. Turn when bread bubbles up. Bake 5-7 minutes.
It all started with a trip to the pizza shop. After that trip we had an experiment with yeast, water, and sugar. Next we had one with yeast, water, sugar, a bottle and a balloon. We added flour and so far we have baked about 8 different kinds of bread with an enthusiastic group of children who love to bake and love to eat their bread. We’ve also been grinding wheat into flour, and beginning to understand how hard The Little Red Hen had to work and what a miller does.
Using bread as a theme has opened up the door for lots of learning across the curriculum. Books like Bread, Bread,Bread, The Little Red Hen, and The Little Red Hen makes Pizza establish literacy connections and give children an opportunity for dramatic play. Math connections happen several ways, like following the recipes, and keeping track of the different kinds of bread we are making. Science knowledge grows as we experiment with yeast and watch the change of state that occurs in the oven, not to mention some understanding of the seed to wheat to bread process. Our homemade bakery will give us the opportunity to make signs and draw about bread, and of course we’ve already made some fabulous pictures for our Pizza Book. In addition, bread making offers children the opportunity to explore traditions of other countries as we learn that people all over the world eat some kind of bread. And yes, we even sing about bread and how it is made.
Often, each batch of bread made 2 loaves, so we would have one for snack and save the other one in the freezer. We will take all the breads out of the freezer and slice them up so that we can invite our parents to our bakery to taste some of our delicious bread. The children are looking forward to sharing a piece of their school lives with you and of course they are so proud of themselves.
We’re hoping to turn into Paleontologists when we get back from vacation and think about just how big T-Rex was, and what did he eat, and what happened to him and how do we know what we know about him and his fellow dinosaurs.
Minia, Lucy, Kirsty, Jan, Jean, and Yasmin
One of our favorites is Pita Bread, so here is the recipe in case anyone wants to try it at home!
Pita Bread
1 package yeast
2 tbs honey
1 tbs salt
2 cups hot water
5-6 cups flour
Combine yeast, honey, and water in a large mixing bowl. Stir to blend.
Add 4 cups flour and salt. Mix well.
Add more flour to make dough stiff.
Place dough in a greased bowl. Turn greased side of dough up.
Cover. Let rise 1 hour
Use butter knife to cut dough into 36 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Cover. Let rise 10 minutes.
Preheat oven 450
Press and pat each ball to flatten (approximately 1/4 inch thick by 3).
Place rounds on baking sheet. Turn when bread bubbles up. Bake 5-7 minutes.
NURSERY RHYMES - APRIL 2010
Director's Corner - by Lisa Wenz
Welcome back from Spring break! It was a busy late winter early spring here at the Nursery. We have recovered from the water damage in the big room and adjoining classrooms. The new cubbies and block cabinets in the classrooms are installed and the new rug is in place. We have worked with the insurance company to replace all that was damaged or soiled. The staff still has a few changes they hope to implement in the big room – to make better use of the space. Thanks to
all families for being so patient during the clean-up.
Registration for next year is still underway. We still have room in our UPK classes, both full day and half day. Our three year old class is full and we have a strong waiting list. Our Little Hands registration is comfortable for this time of year.
We are moving ahead with purchasing a new piece of climbing equipment for the tire park. While the old wooden structure is still sturdy - it has become weather damaged and needs to be replaced. The teachers and I have been meeting to select a structure that will be exciting and challenging for all the age groups that use that park. The fundraising that has been going on all year will helped us select suitable, good quality piece of equipment. Please continue to support our morning and afternoon Coffee/Tea Bake Sales which have been helping support this purchase.
