Recently in Ayuko's Newsletters Category

Dear families,
We are almost at the end of our school year and soon it will be summer break for the children. I have enjoyed working with each and every one of them. It has been amazing to watch them explore new concepts and learn so many new things. The children have become much more comfortable with us as time has passed and it will be sad to say goodbye. Even though it will be hard to say goodbye, the children have had an amazing week exploring new play areas and materials in the classroom.

My lead teaching week was full of excitement and creativity. The children participated in the new activities with great enthusiasm. During the week, the children explored the collage table and made 3D collages. Many discussed how the glue made it sticky, which was also how the materials stayed on the cardboard base. The children had many material options to choose from including our natural materials, small cardboard triangles, wood pieces, and film canisters.

While working on collages, Katie and Otto were talking with one another. Otto said, "I'm trying to get this on" and Katie asked out loud, "how am I going to get it to stick?" When Katie asked this, Otto said she could get it to stick with glue.

The trains were still in the classroom and train tracks made out of tape were put on the ground. Many of the children enjoyed using these train tracks, as well as driving the trains to other parts of the room. The book "The Little Engine that Could" was read in class, which inspired a lot of play from the children with the trains.

While playing with the trains, Elliott said he was carrying a heavy load down the tracks. "I'm carrying the most heavy load. It's the toys for the people. And the food!" Ellie said, "I am the girl that needs food and toys." Elliott stopped on the "mountain" just like the train in the book and Max said he also "stopped at the mountain. My train is heavy."

Natalie's brother came to visit as a special guest this week. He played musical instruments with the children. He showed the children how to make different sounds and different beats on the drums. The children were really excited to play with him and had quite a bit to say about this experience.

Madeline said "I like to play like this" and Otto said, "I want to play this one." Ellie pointed out that "Cormac has a drum head!!" When Madeline saw Cormac with a drum on his head she said, "You are supposed to play it on the floor!" Beatrix and Maia were also enjoying the drums and decided to use maracas as drum sticks.

The children used the classroom materials in interesting and creative ways. I am excited to continue to play with the children and observe them for one more week before our school year ends. I will miss them and I hope they continue to explore many of the things they have learned throughout the ten weeks they have spent with Natalie and me.

Sincerely,
Theresa

Dear families,
We are passed the half point of our term and are approaching that last few weeks together. I am certainly enjoying myself and enjoying the children's curiosity and eagerness to learn at school. The children have begun to express themselves fully and have started to show how much they have changed since our first meeting. I am so glad that I am able to get to know and interact with every one of the children.
My week lead teaching was full of enjoyment and surprises. Several children engaged in the curriculum areas that I had envisioned with more enthusiasm and energy than I could have expected. The dramatic play and creativity that the fire station had to offer allowed the children to create stories and experiences that included cooperation, imagination, and understanding of the fire fighting occupation. The materials available in the area served purposes ranging from writing practice to motor practice. The jackets used for playing the role of a fire fighter challenged the children to practice their fine motor skills with clipping the jacket shut. The clipboard and pencil offered the children a chance to write down and explain their play after thoughtfully planning it. Many children spent the majority of free play engaged in fire fighting play.

Sam, Ellie, Ely and others created a fire fighting play. Ely began with an invitation, "Let's play fire!" Sam grabbed the bell, "I can do it!" Ellie took the paper and pencil, "I need to write it down. This is what happened."

The week's large groups focused on curriculum themes including fire fighting and literacy. New fire fighting songs were introduced to the children and their enjoyment was not hidden.
The collage materials in the art area gave children opportunities to create abstract pictures and try art that is new and different. The children experimented with glue and discovered how much glue was necessary to hold certain materials as well as how much glue is too much. It was very exciting to see so many children excited and engaged in their artistic creations.

Sofia, Abby, and Katie
enjoyed creating their own
art with collage materials.
Abby added crayon to hers,
"It says Abby loves Maia."
Katie found shapes in hers,
"It has a square, rectangle,
and there is a circle!"

The felt board had visitors throughout the week. Some children used all the pieces to tell their own story, while other used few of the pieces to tell the parts of the story that they knew best. It was exciting to see some children retell the story The Red, Ripe Strawberry and the Big, Hungry Bear in their own words and with their own added ideas.
The sensory table filled with rocks, frogs, and strawberries gets much attention. The children surround the table and get their hands deep into the rocks. The strawberries have been "hidden," "eaten," and made into frog beds by children. It is nice to see the sensory table being used in so many ways.
The house area is still popular. Children enjoy making food, cleaning dishes, serving food, talking on the phone with others, and doing the laundry. There are a few children who frequent this area, and others who come and go as they see new dramatic scenes arise. It is surprising and wonderful to see how many ways the children can play in the house area.
Overall, I enjoyed watching the children explore and utilize the materials available for each area. They appeared to find fun and interesting ways to play. I am looking forward to seeing what they will do next with the new plans for the next few weeks!

