Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Welcome to the first day of school! Our first day of school was peaceful and happy. With the toddler child, we don't always know what to anticipate especially with respect to an experience as huge as the transition from home to school. Teachers and parents do our best to nurture the needs of the child, offering a warm first connection at home, a peaceful classroom visit, and a gradual adjustment period to the class routine and schedule.
There were no tears the first day..and then today, our second day, there were many tears, which is normal and just part of the process.
Yesterday, there were several helpers. Dimitra helped clean and hull the strawberries; Isaac helped chop the cheese block into small portions; and Vincent and Rocco were my timekeepers, letting me know the time for snack and the time for going home! : ) Darby had a great time exploring every inch and every basket and tray of our classroom.
Today, I didn't have a lot of helpers, but we did get in lots of great language lessons. Isaac and Dimitra took turns naming and matching various sea shells with their identical pictures, as well as the naming of farm animal replicas. Vincent, Rocco, and Darby listened to books read to them in Spanish and songs sung in English.
It has been wonderful to share in this time with the children who are newest to our classroom. I hope that they are beginning to feel secure in their new environment and trusting toward me and my assistant that their needs will be met and that their is lots to learn and discover in our school.
There were no tears the first day..and then today, our second day, there were many tears, which is normal and just part of the process.
Yesterday, there were several helpers. Dimitra helped clean and hull the strawberries; Isaac helped chop the cheese block into small portions; and Vincent and Rocco were my timekeepers, letting me know the time for snack and the time for going home! : ) Darby had a great time exploring every inch and every basket and tray of our classroom.
Today, I didn't have a lot of helpers, but we did get in lots of great language lessons. Isaac and Dimitra took turns naming and matching various sea shells with their identical pictures, as well as the naming of farm animal replicas. Vincent, Rocco, and Darby listened to books read to them in Spanish and songs sung in English.
It has been wonderful to share in this time with the children who are newest to our classroom. I hope that they are beginning to feel secure in their new environment and trusting toward me and my assistant that their needs will be met and that their is lots to learn and discover in our school.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Blueberry Pizza
Yesterday, the children and I sat together at a large table ..and made blueberry pizza. You might ask -- why blueberry pizza? The truth is we were low on ingredients and ideas for toppings. I wanted something healthy for them, so I wasn't going to add pepperoni and other tasty but high sodium, high fat, meats. I then thought about veggies...hmm...but then realized immediately that something different and a little boring may not go over well for the first try. So - we went with different and irresistable - blueberry toppings. (I chose blueberries over the other fruit in our cubby (watermelon) and so blueberry pizza became our choice!)
The children loved it! They participated fully in the preparation of the pizza, of course. They loved basting the crusts with a little bit of canola oil. They loved pouring a small pitcher full of pizza sauce onto the crust and spreading it around with a wooden spatula. They loved sprinkling the cheese on. Four children took turns placing each blueberry onto the two cheese covered crusts.
Food preparation is a popular work choice in the Infant Community. The children learn about food and what it looks like in its raw state, they get to feel the texture of the skins and later taste the inside flesh of say, a cucumber or an avocado. I observed a bit of tasting going on while 'working.' With a couple of children, I noticed...it was like, a pinch of cheese for the crust and a pinch of cheese for my mouth!' And it is all good this way however I simply remind the children to save their tasting for our snack time. "Now we are preparing the snack! We will eat in just a bit!"
And eat we did! Some children preferred the plain cheese so I was glad that some of the children had placed blueberries in large clusters and had chosen to not spread them out as you or I might have chosen to do.
I don't know if this was everyone's first time making and eating blueberry pizza. All in all, yesterday's snack turned out very well. I hope the children will remember their blueberry pizza and be open to trying new foods. I think next time we will be ready for a fun veggie!
The children loved it! They participated fully in the preparation of the pizza, of course. They loved basting the crusts with a little bit of canola oil. They loved pouring a small pitcher full of pizza sauce onto the crust and spreading it around with a wooden spatula. They loved sprinkling the cheese on. Four children took turns placing each blueberry onto the two cheese covered crusts.
Food preparation is a popular work choice in the Infant Community. The children learn about food and what it looks like in its raw state, they get to feel the texture of the skins and later taste the inside flesh of say, a cucumber or an avocado. I observed a bit of tasting going on while 'working.' With a couple of children, I noticed...it was like, a pinch of cheese for the crust and a pinch of cheese for my mouth!' And it is all good this way however I simply remind the children to save their tasting for our snack time. "Now we are preparing the snack! We will eat in just a bit!"
