October 2009 Archives

Here are the "Update" photos from the past week. We have seen the dramatic play groups growing in size as the children figure out ways to incorporate others interested in joining the play. It has been exciting to watch the children working collaboratively and helping one another become a part of each other's play themes!

Fun Inside
Here are some photos showing some of the different things taking place in the classroom this week.

Otto and Helena working together to make music on the xylophone

A group of children taking a ride on Evan's "city bus"

Hadley, Nora, Juliet, Alexis, and Riley serving up the "berries" and enjoy a meal together

Oliver and Garrin sharing the "berries" being served in the kitchen

Fun Outside
Regardless of the weather, the children always find ways to have fun outside. With the warming of the temps (slightly) as well as having all the leaves drop from the trees, the children's excitement to explore the playground continues to grow! Here are some photos showing a few of the "new" activities happening on the playground.

Oliver, Garrin, Peyton, and Nigel working together, digging for "dinosaur bones"

The whole has grown in size! Nigel working hard to clear more sand in search of fossils

Helena and Cedrick jumping into the giant leaf pile (while Sarah from Amy's class watches)

Hadley trying out our new rope swing as members of Amy's class look on and wait their turn

Evan intently stirring up a mixture of "witches brew" maybe

We saw a lot of movement and dancing as well as cooperative play and interaction happening this week. Please take a look.

The children were grocery shopping in the dramatic play area.

After connecting the two boxes with nuts and bolts, the children started using them as train cars/seats.

Children were hiding in the "woods" while the "monster" was sleeping.

Children were learning how to swing on a rope, using their upper body and core muscle strength.

Children were climbing over the A-frame ladder and bridge.

Picture 164.avi
The children were dancing and playing instruments in the rug area.

Lesson Plan for Ayuko's Class
Week of November 2nd
Lead Teacher: Elizabeth

Goals:
As children continue to settle in, become familiar with routines, and adjust to goodbyes, we are focusing on the relationships that are forming between them. We are encouraging children to tell each other how they feel when they encounter conflicts and ask each other to play when they are excited about a new activity. We also continue to observe play themes that are cropping up in the classroom, and we try to turn these into curriculum areas or activities whenever possible.

Art:
• Art Table: Different textured materials will be available to place underneath paper (i.e., lace, sand paper, corrugated cardboard) or to use directly for drawing. This provides children with a new and interesting experience and gives sensory feedback, while also developing the grasp on the writing utensil and pre-writing skills.
• Easel: We will add letter-shaped stamping blocks as well as new tools, such as rollers and sponge brushes, to the easel this week. Children will be able to paint with fall colors while exploring these new tools. Painting encourages artistic expression, hand-eye coordination, fine motor control, turn-taking, and the addition of letter shapes will develop letter recognition skills.

Manipulatives:
• Sandpaper letters will be placed at the manipulatives table, which can be traced and explored. This will help children physically experience the shapes of letters. This also develops fine motor control and steady movement.
• Sewing cards are available for practicing the in-and-out pattern of sewing. By repeating this motion, children internalize the concept of patterning, as well as beginning sewing techniques. This activity also builds hand-eye coordination, fine motor control, and patience.
• New and old puzzles depicting woodland animals, fall themes, numbers, and letters will be set out for children to work with. Puzzles are a great way to practice spatial awareness, problem-solving skills, the concept of part-whole, and fine motor development.

Sensory:
• Children will be able to work with shaving cream as a sensory activity. This activity will allow them to become aware of their sense of touch as well as develop their hand and finger muscles.
• At the playdoh table we will be using different tools to make tracks and prints in the dough. This encourages artistic expression as well as develops children's understanding of cause and effect. Fine motor development, the sense of touch, sharing, and social interactions are strengthened through this activity.
• In the water table, children will experience cause and effect when pouring, scooping, and filling, and will use water to manipulate water wheels.

Science:
• Children will be able to learn about and explore magnets this week in the science area. Magnetic wands and different metal and non-metal objects will be available for comparison and discovery. This will expand children's ability to think critically, make comparisons, observe and classify, and make hypotheses. Children will be able to use the magnetic wands throughout the classroom in order to test out different materials.

Dramatic Play:
• The loft area will be transformed into a kitchen this week. Children will be able to shop at the grocery store and then bring groceries home to the kitchen area, which will increase dramatic play and a home-school connection. The confined space of the loft encourages social interaction and negotiation skills, as well as large motor development when climbing in and out of the space.
• The grocery store will be moved to occupy the space in front of the loft, which will increase interaction and flow between these two areas. More literacy elements, such as making shopping lists, writing receipts, and labeling shelves, will be added to this area. Numeracy skills will be strengthened in the form of prices and coins. Children will be encouraged to work together to perform the roles of "cashier," "customer," and "shelf stocker." Children will also practice negotiation and cooperation skills when figuring out how to share popular items such as shopping carts and cash registers.
• Small dramatic play elements such as manipulative people, buildings, and small blocks will be added to the cave to encourage dramatic play in this cozy area. This will encourage social interaction, awareness of one's own body and space, abstract thinking, and a connection to real life.
• Cars and trucks will be available in the construction area, as well as small blocks for road construction.

Language and Literacy:
• In the grocery store, there will be labels on the shelves and writing opportunities when working with receipts or shopping lists. Magnetic letters will encourage letter recognition and manipulation. Pictures illustrating possible scenarios in the grocery store will encourage children to read and understand symbols, which is a pre-literacy skill.
• Letters are available for manipulation and exploration throughout the classroom. Letter puzzles, letter stamps at the easel, and labels will encourage children to become familiar with letters and discover the letters in their names.
• New books relating to the themes in the classroom will be brought out.

Construction:
• The construction area will move into the space previously occupied by the grocery store and kitchen. This will allow for more space to build and to push vehicles. Small unit blocks will be available, which work well as roads for our smaller vehicles. New large vehicles will replace the fire trucks. Having a variety of small and large blocks and vehicles encourages seriation and matching. Construction skills such as stacking build hand-eye coordination, muscle control, planning, cause and effect, cooperation, and impulse control.
• Cardboard boxes and planks that can be connected with plastic nuts and bolts have been available in the construction area. Children are just beginning to explore the possibilities of this project: they are now independently attaching pieces together to create structures, including a car with windshield wipers. These materials will continue to be available, and if any families wish to bring in sturdy cardboard boxes that can be added to our collection of materials, we would gladly receive them (preferably bigger than shoe boxes and smaller than 3-4 feet long). Open-ended materials like this encourage abstract and creative thinking, and the nuts and bolts are good fine motor practice.

Music:
• Maracas, bells, and shakers are available, along with the piano, for musical exploration. During our free play period, we will also periodically play recordings of different genres of music so that children can play along on instruments and dance. Music and creative movement allow children to explore their bodies, their senses, and artistic expression.

Large Group:
• During large group this week we will be adding new songs to our repertoire and reading books that have to do with the themes of the classroom. In addition, singing old favorites will allow children to participate on an ever increasing level. Each song will focus on rhythm or pitch so as to develop these early music skills. Another goal of large group is to extend children's ability to sit in the group, which we will continue to focus on this week.

Large Motor:
• The new gym arrangement has proven to be a challenge and an exciting change. This week children will continue to work on mastering the A-frame climbing structure, which requires them to climb up one incline, over a bar, and down the incline on the other side. This is good practice for spatial awareness, hand-eye coordination, large muscle development, balance, alternation of feet, and upper body strength.
• Children will continue to explore new cars outside. They will be able to help rake up leaves into a pile and decide what we should do with them (jump in? throw away?). We will also have a basketball hoop available for aim, throwing skills, and strength and muscle development.

Snack:
Monday: Banana & Rice Cakes
Wednesday: Letter Cheeze-Its & Apple
Thursday: Graham Crackers & Kiwi

• Picture day will be on Wednesday, November 4th. Please inform one of the teachers (before Wednesday) if you plan to purchase a portrait for your child. This is by no means a requirement. All the children will be photographed together for a class photo after the individual portraits are finished.
• Please continue to let us know of your child's favorite song and send us a You Tube link, CD, or mp3 if you have it!
• We would love to receive medium-sized cardboard boxes for our construction project. These should be larger than a shoe box, big enough for a child to sit in is a good size; smaller ones would be useful too.

Lesson Plan for Frances' Classes

Week of November 2nd

Lead Teacher: Elizabeth

Goals:

As children continue to settle in, become familiar with routines, and adjust to goodbyes, we are focusing on the relationships that are forming between them. We are encouraging children to tell each other how they feel when they encounter conflicts and ask each other to play when they are excited about a new activity. We also continue to observe play themes that are cropping up in the classroom, and we try to turn these into curriculum areas or activities whenever possible.

Art:

* Art Table: Different textured materials will be available to place underneath paper (i.e., lace, sand paper, corrugated cardboard) or to use directly for drawing. This provides children with a new and interesting experience and give sensory feedback, while also developing the grasp on the writing utensil and pre-writing skills.
* Easel: We will add letter-shaped stamping blocks as well as new tools, such as rollers and sponge brushes, to the easel this week. Children will be able to paint with fall colors while exploring these new tools. Painting encourages artistic expression, hand-eye coordination, fine motor control, turn-taking, and the addition of letter shapes will develop letter recognition skills.

Manipulatives:

* Sandpaper letters will be placed at the manipulatives table, which can be traced and explored. This will help children physically experience the shapes of letters. This also develops fine motor control and steady movement.
* Sewing cards are available for practicing the in-and-out pattern of sewing. By repeating this motion, children internalize the concept of patterning, as well as beginning sewing techniques. This activity also builds hand-eye coordination, fine motor control, and patience.
* New and old puzzles depicting woodland animals, fall themes, numbers, and letters will be set out for children to work with. Puzzles are a great way to practice spatial awareness, problem-solving skills, the concept of part-whole, and fine motor development.

Sensory

* Children will be able to work with shaving cream as a sensory activity. This activity will allow them to become aware of their sense of touch as well as develop their hand and finger muscles.
* At the playdoh table we will be using different tools to make tracks and prints in the dough. This encourages artistic expression as well as develops children's understanding of cause and effect. Fine motor development, the sense of touch, sharing, and social interactions are strengthened through this activity.
* In the water table, children will experience cause and effect when pouring, scooping, and filling, and will use water to manipulate water wheels.

Science

* Children will be able to learn about and explore magnets this week in the science area. Magnetic wands and different metal and non-metal objects will be available for comparison and discovery. This will expand children's ability to think critically, make comparisons, observe and classify, and make hypotheses. Children will be able to use the magnetic wands throughout the classroom in order to test out different materials.

Dramatic Play

* The loft area will be transformed into a kitchen this week. Children will be able to shop at the grocery store and then bring groceries home to the kitchen area, which will increase dramatic play and a home-school connection. The confined space of the loft encourages social interaction and negotiation skills, as well as large motor development when climbing in and out of the space.
* The grocery store will be moved to occupy the space in front of the loft, which will increase interaction and flow between these two areas. More literacy elements, such as making shopping lists, writing receipts, and labeling shelves, will be added to this area. Numeracy skills will be strengthened in the form of prices and coins. Children will be encouraged to work together to perform the roles of "cashier," "customer," and "shelf stocker." Children will also practice negotiation and cooperation skills when figuring out how to share popular items such as shopping carts and cash registers.
* Small dramatic play elements such as manipulative people, buildings, and small blocks will be added to the cave to encourage dramatic play in this cozy area. This will encourage social interaction, awareness of one's own body and space, abstract thinking, and a connection to real life.
* Cars and trucks will be available in the construction area, as well as small blocks for road construction.

Language and Literacy

* In the grocery store, there will be labels on the shelves and writing opportunities when working with receipts or shopping lists. Magnetic letters will encourage letter recognition and manipulation. Pictures illustrating possible scenarios in the grocery store will encourage children to read and understand symbols, which is a pre-literacy skill.
* Letters are available for manipulation and exploration throughout the classroom. Letter puzzles, letter stamps at the easel, and labels will encourage children to become familiar with letters and discover the letters in their names.
* New books relating to the themes in the classroom will be brought out.

Construction

* The construction area will move into the space previously occupied by the grocery store and kitchen. This will allow for more space to build and to push vehicles. Small unit blocks will be available, which work well as roads for our smaller vehicles. New large vehicles will replace the fire trucks. Having a variety of small and large blocks and vehicles encourages seriation and matching. Construction skills such as stacking build hand-eye coordination, muscle control, planning, cause and effect, cooperation, and impulse control.
* Cardboard boxes and planks that can be connected with plastic nuts and bolts have been available in the construction area. Children are just beginning to explore the possibilities of this project: they are now independently attaching pieces together to create structures, including a car with windshield wipers. These materials will continue to be available, and if any families wish to bring in sturdy cardboard boxes that can be added to our collection of materials, we would gladly receive them (preferably bigger than shoe boxes and smaller than 3-4 feet long). Open-ended materials like this encourage abstract and creative thinking, and the nuts and bolts are good fine motor practice.

Music

* Maracas, bells, and shakers are available, along with the piano, for musical exploration. During our free play period, we will also periodically play recordings of different genres of music so that children can play along on instruments and dance. Music and creative movement allow children to explore their bodies, their senses, and artistic expression.

Large Group

* During large group this week we will be adding new songs to our repertoire and reading books that have to do with the themes of the classroom. In addition, singing old favorites will allow children to participate on an ever increasing level. Each song will focus on rhythm or pitch so as to develop these early music skills. Another goal of large group is to extend children's ability to sit in the group, which we will continue to focus on this week.

Large Motor

* The new gym arrangement has proven to be a challenge and an exciting change. This week children will continue to work on mastering the A-frame climbing structure, which requires them to climb up one incline, over a bar, and down the incline on the other side. This is good practice for spatial awareness, hand-eye coordination, large muscle development, balance, alternation of feet, and upper body strength.
* Children will continue to explore new cars outside. They will be able to help rake up leaves into a pile and decide what we should do with them (jump in? throw away?). We will also have a basketball hoop available for aim, throwing skills, and strength and muscle development.

Announcements

* Photos are being taken on November 3rd and 4th, Tuesday and Wednesday. Please email us over the weekend if you plan to purchase a portrait for your child. This is by no means a requirement. All the children will be photographed together for a class photo after the individual portraits are finished.
* Please continue to let us know of your child's favorite song, and send us a You Tube link, CD, or mp3 if you have it!
* We would love to receive medium-sized cardboard boxes for our construction project. These should be larger than a shoe box but not huge. Just about big enough for a child to sit in is a good size; smaller ones would be useful too.

Snack
Tuesday: Kiwi and Goldfish
Friday: No school - teacher training day

What a wonderful week! The children enjoyed using the animals and trucks to make impressions in the playdough. The sewing cards, while difficult, were attempted and children also used them to "take their animals for a walk." Thanks to the music samples sent in and suggested by many families we were able to tailor our informal singing to match favorites from home, and children used the mallets and tone blocks with an increasing sense of rhythm. A small group of children explored some new trucks out in the hallway, building off each other's ideas to try things like driving the trucks on the wall, off the stairs and crashing them into the wall. The new gym provided new challenges, ball tossing, and climbing on the "mat mountain." On Friday, we used an old fashioned apple peeler to core and peel our apples before cutting them and shaking on some cinnamon. The orangey color of the final applesauce matched the orange shirts worn by several children in preparation for Halloween. New painting implements were an enticement to try a new way to make marks on paper and letter stamps were also very popular. A space shuttle and a road were built in the block area and the children chanted "up and down" as they physically walked on the high and low sections of the road. The shoppers swiped their groceries and one child suddenly announced while at the cash register, with a look of mild panic on his face, "I need money!" Another child brought him one of our mock credit cards to swipe in the "machine." The cave was converted into a doll house and children enjoyed bathing the babies in the tiny bathtubs and sitting the mom and dad dolls on the sofas with their bendable bodies. If your child talks about going outside to look for a fire truck - that is true - we did our first "fire drill" today. We gathered at the back door and went upstairs to look out the window for a fire truck. It did not show. We will do a monthly check to practice exiting the classroom safely and comfortably and then in May a real fire truck WILL appear. We feel the children are too young to understand the safety concepts of a drill, but we do need to know that we can safely evacuate them from the classroom.

Beck walking his dog

Henry Decker exploring sandpaper blocks.

Andreas playing the tone blocks.

Small group in the foyer experimenting with trucks.

Driving trucks on the wall.

Brenna with balls in the gym.

Singing in the gym with Teacher Bob.

Max painting with rollers.

Naomi and her mom helping peel some apples.

Eating our applesauce.

Jade and Quinn walking on the "up and down" road.

Abbie playing with the doll house.

Eleanor giving the baby a bath.

Outside many children enjoyed the "cozy coupe" cars -

Balls were popular - for carrying,

This age group loves to carry their favorite things around.

And Raya and Lucia played some basketball,

And we imagine children are seeing raking at home, so many of them knew just what to do with the rakes.

The sensory/creative group includes: Bennett, Arthur, David, Clare, Ella, and Sarah. Since these are some of the youngest children in the classroom, we are working on forming a sense of togetherness and making connections with each other as a small group. So far, the children have been engaged in sensory activities like playing with playdough and painting, both activities that promote social interaction. The children have been working together on their creations, helping each other, sharing materials, talking to each other about their work, sharing ideas, and exploring and manipulating materials as a group. As our group meetings progress, we will continue to explore different types of art which will eventually lead to a group art project.

Our group members are Jonah, Jacob, Nora, Jillian, Piper, and Holden. Although we have only had a few meetings, the children are excited to learn more about the animals that they already love, and have expressed interest in learning about unfamiliar animals. We spent the first two days of small groups looking through various animal books, and very quickly, the children expressed interest in animals that live in the water and animal babies. On Wednesday, we observed Lead Teacher Ross's classroom animals, which are a crayfish, two rats, and hissing cockroaches. The children had the opportunity to feed the rats and the cockroaches, and witnessed the cockroaches fighting. Aside from studying animals, we have also discussed that part of this experience is learning what it means to be in a small group. The children will help guide the direction of the learning based on their interests and curiosities. They will follow teacher directed activities at times and have plenty of opportunities to share ideas and practice conversational turn taking. I am very excited to work closely with the children in our group, and I can not wait to see where their ideas take us!

Augie, Mike, Sam, and Alex are in the music small group. So far they have been learning about some different percussion instruments and the part that they contribute in music: rhythm. During our first meeting the children played drums, maracas, rhythm sticks, and a tambourine. They were especially taken with the rhythm sticks. We used them to tap out the beat to a song we had learned earlier that day. During the second meeting, Amy and the children figured out that if you add different amounts of water to glass jars they make different pitched sounds when tapped. At our most recent meeting, the children made shaker instruments. The children had the choice of putting corks, buttons, popcorn, or wood shavings into their cups, and then figured out which ones made louder or softer sounds. The children really liked making their own instruments and have been interested in guitars, so next time we will try making box guitars, and talk about how a guitar contributes to a band. By making different instruments the children can see more clearly how a certain instrument produces a variety of sounds. Throughout this group experience the children will experience both the creative and scientific/mathematical elements of music.

Hello Parents,
We are well into our fifth week of the school year, and many of the children have already formed meaningful relationships with peers and the teachers. As a result, it seems as though the play between the children has become more exciting and more animated.

Since the addition of the sand table this week, the children have started many dramatic play schemes using the woodland animals, colorful amphibians, rocks, and sticks. Currently, the children love pretending that some of the snakes are snake babies still in their eggs. Initially, one child decided that the snake babies should be buried in the sand to keep the eggs warm and safe. Soon many of the children at the sand table buried there eggs. When the children decided that it was time for the snake babies to hatch they would call, "Mommy, mommy the babies are going to come out!" It was a popular play scenario that drew children to the sand table so they could see what was happening. Many of the children also enjoyed constructing houses in the sand table for their animals to live in. Often after a baby snake just hatched, the children would invite their neighbors over to see and play with the new baby.

As part of our focus on life cycles and seasonal cycles, the teachers have had many conversations with the children about how animals prepare for winter. The children have many ideas about what the animals do during the winter, where they will go, and what the animals will eat. We spent a morning meeting discussing, as a class, what the squirrels will do with all of the nuts that they collect. The children had many great ideas about when the nuts would be eaten and how they would be saved and stored. For example, one child said that the squirrels eat all the nuts after they are collected. Another child said that they dig a hole and save the nuts for later, while a third child thought that the squirrels ate some of the nuts right after they are collected, but also saved some of them to eat later. When asked what would happen if the squirrels forgot where they buried some of the nuts, the children made the connection that a plant would grow!

In an attempt to draw more animals to our playground, the children had the opportunity to make bird and squirrel feeders. The children spread sun-nut butter on pinecones before rolling them in birdseed. Once we got out to the playground, the children chose where they wanted their pinecone feeders to be hung. While hanging the feeders, teachers asked the children who they thought would be eating from the feeders. We also wondered how long it would be before the bird noticed the new food. The next time we went outside, the children quickly noticed that only the string from the feeders was left on the trees. Some of the children asked "Who took them?" while others answered, "The animals ate them up!" One child thought that an owl might have eaten the feeders, while other children thought that the squirrels ate them. One child even suggested that an eagle ate it because eagles are big enough to take the pinecones.

The teachers quickly noticed that the children in our class love to paint! Using skinny paint brushes and collage materials, the children have created many colorful and three-dimensional masterpieces. Additionally, some of the children have enjoyed painting their names, and the names of their family members using the smaller brushes. We hope you are enjoying all the lovely artwork the children are bringing home!

Sincerely,
Katie

Dear Families:

Small groups are underway! Our group is focusing on music and movement. The children in the group include: Chae Eun, Will, Athena, Lilly, Nick, and Eleanor. Each time we meet, we begin by singing some of our favorite songs from large group, home, etc. The repetition of these songs and actions allows children to develop a sense of mastery, while expanding their musical repertoire. In addition, we end each small group meeting with a dancing/creative movement activity, which is a great way to celebrate our time together, and burn off energy!

During our past meetings, we have discussed that some music is loud (and often fast), while other music is soft and slow. Over the next few weeks, we will also begin to explore different types of musical instruments. Whenever possible, real instruments will be brought in for the children to explore, learn how they are played, and use them in creating music. Art projects will also be planned which will allow children to create their own instruments out of everyday materials.

If you have any musical instruments at home, or if any of the children take lessons and they would like to bring in their instrument and share their talent with the group, please let me know! Also, if you have any connections to field trip possibilities that would incorporate music, instruments, and preschoolers, please feel free to share those with me as well.

Thanks!

Emily

Dear Families,

Hello! Your child is in my small group this fall. Small groups consist of six children who have shown an interest in a particular area. Groups meet twice a week for twenty minutes. My small group will focus on food and cooking. Children in this group are: Noah, Savarra, Carolina, Addison, Carolyn, and Eric. This week, we have discussed some of our favorite foods to eat and cook. We are looking forward to learning about a variety of foods, and cooking snack for our class in the kitchen each week.

Family involvement can help our small group experience to be even better! Families can be involved in several ways:
* Please take a moment to talk with your child about his or her favorite foods, and anything you like to cook or eat together as a family. Record any information on the attached form, and feel free to send in copies of favorite recipes that we could make at school (for health and safety reasons, all food we make must be cooked, not raw, and peanut-free).
*Consider coming in one day to share a recipe or food with our small group.
* Think about any connections you may have to food-related resources in the community. Field trips are a great way to build children's background knowledge and promote inquiry. Related field trip sites include: grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries, food-processing facilities, or farms.

Thanks!

Jessica Patridge
Student Teacher, Nyna's Classroom

Please Return to Nyna's Classroom.

Our favorite foods to eat together are:
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

Things we like to cook at home:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please indicate below if you are interested in coming into the classroom to: share a recipe and cook with children / share a food item that you find unique, interesting, or important:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Any ideas or resources for field trips?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you!!

Dear parents,

After beginning our small group on animals by going outside and recording our observations of animals we found around the school, we have now been looking through different animal books to see if there is common interest in certain animals. The children looked at bird, reptile, and mammal picture books and recorded in their journals about the animals that interested them the most. Cats and tigers seemed to intrigue all of the children. To follow on this interest we will begin to look more closely at what makes a cat a house pet or a wild animal. Habitats have also been observed this last week and our group will look at how a tiger or cat's habitat provides it with food, water, and shelter. The children will also explore cat paw tracks. We will discuss the differences in size and shape and how their paws help them live well in their habitat. If you have any ideas or would like to share some expertise please let me know.
Thank you,
Lisa

Dear families, It has been such a joy to see the children getting more comfortable with each other and the classroom. They have quickly become accustomed to our daily routines! Even when the schedule changes, has it has done due to weather during the last couple weeks; the children have really gone with the flow. Despite not being outside as much as we want to, we have brought a lot of nature inside to explore. Leaves, twigs, and berries have been used to paint with and on as well as to make play dough habitats. Many children are also exploring the pumpkins, squashes, and gourds at the science table. There has been a lot of dissection and discussion about what is inside these vegetables. The addition of the water table has brought more children together in parallel play where they can share ideas and make connections with each other. More friendships are forming and we are helping to support these new relationships by drawing attention to their similar interests. It is so rewarding to make connections with each child and learn more about what they are interested in. During free play we see their interests and curiosities which help us to plan activities in our classroom accordingly. Our small groups will follow the same philosophy of allowing the children's interests to guide the activities. It is sure to be an exciting fall!

We would love to have your help in our classroom. Books, songs, and stories can be brought to share or just come as you are. The children love to show what they know and what they do in class! So, if you are able, please come and spend some time in our classroom.

On Thursdays, homework notebooks will come home along with an assignment. Please bring these back on the following Monday.
Also, please remember to bring your family pictures in. The children love to share stories about their families and they are curious about the families of their classmates.

Our small groups have begun! We are just beginning to zero in on our groups interests in music, cooking, and animals. The children are excited to go to their small group areas to learn more about these topics and discuss their common interests.

It is getting colder and has been pretty windy these last few weeks. We want to be able to spend more time outside as the children really love to be out on the playground! Please remember to pack and label warm outer wear for your child as this helps us to get outside as quickly as possible. Hats, mittens, and boots are really great for these colder and wet days and help the children to play comfortably outside.

It has been very exciting to see the children enjoying each other and I am really looking forward to getting to know them better.
Thank you, Lisa

This last week the children experienced a number of changes not just to the environment, but also the daily schedule. Small groups started last week with Emily, Jessica, and Lisa each leading a group of six children. The children were very engaged while exploring their small group topics of music, food, and animals. The addition of the water table was another exciting change in our room. The water table continues to expand children's background knowledge of aquatic habitats and animals while strengthening social skills such as sharing and collaborative planning. The writing center, mailbox, and post office props continue to be central areas for children to explore ideas of the post office, mail, and concepts of print. In addition, small animal toys were an important part of children's activities in many areas of the room. Children built habitats in the caves, block areas, and play dough table, while exploring ideas of hibernation and the onset of winter. This coming week, the children's interest in the post office and autumn/habitats will be expanded in several ways. The back of the room will be transformed into a post office with a variety of props, including boxes, envelopes, mailbags and stamps. The class will also write a letter to themselves or their families during large group, then the class will take a field trip to our local post office where children will mail the letters to their home address. This will build children's knowledge of the purpose of mail.