Sincerely,
Natalie

Classroom Newsletter
Ayuko's Class
4/10/10

Dear Families,

What a great start to the spring term: the weather has been perfect and the children came back ready to get into the groove of school. Coming back from Reggio Emilia, I was inspired to change and tweak a few things in the classroom and think about my role as a teacher. Though I have been working on this concept before I went to Reggio, I came back wanting to expand more, think closely about each curriculum area, and design them to engage children further in their play. In the dramatic play areas, the children had fewer, but key objects and materials they could use for role playing. The teaching team came up with questions, suggestions, and comments we could use to support and further children's play.

Ayuko: It's time to take off, find your seat and buckle your seatbelt! Take off!
Katie: Wait! (she comes on the plane with a cooler)
Ayuko: Do you have food for the passengers on the plane?

Ayuko: It's time for refreshments. Make sure you give out some food.

Katie: I don't have drinks.

Ayuko: That's ok, as long as you have food for them to eat.

Katie passes out food to each child.
Ayuko: Where is our destination?

Cashton: My house.

Ellie: My house.

Elliot and Abby: I want to go to my house too!

Ayuko: It's almost time to land. Thank you for boarding the airplane. We hope you join us again.

In the front of the room, the children were encouraged to investigate, dig and explore sand and natural materials, and discover and understand the concept of planting and watering bulbs and seeds. The Reggio philosophy presents that the children learn and understand the world around them in "100 languages," meaning there are many different ways children learn. Using that idea, we had also set up a felt board and playdough area for the children to recreate what they are learning about planting seeds and bulbs.

Outside in the playground, one of my main goals was to have the children focus and notice the natural elements around them, such as the plants, trees, and bugs. Since it was warm, some of the children started to naturally talk about bugs and make bug soup. The teachers pitched in the idea to start looking for these bugs and take care of them. The children saw ants, spiders, and worms. Little did we know, the children showed more excitement and interest in digging for and finding worms and comparing their sizes and shapes.

We are planning to continue this exploration of worms and further study their movements and likes of food by having worms at the science area.

Next week is our nature walk field trip. In order to prepare for the trip, we started talking about it during large group. We sang a song about the areas we are going to visit. While we were outdoors, a couple of children started collecting rocks, twigs, and woodchips in their buckets on their own! We are hoping that this process continues in the playground to bring materials into the classroom.

During the nature walk, the children will be encouraged to look for natural materials and collect them in their bags. With their collection, we are going to sort and discuss ideas on how we can use them in the classroom.

After thoroughly thinking about our present schedule, I have decided to add a morning meeting at 8:55 am starting Monday, April 19th, continuing until the end of this term. The rest of the schedule remains the same, with slight changes on the days we have small groups. This decision has come in correlation with the idea that by discussing the activities we have set up for the children in each curriculum area, the children will have the opportunity to intentionally think about where they want to play and what they want to do. Additionally, since the children will be going into the multi-age classrooms after this year, it seems appropriate to begin a similar schedule to theirs. This schedule will also support the small group meetings we will have later in the day, providing ample time for investigation and exploration. You will see my revised schedule in the daily schedule section. We will begin preparing the children for the change in schedule on Wednesday.

As you can tell, I am very excited for this term and what is going to come out of it. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your support and let's enjoy our last 10 weeks together!

Sincerely,
Ayuko

Below are introductions to the new student teachers. Please take a look and get to know them a little better!

Hi, I'm Natalie. I am in the foundations of education: early childhood program. I will be graduating this May. I live in Plymouth in the same house and I have since I was born. I love to cook, clean, and make arts and crafts. I like to make dinner or bake muffins and treats for my family or anyone who will eat my food. I have recently started to enjoy creating new recipes.

My name is Theresa. I am in the Foundations of Education: Early Childhood undergraduate program. I will be continuing on to the graduate level program in the fall. I grew up in Eagan, MN and my parents still live in the house my siblings and I were raised in. I have four sisters and one brother. I am the fourth child in the family. During my spare time, I like to knit. During the summer I also like to spend a lot of time outside and swimming.

We are looking forward to a fabulous last 10 weeks of school!

Classroom Newsletter
February 26,2010

Dear Families,

It has been a busy week in the toddler/preschool classroom. The children were able to explore new curriculum areas and extend current play themes. The children began the week with a great cooking project with Darya. The children worked together to make blueberry muffins for our snack. They discovered that when they mixed blueberries in the batter it turned greenish blue once it was baked, but the children thought they sure tasted "Yummy." The children continued to work in the bakery to decorate their goods with "frosting" out of the pastry bags.

The biggest change in our classroom was the sand table. The children have noticed the tracks left from the vehicles in the sand. Making the water wheel move with sand has also been an attraction at the table. Some of the children have even put their cars under it to get a "car wash." The sand table has been a nice addition to our classroom; the children seem to enjoy running the sand through their fingers, finding hidden cars, and pouring out the sand.

The children have been spending some quality time writing messages to family and friends. They have enjoyed the notes that have been sent in by their parents! Thank you for supporting this literacy experience. I was also able to make two new felt board stories for the children to use, which are Five Green and Speckled Frogs and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. The children reenact the stories with the felt pieces on their own, as well as cooperatively with their peers. These stories have provided the children with concrete material for them to role play.