In the meantime there are several upcoming events to look forward to here at the Nursery. In mid April we will begin our duck and chick incubation project. Eggs will be picked up on April 14th. This is such a fun and exciting project. If all goes well, we will have chicks hatch in 21 days and ducklings in 28 days. We will also be watching the development of caterpillars into butterflies and continue to observe our toads, stick bugs, hermit crabs and tadpoles. It becomes a bit critter crazy in May!! Although the incubators are housed in rooms 2 and 3, each class will be involved in the study of the changes and growth of the embryos inside the eggs and each class will have their own group of caterpillars. We also have scheduled our annual Little Red Lighthouse trip for the Three year old class and the UPK classes on May 10th. Unfortunately the Little Hands children are too young for this trip – but they will have their turn next year!! There will be no Little Hands Class on May 10th.
We also have the Annual Spring Bazaar to look forward to as well as the Moving Up Picnic. The Moving Up Picnic will be held on Monday June 14th – Not Wednesday, June 9th as noted on the school calendar. We have rescheduled the date to give our Little Hands students an extra day or two to make up for the school they missed due to the water damage in their classroom.
The children will be spending a great deal more time outdoors now that the weather is warmer. Please continue to dress your children in weather appropriate clothing and especially good climbing/running shoes. Please note that children cannot wear flip-flop shoes in school. This year we will be enforcing this policy strictly. Also if possible limit the wearing of sandals to only the hottest days. When children are playing with blocks – they often drop them on their toes – and shoes or sneakers give the best protection. We are looking forward to enjoying our parks and all fun the outdoors has to offer!
Happy Spring!
Welcome back from Spring break! It was a busy late winter early spring here at the Nursery. We have recovered from the water damage in the big room and adjoining classrooms. The new cubbies and block cabinets in the classrooms are installed and the new rug is in place. We have worked with the insurance company to replace all that was damaged or soiled. The staff still has a few changes they hope to implement in the big room – to make better use of the space. Thanks to
all families for being so patient during the clean-up.
Registration for next year is still underway. We still have room in our UPK classes, both full day and half day. Our three year old class is full and we have a strong waiting list. Our Little Hands registration is comfortable for this time of year.
We are moving ahead with purchasing a new piece of climbing equipment for the tire park. While the old wooden structure is still sturdy - it has become weather damaged and needs to be replaced. The teachers and I have been meeting to select a structure that will be exciting and challenging for all the age groups that use that park. The fundraising that has been going on all year will helped us select suitable, good quality piece of equipment. Please continue to support our morning and afternoon Coffee/Tea Bake Sales which have been helping support this purchase.
In the meantime there are several upcoming events to look forward to here at the Nursery. In mid April we will begin our duck and chick incubation project. Eggs will be picked up on April 14th. This is such a fun and exciting project. If all goes well, we will have chicks hatch in 21 days and ducklings in 28 days. We will also be watching the development of caterpillars into butterflies and continue to observe our toads, stick bugs, hermit crabs and tadpoles. It becomes a bit critter crazy in May!! Although the incubators are housed in rooms 2 and 3, each class will be involved in the study of the changes and growth of the embryos inside the eggs and each class will have their own group of caterpillars. We also have scheduled our annual Little Red Lighthouse trip for the Three year old class and the UPK classes on May 10th. Unfortunately the Little Hands children are too young for this trip – but they will have their turn next year!! There will be no Little Hands Class on May 10th.
We also have the Annual Spring Bazaar to look forward to as well as the Moving Up Picnic. The Moving Up Picnic will be held on Monday June 14th – Not Wednesday, June 9th as noted on the school calendar. We have rescheduled the date to give our Little Hands students an extra day or two to make up for the school they missed due to the water damage in their classroom.
The children will be spending a great deal more time outdoors now that the weather is warmer. Please continue to dress your children in weather appropriate clothing and especially good climbing/running shoes. Please note that children cannot wear flip-flop shoes in school. This year we will be enforcing this policy strictly. Also if possible limit the wearing of sandals to only the hottest days. When children are playing with blocks – they often drop them on their toes – and shoes or sneakers give the best protection. We are looking forward to enjoying our parks and all fun the outdoors has to offer!
Happy Spring!
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