Expressive materials:
-The collage table will have a variety of leaves and natural materials for children to experiment with in their creation of art. Last week, several children explored the properties of tracing paper with colored pencils, markers, and collage. To build on this interest, tracing paper, transparent colored paper, and tissue paper will be provided at the art table. In addition, to extend children's experience with the musical instruments they encounter in the music cave, materials such as paper towel rolls, boxes, and rubber bands will be provided for children to construct their own musical instruments. These items strengthen children's symbolic representation, creative, and fine motor skills.
-Tempera paint in fall colors will continue to be available at the easel area. Painting implements such as large and small brushes, pinecones, and flowers will be provided. In addition, this week, sponges will be added for children to experiment with. Small branches with leaves will be placed in the easel area to encourage observational painting. These items develop children's fine motor, eye-hand coordination and visual discrimination skills.
-The middle cave will now house a variety of musical instruments such as hand drums, chimes, xylophones, and sleigh bells. These musical instruments develop children's psychomotor, affective, and perceptual skills. In addition, they promote aesthetic appreciation, the development of rhythm and beat, and listening skills.

Sensory:
-The water table will continue to be available for free exploration, along with large rocks, plastic aquatic plants, foam lily pads, and small plastic aquatic animals. The water table encourages scientific inquiry: for example, children's cognitive skills are developed when they conduct floating and sinking experiments, observe how rocks displace water, and compare the behavior of different objects above and beneath water. In addition, the water table promotes social growth by encouraging children to share and collaborate.

-The play dough table will continue to build on children's interests in animal habitat construction. Wood discs, moss, twigs, rocks, dried wood, pinecones, and other natural materials will be available along with play dough for animal habitat construction. This area builds on our classroom discussions of tree parts and animal homes while providing a way for children to exercise creative and imaginative skills. In addition, this center promotes collaborative planning and scientific identification of natural materials.

- The back of the room will be transformed into a post office. A small table and shelf will create a small, room-like space to extend children's dramatic play with post office props. Mail carrier shirts, pants, hats, and bags will continue to encourage children to role-play at the post office. In addition, the postage stamps, envelopes, office stamps, staplers, tape, and paper will be moved into this area to provide more room for mail construction at the post office. An "address book" with children's pictures will also promote the delivery of mail within the classroom. We will add to this area based on children's suggestions and interests after our trip to the local post office.
- The first cave will continue to house the peg people with children's pictures, small wooden cars, and wooden houses. This area promotes children's fine motor skills, perspective taking, divergent thinking, and communication skills. In addition, the pictorial representation on the pegs encourages children to learn each others' names and faces.
-Babies, stuffed pets, and pet-related props such as leashes, bowls, and play food will continue to be available in the third cave. These toys remain a great way for children to initiate cooperative play throughout the room, and expand imaginative play in the housekeeping area. In addition, children learn to compromise and negotiate with one another when sharing the toys in this area.

- Square stackers will be added to this center to promote color identification, height and length comparisons, counting skills, eye-hand coordination, motor planning, and visual discrimination skills.
-Wooden Montessori stacking puzzles will be added to promote counting skills, numeric identification, motor planning, and eye-hand coordination.
- Large pegboards with plastic pegs continue to foster 1-1 correspondence, counting/patterning, and the continued development of perceptual motor skills.

- Assorted animal and post office puzzles foster fine motor development, visual discrimination, hand-eye coordination, shape recognition and part-whole relations.
Science Center
-The science center will continue to focus on natural items related to fall harvest and seasonal change. Children will have the opportunity to cut into several more gourds and pumpkins, wash, dissect and germinate different seeds. A large scale is available for weight comparison of pumpkins and gourds. Leaves in various states of color change and decay encourage children to consider the process of seasonal change and decomposition. Children will be encouraged to sketch observations in their journals. These activities promote the development of logical thinking, the scientific process, and the application of observational knowledge to hypothesis construction.

-The book center continues to house books related to animal habitats and fall, as well as some classic children's stories that build children's awareness of narrative structure, rhyme, and repetition. Books related to the post office and mail delivery will also be added to the book area to expand our post office explorations.
- The writing center contains a variety of paper, pencils, markers, as well as some animal stamps. In order to promote alphabetic identification, ABC stamps and small ABC books will be added to this area. This center remains an area in which children's awareness of print and fine motor skills are developed.

- The block center will become an area in which children and teachers will construct a large, three-dimensional tree out of cardboard and paper. This activity will extend connections between our school-wide curriculum on trees, exploration of animal habitats, and classroom interest in construction and painting. Children will have the opportunity to guide the construction of the tree and paint it, which will develop their spatial planning, problem-solving, compromise and communication skills. Tree-house and tree-dwelling animal books will be placed in this area to foster dramatic play with the tree.
-The small block area will continue to house a collection of small plastic animals. Children will be encouraged to use the small blocks and the animals together to promote spatial skills and cooperative play.

-This past week, several dance students came outside and to the gym to lead children in movement activities. Children performed actions to the song "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" and sang the song "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes." Children also balanced bean bags on different body parts while singing along to "The Beanie Bag Dance." Children also had the opportunity to explore the many areas of the smaller toddler playground. These activities developed children's coordination, body part identification, spatial awareness, and balance skills.
-The gym has a new set-up this week! The monkey bars have rope hanging from them to foster dramatic play and develop children's upper body strength. The large blue "doughnut" mat has been placed on its side so that children can crawl through it into the small play structure. This also fosters dramatic play inside the play structure while developing upper body strength, coordination, and muscular endurance. In addition, the back of the gym includes a target for kicking/throwing soft balls and bean bags. This fosters children's dynamic balance and propulsion skills. The mats have been set up in a pyramid/stair-step shape to foster children's dynamic balance, flexibility, and agility. Finally, the A-frame ladder is set up in a triangle shape. Children are able to work on their locomotion and balance skills with this familiar structure.
-Children will continue to have the familiar shovels, rakes, wheelbarrows, and tricycles available on the playground. Binoculars will also be provided for children in order to encourage observation of our schoolyard trees, birds, and squirrels in an attempt to bridge our classroom discussion of animal habitat and seasonal change with its real-life manifestations.

Snack:
Mon. Pineapple & Graham Crackers
Wed. Cheddar Bunnies
Thurs. Pretzels
Special Interest:
- If you have any envelope sealers that look like postage stamps and are not using them, we would love have them. They usually begin coming in the mail from different charities this time of year.

Dear Families,

The first weeks of school have been filled with learning and community building. It has been exciting watching the children share their thoughts and interests at large group and at the snack table. They continue to build new friendships, deepen existing relationships, and strengthen their social interaction skills. We observe the children's play and conversations and change the room to reflect the interests of the children. With each new change, they find new peers to interact with in the cozy hibernation cave, dress up together in fancy dresses, show each other their three dimensional art at the play dough table, and race each other with cars on roads and ramps.
Our discussion of life cycles and changing trees has allowed the children to use their senses through observation of trees around the school and exploration of textures and colors while rubbing different leaves. At large group we enjoyed creative singing and dancing to songs about falling leaves and apples. The children continue to express new ideas about why trees are important, such as the production of food, the provision of living spaces for animals, and the protection their shade offers. The surprise snowstorm also provided us with the opportunity to see the trees on our playground covered with snow. The class's investigation into the cycle of the seasons also continues to focus on fall harvesting, animal hibernation, and seed growth. The children washed, cut, and eventually ate the fruits of their labor in a delicious vegetable soup. A hibernation cave as well as various woodland animals in the sand table encouraged the students to engage in symbolic representation and dramatic play as they created nooks for the animals to hide. Together we also placed various seeds in baggies, and we look forward to watching them sprout and develop into different plants.
Small groups recently began, and we excitedly await the new discoveries of the "cooking," "transportation," and "frogs" small groups. These groups give the children a chance to explore topics they find interesting in a focused manner where they can listen to and learn from their peers. We listen to the ideas of each child and use it to guide the investigations in a meaningful way for each member of the group.
Thank you all so much for your support and interest. All of the items from home, including pictures, leaves, and natural items helped enrich the children's learning experiences. I want to thank you for sharing your children and their early learning experiences with me. My student teaching has been filled with joy, learning, and excitement, for me as well as for the children. I look forward to the upcoming weeks with enthusiastic anticipation. I feel privileged to work with so many wonderful children and families.

Thank you,
Elizabeth Criswell

Overview
To continue our exploration of the natural world, the class will go on a nature walk to the knoll near campus. On the walk, the children will search for different natural items such as leaves, sticks, trees, and animals. As our overall themes of trees and life cycles have emerged, we have further discussed seeds and how they grow into trees and plants. The children continue to observe daily changes to the sprouted pumpkin seed that we planted in the science area. The children's interest in animals has us discussing various animals. These small and large group discussions are continuous, as the children have made pinecone feeders for the animals outside, played with the various frogs, turtles, and forest animals in the sand table, and played with stuffed animals from the cave. The children have continued to learn about what animals eat, where they live, and how they behave.
Creative Arts
-At the art table, the children will continue to use natural collage materials (straw, wooden shapes, dried leaves and flowers, wooden beads, and popsicle sticks) as well as a variety of paint. This activity has allowed children to practice using control in their small motor skills as they pinch, paste, and use skinny paint brushes. Adding tin foil as a medium adds a new interest to this area and while creating, children will discover how painting on smooth, shiny tin foil may feel or look different than painting on plain paper.
-The easel continues to have red, green, yellow, blue, and orange paint. The children have enjoyed mixing colors together to form new colors and have displayed emotional development as they comfortably create, and proudly show others their paintings.
Sensory
-The sand table, complete with forest animals, sticks, and trees, continues to follow a forest/nature theme. These materials give children the opportunity to interact with their peers and participate in dramatic play. The sand table has also encouraged behaviors and skills such as: molding and shaping, pouring, digging, and burying.
-To add new interest to the playdough table, the children will be using modeling playdough. This will allow the children to sculpt the playdough and let their creations dry and harden for later display or use.
Science
-The children continue to observe different types of seeds: Seeds from plants, vegetables, and fruit. They have been excited by the growth and changes in the sprouting pumpkin seed we planted. This experience enhances the children's awareness and knowledge of life cycles. The children learn how seeds grow into plants and what plants need to grow.
-Data collection grids encourage the children to record their findings when weighing the gourds on the scale. Clipboards for the children to draw the seeds and gourds encourage them to make observations and pay attention to physical properties.
Math and Manipulatives
-New puzzles and games will be added to keep the area interesting and challenging.
-Seriation puzzles/games will allow children to practice ordering pictures and objects by size (For example, smallest to largest).
-Sequencing puzzles/games will encourage children to recognize and think about changes over time. They will practice ordering pictures by sequence. (For example, from seed to sprout to tree).
-The mobilos and popoids have continued to foster children's small motor skills during construction. The children have also shown their creativity and imagination as they create symbolic representations of things such as cars, robots, spaceships, people, and food. These creations have often been a catalyst to social interactions as the children engage in imaginary play together and share ideas with each other.
Language and Literacy
-The light table will have pictures for children to trace: A house, acorn, and tree. Tracing activities encourage children to practice using proper grip when using writing materials and they help strengthen children's muscles in preparation for small motor skills like writing.
-The children have been interested in writing letters and making books. To honor these interests, we will display a list of common words and phrases used in writing letters.
-The children will also begin forming a classroom dictionary where they will think of words they would like to know how to spell and use in their writing.
-Opportunities in the writing center help develop children's small motor skills and allow children to practice using writing tools as well as learn letters and letter sounds.
-To develop letter recognition and encourage children to practice spelling their names, letter cookie cutters continue to be available at the playdough table.
Blocks
-The children have continued to enjoy using the large hollow blocks to construct houses and automobiles. To expand the children's play, introduce new play themes, and promote the development of role playing, we will be adding construction tools to the area.
-The road mat in the unit block area has encouraged children to engage in dramatic play as they drive their cars to different places in the neighborhood: The airport, gas station, police station, and more. The mat has also been encouraging children to practice and learn important social skills such as negotiation, cooperation, and conflict/resolution.
Symbolic Play
-To support the children's interest and enjoyment in playing "restaurant" during snack time, small notepads and the gradual development of a menu in the dramatic play area will encourage role playing as chefs, servers, and diners. Dramatic play clothes and accessories that will be added to support this play theme include: Aprons, hats, dresses, wallets, and purses.
-The children have also demonstrated symbolic play in the sand table when playing with the forest animals as well as in the cave with the stuffed animals.
Large Motor
-Children have been practicing throwing, kicking, and catching skills, hand-eye coordination, control and accuracy/aim by tossing small balls into buckets. Ribbons and scarves are available for children to use as dramatic play props as well as to enhance creative movement activities. A mat mountain, which invites children to climb and jump on, fosters depth perception and spatial awareness. The children have also enjoyed jumping into large bean-bags which enhances their core and lower body strength, balance, body control, and accuracy. A large donut will be attached to the slide, which will promote the development of spatial awareness, flexibility, and balance. Swings at the monkey bars that encourage children to swing, climb, and crawl across promote the development of upper body strength, core strength (as they lift their legs up onto the bars while hanging), muscular endurance, and balance. The ladder bridge between two A-frames continues to promote the development of upper body, lower body, and core strength as well as depth perception, spatial awareness, coordination, and balance.
Playground
-The abundance of fallen leaves on the playground has prompted the teachers to have many rakes available on the playground and the children have thoroughly enjoyed the experience of raking and gathering leaves. Raking promotes the development of the children's upper body strength, muscular endurance, and coordination.
-The children also continue to enjoy riding bikes, digging holes in the sand with shovels, and collecting and transporting leaves, sticks, and sand in buckets, wheel barrels and wagons. They have also been using ropes as a dramatic play prop, to gather and carry bundles of sticks, and to tie onto sturdy playground equipment like monkey bars and swing from. These activities promote the development of upper body, lower body, and core strength, coordination, endurance, and balance.
-The children will continue to check their bird feeders on the playground to see if any of the squirrels and birds are attracted to their feeders. This will also help the children gain knowledge about the animals through their observations of those that do visit their feeders.
Snack
All snacks are served with milk and water
Monday: Sunflower Butter Sandwiches
Tuesday: Granola by class
Wednesday: Popcorn
Thursday: Letter Cheese-Its & Banana
Friday: Muffins by Ross' class

Goals:
As children become even more comfortable with the classroom routines and become more confident at school, more of their individual characters are showing through. With this increased ease and comfort, play is becoming more involved and new abilities are being unveiled. We will watch and observe these abilities and find ways to support them and scaffold them. While we continue to foster social interactions, we will continue to support their awareness of the magnificent natural living world around them.

Art
• Art table: We continue our exploration of collages by providing glue and natural materials at the art table. More children are beginning to find creative expression with this different medium. When the rains stop we hope to get outside to collect more leaves, sticks, and other natural and found objects to add to our collages. These works of art will be on display in our classroom "tree house".
*We will look to the children for creative ideas to add to the tree house to make it their own. To support them in this we will position a leaf-making tray next to the treehouse. On it will be postit notes in fall colors to rip and attach as "leaves." Scissors, tape, crayons and construction paper will also be there for those who want to try these next level skills.
• Painting on easel: The warm "fall" colors red, orange, yellow, and brown will continue on the easel this week, but other painting tools (brayers) will be supplied, offering a different experience from the traditional paint brush. Painting offers the valuable experiences of artistic expression, hand-eye coordination, and color mixing.

*Manipulatives
• Stacking cups remain popular, demonstrating seriation and rank ordering to size, along with other manipulatives emphasizing numbers and counting. To enhance hand-eye coordination, motor planning, and fine-motor development, we will have large beads, string, and sewing cards available. We also plan to make applesauce on Friday which will involve the children in cutting apples.
• More alphabet puzzles will also be introduced to help children with letter recognition and early phonemic awareness, continuing a response to a notable increase in letter interest. Puzzles help to improve spatial awareness, an understanding of part-whole relationships, and fine motor development.

*Sensory
* This week in the play doh area we shift emphasis and tie in concepts of the natural world by providing small woodland animal toys with which the children can make casts and animal tracks. With a finer play doh they might even be able to make an impression of a leaf, as well as small twigs and seeds. Along with sensory feedback, these manipulations are not unlike scientific inquiry and investigation, creating a record, an 'impression' of an organism--examining the evidence of an animal not seen.
• The water table, filled with rocks, toy boats, and water animals such as frogs, fish, and turtles, has been very busy. The rocks have been a surprising source of interest. New and different ones will be added. A lot of learning transfer takes place here. The children observe each other and learn new small motor skills , such as pincer grasp, and fine muscular control with the turkey basters , and encounter the physical properties of water and objects in water.

Science
• Harvest time gourds are replacing the wildflowers. (It has already been discovered that some float in the water table.) We will be cutting open some of the gourds during the week to see what's inside. Will it look like the insides of an orange pumpkin?
• The book cave remains a quiet place for a read, and quiet social interactions, though there is a chance that it could also become part of the habitat of a woodland animal, perhaps a raccoon, or a squirrel, or even a wolf den--small life histories of other species.

*Dramatic Play
•The kitchen will now give way to a grocery area, with carts, a check out counter and a card swipe to pay for the groceries. It has been evident to us that even in this last week play skills are changing and increasing. We feel the new scenario will provide more dramatic scripts from their life experiences. Knowing something about shopping, they will be able to experiment and learn about it themselves.
**If there is a particular store or shopping routine that your child knows, share it with us, please, and we may be able to incorporate it and support your child's play.
We will be adding familiar elements from our homes, such as empty food packages (i.e., macaroni and cheese boxes), in order to foster the home-school connection.
**Please continue to send in empty food containers (no sharp metal edges, glass, or containers of nut products) of favorite foods of your family to be added to our grocery store for pretend play.
• Babies and pets will remain close to our dramatic play area in order to expand upon the caretaking theme and provide comfort items if needed. Engaging in caretaking play helps the children to feel empowered and responsible, and symbolic play expands the children's abstract thinking and encourages social interaction.
• A new fall wardrobe of dress up clothes will be added to the dramatic play area, complementing the creative drama of the grocery store.

*Language and Literacy
• We all listen carefully for emerging words and speech, acknowledging and supporting new language abilities while encouraging them to learn from each other. New topics and dramatic scenarios will create new opportunities for language and communication. Many children are suddenly verbalizing their alphabetic awareness, which we will continue to support with puzzles and many other active opportunities for alphabetic and phonemic awareness in our daily and numerous conversations.

***Construction
• Having moved out of the (woodland) loft, the tool shop is now a compact place for 'bolting' together various lengths of cardboard panels. Turning a bolt with a screwdriver is a very challenging small motor skill which many of the children readily and eagerly undertake, demonstrating a great deal of persistence and concentration.
*Several types of blocks are available for the roadwork that often occurs in the back. The smaller blocks have come into play as building that the fire engines can save. Building blocks are wonderful spatial, motor, creative and cognitive tools for the young mind and body.

**Music
*Beginning this week, teachers will offer small, brief listening (and perhaps dancing) sessions based on music they have selected from their collections, offering a wide variety of creative music expression from around the world. Together, children will become familiar with different aesthetic expressions from diverse cultures.
*Parents, if you have a favorite music on a CD that you or your child would like to share with us, please feel free to bring it in or download the song to us.

**Large Group
• This week, in addition to songs and stories, we will begin to add more conversation to our large group meetings, modeling the exchange of information and social skills in a large group. Topics will be related to our woodland nature theme, and other topics of interest to all in the room.
• In addition to a variety of small instruments such as shakers, drums, and small glockenspiels, rhythm sticks debuted in the gym this past week and will be enjoyed in many a rhythm session to come, exercising fine motor skills with music and whole body rhythm.

***Large Motor
Swings at the monkey bars foster climbing, hanging, muscular endurance, upper body strength, balance, and vestibular movement. There will be a donut tunnel attached to the slide supporting skills such as spatial awareness, flexibility, balance, risk taking, and core muscle strength. Ball play will be featured for target practice (kicking and throwing). This fosters throwing, aim, hand-eye coordination, visual, catching and trapping, and kicking. A-Frame and bridge support climbing, balance, turn taking, hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, alternation of feet, upper body strength. Mat Mountain has been designed for climbing up and down and jumping. This activity fosters risk taking, spatial awareness, and depth perception.
• Various sized soft, light balls are an exciting addition to the gym and to outside. They are for carrying, throwing, kicking and rolling, generating dynamic body movement, coordination and social cooperation.
*New cars, trucks, rakes, sieves, buckets, shovels, wheelbarrows, the play platform and kitchenware will continue to be a focus outdoors. The children learn coordination and strengthen large muscle groups through running, pulling and pushing cars and trucks, and scooping.

Snack:
Tuesday: Bananas and TLC Crackers
Friday: Homemade applesauce and Chex Cereal

Announcements:

While we know many families may be celebrating Halloween with their children, we have learned from past experience that a preschool classroom is not the place for costumes. They get ruined, they upset other children and they add to the business of an already busy place. We would love to see a PHOTO of your child in their costume if that helps, but do not plan to observe the holiday at school. We do plan to make applesauce on Friday.

The Parent Advisory Committee is planning a subcommittee meeting to begin planning the Spring Soiree. Traci Esades, the parent in charge, has planned the meeting for November 2nd at 7:00pm. If you would like to participate and give a hand with this event (our biggest fundraiser, all of which goes towards parent scholarships!) please plan to attend, or contact Traci or one of the staff members for more information. Her number is in the school directory which was recently emailed to everyone by Kelley. She is from Dalia's classroom. Thanks!

Overview and Goals

Our classroom continues to explore and investigate the seasonal changes. Last week we started meeting in our small groups. Elizabeth is facilitating the "Transportation" small group including, Antonio, Aubrey, Charlie Elliot, Delilah, Leo, and Raymond. Mary Beth is facilitating the "Cooking" small group including, Alper, Frances, Georgia, Isaac, Maddie, James and Ruby. Natalie is facilitating the "Frogs" small group including, Aoife, Charlie D, Harper, Inga, and Rosie. During the first weeks, we focus on supporting the children's curiosity and awareness of the chosen topics. The teachers also prepare activities to provide the children with opportunities to explore the topics from different standpoints; we will keep you posted!
The children have noticed the hibernating animals in one of our caves; this week we will discuss and continue to explore this phenomenon.

Expressive Arts

~Painting at the easel continues to be a popular choice. To support children's observations about color and to spark their curiosity in mixing colors we have added blue paint to the fall colors of red, yellow, orange, and green.
~The children will have the opportunity to paint cardboard doors and windows which we will add to the hollow blocks to continue to spark their building opportunities.
~We will continue to support children's exploration of shapes and textures of different natural items by including sturdy paper, glue, and a variety of items collected outdoors and use these for collages.
~An assortment of construction paper continues to be available for the children, along with skinny and thick markers, colored pencils, and crayons to express themselves freely.
~Scissors and glue sticks along with glue bottles continue to available to add to children's creations.
~Our "forest" of trees painted by the children remains around the loft. The loft continues to be our "leaf creating" center. The children continue to add leaves they have made daily to the trees using paper, leaves, scissors, tape, and peeled crayons.
~New to the art area this week will be painting with small thin paintbrushes to challenge the children's fine motor skills and to allow for new opportunities through creative expression through painting.
~Photographs of trees have also been added to the writing center along with color pencils to support children's observations and their artistic representations of trees.
~Leaf tracing has been replaced at the light table by opportunities for tracing simple drawings of a tree, an acorn, and a house.

Sensory Materials

~The air-drying dough the play dough table has been quite a popular place to explore. The texture of this dough is different from the regular play dough, which gives the children another sensory experience to explore. Rolling pins, tins, spatulas, and cookie cutters continue to help aid the children in creating 3-D objects. When the dough is dry children have the option of painting their creations.
~The sand table provides with opportunities for sensory investigation, symbolic play and social interactions. A variety of small plastic animals, rocks, plastic trees and branches continue to support the students' explorations of animal habitats and hibernation.

Dramatic and Symbolic Play

~A housekeeping area continues to be available for the children in the back of our classroom. The children have enjoyed pretending that it is a restaurant and serving food to each other. Student-made menus have been included in the housekeeping area as well as new food items that are held together with Velcro that can be "cut" apart with the plastic silverware.
~Dresses, vests and ties continue to be located in the back of the classroom. New purses and wallets are located in the back of the classroom to support children's socio-dramatic play scenarios.
~We have added hard hats and tools including saws, screwdrivers, hammers and drills to the dress up area to spark the children's interest in building and construction with the large hollow blocks.
~The first cave will remain hibernating cave habitat for a variety of animals. Stuffed animals are also located in the cave including various sizes of bears, a pair of skunks, a squirrel, frogs, turtles, a hedgehog etc. We have placed various photos of hibernating animals including polar bears, brown bears, bats, a toad, and skunks in the cave to support children's awareness of this phenomenon. Real logs are part of the set up, as well as fabrics, and blocks to provide the animals for hibernating spaces. The cave gives the children opportunities for both symbolic and dramatic play, socialization as well as expanding on children's exploration of animals and their habitats.

Science Center

~Our exploration of fall will continue as we examine gourds, various seeds and seed planting. The gourds are still available for weighing on the scale on a small table next to the seeds. The children continue to observe a variety of seeds including weighing corn, bean, pumpkin, maple tree, and black walnut seeds using the magnifying glasses.
~We have moved all of the seeds we are attempting to grow to their own table. The seeds were placed in moist baggies last week and these include a kidney bean, a pumpkin seed, a kernel of corn and an oak tree seed. Spread sheets with the children's names will be included with spaces to record the each child's predictions about the seeds in the baggies. (Questions include: Which seed will grow the tallest? Which seed will grow leaves? And which seed will grow flowers?). Other seeds at the table include and avocado seed suspended in water, a pumpkin seed and a corn kernel that are planted in dirt and have both begun to sprout.
~ We will continue to be able to compare the similarities and differences between the seeds from the small and large pumpkins that we cut open last week.
~ This week we will cut the big pumpkin in half and take the smaller pieces to our compost bin located in the playground.
~We will encourage children to make connections between things they might know and things they are able to observe first hand in the classroom and/or outdoors by introducing the concept of hibernation. (What do animals do when it's cold? Why do squirrels hide so much food in the fall? Which animals go to sleep for the winter? Which animals go somewhere warm to escape the cold?)

Language and Literacy

~An assortment of papers, envelopes, colored pencils, staplers, tape are located in the writing center along with an alphabet.
~Blank menus have also been made available at the writing center for children to draw or write inside as well as cooking magazines to cut pieces from to add to the children's dramatic play for the restaurant.
~Favorite and classic books are featured in the book area.
~A smaller bookshelf is located in the upper part of the loft. Books related to the seasons, fall, harvest are featured.
~An enormous basket of library books is available in the hibernation cave that contains about trees and hibernating animals for the children to enjoy.
~Computer center is available for students with children's games and taking computer turns with peers.