And eat we did! Some children preferred the plain cheese so I was glad that some of the children had placed blueberries in large clusters and had chosen to not spread them out as you or I might have chosen to do.
I don't know if this was everyone's first time making and eating blueberry pizza. All in all, yesterday's snack turned out very well. I hope the children will remember their blueberry pizza and be open to trying new foods. I think next time we will be ready for a fun veggie!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
On yesterday, the children and I walked to the garden of one of our primary teachers. We walked through the gym, across the grassy field and into Barbara's garden.
We were delighted with all that we were able to see, touch, and smell! There were several large planter boxes. One was growing vegetables such as corn, another grew flowers such as the zinnia, and another grew a small, but ripe pineapple! There also was an orange tree. (no oranges)
There also were materials and tools for gardening. The children saw real objects that were similar to pictures of our classroom basket of garden language cards. There was a wheel barrel, a composter, a rain barrel, a bird feeder, a bird bath, and more!
Today, we may go again and take a few photos of the garden plants, adding to our collection of language cards!
I will have to remember to thank Barbara!! : ))
We were delighted with all that we were able to see, touch, and smell! There were several large planter boxes. One was growing vegetables such as corn, another grew flowers such as the zinnia, and another grew a small, but ripe pineapple! There also was an orange tree. (no oranges)
There also were materials and tools for gardening. The children saw real objects that were similar to pictures of our classroom basket of garden language cards. There was a wheel barrel, a composter, a rain barrel, a bird feeder, a bird bath, and more!
Today, we may go again and take a few photos of the garden plants, adding to our collection of language cards!
I will have to remember to thank Barbara!! : ))
With summer in full swing, we all are spending time outdoors with our children. Maria Montessori viewed the outdoor environment as an extension of the indoor - meaning it, too, should be orderly, offer purposeful work to do, and allow for independence..and movement!
Take a look at your back and front yards. Is there space for movement? Is there meaningful work activity for your child to participate in?
Take a look at these ideas below. Create your own activity under each category. Don't feel pressure to do all of these. Pick a few, emphasizing the quality of the experience for your child and and remember to have fun!
Developing the senses:
Lay out a blanket for cloud gazing. At night, gaze at stars.
Is it raining outside? Put on your rainboots, go outside, and feel the rain in your hands as it falls!
Language:
Learn the names of the plants, trees, shrubs, and flowers in your yard. Point those out to your child. Learn the names of those plants and trees that line your block. Share the names with your child on your walks.
Exploring Nature:
Plant milkweed. Observe caterpillars.
Listen for birds. Can you name them? Learn the names and share them with your child.
Later, find pictures of birds in a book together.
Care of the Environment:
Place a small dust brush and dust pan on a shelf. Show your child how to help as spills happen.
Show your child how to scoop out the pet food and pour into the animals' bowl. Create an independent activity that fits the feed schedule, i.e. once or twice a day.
Rinse recycleables and then sort them together with your child, teaching him or her the names of products and category identification, i.e. plastics, paper, and aluminum items
Set up small table or work space for art, music, and/or planting activities. Place a watering can on a shelf that your child can access. Let your child fill the can and help water plants and flowers.
Take a look at your back and front yards. Is there space for movement? Is there meaningful work activity for your child to participate in?
Take a look at these ideas below. Create your own activity under each category. Don't feel pressure to do all of these. Pick a few, emphasizing the quality of the experience for your child and and remember to have fun!
Developing the senses:
Lay out a blanket for cloud gazing. At night, gaze at stars.
Is it raining outside? Put on your rainboots, go outside, and feel the rain in your hands as it falls!
Language:
Learn the names of the plants, trees, shrubs, and flowers in your yard. Point those out to your child. Learn the names of those plants and trees that line your block. Share the names with your child on your walks.
Exploring Nature:
Plant milkweed. Observe caterpillars.
Listen for birds. Can you name them? Learn the names and share them with your child.
Later, find pictures of birds in a book together.
Care of the Environment:
Place a small dust brush and dust pan on a shelf. Show your child how to help as spills happen.
Show your child how to scoop out the pet food and pour into the animals' bowl. Create an independent activity that fits the feed schedule, i.e. once or twice a day.
Rinse recycleables and then sort them together with your child, teaching him or her the names of products and category identification, i.e. plastics, paper, and aluminum items
Set up small table or work space for art, music, and/or planting activities. Place a watering can on a shelf that your child can access. Let your child fill the can and help water plants and flowers.
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