Math, Manipulative and Games

We will continue to focus on the concepts of sorting and matching, as well as seriation.
~Montessori seriation wooden puzzle, sequencing puzzles and sequencing event cards, cylinders ranging from small to large, different sized pinecones and gourds, and a board with pegs that progress in length and staking tower are available for the children to support the concept of seriation.
~Memory and lotto games have been very popular with Dalia's class. A "Dalia's Class" memory game using the children's pictures as pieces has been added to other lotto games.
~Color and shape matching lotto games, animal-matching cards, to encourage children's continuous cooperation skills, turn taking.
~"Animal mothers and babies" lotto and woodland animal bingo games, to help support matching skills while continuing to focus on animals and hibernation. Games also introduce the children to "playing by the rules", which is a challenging cognitive milestone. The teachers continuously encourage social interactions and emphasize turn taking.
~Puzzles emphasizing the themes of seasons, fruits and vegetables, are located in the middle of the classroom, right across the caves, in the manipulatives area. A large farm puzzle, with crops, animals, and fall harvest is available for group work in the open area in the back of the classroom. Puzzles promote and support the development of part/whole relationships, synthesizing and hand-eye coordination.
~The children have been building various vehicles and buildings with the Mobilos and Popiods available in the second cave. In order to continue the focus on creative building and hand-eye coordination, We will include photographs near this cave of some of the imaginative work our students have completed with these materials to share children's ideas. Clipboards will also be available for the children to record what they have created and share with peers and teachers. Thin markers have been added near the clipboards for recording or drawing purposes.

Block area

~Hollow blocks are available in the back of the room allowing children to engage in social interactions while using mathematical and spatial concepts as well as creative abilities to build in this large area of the classroom. The steering wheels are still available and we have added cardboard doors and windows (painted by the children at the easel). We will encourage the children to attach these pieces to their block construction. Books about building and houses as well as tools and hard hats will be available as inspiration to young builders.
~The Unit blocks are placed near the caves and close by to the hollow blocks to encourage children to use these in different areas of the classroom. In addition to the unit blocks we have wooden airplanes and cars to encourage children's symbolic play. A set of street signs has also been included near the wooden vehicles to encourage the children's socio-dramatic play involving vehicles.
~Building on the children's interests in the wooden cars and trains, we have included a "city and roads" carpet in between the unit block shelves in order to allow students to engage in socio-dramatic play and motor skills.

Large Motor

~The gym has been redone! Swings at the monkey bars foster climbing, hanging, muscular endurance, upper body strength, balance, and vestibular movement. Donut attached to the slide supports spatial awareness, flexibility, balance, risk taking, and core muscle strength. Balls for target practice, support throwing, aiming, hand-eye coordination, catching, trapping and kicking. The metal A-frame and bridge to encourage climbing, balance, turn taking, hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, alternation of feet and upper body strength. A mat mountain is available for climbing up and down, jumping, and to foster risk taking, spatial awareness, and depth perception.
~We will continue to enjoy the outdoors daily. Buckets, shovels, rakes, pushing cars, wagons and a variety of cups and plates are available to encourage digging, raking, upper and lower body strength, and social play. The equipment provides opportunities for the children to climb, up and down, and balance. Monkey bars for upper body strength and whole body coordination. We encourage the children to run, jump, go up and down the hill to continue to support the development of their stamina and endurance.

Music and Movement/Large Group

~We will continue to sing welcome songs and the names of children to continue to build our classroom community. Songs, finger plays, and actions will be used in large group time, which encourages children to join in the singing and movement together.
~We will introduce hibernation and some related vocabulary including hibernation, burrow, cave etc. We will discuss the
children's prior knowledge about the topic of hibernation or what animals do in the fall and winter when it gets cold. We will generate a class list of animals that might be hibernators.
~We will go on a "Cool Bear Hunt" during large group, a silly version of the classic "Bear Hunt." This will give children and opportunity to practice rhythm by tapping their legs in time with the music as well as following directions from the story.

Natalie

This week marked a turning point in our life as a classroom. There was a new sense of connection and community, as demonstrated by children suggesting experiments together and beginning to engage in more play together. Some of the highlights included watching the birds arriving at our bird feeder.

Children experiment with the pegs, beginning to gain a sense of one to one correspondence.

Others draw at the art table,

Children used a red scarf to signify "fire" and blocks became hoses as they repeatedly put out fires in different parts of the classroom.

A small group became engaged in suggesting different things for Peely to eat and explore.

Toilet paper rolls were popular additions to Peely's cage.

The water table, with fish, and new nets to catch them, was popular. Children also experimented with the large rocks and spontaneously put the pumpkins and gourds into the water as well.

And curling up in a rocking chair with a book is a cozy way to spend some time.

In the gym, children experimented with some new materials: balls, traffic signs and small cars. These were quickly used while sliding for a new experience.

Equipment meant for sharing fosters a connection between children,

And for the first time this trimester, children discovered the climbing ladder, pairing off and gaining courage and inspiration by watching their partner. Eventually they will learn to jump off, but that usually takes a little while longer.

Someone found the container of bells, so we played them a little bit too - something for everyone!

Weekly Lesson Plan for Ross' Class
Week of 10/26 - 10/30/09
Lead Teaching: Rachel

Overview and goals
There has been a lot of activity in the classroom this week. The water table, post office, and block area have been very popular. Also, small groups started this week; these will encourage more social relationships and interactions between the children. In the fall, we feel it is vital that the children establish a sense of comfort with the environment, however more importantly with each other. Small groups create opportunities for children to make new (as well as support existing) friendships. There are three small groups: "focusing on" animals, science, and creativity/movement. Tree-related materials will also be a part of the classroom this week to continue the all-school focus of trees. There will be leaves and natural elements available in the easel, replacing the brushes, as well as at the art area to make collages using real materials from nature.

Art Center
Sensory materials
~ "The excitement of model/creating with the playdough has passed and the children are ready for something new!" The play-dough will be replaced with clay, however the trees, animals, pinecones, and plastic animals will still be available to use. These materials support focus on the tree curriculum and will reinforce conversations about habitats and differences between the materials. Also, the clay is more malleable and can be used to create different figures, challenging the children to explore new ways to use this moldable material.
~ The introduction of the water table has been a huge hit! There has been a lot of cooperative play and discussions between the children with the animals and other materials in the water table. The water table and materials will continue to be available in order to support social relationships and cooperative play.
Expressive materials
~ There will be leaves, flowers, and twigs available at the easel, allowing the children to explore the different kinds of prints these materials make. There will also be new paint colors added: orange, red, and yellow for more fall colors. These materials will continue to allow the children to practice large-motor and fine-motor skills when handling the materials. The materials also support artistic and creative expression.
~The art table will continue to have materials for collages and books available. There has been a lot of interest in book making lately, so the teachers will sit down with the children and help them dictate their stories; writing their words and encouraging them to add the illustrations.
~One of the caves will be made into a music cave. Musical instruments - such as hand drums, xylophones, maracas, and jingle bells - will be available for the children to use. This supports social relationships and creative expression. The materials will also provide the children with a beginning knowledge of music elements: such as beat, rhythm, tone, and meter.

Science Center
~There has been a lot of observations and examining of the pumpkins and squash this week. At the end of last week, we actually cut open the pumpkins and squash! The children were very interested in the insides of these and were asking many question to find out more. Due to this there will be seeds available for the children to look at and make observations on, leading to eventually planting the seeds to see what happens. The children can make observations each day about the seeds and sprouts as they begin to grow.

Math and manipulative center
~This week stackers will be added to the manipulative center. These will help with hand-eye coordination, patterns, and 1-to-1 correspondence. There are also new puzzles added that will promote visual discrimination and shape recognition.
~ The peg people and wooden houses have been very popular. The children have been taking the peg people to school together and having dinner together in the kitchen area. These will still be available in order to support social relationships. Some of these materials will be moved to the small block area in order to encourage more open-ended building with the small blocks.

Language and Literacy center
~Mail has been very popular this week, especially with some children being the classroom mail carriers. Envelopes, stamps, paper, and other mail supplies will be available in order to support pre-literacy skills and social interaction between the children. The children also took a field trip to the mailbox at the end of the driveway last week and sent postcards with pictures of them in the classroom home. This week we might be sending letters to each other's home, possibly creating pen pals amongst members of the class. The mailbox will also be in the room along with the mail book in order to support more social interaction between the children.
~The reading couch has been very popular. In order to support pre-literacy skills new books will be put out focusing on nature and fall themes, along with some favorites of the class. We invite you as parents to come in and read with children if you are able to - come talk to one of the teachers if you are interested.

Block Center
~The block area is always popular with cars, airplanes, and fences being created. We will take out the plastic animals and trees this week and replace them with some of the materials from the peg people cave. We hope this will encourage the children to build with the small blocks and support their symbolic representation skills. It will also support social relationships between the children.

Dramatic Center
~There has been a lot of doctor and animal hospital play this past week. The children are pretending to be hurt and needing to go to the doctor and bringing their animals to the doctor. The dramatic center will be turned into an animal hospital this week. There will be an examining table, x-rays, and hospital props available for use. These materials support continuing social relationships and interactions between the children.

Large motor
~ In the gym this week there will be swings from the monkey bars, A-frames turned upside-down, stacked mats, and a throwing target. This set up will allow the children to practice balance, climbing, landing on a flat surface with two feet and absorbing their landing, depth perception, throwing, targeting, and hand/eye coordination with using the balls.
~ Last week pinecone birdfeeders were made and hung in the trees on the playground. It has been fun checking them each day for changes. Also, with the change in weather many leaves have fallen off the tress and covered our playground. Child sized rakes will be available for leaf pile raking, which seemingly always ends up with jumping in the leaf piles! Also, bikes, wagons, shovels, and buckets will continue to be available...as long as the snow stays off the ground.

Special Interests/Announcements
~ We will have our first fire-drill on Tuesday. These drills are performed once a month and are low-key (no big noises or flashing lights). We will walk down the sidewalk to a large tree and then head back inside. It will happen at the end of large group, and we just want to let you know because it will be a change from our usual transition out of large group into free play. Talk about it ahead of time helps take away any anxiety as well as prepares the children for the change in schedule.
~ True, Halloween is just around the corner, however please remember to keep the costumes and candy at home. It ends up becoming more of a distraction in the classroom. Thanks!
~ The Spring Soiree committee will be meeting on Nov 2 at 7p. This is a group of parents that work specifically with planning the Lab School's spring scholarship fundraiser. If you are interested in being a part of the group or simply learning more, please attend the meeting!

Snack
Monday: Applesauce & Graham Cracker
Tuesday: Open Snack-Rice Cakes
Wednesday: Open Snack-Pretzels
Thursday: Open Snack- Popcorn
Friday: Carrots and dip
*All snacks served with milk/water unless otherwise specified*

It has been an exciting week with many new materials being introduced to the classroom. Here are some photos of all of the different things happening inside (as well as outside) the classroom!

Around the room

Abe, Hadley, Ella, and William exploring the possible habitats for the animals at the water table

Abe, Juliet, and Elizabeth balancing as many things as they can on the scale, seeing how much weight they can stack before the pile tips

Juliet illustrating her version of "Where the Wild Things Are" after she and Elizabeth worked together dictating the story

Alexis and Evan taking a ride in Nigel's plane

A photo of Abe's systematically arranged "dump truck"

Garrin discussing his findings with Angela and Riley

Nora digging in and exploring the insides of the turban squash and zucchini

Oliver, Helena, and Nigel working together to fill the boat with leaves

Children looking at a ladybug that Amy found as well as a shot of the ever-growing sprawl of leaves on our playground

Children playing with the leaves and enjoying the last few days of autumn

Our field trip to the mailbox
With the excitement of sending mail/letters to one another in the classroom, the teachers decided to set up an opportunity for the children to send themselves a REAL postcard in the mail. It should have been delivered to your home on Thursday or Friday (with a picture of your child on one side and a drawing on the other). If you did not receive the postcard or it did not have the photo on one side, let the teachers know and we'll print another picture for you and your child.

William putting his postcard in the mailbox while the children wait for their turn

Nora's turn putting her postcard in the mailbox

More photos from around the room
Here are some more photos showing the happenings around the room after our excitement from Monday's snow day! They have been saved as a smaller file size, so hopefully the pages should load faster. Please let me know if you notice a difference in the loading speed of the updates!

Otto and William playing in the habitat cave

Hadley and Garrin discussing their findings at the science table

Alexis, Estelle, and Hadley studying the rats and recording their observations

Cooking with Eva

Eva and her son Aidan came in and made graham crackers with the children...they were a HIT!

Riley, Hadley, and Ella rolling the dough flat

William adding the final touches to the graham crackers before they go into the oven

We had yet another busy week this week. We noticed a lot of relationships are starting to develop. Please take a look.

After discovering the sand and mud, the children explored mixing water and sand.

Children enjoying the game of "stacking" slide.

Katie and Alma making "buttercream" together.

After discovering a large branch in the playground, Alma and Eba helped Elizabeth carry it to the gate, to be put up in our "tree house."

One of the examples of overcoming physical challenges: Madeline learned how to climb up and down the wall ladder and then jumped off from the third rung.

Children using rhythm sticks during the directed large motor activity in the gym.

Children gathering at the water table, taking turns using the water materials.

**Spring Soiree meeting will be held on Nov. 2nd at 7:00pm. This is the main fund raiser event (held sometime in April) for parent financial support which we believe will be crucial as the economy continues its slump. In addition, it is a pleasant social event for the Lab School community. If there are any parents who weren't at the PAC meeting but would like to be a part of this event, please come! Meeting room TBD.

**If there is a particular shopping routine or ritual, and particular stores that you visit that you would like to share with us, please do and we may be able to incorporate it and support your child's play.

**Please continue to send in empty food containers (no sharp metal edges, glass, or containers of nut products) of favorite foods of your family to be added to our grocery store for pretend play.

**if you have a favorite music on a CD that you or your child would like to share with us, please feel free to bring it in.

**We will be taking short, small-group nature walks in the coming weeks and would like to have any parent helpers who are able to join us. Please let us know.

**Parent-teacher conference continues this week. I will be sending you a confirmation/reminder soon. I'm looking forward to meet and chat with you!

Small Group
• Student teachers will continue their small group meetings this week, developing small project themes and activities. Groups have been formed as follows:

Teacher Becky-Vehicles Group: Otto, Cormac, Beatrix, and Maia
Teacher Elizabeth-Peely Group: Cashton, Alma, Katie, Ely and Madeline
Teacher Bob-Woodland Animals Group: Sam, Sofia, Abigail and Ebissa.

Again, please remember that not every child at this age is ready to participate in such a group. Some children may choose to participate on certain days and not others. Though we encourage children to join us, it is their choice to participate on any given day.

Lesson Plan for Ayuko's Class
Week of October 26th, 2009
Bob-Lead Teaching

Goals:
As children become even more comfortable with the classroom routines and become more confident at school, more of their individual characters are showing through. With this increased ease and comfort, play is becoming more involved and new abilities are being unveiled. We will watch and observe these abilities and find ways to support them and scaffold them. While we continue to foster social interactions, we will continue to support their awareness of the magnificent natural living world around them.

Art
• Art table: We continue our exploration of collages by providing glue and natural materials at the art table. More children are beginning to find creative expression with this different medium. When the rains stop we hope to get outside to collect more leaves, sticks, and other natural and found objects to add to our collages. These works of art will be on display in our classroom "tree house".
• We will look to the children for creative ideas to add to the tree house to make it their own. To support them in this we will position a leaf-making tray next to the tree house. On it will be scissors, tape, crayons and construction paper in fall colors.
• Painting on easel: The warm "fall" colors red, orange, yellow, and brown will continue on the easel this week, but other painting tools will be supplied, offering a different experience from the traditional paint brush. Painting offers the valuable experiences of artistic expression, hand-eye coordination, and color mixing.
Manipulatives
• Stacking cups remain popular, demonstrating seriation and rank ordering to size, along with other manipulatives emphasizing numbers and counting. To enhance hand-eye coordination, motor planning, and fine-motor development, we will continue to have large beads, string, and sewing cards available
• More alphabet puzzles will also be introduced to help children with letter recognition and early phonemic awareness, continuing a response to a notable increase in letter interest. Puzzles help to improve spatial awareness, an understanding of part-whole relationships, and fine motor development.
Sensory
• This week in the play doh area we shift emphasis and tie in concepts of the natural world by providing small woodland animal toys with which the children can make casts and animal tracks. With a finer play doh they might even be able to make an impression of a leaf, as well as small twigs and seeds. Along with sensory feedback, these manipulations are not unlike scientific inquiry and investigation, creating a record, an 'impression' of an organism--examining the evidence of an animal not seen.
• The water table, filled with rocks, toy boats, and water animals such as frogs, fish, and turtles, has been very busy. The rocks have been a surprising source of interest. New and different ones will be added. A lot of learning transfer takes place here. The children observe each other and learn new small motor skills , such as pincer grasp, and fine muscular control with the turkey basters , and encounter the physical properties of water and objects in water.
Science
• Harvest time gourds are replacing the wildflowers. (It has already been discovered that some float in the water table.) We will be cutting open some of the gourds during the week to see what's inside. Will it look like the insides of an orange pumpkin?
• The book cave remains a quiet place for a read, and quiet social interactions, though there is a chance that it could also become part of the habitat of a woodland animal, perhaps a raccoon, or a squirrel, or even a wolf den--small life histories of other species.
Dramatic Play
•The kitchen will now give way to a grocery area, with carts, a check out counter and a card swipe to pay for the groceries. It has been evident to us that even in this last week play skills are changing and increasing. We feel the new scenario will provide more dramatic scripts from their life experiences. Knowing something about shopping, they will be able to experiment and learn about it themselves. **If there is a particular shopping routine or ritual, and particular stores that you visit that you would like to share with us, please do and we may be able to incorporate it and support your child's play. We will be adding familiar elements from our homes, such as empty food packages (i.e., macaroni and cheese boxes), in order to foster the home-school connection. **Please continue to send in empty food containers (no sharp metal edges, glass, or containers of nut products) of favorite foods of your family to be added to our grocery store for pretend play.
• Babies and pets will remain close to our dramatic play area in order to expand upon the caretaking theme and provide comfort items if needed. Engaging in caretaking play helps the children to feel empowered and responsible, and symbolic play expands the children's abstract thinking and encourages social interaction.
• A new fall wardrobe of dress up clothes will be added to the dramatic play area, complementing the creative drama of the grocery store.
Language and Literacy
• We all listen carefully for emerging words and speech, acknowledging and supporting new language abilities while encouraging them to learn from each other. New topics and dramatic scenarios will create new opportunities for language and communication. Many children are suddenly verbalizing their alphabetic awareness, which we will continue to support with puzzles and many other active opportunities for alphabetic and phonemic awareness in our daily and numerous conversations.
Construction
• Having moved out of the (woodland) loft, the tool shop is now a compact place for 'bolting' together various lengths of cardboard panels. Turning a bolt with a screwdriver is a very challenging small motor skill which many of the children readily and eagerly undertake, demonstrating a great deal of persistence and concentration.
• Several types of blocks are available for the roadwork that often occurs in the back. The smaller blocks have come into play as buildings that the fire engines can save. Building blocks are wonderful spatial, motor, creative, and cognitive tools for the young mind and body.
Music
Beginning this week, teachers will offer small, brief listening (and perhaps dancing) sessions based on music they have selected from their collections, offering a wide variety of creative music expression from around the world. Together, children will become familiar with different aesthetic expressions from diverse cultures. Parents, if you have a favorite music on a CD that you or your child would like to share with us, please feel free to bring it in.
Large Group
• This week, in addition to songs and stories, we will begin to add more conversation to our large group meetings, modeling the exchange of information and social skills in a large group. Topics will be related to our woodland nature theme, and other topics of interest to all in the room.
• In addition to a variety of small instruments such as shakers, drums, and small glockenspiels, rhythm sticks debuted in the gym this past week and will be enjoyed in many a rhythm session to come, exercising fine motor skills with music and whole body rhythm.
Large Motor
• There is a new gym arrangement this week. Swings at the monkey bars foster climbing, hanging, muscular endurance, upper body strength, balance, and vestibular movement. There will be a donut attached to the slide, supporting skills such as spatial awareness, flexibility, balance, risk taking, and core muscle strength. Balls will be available for target practice (kicking and throwing). This fosters throwing, aim, hand-eye coordination, visual perception, catching and trapping, and kicking. A-Frame and bridge support climbing, balance, turn taking, hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, alternation of feet, and upper body strength. Mat Mountain is available for climbing up and down and jumping. This activity fosters risk taking, spatial awareness, and depth perception.
• Various sized soft balls will be available outside for generating dynamic body movement, coordination and social cooperation. New cars, trucks, rakes, sieves, buckets, shovels, wheelbarrows, the play platform and kitchenware will continue to be a focus outdoors. The children learn coordination and strengthen large muscle groups through running, pulling and pushing cars and trucks, and scooping.

Snack
Monday: Birthday snack & Pretzels
Wednesday: Birthday snack & TLC Crackers
Thursday: Banana & Multigrain Cheerios

Overview
To continue our classroom topics of the seasonal cycles and life cycles, are planning a nature walk fieldtrip to the knoll area of campus for Tuesday next week. On the nature walk the children will look for natural items such as leaves, acorns, trees, sticks, and signs of animals. To promote the children's awareness of the changes taking place in the natural surroundings, teachers have facilitated conversations concerning what the animals will do once winter comes, and more specifically, what they will eat, and where they will live. To reinforce the idea of hibernation, one of the caves has been transformed into an animal's den, complete with burrows and nooks for animals to hibernate in. There are also pictures of hibernating animals lining the walls of the cave, and a light table nearby with an array of fall leaves. These props reinforce the conversations between teachers and peers, and many times, provoke questions from children concerning the changes that will occur once the weather turns cold. The children will also continue to find and take pictures of signs of animals on the playground. They will have an opportunity to attract more life to the playground by making pinecone feeders to hang from trees.
Creative Arts
- Many children in the classroom love to paint. To support this interest, the children will be able to paint the natural materials that they have been using for collage.
-To further support the children's interest in painting, the children will have the choice to paint cardboard branches for the "trees" that line the loft. This is an ongoing project that was initiated by Dalia's afternoon class. It provides a new creative, collaborative experience for the children as they continue to learn about trees.
Sensory Materials
-Last week the children began making their names with the playdough so we added letter cutters to support letter and name recognition. The cinnamon scented playdough is sure to lure some new children over to see what is happening.
-The newly added sand table will be set up as a forest and pond to promote dramatic play and small group interaction.
Science
- In the science area we will continue our classroom theme of the harvest and will finally open the enormous pumpkin to see what is inside. The children have shown an interest in the number of seeds in the big pumpkin, and so we will compare those seeds to the existing array of seeds from other foods and plant in the science area.
-Many children have been weighing the gourds, and they will have the opportunity to record their observations into a grid. This gives the children the opportunity to experience data collection, which is a crucial aspect of the scientific process. The grid will have each of the children's names and a place to write the weight of the gourds. Adding the children's names will encourage the children to participate, and allow the children to feel a sense of pride in their observations.
Math and Manipulatives
-We will continue our emphasis on matching by providing new animal themed matching materials and also matching tiles. The new materials will provide added challenges for the children while they play.
-Pop-oids will be added to the mobilo cave as an alternative building material. The pop-iods reinforce perceptual motor and process skills such as fluency with objects, symbolic representation, and creative thinking and expression.
Language and Literacy
-The children have been interested in rolling out playdough letters, and to continue this theme, we will add letter cutouts. Some of the children enjoy spelling out their words with these letters, and telling teachers and peers what their word says.
-The addition of greeting cards to the writing center will support the children's expressed interests in making cards for family, friends, and teachers. A list of common greeting card words will be posted on the wall for reference.
Blocks
-The children have been very interested in building houses, both for themselves and for animals, in the hollow block area. The addition of blankets to the area will allow the children to add roofs to their houses, as they are interested in making them as realistic as possible. The building of these houses provides the children opportunities to practice social and logistic problem solving skills.
Symbolic Play
-The new pond and forest themed animal habitats in the sensory table will foster the use of plastic amphibians and woodland animals in dramatic play schemes.
-The addition of the large pot and new pretend foods in the kitchen area will support the children's strong interest in making witch's brew.
-In the unit block area of the classroom, a rug with roads, traffic signs, and trees will serve as a backdrop for the children's small house building and will provide a place for mobilo cars to drive.
Large Motor
-We introduced play with a parachute last week. The children used their upper body strength and control by shaking the parachute at different speeds and then stopping suddenly. Balls are also used with the parachute. This adds excitement to the games, as well as challenges the children to control their movements enough to keep the balls on the parachute.
-Rocking boats were also added to the gym, and they provide the opportunity for social interaction while also encouraging the children to work together as they take turns using their bodies to successfully move the boat.
Playground
-We will add the bird feeders to the playground, and this will hopefully attract some birds and squirrels for the children to watch, as the children have been very interested in animal life.
-The children have found creative uses for the ropes including swinging from bars, connecting them to bikes, using them to carry wood, and tying them around their waists as they pretend to be mountain climbers and climb up the play structure. Overall, the addition of ropes has added new dramatic play schemes to the children's interactions on the playground.
Snack-All snacks are served with milk and water
Monday: Homemade sweet & russet potato fries with ketchup
Tuesday: Banana & Animal Crackers
Wednesday: Apples & Rice Cakes
Thursday: Pretzels
Friday: Cheese & Crackers

During this last week, children have explored the seasonal changes in nature. They have gotten a close-up and magnified view of leaves, twigs, and berries. They felt the different outer textures of squash, gourds, and pumpkins. While exploring the finger painting and easel painting areas, they were able to see the different shapes and lines that leaves, sticks, and pine cones can make in the paint and on paper. They will be able to continue using these natural materials with the easel painting to see different impressions and shapes, and they will also be able to add them to their paintings for collages and texture. The introduction to our post office gave spark to the dramatic play area and writing center. Many of the children wrote letters to their family and friends. The sand table was a popular place for building caves and habitats for different animals. To build on that play, there will continue to be woodland animals in our middle cave with the addition of a fabric lake for some aquatic animals. The addition of rats to our pet area has sparked some creative observing. This week the children will be able to journal what they observe on the rats as well as the other pets and the autumn nature items. Expressive materials:

-The collage table will remain an area where children can use a variety of materials to creatively express themselves in an open-ended manner. The use of natural materials will continue to be the main focus for their creations. They will be able to see how the texture and pliability of these items change if they are wet from the paint or dry and placed directly onto the painting.

-Easel painting will continue to be available with red, orange, yellow, green, and blue paint. The children will also be able to experiment with a variety of brush sizes and sticks to paint with. Tracing paper will be available for more leaf rubbings to discover more textures other fall materials can make.

Sensory:

-Our room will now have the water table! This is an exciting sensory experience for children to explore. The table will be filled with aquatic life to spark dramatic play and give the children a chance to create their own water habitat.
-The play dough is back! The children will be able to explore this familiar material with mini trees, rocks, pine cones, leaves, and animals. This continues the exploration of animals' habitats and lets the children engage in parallel play where they can share ideas on building with each other.

- The dramatic play center had the children engaged in parallel and cooperative play since the Post Office has opened! Together they shared materials and explored the duties of a mail person. Phones, stamps, maps, mail packages, and post office signs have been added to further their exploration. Added to the mail uniforms are rain gear, such as ponchos and puddle-jumper boots. The children discussed how the mail comes to their homes even when it rains like it did last week. This brings a new dimension to their post office play and encourages collaboration and sharing of materials.

- One of our caves includes peg people, houses and vehicles. There are pictures of each of the children and teachers on the peg people so that through play they are able to learn their classmate's names and further build friendships. This outlet for children to participate in dramatic play gives them the opportunity to explore family life and neighborhoods while sharing resources with others.

-Our middle cave that focuses on animal habitats in the woods and trees will continue with a fabric and cardboard lake to explore aquatic animal life. More animals have been added to this cave as well.

-Our third cave will continue to contain babies, stuffed pets, and pet-related props such as leashes, bowls, and play food. The children often incorporate these items out into their dramatic play in the housekeeping and block areas. We will continue to help children use these props to expand their dramatic play.

- The animal habitat sorting game includes small wild animals and large tongs to build fine motor skills, matching and habitat awareness, and identification.

- Pegboards with large plastic pegs for 1-1 correspondence, counting/patterning, and the continued development of perceptual motor skills.

- Assorted animal puzzles, for fine motor development, visual discrimination, hand-eye coordination, shape recognition and part-whole relations.
-Leaf matching and sorting builds visual discrimination and recognition of different common trees. The trees names below their pictures support word recognition.

-The science center is another area in which children can explore more fall and habitat items. Tree bark, leaves, twigs, berries, and feathers as well as pumpkins and gourds will be further explored. The magnifying glasses allow the children to look closely at the shapes, textures and colors of these items. Teachers will encourage children to discuss how these items look, feel, and smell as well as discuss what use to record their observations. -Books about fall, animal habitats, and trees are featured in the book area. This area exposes children to new vocabulary, concepts, and story sequencing. Children continue to enjoy sitting on the couch and looking at books during the free-play, as well as before and after snack time.

- The writing center has been transformed into the Post Office and the children will continue to explore it through the use of postcards, envelopes, stickers, stamps, and a mailbox which they can use to send letters to other children.

- The children continue to use the block area to expand their dramatic play. It is constructive play that encourages children to engage each other and use props from other areas. There are little cardboard trees and real pinecones to help build symbolic representation with the small wooden blocks and cars. This requires children to do a lot of planning and to further develop cooperative play skills. In addition, children are improving their language and communication skills when they explain their play to newcomers and teachers.

-The children enjoyed the gym set-up of the A-frame ladder, wall ladder, jumping station, monkey bars, and the addition of the balancing connector bridge. They began to use foam balls for throwing and catching with each other. This increases their hand-eye coordination, arm strength, and helps to further build their relationships with the other children. Balance, risk-taking, and upper and lower body strength is continuing to develop.

-Parachute activities encourage children to work cooperatively as a whole in order to manipulate the parachute. We saw how we can make a "bubble" under the parachute by working together. The children also learned the parachute movements to the song "The Grand Old Duke of York". There will be more parachute songs and activities this week that require cooperative movement and promote listening to directions.

-A creative movement activity with beanbags in which the children attempt to balance beanbags on different body parts will be introduced this week. This activity develops children's balance, coordination, body part identification, and creative movement skills.

-The snow may have surprised us but the children enjoyed how well it stuck together and made slushy ice. The children continue to have opportunities to dig in the sand, swing, run, climb on the equipment, play with yard toys as well as observe the natural environment found on our playground.

Snack:
Mon. Kate birthday treat and rice cakes
Wed. Cheese-its
Thurs. Popcorn made by class

Special Interest:
Fall conferences start this week. Please remember to sign up.

There were many special moments of discovery this week, in addition to general exploration of materials.

Bob has been bringing in a variety of seeds. On Tuesday, he sat down and was looking at one of the seeds in the milk weed family, where the pod had burst, showing the soft, downy seeds. While exploring these, the children began to notice how they could gently fall through the air like parachutes.

"

Beck blew one over to Troy (you can just barely see it on his hand) and he began to blow it back.

This attracted the notice of Abbie, Raya and Andreas who gleefully helped to blow the seeds to keep them up in the air. You can't see the seeds in the photo, but you can see the excitement of the children.

Other children have been intrigued by the log with the woodpecker holes. Here one child uses one of the birds to poke holes in the logs. The bugs live in the holes. These themes of looking for food and finding little holes and nests to live in are very satisfying to children.

Other activities that remain popular include pretend play in the kitchen,

The cupcakes are particularly sought after.

The water table is soothing and inviting to pour and explore filling and emptying, a favorite toddler pastime.

And, of course, many children are always interested in reading a story. Usually one child asks for a book, and soon there are others coming nearby to hear the story as well. A current favorite is one in rhyme called, "The Bear Sleeps on" about a bear who is sleeping in his cave while other animals come in out of the cold and have a party in his lair while he is hibernating. Until a sneeze wakes the bear up.....

Teacher Becky led her first "large group" with the children, leading us in a new song about a little green frog.

In the gym, we are learning to take turns on the teeter totter.

The children help wash the tables, though spraying is more fun than wiping.

This is an earlier scene from outdoors (notice, no hats and gloves.) Hopefully it will look like this again next week!

Goals: As children settle into the routine of the classroom, we continue to support them through the transitions and help them become aware of themselves and each other through positive interactions and problem solving. We will continue to explore what is happening outside as the fall weather rapidly turns into winter, focusing on the changing foliage and on the behavior of animals in our environment. We will scaffold and encourage social interactions between children, as they learn how to share a space and materials.

Art
• Art table: We will continue our exploration of collage by providing glue and natural materials at the art table. We hope to get outside to collect leaves, sticks, and other treasures to add to our collages. These works of art will be on display in our classroom "treehouse" that we will be making this week.
• Painting on easel: Warm "fall" colors like red, orange, yellow, and brown will be available on the easel this week. Painting offers the valuable experiences of artistic expression, hand-eye coordination, and color mixing.
Manipulatives
• Old and new stacking cups will be available to practice seriation, or the ordering according to size. This valuable math skill will be accompanied by stacking toys that emphasize numbers and counting. We will continue to have large beads, string, and sewing blocks available to enhance hand-eye coordination, motor planning, and fine-motor development.
• New puzzles depicting the themes of fall, animals, and firefighters will be available. Alphabet puzzles and games will also be introduced to help children with letter recognition and early phonemic awareness. Puzzles help to improve spatial awareness, an understanding of part-whole relationships, and fine motor development.
Sensory
• The play doh area has been full of busy cooks! We will continue to foster this home-school connection by providing kitchen tools and food pictures in this area. The play doh table offers wonderful opportunities for sharing creations (we hear a lot of, "Look! I made noodles!") and sharing materials. New materials such as paper punches, herbs, and spices are being added to the play doh to enhance sensory awareness through touch, sight, and smell. The children will also have a literacy experience in this area as they look for their own name and/or the names and picture of their classmates on our food wall.
• The water table will be transformed into a dramatic play center filled with rocks, toy boats, and water animals such as frogs, fish, snakes and turtles. This pond area will encourage social interaction, science skills like displacement, and dramatic play skills like symbolic representation.

Science
• As we continue to observe seasonal changes, the wildflowers in the classroom are going to seed. The orange butterfly weed in particular offers a fantastic experience as the fine filaments attached to the seed easily lift it on a short puff of air, letting it slip lazily along the convection currents in the room. Several of the children have become adept 'puffers.'
• With harvests coming in, there will be a selection of gourds replacing the wildflowers, including a traditional orange pumpkin.
• Peely the gerbil remains quite happy. Many children check on her each day, wondering what she eats, why she burrows into the bedding material. This interest will lead to further discussions about caring for living things, and the characteristics of living things.
• The book cave is a popular place for a quiet read, and quiet social interactions. It has also hosted a 'flashlight show', where one child observed, "the circle gets bigger when I put it up!" That is, the cone of light increased in diameter as the light source moved away from the reflective plane: physics, math and scientific method in action.

Dramatic Play
• The kitchen area has been condensed in order to allow for cooking play to occur in the play-dough area as well. We will be adding familiar elements from our homes, such as empty food packages (i.e., macaroni and cheese boxes), in order to foster the home-school connection. Please send in an empty food container (no sharp metal edges, glass, or containers of nut products) of a favorite family food to be added to our kitchen for pretend play.
• In addition to babies, we have introduced pets into our dramatic play area in order to expand upon the caretaking theme and provide comfort items if needed. Engaging in caretaking play helps children to feel empowered and responsible, and symbolic play expands children's abstract thinking and encourages social interaction.
• Firefighting equipment, tools, and wheeled vehicles are available in order to encourage a variety of scenarios. Building with blocks and pushing trucks help develop strength and coordination, and dramatic play elements help children to expand their creative thinking.

Language and Literacy
• Children have been demonstrating increased interest in the alphabet. To support that interest, we will add alpha/numeric symbols into our play. An alphabet puzzle will now be on the puzzle table. We will add letters and numbers to our collage material and look for other opportunities to support this interest.
• With our changing themes, new books are in the classroom. Some portray the work of firefighters while others tell stories of woodland animals. Cards describing the children's favorite recipes are mounted at their eye level in the play doh kitchen.
• We all listen carefully for emerging words and speech, acknowledging and supporting new language abilities while encouraging them to learn from each other.

Construction
• The tool shop will be moved out of the loft next week to a smaller section of the dramatic play area. The children will be involved in a slow transformation of the loft area into a woodland habitat. Aspects of the transformation will include bringing live materials into the area and finding ways to artfully attach them to, and include them in the space. We hope to have the children's help in finding those materials.

Music
• A variety of small instruments such as shakers, drums, and small glockenspiels will be added to the piano area. Children will be able to explore rhythm, sounds, volume, technique, pitch, and movement. Making music and improvising together is an excellent scenario for social interaction and the enjoyment of each other in a shared activity.

Large Group
• The student teachers have been introducing a range of new songs and rhymes mixed in with the old favorites. The new songs often require specific movements or verbal responses from the children, adding to their vocabulary and body awareness, as well as their glee. The old favorites are often reworked to challenge their expressive language skills or balance and body coordination.

Large Motor
• In addition to climbing, sliding and jumping skills, teeter-totters continue to be a favorite game, giving wonderful vestibular feedback through rocking while also encouraging the children to work in pairs. We sing a song while they are rocking to indicate the length of the "turn" children are becoming more aware when their turn is over and are more able to wait for a turn knowing how long it will take.
• Cars, trucks, rakes, and shovels will continue to be a focus outdoors. The children strengthen large muscle groups through running, pulling and pushing cars and trucks, and scooping. We will also be introducing balls of various sizes for children to practice hand-eye coordination, propulsion skills like throwing and kicking, and social interaction.

Announcements
• We will be taking some small-group nature walks (just around the building) in the next two weeks. Please mention to your child that "sometimes the teachers take kids for walks around the school and you can choose if you want to go or if you want to stay and play," so that this new idea will not seem so unusual for them.
• I look forward to meeting with everyone this week (or next) for our conference. I will plan to meet you in the sofa/reading area of the main hallway and we will go to a quiet area.
• Upcoming in November: 11/3 Photo day, Staff Training Date (school closed) on 11/6, Oleanna Book Sale 11/13. More info to follow on these - watch your parent folders!

Snack

Tuesday: Banana and Crackers Friday: Apples and Fish

Take a look at our busy week...

Investigating leaves, gym time, measuring seeds, weighting gourds, sensory materials, sing-a-long with Nyna' class and rubbing leaves...

Investigating leaves...

In the gym...

Measuring seeds...

Weighting gourds...

Water table...

Play-dough table...

Sing-a-long with Nyna's class...

In the loft...

Busy week!

Overview and Goals
The children and teachers have been very busy in Dalia's classroom as we all continue to explore the changes we see in nature around us. The children continue to develop relationships with peers and teachers as they explore the different areas of the classroom together. This week, some areas of the classroom will remain the same to allow for further exploration and to expand on the children's previous experiences. Other areas will reveal small changes and additions as the classroom continues to evolve based on the children's interests and abilities making sure that we provide meaningful and motivating learning opportunities. As we continue to focus our classroom discussions of the seasonal changes with an emphasis on trees, gourds, seeds, and hibernation, we have had a chance to explore them through hands-on exploration, cooking, symbolic play, and songs. Our goal is to support the children's incorporation of previous knowledge to our current investigations and encourage them to expand their explorations and observations of the natural environment as well as characteristics of life cycles of plants and animals.
Expressive Arts
~The easel continues to be a popular area. To support children's observations and symbolic representation, we will continue with the fall colors of red, yellow, orange, and green paints in addition to leaf and acorn shaped paper options.
~We will support children's exploration of shapes and textures of different natural items by including sturdy paper, glue, and items collected outdoors and use these for collages.
~An assortment of construction paper is available for the children, along with markers, colored pencils, and crayons to express themselves freely as well as fall leaf, apple, and pumpkin stamps and stamp pads.
~Scissors and glue sticks are also available to add to children's creations.
~The "forest" of trees that the children helped paint has been placed all around the loft. The loft now contains a leaf rubbing station with paper, leaves, scissors, tape, and peeled crayons so the children can make their own leaves and add them to the trees. The children have already explored adding different types of leaves to the trees, and this week we will continue to observe and explore the shapes of leaves and match them to the different leaves already on the trees.
Sensory Materials
~The play dough table is a very busy area and children have been creating many three dimensional objects using the rolling pins, tins, spatulas, and cookie cutters. As we continue to encourage this symbolic cooking play and socialization, we will also be introducing air-drying dough that the children will then be able to paint, extending their symbolic representations and creative expressions.
~Symbolic play, social interactions, and conservation concepts will continue to be fostered as we transition from the water table to the sand table. Small plastic animals, rocks, and branches will support the students as they continue to explore animal habitats and hibernation.
Dramatic and Symbolic Play
~A housekeeping area continues to be available for the children in the back of our classroom. The children have enjoyed pretending that it is a restaurant and serving food to each other. Student-made menus will be included in the housekeeping area as well as some new food items that will help students continue to interact cooperatively and to explore the familiar experience of going to a restaurant.
~Dresses and purses are located at the back of the classroom where children can pretend and interact with each other in a variety of ways.
~The first cave has become a hibernating habitat for a variety of animals. Black fabric covers the cave walls giving it a "darker" feel. We have place various photos of hibernating animals to support children's awareness of this phenomena and will continue to support symbolic and dramatic play; socialization as well as expanding on children's exploration of animals and their habitats.
Science Center
~Our exploration of fall will continue as we examine gourds and various seeds. The children have been observing and weighing corn, bean, pumpkin, maple tree, and black walnut seeds. This week we will place seeds in moist baggies and make predictions about what will happen to the seeds and how quickly each will grow.
~This Monday, we will open the big pumpkin in our classroom. We will be able to explore the inside and compare the seeds to those of the smaller pumpkins opened last week.
~We will encourage children to make connections between things they might know and things they are able to observe first hand in the classroom and/or outdoors. (Why are squirrels gathering acorns? What do they use them for? Why do trees drop acorns? Which trees have changed the most? What colors are the leaves? What is happening to the temperature outside? Why are there seeds outside? What are animals outside doing?)
~Clipboards and colored pencils will be available for children to record their observations and drawings at the science table.
~Light table with a variety of leaves will be available for identifying, matching, or tracing.
Language and Literacy
~An assortment of papers, envelopes, colored pencils, staplers, tape are located in the writing center along with an alphabet.
~"Books" made of folded paper will also be available at the writing center in order to make menus for our housekeeping area. Using the "books," glue sticks and food magazine cutouts, children will be able to write and collage their own menus.
~Favorite and classic books are featured in the book area.
~A smaller book shelf is located in the upper part of the loft. Books related to the seasons, fall, harvest are featured.
~An enormous basket of library books is available about trees for children to enjoy.
~Computer center is available for students with children's games and taking computer turns with peers.
Math, Manipulative and Games
We will continue to focus on the concepts of sorting and matching, as well as introducing the concept of seriation.
~Different sized pine cones and gourds are available for the children to seriate from largest to smallest. A board with pegs that progress in length and stacking towers also help children seriate according to size. Seriation lays the foundation for measurement by encouraging children to make comparisons between objects based on length, size, shape, or other characteristics.
~Color and shape matching lotto games, animal matching cards, and shape matching boards are available to encourage children's development of fine motor skills, and support cognitive concepts.
~"Animal mothers and babies" lotto and woodland animal bingo games will be including to help support matching skills while continuing to focus on animals and hibernation. Games also introduce the children to "playing by the rules", which is a challenging cognitive milestone. The teachers continuously encourage social interactions and emphasize turn taking.
~Puzzles emphasizing the themes of colors, fruits and vegetables, are located in the middle of the classroom, right across the caves, in the manipulatives area. A large farm puzzle, with crops, animals, and fall harvest is available for group work in the open area in the back of the classroom. Puzzles promote and support the development of part/whole relationships, synthesizing and hand-eye coordination.
~The children have been building various vehicles and buildings with the Mobilos available in the second cave. In order to continue the focus on creative building and hand-eye coordination, the Mobilos will be combined with Popoids. We will include photographs near this cave of some of the imaginative work our students have completed with these materials to share children's ideas. Clipboards will also be available for the children to record what they have created and share with peers and teachers.
Block area
~Hollow blocks are available in the back of the room allowing children to engage in social interactions while using mathematical and spatial concepts as well as creative abilities to build in this large area of the classroom. We also have a few steering wheels to encourage children's socio-dramatic play in this area. Books about building and houses will be available as inspiration to young builders.
~The Unit blocks are placed near the caves and close by to the hollow blocks to encourage children to use these in different areas of the classroom. In addition to the unit blocks we have wooden airplanes and cars to encourage children's symbolic play.
~Building on the children's interests in the wooden cars and trains, we have included a "city and roads" carpet in between the unit block shelves in order to allow students to engage in socio-dramatic play and motor skills.
Large Motor
~ The children have been busy using the various pieces of equipment available in the gym. This week we will continue with opportunities for the climbing wall, the slide and stairs, and the monkey bars and the metal bridge. The children have been using balance and depth-perception skills as they travel across the metal bridge. The climbing wall and monkey bars build upper body strength and allow the child to make decisions about their comfort level with physical challenges in a supported environment. Locomotion skills are supported with walking, stairs, running, and jumping. Spatial awareness skills support the child to move safely and efficiently in space, and directional awareness skills give the child an inner sense of where they are in relation to spatial concepts. The rocking boat allows the children to develop balance and coordination as well as provide for opportunities for social interactions and turn taking.
~We will go outside to the playground whenever possible and the children will be able to run, ride cars and tricycles, climb up the tires and rope, dig in the sand with earth movers and shovels, slide and swing. Children develop upper body strength and to coordinate their bodies, as they practice going through the monkey bars or swing from one of the bars; they develop strength as they push/pull the wagons and/or wheels barrows full of toys. Outdoor play also gives the children great opportunities for socio-dramatic play in a different environment as well as opportunities to meet with the children in Nyna's classroom.
~We will continue to play games such as "Mr. Fox" and "Red Light, Green Light" to encourage the practice dynamic balance, following directions, and turn-taking.
Music and Movement/Large Group
~We will continue to sing welcome songs and the names of children to continue to build our classroom community. Songs, finger plays, and actions will be used in large group time, which encourages children to join in the singing and movement together.
~We will introduce seed germination and some of the related vocabulary such as roots, shoots, and sprouts. The children will vote on which seed will sprout the fastest before the germinating seeds are placed in our science area for observation.
~We will dance to "The Freeze" this week in order to move creatively together and practice dynamic balance by stopping and starting while we dance together.

Elizabeth

Weekly Lesson Plan
Weeks of Oct 19 - Oct 24, 2009
Lead Teaching This Week: Elizabeth

Overview and goals
With the introduction to our all-school curriculum focus on trees and the arrival of our class pet rats, this past week has been an exciting one for the children! Children met for the first time in their small groups, which will continue until the end of the fall session. Friendships are continuing to bloom and cooperative play has increased. Autumn is upon us and children have been exploring nature related items throughout the classroom. The topic of nature extends beyond our classroom to the whole school community. This week we will continue to build upon the nature and habitat theme that has developed. The materials that will be added this week also continue to foster relationships. Also, the activities planned for this week will focus on supporting the children's connection to the classroom and whole-school community.

Art Center
Sensory
~ Within the past week, many children have explored the properties of water in the sand. As our play at the sand table comes to an end, the water table will be introduced. The focus will be on exploring the properties of water and promoting social interaction. Large rocks, aquarium rocks, plants, and small animals will be available for children to create a water habitat, extending our exploration of where animals live.
~ At the play dough table, much discussion has taken place of where specific animals live. Nature related materials including pinecones, sticks, glass gems, and plastic trees will continue to be available with an assortment of animals to support our nature and tree curriculum. These materials will also support creativity and social interaction as children collaborate together in discussing specific animal habitats.
Expressive
~ The art table will continue to have natural collage materials as well other open-ended materials including markers, crayons, colored pencils, and colored paper. We feel the children are ready for some new materials to explore. Small boxes will be available for children to create 3-D collages. These supplies will foster creative development, artistic expression, fine-motor strength/coordination, as well as encourage social interaction.
~ The large floor easel continues to be a popular for children to express their creativity. Large brushes will continue to be available to promote large-motor skills. Other miscellaneous items including leaves, flowers, and wood sticks will be available for open ended print making supporting our nature and tree focus.

Science
~ Many of the children have eagerly explored the nature related items at the science table. Last week the children found leaves on the playground as big as their heads! As fall continues to progress, pumpkins and squash will begin to be examined at the science area. Towards the beginning of the week, the pumpkins and squash will be available for children to discuss and compare. As children hypothesize what is in the pumpkin the class will eventually dissect the pumpkins, allowing children to explore the insides with magnifying glasses and tweezers.

Math and Manipulatives
~ This week, the nature theme will extend to the math center with leaf sorting. Different colors and kinds of laminated leaves will be available for children to describe and sort. A new set of small cube manipulatives will be available along with the stacking pegs to promote 1-to-1 correspondence, counting, patterns, and measurement, as well as increasing symbolic representation while working on fine motor skills. Puzzles will continue to promote visual discrimination, shape recognition, and part-to-whole relationships.

Language and Literacy Center
~Throughout the past week, many children have been involved in writing letters and delivering them within our classroom. To encourage pre-literacy skills and social interaction, a mail book with all the children's pictures and names will be available at the literacy center. In addition to the large mailbox that was added last week, individual envelops with children's names will be available for children to mail. Additional post office supplies and alphabet stamps will be available to support children's letter making and literature skill development.
~New books will be available at the reading coach for children to enjoy looking at with themselves or a teacher. Many of the books will surround trees, pumpkins, animals and habitats as well as some classroom favorites.

Block Center
~In the block center, children have continued to come up with complex vehicles, machines and buildings the past week. To extend block play cardboard box pieces will be available for children this next week. We anticipate seeing more complex structures including possible houses or buildings, as well as story lines develop as children creatively incorporate these new materials. The blocks will continue to foster creativity, cooperative play, large motor coordination, and social interaction.

Dramatic Play Center
~ In conjunction with the literacy center, the post office dramatic play props have been very popular. These props will continue to be available as play expands. Seeing that the weather has been particularly rainy the past few weeks, rain boats and ponchos will be available in the dramatic play center to encourage further socio-dramatic play and creativity. These materials will expand on play and connect it to the current "weather trends."
~ In the caves, the wooden houses and peg people (with the children's faces taped to them) have fostered much social interaction and symbolic representation. Teachers have told stories during large group about the class peg people going on nature walks and post office adventures, which inspired children to create their own story-lines with the peg people. Some of the children have found their peg person and taken it to the block area to incorporate in play. It has been exciting to watch new friendship be formed/supported through the play with the peg people.
~In the woodland animal habitat cave, materials such as berry bushes, rocks, and trees will be added to continue to build upon animal and habitat related play themes we have observed. Discussion about where animals live and what they need to survive have lead to a habitat matching game that will be available outside of the caves on the wall.

Large Motor
~ In the gym monkey bars, slide, horizontal ladder, and A-frame will continue to be available promoting the skills of running, jumping, balancing, upper and lower body strength, eye-hand and eye-foot coordination, as well as cardiovascular strength. This past week, the parachute was been a popular teacher-lead activity. We will be planning more parachute activities based on the excitement shown last week! The teachers will also continue to lead action games including Simon Says and creative movement to support motor development.
~Snow fall this past week brought lots of excitement and exploration to outdoor play. Bikes, shovels, wagons, and rope swings continue to be popular on the outdoor playground. In addition, seeing that many children were excited about exploring nature this past week, children will have the chance to join Amy's class in making sun-nut butter squirrel feeders from pinecones to add to the playground and support whole school community building.

Special Interest
~ Conferences start this week! Please remember to complete the conference questionnaire and bring it with you to the meeting. Also, stop in and double check the date and time of you conference on Ross' hard copy posted on the door. If you date/time don't match up or you need to reschedule, let Ross know right away. Also, don't forget to arrange childcare
~ Parent Discussion groups will be meeting this week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday). Please so the school website for more information.

Snack
Monday: Homemade sweet/russet potato fries with ketchup (made by Amy's class)
Tuesday: Open-snack: Graham crackers
Wednesday: Open-snack: Cheddar Bunnies
Thursday: Open-snack: Alphabet Cheez-Its
Friday: Carrots, pretzels, and dip

*All snacks served with milk and water unless otherwise specified*

We had a busy week! Below are the highlights and moments we captured throughout the week.

Children cooking at the play-doh area, each making their own special dish.

Bob and Sam investigating the Minnesota native wild flowers.

Children noticing and playing with the snow on the ground and the oak tree.

Our first cooking project. We made applesauce and ate it for snack

The children taking time to "eat" at the kitchen area.

Fire fighter play in the dramatic play area: "Oh no! We have to put out the fire!"

Children discovering the flashlights and experimenting its use in the cave.

Going on a school exploration.

Story time during free play.

• We will be taking short, small-group nature walks in the coming weeks and would like to have any parent helpers who are able to join us. Please let us know.
• We will be collecting empty food containers of favorite foods for our dramatic play area, in order to bring familiar objects into our classroom.
• The weather has been very unpredictable lately. If your child has a pair of snowpants, boots, hats, and waterproof mittens at home, please bring it to school (labeled with your child's name) on the days we have snow in case we go outside. We have extra pairs of snowpants and snow accessories in school in case you do not have these readily available for your child. Snow is coming too soon, but we love to go outside to take advantage of the learning opportunitites provided in the "natural world." Thank you for your cooperation.
• Parent-teacher conference begins this week! Thank you for signing up. I will be sending you a confirmation/reminder soon. I'm looking forward to meet and chat with you!

October Meetings - Parent Discussion Group - Supporting the Development of Your Child's Social Skills
What are some ways you can help your child to develop socially? There are ways you can support the development of play skills and the emerging friendships the children are forming at school. Come prepared to share problems and ideas!

* Tuesday, October 20 - 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
* Wednesday, October 21 - 1 - 2:15 p.m.
* Friday, October 23 - 9 - 10:15 a.m.
* (We will meet in Room 108 - right above the school)

Lesson Plan for Ayuko's Class
Week of October 19th, 2009
Becky, Elizabeth, and Bob Co-Lead Teaching

Goals: As children settle into the routine of the classroom, we continue to support them through the transitions and help them become aware of themselves and each other through positive interactions and problem solving. We will continue to explore what is happening outside as the fall weather rapidly turns into winter, focusing on the changing foliage and on the behavior of animals in our environment. We will encourage and spur social interactions between children, as they learn how to share a space and materials.

Art
• Art table: We will continue our exploration of collages by providing glue and natural materials at the art table. We hope to get outside to collect leaves, sticks, and other treasures to add to our collages. These works of art will be on display in our classroom "treehouse" that we will be making this week.
• Painting on easel: Warm "fall" colors like red, orange, yellow, and brown will be available on the easel this week. Painting offers the valuable experiences of artistic expression, hand-eye coordination, and color mixing.
Manipulatives
• Old and new stacking cups will be available to practice seriation, or the ordering according to size. This valuable math skill will be accompanied by stacking toys that emphasize numbers and counting. We will continue to have large beads, string, and sewing blocks available to enhance hand-eye coordination, motor planning, and fine-motor development.
• New puzzles depicting the themes of fall, animals, and firefighters will be available. Alphabet puzzles will also be introduced to help children with letter recognition and early phonemic awareness. Puzzles help to improve spatial awareness, an understanding of part-whole relationships, and fine motor development.
Sensory
• The play doh area has been full of busy cooks! We will continue to foster this home-school connection by providing kitchen tools and food pictures in this area. The play doh table offers wonderful opportunities for sharing creations (we hear a lot of, "Look! I made noodles!") and sharing materials. New materials such as paper punches, herbs, and spices are being added to the play doh to enhance sensory awareness through touch, sight, and smell. The children will also have a literacy experience in this area as they look for their name and picture on our food wall.
• The water table will be transformed into a dramatic play center filled with rocks, toy boats, and water animals such as frogs, fish, and turtles. This pond area will encourage social interaction, science skills like displacement, and dramatic play skills like symbolic representation.
Science
• As we continue to observe seasonal changes, the wildflowers in the classroom are going to seed. The orange butterfly weed in particular offers a fantastic experience as the fine filaments attached to the seed easily lift it on a short puff of air, letting it slip lazily along the convection currents in the room. Several of the children have become adept 'puffers.'
• With harvests coming in, there will be a selection of gourds replacing the wildflowers, including a traditional orange pumpkin.
• Peely the gerbil remains quite happy. Many children check on her each day, wondering what she eats, and why she burrows into the bedding material. This interest will lead to further discussions about caring for living things, and the characteristics of living things.
• The book cave is a popular place for a quiet read, and quiet social interactions. It has also hosted a 'flashlight show', where one child observed, "the circle gets bigger when I put it up!" That is, the cone of light increased in diameter as the light source moved away from the reflective plane: physics, math, and scientific method in action.
Dramatic Play
• The kitchen area has been condensed in order to allow for cooking play to occur in the play-dough area as well. We will be adding familiar elements from our homes, such as empty food packages (i.e., macaroni and cheese boxes), in order to foster the home-school connection. Please send in an empty food container (no sharp metal edges, glass, or containers of nut products) of a favorite food in your family to be added to our kitchen for pretend play.
• In addition to babies, we have introduced pets into our dramatic play area in order to expand upon the caretaking theme and provide comfort items if needed. Engaging in caretaking play helps the children to feel empowered and responsible, and symbolic play expands the children's abstract thinking and encourages social interaction.
• Firefighting equipment, tools, and wheeled vehicles are available in order to encourage a variety of scenarios. Building with blocks and pushing trucks help develop strength and coordination, and dramatic play elements help children to expand their creative thinking.
Language and Literacy
• Children have been demonstrating increased interest in the alphabet. To support that interest, we will add alpha/numeric symbols into our play. An alphabet puzzle will now be on the puzzle table. We will add letters and numbers to our collage material and look for other opportunities to support this interest.
• With our changing themes, new books are in the classroom. Some portray the work of firefighters while others tell stories of woodland animals. Cards describing the children's favorite recipes are mounted at their eye level in the play doh kitchen.
• We all listen carefully for emerging words and speech, acknowledging and supporting new language abilities while encouraging them to learn from each other.
Construction
• The tool shop will be moved out of the loft next week to a smaller section of the dramatic play area. The children will be involved in a slow transformation of the loft area into a woodland habitat. Aspects of the transformation will include bringing live materials into the area and finding ways to artfully attach them to, and include them in the space. We hope to have the children's help in finding those materials.
Music
• A variety of small instruments such as shakers, drums, and small glockenspiels will be added to the piano area. Children will be able to explore rhythm, sounds, volume, technique, pitch, and movement. Making music and improvising together is an excellent scenario for social interaction and the enjoyment of each other in a shared activity.
Large Group
• The student teachers have been introducing a range of new materials mixed in with the old favorites. The new songs often require specific movements or verbal responses from the children, adding to their vocabulary and body awareness, as well as their glee. The old favorites are often reworked to challenge their expressive language skills or balance and body coordination.
Small Group
• Student teachers will begin their small group meetings this week. We will be taking groups out into the hallway to have an introductory meeting to get a feel for what the children are interested in. Please remember that not every child at this age is ready to participate in such a group. Some children may choose to participate on certain days and not others. Though we encourage children to join us, it is their choice to participate on any given day.
Large Motor
• The new gym arrangement has been a wonderful place to see developing risk-taking qualities. The children have been practicing their climbing skills while going over the A-frame ladder, across a bar bridge, and going up another ladder. Once they are at the top, many children have been enjoying big jumps into a padded area. This exciting area has also given us the opportunity to practice waiting for a turn. The teeter-totters continue to be a favorite game, giving wonderful vestibular feedback through rocking while also encouraging the children to work in pairs.
• Cars, trucks, rakes, and shovels will continue to be a focus outdoors. The children strengthen large muscle groups through running, pulling and pushing cars and trucks, and scooping. We will also be introducing balls of various sizes for children to practice hand-eye coordination, propulsion skills like throwing and kicking, and social interaction.

Snack:
Monday: Homemade sweet & russet potato fries with ketchup (by Amy) and bananas
Wednesday: Letter Cheez-Its & Apple
Thursday: Pretzels & Pineapple

Dear families,

Last week was our first full week of full day classes, another milestone for all of us. The children are doing wonderfully - we are enjoying the chance to already see little differences in how some of them are exploring the classroom and expressing themselves. There can be a tendency around now to also experience some of the "reality" phase of school - after happily saying goodbye the first few days, you may find that some of your children are a little more hesitant - the day is a little longer, and they are also facing some of the more difficult sides of life in a shared space, other children grab your toys, play the piano too loud, sit too close to you, get to the chair you planned to sit in a little before you do, in sum, all those episodes of life which can be hard in the beginning before your skills negotiating them are developed. We are there to help be the "social glue" at these moments to help make things okay, to calm and find another way that things can still work out all right. It can feel like a long road, but we're on it together.

We have made a slight change in our schedule, beginning this past Friday. We sensed that many children needed a little break from the busyness and energy of the full group, so we broke up into groups of 3 and 4 and each teacher read books or took a short "explore" walk down the hall around 9:30. This seemed to be well received by most of the children.

I have posted the lesson plan for this upcoming week on the Lab school website. Here's the link. Take a look, we have made some slight changes from this week, trying to balance some novelty with some repetition of themes to help make the classroom seem a familiar place. I have also posted some photos from our first few days together. (click on "Frances" under classrooms, then "lesson plans," "updates" for the photos and newsletter to read the bios of our student teachers.)

You may have noticed the older classes have a "question of the day." Our Tuesday question will be "Do you have your name on your backpack?" We will have some tape so you can add it if the answer is no. Now that the colder weather is with us, it helps a lot if we can access extra sweaters and things from the back pack, and at this point less that half of ours are labeled so it takes a long time to find things (and slows down the pickup line which makes everyone grumpy.) I would encourage you to put mittens and hats in the pockets or sleeves of your child's jacket upon arrival - it's one less step to have to search in the back pack. We'll appreciate snow pants and boots tomorrow if you have them. I realize this snow hit most of us by surprise, but we're still hoping we can get outside with the children to explore. We have some Lab School snow pants and boots if you haven't outfitted your child for winter yet.

See everybody tomorrow!

best,

Frances

Usually the updates come later in the week, but today was an exciting day with the addition of a new classmate, playing parachute in the gym, and (of course) the accumulating snowfall. Here are some photos to help spark conversations about the day, or supply visuals for the stories your child may be sharing about what happened at school today!

Fun with the parachute: many children working together to make "popcorn"

Snow on October 12...a strong possibility when you live in Minne-snow-ta

Ella, Riley, and Elizabeth investigating the accumulating snowfall

Evan trekking through the snow-covered "meadow"

Garrin got the idea to make a snowball and turn it into a giant snowball; here's the midpoint

Garrin's end result from "lots of pushing!" (from a snowball the size of a baseball)

Usually the updates come later in the week, but today was an exciting day with the addition of a new classmate, playing parachute in the gym, and (of course) the accumulating snowfall. Here are some photos to help spark conversations about the day, or supply visuals for the stories your child may be sharing about what happened at school today!

Fun with the parachute: many children working together to make "popcorn"

Snow on October 12...a strong possibility when you live in Minne-snow-ta

Ella, Riley, and Elizabeth investigating the accumulating snowfall

Evan trekking through the snow-covered "meadow"

Garrin got the idea to make a snowball and turn it into a giant snowball; here's the midpoint

Garrin's end result from "lots of pushing!" (from a snowball the size of a baseball)

The first few weeks have been busy with getting to know the routines of the classroom.

Children have enjoyed playing the piano,

painting at the easel,

working at the water table

And exploring the harvest materials at the science table. Many thanks to all who have brought leaves from their yards!

After we finish in the classroom, we go down to the gym. Popular activities in the gym include:

Jumping on the big blue mat,

Using the "sit 'n spin"

using the slide,

going in the "cave,"

And the challenge of climbing up and over the A'Frame climber.

There is also a big blue "donut" which is fun to climb into and out of.

After playing in the gym, we go back and eat our snack:

After snack we go outside. The playground is a busy time for shoveling, climbing, using the wheelbarrows, slide and stairs.

One time we decided to cover one of the logs with dirt - a few children became involved in this project.

As I'm sure you've already noticed, we have a great team of student teachers this term, and they truly enjoy working with your children. As they begin to design curriculum over the next few weeks and begin their lead teaching, the information below should help you get to know them a little better:

Elizabeth Anderson
I am in my second year in the M. Ed. Initial Licensure program in Early Childhood Education and Special Education, and I am excited to be starting my series of student teaching experiences! I grew up in Lawrence, Kansas, and did my undergraduate degree at Oberlin College (in Oberlin, Ohio) in German studies and French Horn performance. I moved to the Twin Cities in 2006 to work for Americorps as a literacy coordinator, and then I spent a year in Berlin, Germany, teaching English. After I complete my degree, I hope to work either as an early childhood or early childhood special ed teacher. I enjoy knitting and crocheting, biking, gardening and shopping at farmers markets, reading, music, and being with friends and family.

Becky Barth
I am originally from LaCrosse, WI, but I have been living in Minneapolis for the past five years. I am in my second year of the Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education masters program. My undergraduate degree is in Theatre/Dance from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. My passion for dance and movement led me to study somatic movement therapy with various practitioners throughout the country; I am particularly interested in the early movement patterns and reflexes of infants and toddlers. After completing the education program, I hope to work in special education in a birth-to-three program or a special education preschool. In my free time you can find me at the local farmer's markets, in my kitchen, outside taking walks and bike rides, and at home snuggling with my two cornish rex cats, Henri and Pippin.

Bob Reilly
I grew up in the Hudson River Valley, in Hastings-on-Hudson, just outside of New York. Before coming to Minneapolis, I had worked for ten years as a unit manager in broadcast television, with the "Today Show" in New York, and the NBC News Bureau in London. In 1990, my wife and I moved to Minneapolis to expand her background in cancer research into the area of epidemiology. After many years as a dad at home looking after our two daughters, now aged fourteen and sixteen, I entered the Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Educations Initial Licensure/Masters program. I look forward to working with preschool children and becoming involved on issues of quality, funding and universal access to preK programs. I enjoy reading (usually non fiction) and doing successful home repairs. I also love observing nature. Minneapolis is a wonderful place to live and raise children.

Lesson Plan - Frances' class Oct 12, 2009

Goals: We continue to support the children through the transitions of the day, they are increasingly aware of what will happen next. Many of our activities are geared towards helping children see themselves as part of a community: learning each other's names, becoming aware of each other's presence, likes and dislikes and delving into the difficult problem solving which comes up when their desires collide with someone else's. We are also structuring simple activities that remind children of things they do at home in order to gain some comfort and connection and insight into their personalities. We are continuing to make the most of the fall weather for exploring natural materials before the cold of winter starts.

Art
•Painting on easel: Primary color paints will continue to be available to explore color mixing. Brush strokes (vertical, horizontal, circle, dabbing) will be modeled and the children will be encouraged to experiment.
•Art table: In addition to markers and paper, we will explore some of the science table materials (seeds and dried flower pods) at this location. We are hoping to incorporate some of these natural materials into the children's art by attaching them to contact paper.
•We will begin using glue with natural collage materials at the table with q-tips as an application instrument.
Manipulatives
•Dishes with small puff balls will be featured that the children can move to a tray using tongs. This process promotes fine motor development, persistence, and hand-eye coordination as children manipulate the tongs, grab objects, and successfully transfer them into another area. The nesting cups continue to be popular. Simple sewing blocks will allow us to explore the process of hand passing with a tool through a hole. These activities promote fine motor development and motor planning, size and color differentiation, stacking and spatial awareness.
•Puzzles will be available to enhance fine motor development, spatial awareness, visual discrimination, and understanding of shapes. Puzzle topics include tools, food, and vehicles.
Sensory
•The children will continue to explore the connection between play doh and cooking this week. Materials, tools, and pictures will be provided to inspire many different cooking creations. Fine motor skills will be strengthened through rolling and squeezing dough, and manipulating various tools like spatulas and garlic presses. Dramatic play elements such as plates, cups, and flatware will encourage children to share their creations through meaningful social interactions. To encourage the home-school connection, please continue to share with us what kinds of food your family likes to cook and eat. We have found the children to be much more conversant when we comment on specific foods that we know they like to cook.
• We will continue the tools from last week as they are still engaging the children: bottles with smaller spouts and tubes of different diameters allow for connection to funnels and potential construction possibilities (small tubes inside of larger tubes. We will add a color to the water to create an additional attraction. Water play helps develop the concept of empty and full, less and more, and in and out. Shells are also present in the water table to provide a sensory element.
• Small rain sticks are available inside the door to promote experimentation with sounds. The motor planning involved with turning the rainstick upside down challenges children's thinking, physical coordination, and creates a satisfying trial and effect game to share with teachers and others.
Science
• At the end of last week, play insects and small animals appeared among the wildflowers and the hollowed out branch in the classroom. The children were curious about what insects they were. There is also a hollow knot on the branch that is difficult to see into. This week we will cut it open to see what is inside. We will also look for late season insects hiding behind bark on the tree stumps and among the leaf litter on the playground. We have enjoyed seeing the different things that children have brought into school and their enthusiasm for their treasures. We are happy to keep receiving what finds nature brings to your yard. The outside world is changing rapidly and helping your child to notice some of the transformations may feed their curiosity about nature.
•As we experience part of what happens on a prairie, we will also experience fall harvest foods. As the apple season draws to a close, children will examine various kinds of apples displayed at the science table. Throughout the week, we will investigate and experience several varieties of apple in our own "taste test."
• Children will be encouraged to observe Peely in her "home." We will focus on her movements and daily routine, asking children questions about the similarities and differences with human life. Children are beginning to take note of Peely's small heart beat, and we are copying the way she eats. We will experiment with adding toilet tissue rolls to see what she does.
Dramatic Play
•A diaper changing table and baby doll accessories are available in addition to multi-ethnic babies with baby carriages, bassinets, and strollers to foster symbolic play.
• The dramatic play area has been expanded to include firefighter equipment in order to incorporate fire rescue play that has developed from our tools area. Dramatic play helps children practice social skills and expand their creative thinking.
•Tools, workbenches, and hard hats will be available in the loft area to extend the block play and to "fix" the toy cars and trucks that have been "crashing" or "breaking." This will promote social-emotional development through sharing, negotiation, cooperation, and communication.
•Scarves, animal fabrics, and skirts will be available for children to support their pretend play, and foster social interaction and cooperation.
•Wheeled vehicles (dump trucks, cars, trains, and buses) are available to promote pretend play.
Language and Literacy
•In addition to the book area, we will incorporate a cozy reading/play area in the cave. We will start posting what things children like to cook at home near the playdough table. The children have utilized this space as a place to relax and enjoy small group interaction. The cave promotes reading with peers or teachers, sharing of space, and social awareness. Language and literacy activities occur throughout the day and the classroom is filled with activities and materials that support their development.
Construction
•Hollow wooden blocks will be available in the block area to extend the construction of roads and ramps for the trucks. Smaller foam blocks have been placed in the loft area to encourage social interaction during construction. Tools are still available, and children will be encouraged to use them in mechanic play, construction, or firefighter play. Using both small and large blocks will help develop motor skills, expanding block play into the loft will challenge children to think creatively, and negotiating the space and materials will help develop social skills such as sharing, cooperation, and communication.
Music
•Instruments such as shakers and drums will be included throughout the day to support transitions and encourage participation. We will sing familiar songs as well as incorporate new songs as part of our routine and name songs to encourage the children to learn each other's names.
•The piano is open for the children to use to promote exploration of sounds, volume, rhythm and social interaction.
Large Group
•We have been singing the Choo Choo Train song to introduce the children's names to each other. We will also continue to sing The Wheels on the Bus, and I've been working on the Railroad. We will introduce a new rhyme, about the rain, as that seems to be the way the weather is going. (See words below.)
Large Motor
• We have experimented with the sit and spins and the teeter totters in the gym. The sit and spins take some motor planning but allow the children to experience the powerful centrifugal force of spinning. The teeter totters are a two person toy allowing children to feel the sensations of balance, rocking and the disequilibrium when the partner's weight disappears. There are also low balance beams to promote toe to heel walking, balancing, and coordination. A couple of cozy spots are available for dramatic play and relaxation. A ladder leads up to an A-frame climber, which fosters spatial awareness, motor planning, and turn taking. Rakes, wheel barrels, and dump trucks will be available to support the children's interests in collecting, carrying, and dumping fallen leaves. We will also be exploring the front of the playground, walking through the tall grass, investigating, and observing things we find. The playground environment also supports the children's upper and lower body development, such as running and using tools to dig and mold sand.
Snack
Tuesday: Banana & Multigrain Cheerios Friday: Graham Crackers (baked by Ross' class) with Applesauce Announcements
• Most families have signed up for our fall parent-teacher conference. The main sign up sheet will be posted on the door. If you cannot sign up in person, please give me your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice time via email. Suggest some alternate times if none of these work for you.
• Many thanks for staying in your cars at pickup time unless you have a spot in the angled parking lot or a metered spot. We realize the line moves slowly and it feels like you could run and grab your child quickly, but then the whole line of cars can't get around you. Please remember to stay in your car in the pickup line unless you have a parking spot. Eva will let us know that you are here via walkie-talkie and we will bring your child out to you. This allows the line of cars to keep inching forward. Also, please label all backpacks and jackets - this will also facilitate getting children to you more quickly at the end of the day.

Becky Barth

I am originally from LaCrosse, WI, but I have been living in Minneapolis for the past five years. I am in my second year of the Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education masters program. My undergraduate degree is in Theatre/Dance from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. My passion for dance and movement led me to study somatic movement therapy with various practitioners throughout the country; I am particularly interested in the early movement patterns and reflexes of infants and toddlers. After completing the education program, I hope to work in special education in a birth-to-three program or a special education preschool. In my free time you can find me at the local farmer's markets, in my kitchen, outside taking walks and bike rides, and at home snuggling with my two cornish rex cats, Henri and Pippin.

Elizabeth Anderson

I am in my second year in the M. Ed. Initial Licensure program in Early Childhood Education and Special Education, and I am excited to be starting my series of student teaching experiences! I grew up in Lawrence, Kansas, and did my undergraduate degree at Oberlin College (in Oberlin, Ohio) in German studies and French horn performance. I moved to the Twin Cities in 2006 to work for Americorps as a literacy coordinator, and then I spent a year in Berlin, Germany, teaching English. After I complete my degree, I hope to work either as an early childhood or early childhood special ed teacher. I enjoy knitting and crocheting, biking, gardening and shopping at farmers markets, reading, music, and being with friends and family.

Bob Reilly

This past week, children have continued to form new friendships, build relationships with the teachers and gain comfort and confidence in the classroom environment. The large block area has been busy with children working together to build boats, cars and other vehicles. While exploring color mixing with tinted water last week many children discovered how to create different shades of the same color. To bring more children into the color mixing idea the finger paint was added last week. Children were able to explore the properties of this material, including how to mix colors, its sensory qualities, and how to use their hands and fingers to make patterns and impressions on the paper. We will continue to build on this experience with more painting and printmaking opportunities. In light of the changing weather we discussed fall, trees, and color changes that are happening outside during large group this past week, We also started discussing animal habitats, and compared animal homes to people's homes. This week's activities will continue to explore and build on those discussions.

Expressive materials:
-The collage table will remain an area where children can use a variety of materials to creatively express themselves in an open-ended manner. This week we will highlight natural materials that have been collected by the children from the playground, such as leaves, pinecones, acorns, and sticks for children to use in their creations. Using these materials continues to build the children's awareness of fall, trees, and seasonal changes. They will be encouraged to explore the aesthetic properties of these objects at the art table.
-Easel painting will continue to be available with red, yellow and blue paint. Easel painting is a place where children can explore with color mixing and express themselves creatively.

Sensory:
-Last week, children engaged in a lot of dramatic play at the sand table! We will continue to build on the relationships that are forming at this area by including the Little People and vehicles introduced to the sand table last week. Children will continue to practice sharing and engaging in cooperative play.
-In addition, finger paint remains available for children to explore. They will be encouraged to experiment with natural objects and the different prints that leaves, sticks, and other natural materials make on paper.

- The dramatic play center continues to focus around home and family play, including dress-up clothes and kitchen props. While cooking with one another, feeding the babies and taking trips to the store, the children are learning cooperative play skills, symbolic representation and using shared materials. - One of the caves will include peg people, houses and vehicles. This gives children another outlet for their dramatic play using miniature sets, while providing a slight variation from the Little People that were previously available. Through this style of play, children continue to explore neighborhoods and families while learning how to play and share with others. The peg people will have pictures of all the students and teachers in the class. This will encourage children to learn each others' names and to form relationships. -Another cave will focus on animal habitats, nature, and trees. This area builds on our classroom discussions of animal habitats and fall, as well as our school-wide focus on trees. Children will have a chance to explore various animals, their homes, and outdoor environments in this new dramatic play center. In addition, this center encourages children to build connections between the human habitat, which is represented in the miniature sets and housekeeping area, and the animal habitats found within a natural environment. -Another cave will contain babies, the stuffed animal pets, and pet-related props such as leashes, bowls, and play food. The children often incorporate these items out into their dramatic play in the housekeeping and block areas. We will continue to help children use these props to expand their dramatic play. - Animal habitat sorting game with small animals and large tongs for fine motor, matching and habitat awareness and identification. - Pegboards with large plastic pegs for 1-1 correspondence, counting/patterning, and the continued development of perceptual motor skills. - Assorted puzzles, including new tree and animal puzzles, for fine motor development, visual discrimination, hand-eye coordination, shape recognition and part-whole relations. These particular puzzles have been included in the environment as a way to bring more awareness to our theme of trees and habitat. -The science center will be another area in which children can explore the concept of fall, trees, and seasonal change. Natural items collected by the children outside such as pinecones, berries, leaves, sticks, and bark will be included, as well as decorative gourds, pumpkins, and seeds to expand children's awareness of fall and harvest. Magnifying glasses will allow children to look closely at shapes, textures and colors. The teachers will encourage children to discuss how these items look, feel, and smell. -Books about fall, animal habitats, and trees will be featured in the book area. This area exposes children to new vocabulary, concepts, and story sequencing. Children continue to enjoy sitting on the couch and looking at books during the free-play, as well as before and after snack time. - Children have been using the writing center to explore letter writing and mail delivery. To expand on this play, postcards, envelopes, stationery, stickers, scissors, tape and hole punchers will continue to be provided. A large mailbox for inter-classroom mail delivery will also be introduced. By providing pictures of everyone in the class, children will be able to send mail to one another. Children have also been interested exploring the alphabet, so letter stamps will be added in this area. Also, to build on the idea of stamping, nature-themed rubber stamps and ink pads will be available. Stamping is another way to create art, while at the same time, building fine-motor skills and hand-eye coordination. - The children have been working together to build long road structures complete with tunnels out of small unit blocks. They have used the hollow blocks to build boats, cars, and space ships. This constructive play encourages children to use props, such as scarves, to make clothing. These activities require children to do a lot of planning and to further develop their symbolic representation and cooperative play skills. In addition, children are improving their language and communication skills when explaining their play to newcomers and teachers. -The children have continued to enjoy the gym set-up of the A-frame ladder, wall ladder, jumping station, balance beams, and monkey bars. Balance, risk-taking, upper and lower body strength as well as hand-eye coordination skills have continued to develop. Parachute activities will continue this week. One of these games, called the Mushroom, was introduced to the students last Thursday with Dalia's class. This activity encourages children to work cooperatively as a whole in order to manipulate the parachute. The Mushroom will set the stage for further parachute songs and activities that require cooperative movement, and promote listening to directions. A creative movement activity with beanbags in which the children will attempt to balance beanbags on different body parts is also going to be introduced. This activity develops children's balance, coordination, body part identification, and creative movement skills. -While outside, the children continue to have opportunities to dig in the sand, swing, run, climb on the equipment, play with yard toys as well as observing the natural environments found on our playground. Monday: bananas and multi-grain Cheerios Wednesday: graham crackers made by our class and applesauce for dipping Thursday: cheese and crackers

Katie, Sam, and Arthur work together using the playdough machine.

Piper, Bennett, Augie with Claire creating collages.

Nora and Sam experiment with weighing a combination of gourds.

Ella and Michael scooping seeds from the pumpkin.

Arthur and Clare making homes for the frogs under rocks in the water table.

Diane, the dance instructor, leading the children in some movement and body awareness activities.

Claire leading the children in a movement activity. Here they are pretending to be trees blowing in the wind.

Vanessa brought a small group out to the hallway to take a closer look at the mosaic tree.

Holden, Sam, and Nora drawing the mosaic tree.

Truck building using the hollow blocks.

Bring in a Leaf from Home
We need your help! As part of our exploration of trees, the children will be examining different types of leaves. One way the children will do this is by bringing in leaves from home to display and compare to the leaves we already have. They will also have an opportunity to create a leaf rubbing. This activity will allow them to examine the various shapes, sizes, and characteristics of leaves make predictions, and observations. Please help your child find and bring a leaf from outside to the classroom so they can participate in this fun project.

Cold Weather
Just a reminder that as the weather gets colder that we will still be going out to the playground to play each day unless it is raining. Please make sure that your child has all the appropriate weather-wear for the day (coat, hat, mittens).

Parent Discussion Groups -Meeting in room 108 with parent educator Ann Ruhl Carlson

Topic: Supporting the Development of Your Child's Social Skills

What are some ways you can help your child to develop socially? There are ways you can support the development of play skills and the emerging friendships the children are forming at school. Come prepared to share problems and ideas!

Tuesday, October 20 - 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday, October 21 - 1 - 2:15 p.m.

Friday, October 23 - 9 - 10:15 a.m.

Hello Parents!

We are entering into our fourth week of school now and we have been having so much fun! The children are getting used to the new routines and really warming up to each other and the teachers and new friends are beginning to be made.

We have been learning all about harvest. The children have been exploring what different fruits and vegetables look like from the outside and the inside. They have had the chance to cut up vegetables when we made our soup, and examine the insides when they did a print making activity with Katie. Also, the children have been testing out how to balance the two sides of the balance with our harvest vegetables and different types of gourds. Many children have also enjoyed reading the many books we have about harvest and vegetables.

The all school curriculum this year is trees. We have been slowly introducing the topic to the children. Before going out to the playground the children were shown pictures of trees from the playground area and then asked to find them. Many of the children were very interested to hunt down these trees. We have also brought in some books specifically about trees for the children to read. These books are conveniently placed near the leaf cave so that after reading a book about trees, they can go into the cave and investigate further. Over the next few weeks we will be incorporating more activities to familiarize the children with different aspects of trees.

Although a huge part of our focus has been on harvest and trees, the children have also been bring up their own play interests. Building buses, rockets and roads out of the blocks has been very popular. The buses usually end up going to places like the beach or on vacation, the rockets make regular trips back and forth between space and Earth, and the roads usually have both cars and trains traveling on them. The play interests that the children have, if enough other children find them interesting, are where we will come up with small group topics, and sometimes pieces of our curriculum. Another part of the children's play that has been very popular is the water table pond. Children are often heard singing the "Five Green and Speckled Frog" song as they make the little frogs jump into the pond.

Starting this week, the other student teachers and I (Vanessa) will be taking turns "lead teaching". This means that we will be writing the weekly lesson plans, newsletters, and running the classroom for one week at a time. Amy will still be here as well to help and encourage us as we learn to be lead teachers.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to let us know!
Thank you,
~Vanessa

Overview
As we continue our focus on harvest, we will bake the small pumpkin that the children opened last week. The children will be collecting the seeds for baking and sprouting. The children have also been greatly interested in animals. They have been looking for animals, and signs of animals, outside on the playground. They also play with woodland stuffed animals, frogs, and turtles in the classroom. Many connections have been made between different children while engaging in imaginative play with these animals. The all school curriculum of trees has included engaging activities such as, tree hunts on the playground, taking pictures of trees, and even drawing pictures of trees with inspiration from the mosaic tree in the hallway. This week we will be connecting our study of trees to the children's interest in animals by asking the children to think about what animals might live in the trees on the playground. We will be giving them the option to make simple birdfeeders to attract more birds and squirrels for observation. We are hoping the animals will leave behind clues for the children to find. Also, we are having the children bring leaves from home to help strengthen the home/school connection. They will have the chance to make a leaf rubbing to take home so they can remember the trees that we are learning about.
Creative Arts
-The children will have the option to make leaf rubbings with their leaves from home.
-The painting easel will still have red, orange, green, yellow and blue so that the children can paint with all the colors of the season.
Sensory Materials
-The baking theme at the playdough table has been a favorite of many of the children. They have been making many different types of pastries. They also enjoy simply rolling out the dough. To add a new element to the children's baking, we will be providing cookie cutters in pumpkin and leaf shapes.
-The children have loved the pond theme in the water table! Many of the frogs and turtles have wandered into play in other areas of the room as well. To extend their play and connect the water table to nature even more, we will be adding faux leaves, big rocks, and putting a couple of drops of blue coloring into the water.
Science
-Investigating the outside of the big pumpkin has many of the children interested in cutting open and looking inside of it. After cutting open the small pumpkin the children were sure the big pumpkin would have a lot more seeds. We'll find out this week when we open it up and gather the seeds. On Monday we will bake the small pumpkin. The children will get to observe and participate in transforming the pumpkin into pie they can eat. When we made vegetable soup and cut up the vegetables, many of the children wanted to plant the seeds so that we could grow more vegetables. All the pumpkin seeds will give them the opportunity to try this. We will also sprout alfalfa and adzuki seeds for observation and eating. The children will also have the chance to take a close look at the gourds and some seeds with a magnifying glass. The gourd table will have sections for the children to sort the gourds by different characteristics, for example, bumpy, smooth, wide, or long neck.
Math and Manipulative
-The children have been getting comfortable matching and sorting different things at the math table. To provide new challenges we will encourage sorting along multiple dimensions.
-The leaf cave and light table will be moving to just outside the cave so that the children have more room to sort and match by color, shape and size.
-The mobilos cave has been a huge success. The children have enjoyed building and creating different objects to incorporate into their imaginary play. Also, when the children are building with mobilos they are learning about part-whole relationships. We have been taking pictures of some of the structures that have been built to put up in the cave to spark ideas, or remind the children of what they have already made.
Language and Literacy
-The favorite item at the writing center has been the stamps. To incorporate letter recognition we will be providing alphabet stamps. Skinny markers will also still be available with lined paper to encourage letter writing.
-The library center by the couch will have books about farms, vegetables, and animals. The loft reading center will have books about trees and animals. Another spot to find tree books will be by the leaf light table and woodland cave. The placement of these tree books is meant to spark interest as the children learn about different leaf characteristics.
-The computers have games supporting language and literacy awareness. A to Zap and Bailey's Book House continue to be popular games to play.
Blocks
-The block structures so far have been pushed together blocks representing buses, cars, trucks, and rocket ships. To help give the children more direction we will be putting up pictures of their favorite vehicles so they can refer to them as they build. They have been quite motivated to make their structures look real. We will encourage problem solving and creative thinking by adding open-ended materials like, construction paper, Styrofoam, and tape for use with their structures.
Symbolic Play
-Much of the symbolic play this week has taken place with the frogs and turtles from the water table, the woodland stuffed animals, and of course the large hollow blocks. We will be adding small details of each of these to continue to support the children's play.
-One of the caves is now a dark cave and woodland animal habitat. This was inspired both by our tree curriculum and the imaginary play that the children have been doing with forest type stuffed animals.
-The kitchen area will be getting a poster of ingredients for witch's brew. This is a song we sang at a morning meeting last week that the children have really enjoyed. So by putting the poster over by the kitchen the children will have the chance to imagine up their own witch's brew.
Large Motor
-A ladder bridge for the children to climb across will connect the two A-frames. This will provide opportunities for the children to use their upper and lower body strength as well as depth perception, coordination, and problem solving. This structure will lead to a donut lined with beanbags for the children to jump into.
-The monkey bars have become a place not just to swing or crawl across, but also to hang upside down from. This requires the children to use their core muscles to swing their legs up through the bars and hang, which uses their lower body muscles.
-The wall ladder allows the children to use upper and lower body strength together to get to the top, and then core muscles to jump off and land on the mat.
-Another new addition in the gym is the parachute for large group participation. The children will work together while using their whole bodies to play these games.
Playground
-Out on the playground this week we will be adding ropes for swinging from the monkey bars and from the sturdy branches of the trees.
-A theme of trying to find out what kinds of animals live in the playground trees is going to be facilitated by providing magnifying glasses, binoculars, and cameras. The children can use these objects to find clues to what might be living above the playground. The children will be given the opportunity to make simple bird feeders to hang from the trees.
Snack
*All snacks are served with milk and water.
Monday: Banana & rice Chex Tuesday: Pumpkin Pie Wednesday: Apples & Letter Crackers Thursday: Graham Crackers made by Ross' Class & Applesauce for dipping Friday: Sunflower Butter Sandwiches

~ We have a new student joining our class!! Her name is Alexis and her parents, Kathy and David, are very excited to become a part of our classroom community. Please help me in welcoming Alexis and her family!!
~ Conferences are just around the corner. I will be sending out a questionnaire later this week to help guide our discussion. Please fill it out and bring it with you to our meeting. Also, double check your times and make sure our dates and times are lined up.
~ Take a look at the Parent Discussion Group section. The group's first meeting will take place next week in the lounge behind the kitchen - talking about social skills and social development of young children. Look at the section to find the dates and times, as well as upcoming discussion topics.

Here are some of the interesting things happening around the classroom this week. As you can see, the children are connecting with one another - talking about what they are doing and inviting others to join in on their play!

Helena and Nora investigating new developments and color combinations at the science table

A group working together on creating a new "sandcastle city." Lots of discussion about what was to go where

Garrin and Nigel discussing how to arrange the blocks on the wing of their transformer so it, "will stay balanced and not crash to the ground"

Making playdough with Elizabeth
On Friday, a group of children who were frequent visitors to the playdough table joined Elizabeth and helped make playdough for the class to use the following week. The children followed the recipe: measuring the ingredients, taking turns mixing, and eventually mashing/kneading the playdough to make it just right

Estelle adding the salt after Helena (looking on) added the flour

Cedrick working with Elizabeth, adding the oil to the mixture

Oliver carefully adding the cream of tartar

Cedrick and William counting the scoops of the ingredients and paralleling 3 scoops to each of them being 3 yrs old

Cedrick and William count the scoops of the ingredients and paralleling 3 scoops to each of them being 3 yrs old

Weekly Lesson Plan
Weeks of Oct 12 - Oct 16, 2009
Lead Teaching This Week: Stacy

Overview and goals
As we continue to focus on building relationships and community within the classroom, we will extend our focus to the school-wide sense of community by taking a closer look at our all-school curriculum focus on tress. We have been building the awareness of the trees at school by going on a tree hunt last week as well as talking about trees at large groups last week. This week we will bring the focus home, as we have the children explore trees n the their neighborhoods and share some of their "findings" with the class (e.g. leaves, twigs, acorn shells, etc.). We are also welcoming our while rats into the classroom on this week. The addition of the rats will create a transition in the science area as we shift our focus to habitats and the transitions of the seasons (i.e. lifecycles/changes of plants and weather). We will observe the children and see what sparks their interest. Many of the areas in the classroom will highlight the themes of growth, habitat, and lifecycles with the addition of natural elements: meant to foster interest in future natural exploration

Art Center
Expressive Materials
~ Various brush sizes will be available again this week to continue the bush stroke exploration that began last week. Large and fine motor skills will continue to be addressed through various brush strokes (i.e. full-body strokes stretching the length of the paper and the precise, detailed strokes adding the smallest of details). We will also incorporate sticks and possibly bark to paint with - possibly leading to creating reliefs by removing the paint with the use of the natural objects. Artistic and creative expression will continue to be supported as the children explore the new materials.
~ The art table will continue to have collage materials available to foster creative expression. Natural elements found on our playground and from home will be available in creating collage. The use of natural elements in art will allow the children to investigate other uses for objects found in the world around us as well as support the school-wide tree curriculum.
Sensory Materials
~ The playdough table continues to be a staple in many of the children's daily play. Last week the interest in baking slowly came to a close. The baking tools will be replaced wit sticks, rocks, acorns, and small plastic animals: allowing the children to explore the many uses of these open-ended materials. The materials also support out focus on the tree curriculum as well as our focus on animals, habitats, and lifecycles that come with the changing seasons.
~ Last week the sand table has seen much activity as the children found new uses for the shovels and rakes. This week we will add bowls of water and pipettes to the sand. This will allow the children to create various textures and consistencies: exploring the various properties of sand. The fancy rocks and seashells will continue to be present to encourage further building and social interactions. Small trees and animals will be added to support the focus on habitats. The sand table has supported many of the growing relationships between the children and continues to do so.

Science Center
~ With the changing of seasons at hand, a unique opportunity presents itself to learn about life cycle of trees. The children are encouraged to bring fall items that they find at home into class so that we can all "take a closer look." We will have magnifying glasses available for the children to see what nature looks like up close.
~ With the new addition of our white rats, we will ask the children what animals need to live: building their knowledge about how to care for pets as well as reinforce conversations about habitats.

Math and Manipulative Center
~ Within the first few weeks many children have been interested in sorting the colored animals with the large pinchers, and have mastered the activity of sorting by color. This play will allow the children to sort the animals by where they live. This center will allow extensions into the caves where the theme will be habitats and homes. Fine motor and strength will continue to be addressed through the use of tongs in this activity. New animal puzzles will also be available to promote visual discrimination, shape recognition, part-to-whole relationships as well as serve to address our overall theme.

Language and Literacy Center
~ Letters continue to be written at the writing table nearly every day. Pencils, markers, tape, scissors, and hole punches will continue to be available to help promote pre-literacy skill development. This week, we will add a mailbox for the children to send letters to each other. The mailbox will encourage children to incorporate play themes into various areas of the classroom. This will also help encourage social interaction and growing relationships between the children.
~ The reading couch has become a great place for the children take a break during free play. Reading books with a teacher, looking at books by themselves or even with classmates has become an enjoyable past time for many children. We will be introducing books surrounding trees, lifecycles, animals and habitats into the collection of time-honored favorites. Please feel free to come and share a book or two in the morning with your child.

Block Center
~ The block area continues to be a source of much excitement and activity. Friendships are being built with blocks at the center of the play. With the start of our tree theme we expect to see new play themes emerging in the block center. Animals will be added to the small blocks allowing the children to create homes for the animals and apply their new knowledge on habitats.

Dramatic Play Center
~ Dress-up continues to contribute to the play themes for many of the children. Fabric pieces continue to be used as skirts, capes, and picnic tables. To encourage the connection of the centers the post office theme that has emerged from the literacy center will be connected to the dramatic play center through the addition of a mailbox. To facilitate further socio-dramatic play the children will also have the opportunity to deliver mail to their cubbies or anywhere in the classroom while in costume.
~ In order to keep the Fischer Price People cave new and exciting, we will remove the plastic homes and replace them with wooden homes. We will also have the addition of classroom member peg people. This will be new and exciting for the children to play with their very own peg person. The babies and animals will be condensed into one cave and replaced with a woodland animals habitat. This area is intended to create awareness that both people and animals have homes.

Large Motor
~ The gym will continue to have the slide, monkey bars, wall climber, jumping station, and A-frame climber available; promoting the skills of running, jumping, balancing, upper and lower body strength, eye-hand and eye-foot coordination, as well as cardiovascular strength. This week, the teachers will also continue to facilitate activities in the gym. Last week's teacher facilitated games was predominately Hoop Jumping and PaperBlast!. This week we will begin to do a few more open-ended creative movement activities to prepare the children for with the dance teachers that will be making appearances in the class for the next few weeks. We will continue going to the playground at the end of our day where the children will continue to have sand tools, tricycles as well as the other staples available. The playground will also provide an opportunity to look at the trees present on our playground as well as the animals and insects that call our trees home.

Special Interest
~ The snow has flown and temperatures will seemingly continue to be low. PLEASE, make sure your child brings a hat and mittens/gloves in addition to their jackets. We want to keep your children healthy and warm while they are outside!
~ The children are encouraged to bring in materials and items from nature this week either for the science area or for the art and sensory table. If there are any items that the children want to use themselves in an art project or are more special we would like for you to encourage them to keep it in their cubby. A teacher can look at it with your child and a small group. If you have any contributions that you would think would be of interest, please let us know. Thank you!
~ Small groups will be starting soon! We will keep you informed as to what group your child is in and who else is in the group with them. We hope to have our first meeting this Thursday, and be in full swing next week.
~ The Parent Discussion Groups, lead by Ann Carlson, will be starting next week (Oct. 20-23). The first topic will take a closer look at the social skills and social development of young children. Please look at the Parent Discussion Group tab for more information.
~ Lastly, some very exciting news - we will have a new student joining our class on Monday! Please welcome Alexis and her parents, Kathy and David, to the classroom. We are very excited to have a new family join our growing community!

Snack
Monday: Birthday Snack
Tuesday: Sunflower Butter Sandwiches
Wednesday: Apples & Trader Joe's Animal Crackers
Thursday: Graham Crackers made by Class & Applesauce for dipping
Friday: Cheese & Crackers

Parent Discussion Group: Supporting the Development of Your Child's Social Skills
What are some ways you can help your child to develop socially? There are ways you can support the development of play skills and the emerging friendships the children are forming at school. Come prepared to share problems and ideas!
Tuesday, October 20 - 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 21 - 1 - 2:15 p.m.
Friday, October 23 - 9 - 10:15 a.m.
For more information please click on "Parent Discussion Group" under "Current Parents" on your left.

•We have enjoyed seeing the different things that children have brought into school and their enthusiasm for their treasures. We are happy to keep receiving what nature brings to your yard. The outside world is changing rapidly and helping your child to notice some of the transformations may feed their curiosity about nature.

•To encourage the home-school connection, please share with us what kinds of food your family likes to cook and eat. We have found the children to be much more conversant when we comment on specific foods that we know they like to cook.

•Half of the families have signed up for our fall parent-teacher conference. The main sign up sheet will be posted on the door. If you cannot sign up in person, please give me your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice time via email. Suggest some alternate times if none of these work for you.

•Many thanks for staying in your cars at pickup time unless you have a spot in the angled parking lot or a metered spot. We realize the line moves slowly and it feels like you could run and grab your child quickly, but then the whole line of cars can't get around you. Please remember to stay in your car in the pickup line unless you have a parking spot. Eva will let us know that you are here via walkie-talkie and we will bring your child out to you. This allows the line of cars to keep inching forward. Also, please label all backpacks and jackets - this will also facilitate getting children to you more quickly at the end of the day.

Lesson Plan for Ayuko's Class
Week of October 12th, 2009

Goals: As we continue to support the children through the transitions of the day, they are increasingly aware of what will happen next. Many of our activities are geared towards helping children see themselves as part of a community: learning each other's names, becoming aware of each other's presence, and delving into the difficult problem solving which occurs when their desires collide with someone else's. We are also structuring simple activities that remind children of things they do at home in order to gain some comfort and insight into their personalities. We are continuing to make the most of the fall weather for exploring natural materials before the cold winter starts.

Art
•Art table: In addition to markers and paper, we will explore some of the science table materials (seeds and dried flower pods) at this location. We are hoping to incorporate some of these natural materials into the children's art by attaching them to contact paper.
•Painting on easel: Primary color paints will continue to be available to explore color mixing. Brush strokes (vertical, horizontal, circle, dabbing) will be modeled and the children will be encouraged to experiment.
•We will begin using glue with natural collage materials at the table using q-tips as an application instrument.
Manipulatives
•Dishes with small puff balls will be featured that the children can move to a tray using tongs. This process promotes fine motor development, persistence, and hand-eye coordination as children manipulate the tongs, grab objects, and successfully transfer them into another area. The nesting cups continue to be popular. Simple sewing blocks will allow us to explore the process of hand passing with a tool through a hole. These activities promote fine motor development and motor planning, size and color differentiation, stacking, and spatial awareness.
•Puzzles will be available to enhance fine motor development, spatial awareness, visual discrimination, and understanding of shapes. Puzzle topics include tools, food, and vehicles.
Sensory
•The children will continue to explore the connection between play doh and cooking this week. Materials, tools, and pictures will be provided to inspire many different cooking creations. Fine motor skills will be strengthened through rolling and squeezing dough, and manipulating various tools like spatulas and garlic presses. Dramatic play elements such as plates, cups, and flatware will encourage children to share their creations through meaningful social interactions. To encourage the home-school connection, please share with us what kinds of food your family likes to cook and eat. We have found the children to be much more conversant when we comment on specific foods that we know they like to cook.
• We will continue using the water tools from last week as they are still engaging the children: Bottles with smaller spouts and tubes of different diameters allow for connection to funnels and potential construction possibilities (small tubes inside of larger tubes). We will add color to the water to create an additional attraction. Water play helps develop the concept of empty and full, less and more, and in and out. Shells are also present in the water table to provide a sensory element.
• Small rain sticks are available to promote experimentation with sounds. The motor planning involved with turning the rainstick upside down challenges children's thinking, physical coordination, and creates a satisfying trial and effect game to share with teachers and others.
Science
•At the end of last week, play insects and small animals appeared among the wildflowers and the hollowed out branch in the classroom. The children were curious about what insects they were. There is also a hollow knot on the branch that is difficult to see into. This week we will cut it open to see what is inside. We will also look for late season insects hiding behind bark on the tree stumps and among the leaf litter on the playground. We have enjoyed seeing the different things that children have brought into school and their enthusiasm for their treasures. We are happy to keep receiving what nature brings to your yard. The outside world is changing rapidly and helping your child to notice some of the transformations may feed their curiosity about nature.
•As we experience part of what happens on a prairie, we will also experience fall harvest foods. As the apple season draws to a close, children will examine various kinds of apples displayed at the science table. As we experience several varieties of apple in our own "taste test," we will also make apple sauce as a class on Wednesday.
•Children will be encouraged to observe Peely in her "home." We will focus on her movements and daily routine, asking children questions about the similarities and differences with human life. Children are beginning to take note of Peely's small heart beat, and we are copying the way she eats. We will experiment with adding toilet tissue rolls to see what she does.
Dramatic Play
•The dramatic play area has been expanded to include firefighter equipment in order to incorporate fire rescue play that has developed from our tools area. Dramatic play helps children practice social skills and expand their creative thinking.
•Tools, workbenches, and hard hats will continue to be available in the loft area to extend the block play and to "fix" the toy cars and trucks that have been "crashing" or "breaking." This will promote social-emotional development through sharing, negotiation, cooperation, and communication.
•A diaper changing table and baby doll accessories are available in addition to multi-ethnic babies with baby carriages, bassinets, and strollers to foster symbolic play.
•Scarves, animal fabrics, and skirts will be available for children to support their pretend play, and foster social interaction and cooperation.
•Wheeled vehicles (dump trucks, cars, trains, and buses) are available to promote pretend play.
Language and Literacy
•In addition to the book area, we will incorporate a cozy reading/play area in the cave. The children have utilized this space as a place to relax and enjoy small group interaction. The cave promotes reading with peers or teachers, sharing of space, and social awareness. Language and literacy activities occur throughout the day and the classroom is filled with activities and materials that support their development. We will also start posting what things children like to cook at home near the playdough table.
Construction
•Hollow wooden blocks will be available in the block area to extend the construction of roads and ramps for the trucks. Smaller foam blocks have been placed in the loft area to encourage social interaction during construction. Tools are still available and the children will be encouraged to use them in mechanic play, construction, or firefighter play. Using both small and large blocks will help develop motor skills, expanding block play into the loft will challenge children to think creatively, and negotiating the space and materials will help develop social skills such as sharing, cooperation, and communication.
Music
•Instruments such as shakers and drums will be included throughout the day to support transitions and encourage participation. We will sing familiar songs as well as incorporate new songs as part of our routine and name songs to encourage the children to learn each other's names.
•The piano is open for the children to use to promote the exploration of sounds, volume, rhythm and social interaction.
Large Group
•We have been singing the Choo Choo Train song to introduce the children's names to each other. We will also continue to sing Little Green Frog and Open Shut Them. We will introduce a new rhyme, about the rain and snow, as that seems to be the way the weather is going. (See words below.)
Large Motor
• We have experimented with the sit and spins and the teeter totters in the gym. The sit and spins take some motor planning but allow the children to experience the powerful centrifugal force of spinning. The teeter totters are a two person toy allowing children to feel the sensations of balance, rocking, and "weightlessness." There are also low balance beams to promote toe to heel walking, balancing, and coordination. A couple of cozy spots are available for dramatic play and relaxation. A ladder leads up to an A-frame climber, which fosters spatial awareness, motor planning, and turn taking.
•Rakes, wheel barrels, and dump trucks will be available to support the children's interests in collecting, carrying, and dumping fallen leaves. We will also be exploring the front of the playground as we walk through the tall grass, investigating, and observing the things we find. The playground environment also supports the children's upper and lower body development, such as running and using tools to dig and mold sand.
Snack
Monday: Birthday snack and crackers
Wednesday: Snack by class & Cheddar Bunnies
Thursday: Graham Crackers made by Ross' Class & Applesauce for dipping

Songs:
LITTLE GREEN FROG
'Mm-ack' went the little green frog one day
'Mm-ack' went the little green frog
'Mm-ack' went the little green frog one day
And they all went 'Mm-Mm-ack'

But we all know frogs go la-di-da-di-da
La-di-da-di-da, la-di-da-di-da
We all know frogs go la-di-da-di-da
They don't go mm-mm-ack.

If All the Raindrops
If all the raindrops were oranges and lemon drops?
Oh what a rain that would be.
Standing outside with my mouth open wide.
Ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh.
If all the raindrops were oranges and lemon drops?
Oh what a rain that would be.

If all the snowflakes were strawberries and milkshakes?
Oh what a snow that would be.
Standing outside with my mouth open wide.
Ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh.
If all the snowflakes were strawberries and milkshakes?
Oh what a snow that would be.

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issue number 1.doc

Overview and Goals
Our classroom has been a very happy and active group. The children are getting more comfortable in their environment and are continuing to build relationships with each other. Some areas in the classroom will remain the same to maintain a consistent and predictable environment, while other areas will take on minor changes or new directions as we support the children's interests and help expand their learning through hands on experiences. Our classroom discussion has focused on trees, and fall harvest with ongoing activities relating to the seasonal changes. The children will have a variety of opportunities and activities available with trees, leaves, seeds, pumpkins, acorns, and woodland animals this week. Our goal is to help students build on their prior knowledge and continue to observe and notice changes in the natural environment as well in the life cycle.
Expressive Arts
~The easel continues to be a popular area. To support children's observations and symbolic representation, we will continue with the fall colors of red, yellow, orange, and green paints in addition to leaf and acorn shaped paper options.
~Large pieces of cardboard will continue to be available for the children to paint with rollers and textured rollers in a variety of earth tones so that the students will be making the "tree house/forest" themselves and we will be working together to assemble our project in our classroom loft.
~An assortment of construction paper is available for the children, along with markers and crayons to express themselves freely as well as fall leaf, apple, and pumpkin stamps and stamp pads.
~Scissors, glue sticks and hole punchers are also available to add to children's creations as well as collage materials from our autumn outdoor environment.
Sensory Materials
~The play dough table is a very busy area and children have been enjoying the rolling pins, cutters, tins, spatulas and soon will also have new cookie cutters encouraging symbolic cooking play and socialization.
~The water table will have a slight blue color to the water with frogs, lily pads, rocks, and plants underwater in addition to funnels, cups and pitchers for pouring. Symbolic play, social interactions, and conservation concepts are fostered.
Dramatic and Symbolic Play
~A housekeeping area continues to be available for the children in the back of our classroom. Our focus is the kitchen and foods we can cook with vegetables and fruits. The children might imitate the washing and chopping of vegetables we did in preparation for our vegetable soup last week, or pretend to eat their own recipes.
~Dresses, purses, jewelry, and keys are located at the back of the classroom where children can pretend and interact with each other in a variety of ways.
~A new cave will be featured this week with woodland animals. Small animals and sleeping bears will be in the cave with brown fabric like the earth and child sized animal costumes will support symbolic play, socialization, and dramatic play themes as well as exploration of animals, and their habitats.
~The "tree house/forest" project has begun and will continue to be created by the children. The cardboard tree trunks have been cut and the first day of painting was very exciting. The children will take part in assembling or assisting teachers in deciding how to make our "forest" around the walls of the loft.
Science Center
~Our exploration of fall will continue as we examine the outside and inside of a pumpkin, compare and contrast various gourds, acorns, nuts, and seeds.
~We will explore the inside of a pumpkin when we use it to make our own pumpkin bread for snack.
~Children will be encouraged to think deeply and build on our previous fall concepts. (Why are squirrels gathering acorns? What do they use them for? Why do trees drop acorns? Which trees have changed the most? What colors are the leaves? What is happening to the temperature outside? Why are there seeds outside? What are animals outside doing?)
~Clipboards and colored pencils will be available for children to record their observations and drawings at the science table.
~Children will have an opportunity to go outside in small groups with teachers for time to really examine trees and draw what they see outside.
~ Acorns and assorted nuts, and pumpkin seeds will be on display for children to touch, and explore.
~Light table with a variety of leaves will be available for identifying, matching, or tracing.
Language and Literacy
~An assortment of papers, envelopes, colored pencils, staplers, tape is located in the writing center along with an alphabet.
~Favorite and classic books are featured in the book area.
~A cozy book area with pillows and animals is located in the upper part of the loft. Books related to the seasons, fall, and harvest are featured.
~An enormous basket of library books is available about trees for children to enjoy.
~Computer center is available for students with children's games and taking computer turns with peers.
Math, Manipulative and Games
We will continue to focus on the concepts of sorting, shapes and colors.
~Color and shape matching lotto games and small assorted shapes for sorting, counting or matching are available to encourage children's development of fine motor skills, and support cognitive concepts.
~Puzzles emphasizing the themes of colors, fruits and vegetables, are located in the middle of the classroom, right across the caves, in the manipulatives area. A large farm puzzle, with crops, animals, and fall harvest is available for group work in the open area in the back of the classroom. Puzzles promote and support the development of part/whole relationships, synthesizing and hand-eye coordination.
~Mobilos are available in the second cave to encourage creative building and hand-eye coordination. We will include photographs near this cave of some of the imaginative work our students have completed with these materials to share children's ideas.
Block area
~Hollow blocks are available in the back of the room allowing children to engage in social interactions while using mathematical and spatial concepts as well as creative abilities to build in this large area of the classroom. We also have a few steering wheels to encourage children's socio-dramatic play in this area. The forest theme might spark different kinds of construction and structures in this area. We will have to wait and see!
~The Unit blocks are placed near the caves and close by to the hollow blocks to encourage children to use these in different areas of the classroom. In addition to the unit blocks we have wooden airplanes and cars to encourage children's symbolic play.
Large Motor
~We have had one week of schedule gym time, which was last Monday. We will continue with opportunities for the climbing wall, the slide and stairs, and the monkey bars. A new piece of equipment has been added to our gym set up this week - the metal bridge. This will replace our balance boards from last week and will give the children a more challenging experience, which includes depth perception. The climbing wall and monkey bars build upper body strength and allow the child to make decisions about their comfort level with physical challenges in a supported environment. Locomotion skills are supported with walking, stairs, running, and jumping. Spatial awareness skills support the child to move safely and efficiently in space, and directional awareness skills give the child an inner sense of where they are in relation to spatial concepts.
~We will go outside to the playground whenever possible and the children will be able to run, ride cars and tricycles, climb up the tires and rope, dig in the sand with earth movers and shovels, slide and swing.
~We will offer raking leaves and jumping in leaf piles as part of our enjoyment of the season.
~We will include parachute games and activities this week outside and inside the gym.
Music and Movement/Large Group
~We will continue to sing welcome songs and the names of children to continue to build our classroom community. Songs, finger plays, and actions will be used in large group time, which encourages children to join in the singing and movement together.
~We will try some new music from CD's this week to add to our familiar songs.
~Children are given the opportunity to offer suggestions, ideas for actions and words to change some group songs to reflect their own choices. Sharing and listening to each other's ideas in large group can be a difficult task, but each day we are seeing so many positive experiences.

Mary Beth

As we are going into our 4th week of school, the teachers have noticed new connections and relationships blossoming amongst the children. Please take a look.

Cashton and Sofia playing parallel to each other, pounding the pegs with a hammer.

Katie, Cormac, and Alma observing Peely with Elizabeth.

Alma, Otto, Cashton, Ebisaa and Becky filling the buckets with sand to make a sand structure.

Children gathering to sing and dance to "Ring around the Rosie."

Cormac and Sam helping Otto fill his wheelbarrow.

Children pretending to be "cars" during a directed large motor activity in the gym.

The first two weeks of school went by so fast! The children really began to make connections with one another and are building the foundations for friendships! One area where children were really coming together was in the large blocks. Many of the children worked together to build large structures, some days they were space ships and other days they built vehicles. Building with these large blocks not only promotes cooperation and teamwork, but also their symbolic representation skills. We also began to explore the idea of mixing colors after reading "White Rabbit's Color Book" during large group. While they used paint and transparent color sheets last week, they have the opportunity to move into mixing colored water this week. Using the colored water allows the children to experiment with combining different colors using a new medium.

Expressive materials:
-The collage table is a place where children can use everyday materials to create their own pieces of art and express their creativity. As the weather and environment is changing around us the teachers are focusing on making that a real experience for the children. We are doing this by bringing in natural materials from outside to the collage table. This allows the children a chance to create in art what they are seeing in nature. This is also one of the places in the classroom where children will be able to use drawing, writing and cutting tools such as markers, crayons, colored pencils, scissors, staplers, tape and glue.
-Easel painting is available with the primary colors of red, yellow and blue paint. This activity gives the children another opportunity to creatively express themselves, as well as gain an understanding of the concept of color mixing.

Sensory:
- The sand table is a wonderful place for the children to interact around a familiar material. In addition to shovels and scoops, Little People, animals and vehicles are also included. This provides more opportunities for children interact around materials and create dramatic play situations together.
-Finger painting is now an art sensory option. This may be a new sensory experience for many of the children. This activity also brings in our science focus of color mixing.

- The dramatic play center is focused around home and family play, including dress-up clothes and kitchen props. This set-up was chosen because many of the children expressed an interest in play kitchens during home visits and the idea of family is familiar to all of the children.
- One cave features babies to expand on the family play. Props for baby care, such as clothes, food and grooming items are available.
- One of the caves includes Little People, houses and vehicles. This gives children another outlet for their dramatic play using miniature sets.

- Color sorting game with small animals and large tongs for fine motor, matching and color identification. - Bead sorting activity with large chunky beads for fine motor, matching and expansion of sorting skills. - Montessori puzzles for seriation and matching. - Ants In the Pants game for finger strength and color identification. - Assorted puzzles, including color and animal puzzles, for visual discrimination, hand-eye coordination, shape recognition and part-whole relations. - The children have begun to dive into the concept of mixing colors, whether it is at the easel, light table or with the color glasses. They are beginning to remember what colors are created from mixing the primary colors and are very excited about continuing to test their theories. The addition of color mixing with colored water adds a new element of shades of color. The children are now able to create different shades of color and also mix secondary colors. - Books about colors, school, families and feelings are featured in the literacy center. Sometimes reading a book on the couch can be a cozy and calming experience. - The writing center is equipped with paper, postcards, envelopes, stickers, scissors, tape and hole punchers so the children can begin exploring the idea of writing. - The children have been using the small unit blocks to builds roads for their cars. This takes some planning and visualization skills, as they must first decide what blocks work best with the cars and where the road could go. During this process they are learning how to create using trial and error. - The children have been working together to build large structures using the hollow blocks in the back of the room. They are planning and creating very elaborate space ships with ramps and walls. While building they are also working on their cooperation, compromising and language skills as they discuss plans with one another. - The gym is set up with the A- frame ladder, balance beams, slide and jumping station. This set up promotes balance, eye-hand coordination and lower body strength. Last week we played some simple parachute games in the gym, including red light green light. Games such as these benefit children by exercising their listening skills, color recognition, ability to follow directions and functioning in a group. - On the playground the children have the chance to run, swing, climb on the equipment and dig in the sand with shovels. Bikes and wheelbarrows are also available.

Snack
Monday: Trader Joe's Crakers and bananas
Wednesday: Special K crackers and apples
Thursday: Cheddar Bunnies and cantaloupe

It was amazing to see how the process of making our classroom soup inspired the children in so many ways. They incorporated vegetables into their scientific investigations, conversations, creative expression, literacy, and even dramatic play.

Piper and Nora washing the vegetables.

Taking a closer look at the seeds inside the giant zucchini that Arthur brought.

Vanessa teaching Sam and Alex how to peel safely.

Holden pouring in the tomato juice as Piper and Jonah look on.

Stirring...

Eating!

Alex and Jacob preparing a feast, including soup of course.

Augie and Nora discovering they can make prints with beets.

Piper drawing and labeling vegetables.

After all that soup making the children were ready to blast off in their rocket ship.

Mike showing Augie how he made green.

Sam giving David some coaching and encouragement to climb up the rope.

Hello Parents,
The children are settling in nicely and are beginning to connect with one another. This process does take some time but I feel we are off to a great start. As you read in this weeks lesson plan, and can see from the photos, they have had some great "adventures" and have been very engaged.

The soup making was a great success. From washing, cutting, and cooking the children were very involved and enjoyed the process. Many of the children tried the soup, discovered how tasty it was, and gobbled it up! Those who didn't care for it searched for the vegetables they added to the recipe and took pride in their contribution. I hope your families liked the soup too!

Below is some information about holiday and birthday celebrations as well as guidelines for toys from home. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Holiday Celebrations
As a general rule, we do not have holiday "parties" at school. We do acknowledge the holidays that families in our class celebrate in a low-key, child-centered manner. We have appropriate stories, art materials and special snacks, which help children understand some of the cultural traditions that go along with celebrations. We welcome parents to come in and share their families' special traditions with the class. On Halloween, which is considered a children's holiday in American culture, we might have a special snack, a story or two, and materials at the art center that could be used to create "holiday pictures" if the children are interested. We will not have the children dress in costumes as that usually causes so much excitement and confusion that the morning becomes chaotic.

Birthdays
When it is your child's birthday (or any day you or your child would like to) we welcome a special snack and have a small celebration at school. I invite you to come to school on your child's birthday and prepare a special snack with us! This is usually cheaper than buying a pre-made snack. We do have allergies and/or food sensitivities to peanuts, mango, corn and food coloring. Eva will be distributing a list of healthy options for birthdays and we can work together to find treats that will be suitable, safe, and tasty for everyone on celebration day!

Bringing Toys from Home
I will be talking with the children about what kinds of things they can bring to school from home. In general, security items can be helpful in getting children adjusted to school, although it is best if these are left in the cubbies. Sometimes children want to share a favorite book with the class, and this works out well. Once we begin small groups, children will be able to share items that relate to the topics of study. Toys from home that could potentially cause problems at school are those that are very attractive to other children such as action figures, special dolls, mechanical toys and cars, anything breakable, etc. We also have a NO WEAPONS policy in our school. Please do not let your child bring these kinds of things to school.

Thank you,
Amy

Overview
The first two weeks were full of activity and the soup making was a great opportunity for the children to become more aware of each other, not only for the contributions they made to the soup, but also through the process of preparing, cooking, and eating the vegetables. Thank you for helping make the project such a success! Interest in the vegetables carried on throughout the week with more cutting of the veggies. The children noticed the seeds, sorted them, and made plans to plant them so we can have more vegetables! As they compared the insides of the vegetables they noticed the beets were especially juicy, which led to a print making activity led by Katie last Friday. Gourds, squash and an enormous pumpkin are available this week for continued investigation in the science center.

To introduce another way to learn about life cycles and seasonal changes, we will begin a study of trees. We have already gone on a tree hunt on the playground in search of certain trees. We will track the changes in the trees by photographing them over the next few months. Along with the scientific learning, we will also have conversations about trees, foster respect for trees as living things, and encourage children to share personal experiences they have had among the trees. The children will explore trees depicted in art by visiting, and drawing, the tree mural and mosaic here inside the Lab School.

Creative Arts
-Children express themselves freely and creatively by creating collages using natural materials such as: wood shavings, wooden tongue depressors, dried flowers and leaves, straw, small flat wooden shapes, and cylindrical wooden beads.
-The easel contains blue, red, yellow, orange, and green paint. These colors reflect the changing colors of the outdoors.
-On Wednesday we will have an instructor from the dance department come to lead the children through some creative movement activities.

Sensory Materials
-The water table will have a pond theme. Ducks, frogs, and lily pads will be added to help facilitate dramatic play interactions. Containers, pitchers, and funnels will also be available so the children can continue to experiment with measuring volume.
-The playdough table will still have cutters, muffin tins, and rolling pins. We will be adding small tart pans and other baking tools to enhance the baking theme that has evolved in the children's play. The children commonly make something for a new friend, or work together. Through this simple theme the children are able to connect and build relationships with each other.

Science
-Over the past two weeks the children have enjoyed exploring the fruits and vegetables in the science area by cutting them open. To continue our classroom's overall theme of harvest and seasonal cycles, this week we will introduce an array of gourds and pumpkins. The children will have the opportunity to continue using the balance scales and measuring tapes to learn about these new vegetables. The teachers will also be encouraging the children to use their keen observation skills to notice similarities and differences in size, shape, texture, and weight. During this exploration phase, conversations between peers, and between children and adults aid the children in formulating their own theories about their environment.

Math and Manipulatives
-The key concepts addressed in the math area will continue to include color and shape recognition with new emphasis on sorting and matching.
-One cave in the classroom contains materials from nature that reflect the current season such as, various leaves, sticks, pinecones, and acorns. Children learn to sort these materials based on color and type.
-Also available is a matching game that encourages children to find the matching faces of their classmates. The game also promotes a sense of community within the classroom as children recognize and get to know each other.
-Other materials available that emphasize these key math concepts include: color and shape lotto (similar to bingo), match a balloon-color matching game, fruit matching game, fruit dominoes, and various new puzzles. These games, while promoting matching skills also incorporate our focus on the fruits and vegetables during this season of harvest.
-The second cave contains Mobilos. They help the development of fine motor skills and construction skills. Once the children learn to snap the pieces together, they begin to incorporate symbolic representation, which often leads to creative imaginary play.

Language and Literacy
-The writing center has been abuzz with sending letters to parents and friends. We will be providing washable ink stamps to make the process more like sending real letters. Writing letters or drawing pictures for other children in the class will be encouraged to help facilitate stronger connections between them. Also, lined paper will be added to the materials to write on to help the children in writing their names, letters, or other children's names.
-The computer games available to play are: A to Zap and Bailey's Book house. Both of these are for helping the children recognize alphabet letters and their sounds.
-The library centers will have books about trees and harvest. Books naturally raise awareness to letters and reading. The placement of the books by cozy things, such as the couch and the pillows up in the loft, help to provide a comfortable place to read with other children and teachers. Here important connections will be made between everyone.

Blocks
-Children have an opportunity to construct using large hollow blocks and unit blocks in a large open area. Construction with blocks allows children to be creative and enhances their awareness of geometry. Children also develop social skills such as collaboration and cooperation as they work together to build structures and set up play. The use of hollow blocks also develops children's upper body strength.
-Small stuffed animals act as a dramatic play prop to support children's play with the blocks.

Symbolic Play
-Much of the dramatic play in the classroom has been inspired by the children's hollow block structures. Some of the structures included space ships, rockets, jet airplanes, and buses. The children work together to build the structures, and often converse with each other in order to problem solve how to add the necessary features to their structures. The buses often include a seat for a driver to sit at the front with a steering wheel, and spaces behind the driver for two to three passengers to ride along. Similarly, the rocket ships usually have several passengers, who all take pleasure in blasting off many times a day. The passengers are usually equipped with pretend telescopes made from hollow blocks, which help to spot any evil space creatures that need to be avoided.
-The unit blocks have been used to build roads and tracks for the wooden cars and trains. Along the roads, the children have built houses for small rubber reptiles. The children like the idea of having neighbors for their insects and reptiles, and often invite their neighbors over to their houses.

Large Motor
-The children have enjoyed using the equipment in the gym. On the monkey bars, the children enjoy not only swinging to each bar, but also pulling themselves up through the bars and then crawling across. Many of the children have enjoyed walking across the balance beam to get to the donut to jump into, and this promotes balance and spatial awareness. The children have the opportunity to practice coordinating the use of the upper and lower body muscles when climbing up and down the wall-mounted ladders. Also when the children jump off of the ladders onto the mat they are using their lower body strength and core muscles. The slide has become an area for social interaction for the children. They use the area as a comfortable place to rest with teddy bears, as well as a place for wild animals to live.
-In addition to the climbing structures, most of the children enjoy participating in group songs that promote locomotor movements such as jumping, running in place, wriggling, and spinning.

Playground
-The playground gives the children the chance to do some of the large motor skills that they don't get the chance to do in the classroom like run, climb and dig. The children have also been very interested in riding bikes so we are adding traffic signs to the paths that they ride on. The children have also been connecting the harvest and tree themes from the classroom to the outdoors. Picking berries and serving them at a tea party or bringing them into the classroom for a closer look occur daily. We also check the tomato plant everyday we go out to see if any of the ones that were green the day before have turned red.

Snack--All snacks are served with milk and water
Monday: Banana & Trader Joes Crackers
Tuesday: Apples in Soynut Butter
Wednesday: Cantaloupe & Rice Cakes
Thursday: Carrots, Pretzels, & Dip
Friday: Cheese & Crackers

10/6 PAC Meeting: 7pm-8:30pm
A group of parents works to support the lab school community in a variety of ways. Everyone is welcome.

10/8 Coffee with Barb: 8:45am-9:45am, 12:45pm-1:45pm
Our director will be available to answer any questions you may have about the lab school and the philosophy. The meeting will take place in the lounge.

Parent-Teacher conference
Please sign up for the parent-teacher conference if you have not already done so. The main sign up sheet will be posted on the door. If you cannot sign up in person, please give me your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice time via email. Times that are taken: 10/19 - 1:30, 10/20 - 8:30, 9:15, 10/21 - 4:45, 10/27 - 9:15, 10/28 - 11:30

• Please check your child's folder daily for artwork, announcements, and other school news. The folder basket will be out at the door each morning at arrival and will be with us at the end of the morning at dismissal time.
• Please sign in your child upon arrival and note who will be picking up your child at the end of the day. This is particularly important in the beginning of the year when we don't know each family's schedule.
• Please do not bring any food into the classroom as we have children with allergies to a variety of foods, primarily dairy, wheat, and eggs. Many thanks for your help in keeping everyone safe.

Lesson Plan for Ayuko's Class
Week of October 5th, 2009

Goals: The children are slowly learning the routines of the classroom and are increasingly comfortable separating from their parents in the morning. We will continue to focus on building relationships among children and teachers by getting to know each others' names and finding a common thread through all forms of play. There will be several activities that incorporate the children's photos and names to encourage interaction among them and help us create a sense of community in the classroom. The play areas continue to be arranged to promote these goals and encourage the development of positive relationships with classmates and teachers.

Art
•Painting on easel and table: Since there have been a lot of children wanting to paint at the easel over the past few weeks, the children will have an opportunity to do collaborative painting on the table or individual painting at the easel. Primary color paints will continue to be available to explore color mixing. Brush strokes (vertical, horizontal, circle, dabbing) will be modeled and the children will be encouraged to experiment.
•Art table: Scissors will be featured in addition to markers, paper, and stickers to explore cutting and snipping. Cutting promotes hand-eye coordination, fine-motor development, and persistence.
Manipulatives
•The manipulatives table will have a basket with various forms of plastic shapes that the children can move to a tray using tongs. This process promotes fine motor development, persistence, and hand-eye coordination as children manipulate the tongs, grab objects, and successfully transfer them into another area. The counting blocks and color stackers will also be available. These activities promote mathematical concepts such as counting and seriating, fine motor development, size differentiation, hand-eye coordination, and spatial awareness.
•Puzzles will be available to enhance fine motor development, spatial awareness, visual discrimination, and understanding of shapes. Puzzle topics include tools, food, and vehicles.
Sensory
•There has been a lot of use of the oven at the playdough table. Cooking supplies and materials for making "pizza" will be available. Children will be able to kneed and decorate their dough with their "topping" of choice. This activity promotes fine motor development (squeezing, poking, and pinching), symbolic representation (modeling), and social interaction and turn taking.
•Bottles with smaller spouts and tubes will be added to the water table to promote the usage of a funnel and accurate pouring. Basters will also be available to experiment with the cause and effect of transferring water and to promote fine motor development, such as squeezing and releasing. Water play also helps develop the concept of empty and full, less and more, and in and out.
•Four noise sticks will continue to be available to promote experimentation with sounds. This challenges children's thinking, physical coordination, and creates a satisfying trial and effect game to share with teachers and other children.
Science
•This week we will continue to observe seasonal changes through experiences with various native plants. Stalks of orange butterfly weed, New England aster, purple prairie clover, Joe Pye weed and black-eyed-Susan's will be in vases, available for picking up and examining. Teachers will support and guide the childrens' exploration of differences between seeds and seedpods, leaves and plant structures. As these stalks and those outside begin to die we will talk about what these new seeds will do. As interest develops, we can both plant these seeds in pots in the room, and make small "sprout bags" from small plastic bags, a cotton ball, and a navy bean, dramatically demonstrating the sprouting process over a few days time. We also encourage you to look in your neighborhood with your child for fall leaves and plants to bring to school.
•As we experience part of what happens on a prairie, we will also experience fall harvest foods. As the apple season draws to a close, children will examine various kinds of apples displayed at the science table. Throughout the week, we will investigate and experience several varieties of apple in our own "taste test."
•Children will be encouraged to observe Peely in her "home." We will focus on her movements and daily routine, asking children questions about the similarities and differences with human life.
Dramatic Play
•A diaper changing table and baby doll accessories are available in the loft area in addition to multi-ethnic babies with baby carriages, bassinets, and strollers to foster symbolic play.
•Tools, workbenches, and hard hats will be available in the loft area to extend the block play and to "fix" the toy cars and trucks that have been "crashing" or "breaking." This will promote social-emotional development through sharing, negotiation, cooperation, and communication.
•Scarves, animal fabrics, and skirts will be available for children to support their pretend play, and foster social interaction and cooperation.
•Bead coasters will be available in the cave area to promote turn taking, shape recognition, hand-eye coordination, sorting, and counting.
•Wheeled vehicles (dump trucks, cars, trains, and buses) are available to promote pretend play.
Language and Literacy
•Books, in relation to the theme/topic of the curriculum, will be strategically placed in various areas of the classroom. Language and literacy activities occur throughout the day and the classroom is filled with activities and materials that support their development. Many activity areas are also labeled to help children begin to recognize print.
Construction
•Tools and workbenches will now be available in the loft, near the block area. Working with tools will help develop hand-eye coordination, both fine and gross motor skills, as well as mathematical skills, such as matching a peg to an appropriate hole, seriation, stacking and balancing, and one-to-one correspondence. This type of construction also encourages social interaction, collaboration, negotiation, and creativity, as we expect children to incorporate blocks and vehicles into their tool play.
Music
•Instruments such as shakers and drums will be included throughout the day to support transitions and encourage participation. We will sing familiar songs as well as incorporate new songs as part of our routine and name songs to encourage the children to learn each other's names.
•The piano is open for the children to use to promote exploration of sounds, volume, rhythm and social interaction.
Large Group
•We have been singing the Choo Choo Train song to introduce the children's names to each other. We will also continue to sing Open and Shut Them and Ram Sam Sam to promote fine motor movements and hand-eye coordination. We will include a new song, Rum Tum Tum, while playing the drum to learn the children's names, as well as rhythms and beats.
Large Motor
•The gym has been arranged. There will be low balance beams to promote toe to heel walking, balancing, and coordination. A couple of cozy spots are available for dramatic play and relaxation. A beam leads up to an A-frame climber, which fosters spatial awareness, motor planning, and turn taking.
•Rakes, wheel barrels, and dump trucks will be available to support the children's interests in collecting, carrying, and dumping fallen leaves. We will also be exploring the front of the playground, walking through the tall grass, investigating, and observing things we find. The playground environment also supports the children's upper and lower body development, such as running and using tools to dig and mold sand.
Snack
Monday: Banana & Trader Joe's Crackers
Wednesday: Apples & Special K Crackers
Thursday: Birthday snack & cheddar bunnies

~ PAC meeting Tuesday night: 7.30-8p. Meeting will be held at the Lab School. Hopefully many of you can make it!

~ The Sera Lab will be visiting the classroom on Tuesday, building rapport with the children as they get ready to start a study in the multi-age classrooms.

~ An instruction from the dance department at the U of MN will visit the class on Wednesday to lead some fun movement activities with the children during large group. We will be starting large group a bit earlier that day. Closer to 8.50-8.55a rather than our 9a start time.

~ We will have another cooking project this week (Thursday): making popcorn. Although it is a bit less involved the baking muffins, the children love it and it allows for many to be a part of the cooking process.

~ Please remember to bring a hat and mittens/gloves to school every day, now that the temps are dropping (and the rain is seemingly never ending).

~ If you haven't done so already, please remember to bring your family picture page to school so we can complete our family wall in the classroom. Thanks!

Weekly Lesson Plan
Weeks of Oct 5 - Oct 9, 2009
Lead Teaching This Week: Ross

Overview and goals
It has been a fantastic first two weeks of school! The children have quickly acclimated to the classroom routines, and have become comfortable with all the new faces. Observing some of the cooperative play that has been happening in the back of the classroom, as well as at the sand table, it is hard to believe this class has only been together for two weeks. Social interactions and fostering a sense of community and safety will continue to be our primary goals as we continue through the fall session. The teachers have arranged new set-ups in the science center as well as in the block area to help facilitated more opportunities for social interactions as well as support the budding friendships.

Art Center
Expressive Materials
~ The floor easel is an extremely popular spot and will continue to be available with large brushes and primary colored paints. This week empty cups for mixing paint will be added as well as smaller brushes to help continue the excitement at the easel. Using the empty cups, the children will be able to continue exploring color mixing, making their own mixtures to create new colors. Large and fine motor skills will be addressed as the children begin to try out various brush stroke sizes. Artistic and creative expression will also be supported as they craft new masterpieces.
~ The art table will continue to have collage materials available fostering creative expression. As the children have familiarized themselves with the many materials in the art center, they have started making treasure maps and books which have been used in the other areas of the class - especially dramatic play.

Sensory Materials
~ The play dough table has become a staple in many of the children's daily play. In the last week play has moved past simple molding, rolling, squeezing, and mashing into the creating a various foods and snacks. In order to facilitate further exploration last week, glass gems and various cooking utensils were introduced and proved quite successful. Social interactions have become increasingly complex as the children negotiate the use of materials and the overall course of their play. This week more cooking utensils, trays and possibly a pretend oven will be added to extend the baking theme that has emerged.
~ We have seen a lot of activity at the sand table this week. Roads, castles, and cities have been created with many discussions taking place between the children. There will be fancy rocks and seashells added to encourage further building and social interactions. The sand table has supported many of the growing relationships between the children.

Science Center
~ As we continue to explore the topic of color, we will be switching from the color-gels and velum to various test tubes, pipettes, and primary colored water. The children will be able to mix colored water to help instill the properties of color mixing while observing the variability that comes with using different amounts. For example, lots of blue water and very little yellow water will make more of a turquoise or teal rather than simply making "standard" green. These mixing experiments will support the growing understanding of color mixing while promoting opportunities for hypothesis creating and testing.

Math and Manipulative Center
~ Within the first few weeks many children have been interested in sorting the colored animals with the large pinchers, and have mastered the activity of sorting by color. To expand this play, children will be able to sort the animals through different attributes including type of animal and where they live. This activity will continue to encourage fine-motor strength/coordination, and opportunities for cooperative play/social interactions. New puzzles will also be available to promote visual discrimination, shape recognition, and part-to-whole relationships. Link-togethers have been used creatively to make shapes and will continue to be on hand as children explore more ways to use these materials.
~ Another area that has seen a number of visitors has been the cave with the Fischer Price houses and school in it. This week will add some larger wooden houses to allow for more space to "live." Another exciting addition will be small "peg-people" made from wooden dowels with the children's pictures on them! Not only does this allow the children to be themselves in the place, it creates comfortable opportunities for the children to play with one another: supporting our focus on social interactions and community building.

Language and Literacy Center
~ Many letters have been written at the writing table this week. Pencils, markers, tape, scissors, and hole punches will continue to be available to help pre-literacy skills. In the coming weeks, we may add a mailbox so children can mail letters to each other. This will also help encourage social interaction and growing relationships between the children.
~ The reading couch continues to see many visitors throughout the day, as well. Many of the children enjoy sitting down and reading with a teacher. Reading books with the children during arrival time as well as during free play is a great and simple way to be involved in the classroom. If you would like to "play hooky" from work for the morning and read some books with the children on the couch, please let one of the teachers know and we can arrange a time for you to come in!

Block Center
~ The block area has created many opportunities for conversations and social interactions. We have seen the creation of a children's museum, boats, taxis, a bus, a clubhouse, helicopters, and a cruise ship. In order to extend these current play themes materials such as paper, markers and scissors will be added to the area. Small wooden airplanes will be added with the small wooden cars to encourage the building of small block structures in addition to large structures as well as continuing to support the growing social community.

Dramatic Play Center
~ Dress-up has been a hit in the dramatic play area for many of the children. Fabric pieces have been used as skirts, capes, and picnic tables. To encourage continued socio-dramatic play and sustained interest, a few new props will be added to the area as new themes within children's play evolve. Pretend cameras will be available to encourage social interaction as well as weave into and expand the theme of 'trips and transportation' currently in the block area.
~ The stuffed animals have been a very popular addition to many dramatic play themes, so this week will be add food dishes, pet food containers, and pet carriers to help extend the play we have observed over the past two weeks. If you have any empty pet food containers (e.g. boxes, treat bags, etc.), we will gladly add them to the play. Also, the babies will continue to be available, as they, too, have made their way into several dramatic play storey-lines.

Large Motor
~ The gym will continue to have the slide, monkey bars, wall climber, jumping station, and A-frame climber available; promoting the skills of running, jumping, balancing, upper and lower body strength, eye-hand and eye-foot coordination, as well as cardiovascular strength. This week, the teachers will be introduced a few teacher-facilitated activities in the gym. Games such as Simon Says, Hid-and-Seek, and Animal Action will take place as on opening activity a few days this week, fostering the children's opportunities to follow directions through more open-ended, creative-movement activities. We will continue to venture to the playground, even on those soggy days of autumn. Many children have enjoyed digging in the sand, riding tricycles, as well as playing the boat that has been buried in the sandbox.

Special Interest
~ Please try to make it to the PAC meeting on Tuesday night (10/6 at 7-8.30p). One of the major reasons the Lab School continues to be such an exemplary learning environment for young children is because of the parent involvement. It is your voice and ideas that help keep the staff moving forward to best serve the needs of the children and the families at the Lab School.
~ As the weather quickly transitions from a lovely warm autumn, to something far more brisk, windy, cool, and wet, PLEASE send a hat and mittens/gloves with your child. Some days it warms up enough by the time we venture outside, but on the days when it's still cool, it is very helpful for the children to have their own supplies.
~ We will have some visitors coming to class this week. On Tuesday, one of the researchers will be coming to meet the children and build rapport, as her lab gets ready to conduct a study. Information about the study will be sent out and if you have any questions, please let Ross know. On Wednesday, an instructor from the dance department will come and do some fun movement activities with the children during large group. Eventually, her students will come to visit the class and try out some other fun movement/dance activities with us, as well! We'll keep you posted about their next visit.
~ Don't forget to email your request or stop down and sign up for conferences. Times are filling up fast!

Snack
Monday: Banana & Trader Joes Crackers
Tuesday: Apples in Sunflower Butter
Wednesday: Cantaloupe & Rice Cakes
Thursday: Popcorn
Friday: Carrots, Pretzels, & Dip

*All snacks served with milk and water, unless otherwise noted*

Overview and Goals
Our year has gotten off to a wonderful start, and we have been busy getting to know each other and our classroom during the first few days of school. Building relationships and becoming comfortable with the routine and materials of the classroom remain important goals for all of the students. In order to create a consistent and predictable environment, we will keep several of the areas of the classroom the same and continue to build upon children's interests through minor changes in other areas. Much of our classroom discussion has focused on trees in our environment and the change of the seasons. Our classroom will continue to reflect this by incorporating a variety of activities that involve leaves. These activities will allow the children to reflect upon different types of trees around the school as well as leaf shapes, textures, and changing colors. Our goal is to help the students to continue to observe and notice the changes in our natural environment, and continue to build a safe and enjoyable environment in which they can explore.

Expressive Arts
~The easel has been busy during the first days of school. To support children's observations and symbolic representation, we have added orange and green paints to our easels and leaf shaped paper.
~Large pieces of cardboard will be available for the children to paint and take part in building our "forest loft."
~An assortment of construction paper is available for the children, along with markers and crayons to express themselves freely.
~Paper, peeled crayons, and various leaves will also be available for children to create leaf rubbings and explore the texture leaves create.

Sensory Materials
~ In addition to rolling pins and cutters, new tins will be added to our play dough table to encourage the symbolic cooking play many of the students have been enjoying.
~In order to emphasize symbolic play and social interaction, the water table will include frogs, lily pads, and other "pond" play items in addition to some smaller cups and pitchers for pouring to continue to support conservation experiences.

Dramatic and Symbolic Play
~The dollhouse will continue to be available with dolls and furniture to encourage children to engage in symbolic play and promote social interactions.
~Our housekeeping area in the back of the classroom emphasizes cooking and baking with different fruits and vegetables. Some chefs hats will be added to allow children to expand upon their cooking and restaurant dramatic play themes.
~Dresses, purses, jewelry, and keys are located at the back of the classroom where children can pretend and interact with each other.
~With the help of the children, our reading loft will be transformed into a forest. The children have been referring to the loft as a "tree house" and this connects to our ongoing discussion of trees. Cardboard tree trunks and leaves gathered outdoors will be placed on the walls around the loft to encourage further exploration of trees and imaginative play together in what the children have been calling the "forest."

Science Center
~This week we will continue our exploration of fall as part of the yearly cycle of life while introducing the topic of "harvest". We will continue to make conscious efforts to set up the science area so it challenges children's cognitive abilities while supporting social interactions.
~The children will continue to explore vegetables and vegetable seeds at one of the science tables. They will have the opportunity to wash vegetables that we will later use to make soup! This will support the development of both fine motor and cognitive skills, as the children are encouraged to think more deeply about vegetables (Where do vegetables come from? Do they grow in trees or in the ground? How do they grow etc? How can we use them?).
~Pumpkins and gourds will be incorporated into the science area as we begin to explore the concept of "harvest."
~Children can choose to trace real leaves on the light table allowing them a closer look at the shape of different leaves and the veins in each one.

Language and Literacy
~An assortment of papers, envelopes, colored pencils, staplers, tape is located in the writing center along with an alphabet. This week a variety of leaf stamps and small stamp pads have been added to the writing center.
~We will continue to feature books related to the seasons, fall and harvest in the cozy loft area.
~The computer center will have a photograph slide show of different trees and leaves for the children to watch. Children will be able to see the different shapes of trees and observe to colors and shapes of leaves.

Math, Manipulative and Games
We are continuing to focus on the concepts of sorting, shapes and colors. This week we will emphasize matching with real leaves located in the first cave. The leaves will spark our interest in different types of matching, by type, color, or shape of the leaves.
~This week we have added a variety of real leaves in the first cave for the children to match or sort. These leaves range from the more familiar (Maple, Oak) to ones with a very unique shape (Ginkgo).
~Mobilos are available in the second cave to encourage creative building and hand-eye coordination.
~Multi-color pegs with yellow boards, shape sorter/stackers, colorama game and small colored farm animals are available to encourage children's development of fine motor skills, sorting and shape and color recognition.
~Puzzles emphasizing the color theme are located in the middle of the classroom, right across the caves, in the manipulatives' area. Puzzles promote and support the development of part/whole relationships, synthesizing and hand-eye coordination.

Block area
~Hollow blocks are available in the back of the room allowing children to engage in group interactions in a large open space using mathematical and spatial concepts in addition to creative social opportunities. We also have a few steering wheels to encourage children's socio-dramatic play in this area.
~The Unit blocks are positioned near the caves and are also close to the hollow blocks to encourage children to explore and use different areas of the classroom. Wooden cars and trains are in this block area, which encourages children's symbolic play.

Large Motor
~Scheduled gym time begins this week on Monday. The children will have opportunities to experience the climbing wall, the slide and stairs, A-frames with balancing boards with a large donut to jump into, and the monkey bars. Directional signs: over, under, up and down are near the equipment combining printed words and movement directions. The climbing wall and monkey bars build upper body strength and allow the child to make decisions about their comfort level with physical challenges in a supported environment. Locomotion skills are supported with walking, stairs, running, and jumping. Balance skills are introduced with standing and walking various ways across the boards, and landing in the donut. Spatial awareness skills support the child to move safely and efficiently in space, and directional awareness skills give the child an inner sense of where they are in relation to spatial concepts.
~Going outside to the playground will be extended whenever the weather cooperates. Children will be able to run, ride cars and tricycles, climb up the tires and rope, dig in the sand with earthmovers and shovels, slide and swing. We continue to use outside time to expand the children's exploration of trees and create interest in all the changes of the season.
~Simple large group games that are not competitive may be introduced outside prior to dismissal time this week weather permitting.

Music and Movement/Large Group
~We will continue to sing welcome songs and the names of children to continue to build our classroom community. Songs, finger plays, and actions will be used in large group time, which encourages children to join in the singing and movement together.
~Children are given the opportunity to learn about upcoming projects and available activities in the classroom that we discuss together. The children are taking turns raising their hands in group time and are sharing and listening to each other's ideas.

Dear Families,

What a special group of children! It is just exciting to watch them get acclimated and comfortable in just a few days! They are all taking the necessary steps to settle into the classroom routines and schedules. They are a happy-chatty bunch!! They have so much to share and talk about, especially during large group. We are supporting their enthusiasm about sharing their thoughts and ideas while also respecting others' turns to express themselves. It is hard to wait for a turn when you have something really important to say!! The children have been exploring and taking advantage of all areas in the classroom. There is not a down moment! We have also been able to talk a lot about the outdoors and even taken our first nature walk. We are hoping to have many of these so that the children can observe and compare once more changes take place.

We are paying special attention and to get to know each child and their unique interests, favorite activities, strengths and challenges. We are paying close attention to what their passions are in order to incorporate these into our daily curriculum and make their learning meaningful and enjoyable. Offering the children the opportunity to influence our curriculum communicates our respect for them, who they are and what they are interested in knowing more about. It also gives the children a feeling of ownership in the classroom. One of our main goals is for the children to have a positive experience at school and foster their joy for learning.

Even though the children seem quite excited to be at school we know that they work hard to find their place in the classroom and make connections with the teachers and other classmates. Sometimes these connections happen quickly and others it takes a little time. The teachers' role is to facilitate and encourage these interactions. We are doing so slowly and respectfully, following the children's lead and readiness. Please make sure you are aware of the hard work they put into their school days!!

You will receive an e-mail from me each time I update our classroom website, letting you know which section has new information. This will keep you informed of the classroom activities, happenings, small groups, field trips, etc. The lesson plans posted, are the teacher's intentions for the week; sometimes children perceive or take the activities and materials presented to different places and we try to be in tune with these perceptions and make adaptations in our classroom in order to be true to the children and to the concepts that are being presented.

We have folders for each child and all additional information and artwork will be placed in these. *Please take a moment to empty your children's folders during drop-off and/or pick-up. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me; we can set a time to talk over the phone or a time to meet before or after class if necessary.

Parent Advisory Committee Meeting
The first meeting of our Parent Advisory Committee will be this Tuesday, October 6th, from 7-8:30. ALL parents are welcomed and encouraged to attend; the parents work in order to support the school in many different ways. Please come and get involved in your children's school.

Parents are a major component of our program; their involvement makes it richer and meaningful. I value, and ask for your involvement in any way possible. There are many ways for you to contribute. Some parents like to spend the afternoon in the classroom and play; it is very attractive to have parents take part in helping with different centers in the classroom (reading books, modeling with play-dough, creating at the art table, etc). It is also fun to have parents come to school and share their hobbies with the children...some parents may want to have cooking activity or share another special project you are interested in! Please let us know how you would like to participate.

We also need parents to drive and accompany us on our field trips. I will let you know in advance so that you can make plans to attend if you want to. There is always something you can be involved with in our classroom. As soon as we get into a routine, I'll post a variety of weekly volunteer opportunities. I usually like inviting a parent to read during some of our large group sessions; this gives the children the opportunity to hear different stories and different reading styles. I also have baking/cooking days on Thursday and ask that parents facilitate this activity (if you have an idea in mind, let me know in advance so we can order the materials needed. If you would like to volunteer but would like us to give you the "menu" we will gladly do so!
*Families with young siblings...are encouraged to read the Parent Handbook. We want to give opportunities to all families to get involved in our classroom everyday happenings. It is not always our recommendation to include younger siblings when parents are volunteering in the classroom. This takes away from your preschool child's experience and his/her enjoyment of having you share his/her day. Also, remember that we have a classroom full of materials appropriate for preschool age children and not younger children. Sometimes younger siblings are a distraction to the classroom and we ask you that you respect and honor all the children by making sure that this doesn't happen.

We have started to create our Classroom Family Photo Board. It has already gotten the attention of many children; they love sharing about their families and telling us all about everyone. If you haven't brought a family photo yet, please do so as soon as possible. Also don't forget to send a photo of your child's favorite tree by your house. As we continue to talk about this topic, these pictures will support our discussions and make them more meaningful.

Please contact me when your child's birthday is approaching and if you are interested in bringing or preparing a special snack. The State of Minnesota requires that all snacks be either store bought or prepared at school. You are welcomed to come to school on that day and prepare a snack here. We have a peanut free environment. We are also very concerned with children's nutrition and our snack choices and will have some ideas for you regarding healthy birthday snacks. Please approach and consult with me before you bring something for these special days.

Generally, our school does not hold any holiday parties. We acknowledge family traditions and celebrations and invite you to share these with us. For Halloween, we ask you to NOT HAVE CHILDREN DRESSED UP when they come to school. We understand that this is a special children's holiday in America and will have some appropriate special stories and colorful materials for the children to use; but there will be no big party and/or dressing up. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

Thank you for bringing extra clothes for your children. The Lab School has some extra clothes, but it is always best if each child has a bag with labeled extra clothes in case we need to change. If for some reason your child wears any school clothes home, please remember to return these as soon as possible. I also want to remind you that as days get colder please remember to send you children dressed in layers and appropriately for the weather. Long sleeve shirts or hoodies are always helpful (if it is warm, we can always take these off). Make sure you label all of your children's clothing; some times, they don't remember which one is theirs and with all the sweaters and jackets together it is helpful and faster for the teachers if these are labeled.

Security items, such as stuffed animals, blankets are usually helpful for children who are getting used to new routines, people and places. We encourage you to explain to the children that toys and other items may get lost during the afternoons and it is best if they keep these at home or inside their backpacks. I believe that if your child needs something from home in order to feel more comfortable at school, it is OK for him/her to bring it. In other cases, we accompany the child while he/she shows his special items to his/her friends and then gives it back to mom or dad to take home. I try not to have a show and tell during large group...it becomes too long for some children to participate in what we have planed and wait for the show and tell. I do give children opportunities to talk and share their adventures but I try to limit the sharing of items for the beginning of the afternoon, during explore time. Some toys from home tend to cause problems at school; other children want to touch or play with these. Please try to explain to your children how hard it is to make sure their toys stay only in their hands and not break; if the opportunity presents itself, I will also explain these to individual children. We have an absolute NO WEAPONS POLICY at school. Please do not let your children bring these kinds of items to school. Thank you for your cooperation.

Most parents have signed for fall conferences. An e mail with a conference form is being sent home. By filling this form, you will help me understand your child and better prepare for this meeting. During these early conferences, we will discuss your child's adjustment to school and establish some initial goals for this year. Our conferences are held at school in the kitchen lounge. I plan for 30-40 minutes with the children's parents. The conferences are for parents only.

I always appreciate parents' feedback and comments during the year. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions, suggestions and/or concerns that may come up. I look forward to seeing you around!

Warmly,
Dalia

Exploring materials...

reconnecting...

learning together and from each other...

all together... our first nature walk... observing and noticing the changes all around us...

What a successful first week of school with everyone together! Below are some photos illustrating our busy week in and out of the classroom.

Katie painting and exploring color mixing. Cashton and Bob working together on the shape sorter.

Cormac using measuring cups to fill a big bucket with water.

Children climbing up and down the A-Frame ladder, learning how to take turns and wait to climb one at a time.

Children taking turns using blocks to make a "bridge."

Children learning and exploring how to use scissors.

Children molding and "cooking" at the playdough area.

After taking notice of the crab apples at the science table, Bob and the children began to investigate them.

Children eating and relaxing right before we get ready to go outside.

Dear Families,

Welcome to the 3-AM classroom! We are delighted to see the children gathering and getting to know each other during these first days of school. The phase-in schedule was extremely helpful for the children to get settled into the classroom environment. The children explored the classroom materials while beginning to notice their peers playing around them. Some children started singing the "Old MacDonald" song in the barn cave with me. A few other children collaborated to make ramps and roads with the moving trucks. There was a group of children who "cooked" and poured "tea" in the kitchen while other children and teachers pretended to consume the "refreshments." Thank you to all the families who have contributed to our harvest/garden area at the science table. Some of the children are beginning to notice these items and have been very curious to see the various types of corn, touching the kernels with their fingers. Peely has been a wonderful addition to our classroom as well. The children constantly look at her with a magnifying glass to see what she is doing. While Peely curled her body up at the corner of the terrarium, a couple of children noticed that she was "hiding her face because she is sleeping."

As the children begin to feel comfortable in the environment, they start showing preferences for teachers, children, and toys in school. In the past few days, we noticed more pushing and grabbing of the toys as the children have been learning how to live in a shared space. Children in this age group have great difficulty sharing materials. We are encouraging the use of the phrase, "Can I have a turn when you're done?" or a shortened version of "my turn next?" to provide opportunities for children to gain experience with strategies for dealing with sharing. There will be bumps along the road as hitting, grabbing, and biting may occur, which is all normal but difficult to see our children go through. Please know that we are watching to make sure children are kept safe, yet our longer term goal is to have the children learn how to engage with each other appropriately. This may also mean that we talk through what happened and give alternate strategies to the children for next time. These changes take time but begin to take root as we work through this process.

We are observing each child's play so we can incorporate their interests into future lesson planning. This is a wonderful way to stimulate their interests and motivate their learning. We will continue to get to know each other through various forms of play such as: art, sensory activities, dramatic play, manipulatives, science, literacy, block construction, and large motor activities.

As this is the beginning of the school year, we have a few important announcements. From now on, we will meet regularly on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursdays from 8:30 to 11:15am. During pick-up time, we will have until 11:30 to dismiss all the children. We appreciate your punctuality as the student teachers have classes to get to and we need the time to clean up the classroom and review the day.

For the next few weeks, we will be leaving a permanent marker out at drop off time for you to label your child's jacket and backpack. Since most children this age don't always remember which coat is theirs, it will help us out when we are assisting them to put on their jackets and sweaters. As some of you may have noticed, after snack time while it is still warm outside, we ask the children to either put on their sweaters and coats in the classroom or place them in the big laundry basket before going out to the playground. We teachers may not be aware of whose jacket belongs to whom unless we see them wearing it in the morning. It would be very helpful if you could take the time to label all of your child's clothing. Thank you.

The curbside drop-off and pick up policy will begin October 5th (8:30-8:45am drop-off, and 11:15-11:30 pick-up). Please refer to the parking letter on the drop-off and pick up policy. Thank you for your cooperation.

There are also some reminders and policies that are very important for you to know:

*Birthdays are celebrated in the classroom during snack time. It is a very low-key event, however, parents may join us during snack time if they like. The State of Minnesota licensing guidelines require that all snacks be either store bought or prepared at school. Suggestions include: popsicles (Edy's 100% juice bar, and at the organic section of Cub: All Fruit Bars and Little Cuties - tofuti) and yogurt (Yo Kids from the Cub organic section or Dannon's all natural yogurt.)

*Each child has a folder with school information, newsletters, artwork, etc. for you to take home. Please check this folder on a regular basis.

*Please have your child come into school with a backpack, labeled with their name inside or out. The backpacks are helpful to put school materials in as well as accessory clothing once winter begins.

*Favorite toys, books, and other materials from home are often very difficult to share. Please try to leave these items at home. We also have a NO WEAPONS policy, meaning such toys or items must stay at home. Security items, such as a blanket or a stuffed animal, can be helpful for children getting acclimated to school. To avoid getting lost, they should be left in the cubbies unless needed by your child.

*Due to the hazards of extreme allergies, we are a PEANUT-FREE school. Please check the ingredients carefully on any snack items and make sure the products do not contain peanuts, and are not processed in the same factory where peanuts may have been handled (it will be written on the label).

*If you or an authorized caregiver picks up your child in person during dismissal time, please make sure to notify the lead teacher when you are leaving school with your child. For safety purposes, we want to make sure that every child is dismissed properly.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Sincerely,
Ayuko

It's been a busy week in our classroom with many different and exciting things happening. Here are a few photos showing all the things that have been taking place. Have a look and ask you child about what they see. Ask them to elaborate on what is going on in the photo, especially if they see themselves. It is these conversations that take place while looking the pictures that help make the home-to-school connection that much stronger!

Around the Room
The energy and excitement has continued to build during the second week of school. We have seen new friendships form, creative projects made, and inquisitive conversations take place between the teachers and children!

Children listening to Ross tell a story at large group

Hadley and Juliet tell their own version of the "Herman the Worm" story

Evan creating his smiley "glue faces," representing all the members in his family

While taking a ride in Evan's taxi to go to the ball, Riley reads a book to Evan, Peyton, and Ella

Juliet's "up-close" look at our pet crayfish, Sparkle

Abe telling the group about the cookies he just made

The Sand Table
The sand table has seen many visitors this past week and has been a great place for the children meet one another and begin playing cooperatively. Whether it be sharing materials or ideas about what to make, the teachers have observed a number of children working together while exploring the sand.

Hadley and Juliet working together on their mountain

Nora, Riley, and Ella creating various sand castles

The Block Area
Over the last week, we have seen larger and more complex structures being created in the block area. What started off as solitary structures made by one child and evolved into large, cooperative creations involving a number of the children. Here are some photos of the progression.

The "rescue ship" in progress

Evan and Nigel add the final touches

A completed "rescue ship" equipped with two drivers and one passenger

A new day lead to a larger and more collaborative structure. A number of children came together and helped create a "cruise ship," capable of holding more children than the ships made in previous days.

The beginnings of the Nigel's "cruise ship"

Nigel and Evan working together to help the ship grow in size and complexity

"ALL ABOARD!" The children hop on the "cruise ship"

Tight quarters but the children had a great time squishing together for their aquatic adventure

A look inside the at the 5 seated "cruise ship"

The "rescue boat" attached to the "cruise ship"

Cooking with Eva
On Thursday, Eva came in and made muffins with the children that we later ate for snack. MANY were eager to participate and here are a few photos of how the children helped.

Otto smashing the bananas while Juliet "oversees"

The children listening to Eva as she talks about the next step

Evan leveling off the flour (with clean hands, of course)