The children were able to enjoy most of the week outside. I dug out the snow and opened the playhouse area for them to rediscover, which has been a great success. They have been cleaning up the areas, discovering left over toys from last fall. The children also enjoy standing on the fence line and pushing snow through the fence to the street. They spend time looking around the playground for pieces that will plop through the chain link on to the street. They giggle with delight when it hits the ground.

I would like to thank you for the opportunity to learn from your children. This is truly a place where teacher and students learn together.

I have included some great photos taken by Jeannine for the newsletter.

Experimenting with Paint

Abby almost completely filled her paper with paint. "I'm going to make this for my mom," she says.

Eba says, "It's dripping!" Eleanor agrees, "I'm going to let it drip!" Eba says, "I'm making this for my brother" while Eleanor decides, "I'm making this for my dad."

Five Green And Speckled Frogs

Cashton, Alma, Eleanor, Beatrix, Abby, and Katie retell the sequence of the story, "Five Green and Speckled Frogs," counting the frogs as they dive into the pond.

Giving and Receiving Mail

Cashton cuts with scissors and experiments sticking two materials together with a glue stick.

Katie uses a marker to draw a picture of teacher Jeannine and herself.

Abby places her mail into the mailbox. "It goes in here," she states. She is excited to find lots of mail inside. "This is for me!" she says excitedly!


Sofia works and glues thoughtfully with the glue stick. "This one is for me!" she says.

Experimenting with Color

"It's getting bigger," Eleanor says, looking at the color spreading on the coffee filter.

Maia uses two hands to squeeze her pipette, observing the color coming out through the end and onto the coffee filter.

"Look at mine!" Beatrix proudly exclaims as she holds up her dyed coffee filter.

The liquid watercolors dripped onto Eba's hands. He looks at his painted- colored hands and says excitedly, "I look like a tiger!"

Classroom Newsletter
February 20, 2010

Dear Families,

We had a wonderful week as children enthusiastically engaged in exploring and learning in the new and extended curriculum areas in the classroom. The children were involved in many activities such as baking projects in the bakery area, exploring rhythms with various instruments, creating and giving mail to one another, experiencing speed and distance with ramps, playing "I Spy" on the playground with photo cards, and participating in firefighter dramatic play. One highlight early in the week included having Maia's mom, Nicole, visit our classroom to make delicious cakes (galettes) with the children. The children also had the opportunity to decorate crowns and learn a new French song together. It was a very fun day - thank you Nicole! Highlights of three curriculum areas are included below:

Many children spent time engaged in the new bakery area, creating muffins, cakes, and bread out of playdough and then decorating their "delicious" creations with collage items, such as jewels colorful foam shapes, and rickrack. Children used small straws, placed in an upright position, to serve as candles on the cakes. This led to some wonderful pretend play of birthday parties. Children strengthened their social connections as they passed out food to their peers and sang "Happy Birthday" to each other.


Madeline, Ebisaa, Elliot, and Katie thoughtfully molded and decorated birthday cakes. Otto said, "I'm making a birthday cake!" and then passed out dessert to the children around him. Ebisaa and Elliot asked Otto, "Can I have some?" Later on, Abby, Katie, and Maia made a birthday cake for teacher Ayuko.

The children also further developed their literacy skills and helped support a caring community by making cards and letters for others in the classroom and to members of their family using colored paper, scissors, markers, and stickers. Children enjoyed finding their individual mailbox, designated by their name and photograph. Many children were surprised and excited by finding mail addressed to them!

Katie asked teacher Jeannine for help in addressing her letter. Katie then wrote her own letter, exclaiming, "I'm going to make a letter for Max!" Abby was excited to find mail in her mailbox, noticing the large letter "A" on the card. She said, "This is my letter. "A" is for me!" She then enthusiastically sat down to create her own mail. Otto used many stickers to make a letter for himself, and then wrote a letter to teacher Darya. Sofia created three letters indicating, "My letter is for mom, dad, and Luciana!"!"

Many children explored the various instruments presented throughout the week in the music area. Children experienced loud and soft sounds, fast and slow beats, and high and low notes through the use of drums, maracas, shakers, and xylophones. On many occasions, children played side by side, comparing the different instrument sounds and creating cooperative music melodies.

Katie and Ebisaa played the drums using alternating hands. Ebisaa asked, "Do you see a conga? I like the conga!" He then told Katie, "Let's play fast!" Sam and Cormac used drum sticks and their hands to explore the drums. Ebisaa, Cormac, Sam, and Katie played their drums together, creating different rhythm patterns.

I greatly enjoyed lead teaching this week and learned so much from the children! They are full of energy, have such amazing ideas, and have such very kind hearts. It was wonderful to see all the exploring and learning taking place in the different areas of the classroom. Thanks so much for your support and for providing us with the opportunity to work with your wonderful children!

Sincerely,
Jeannine

Classroom Newsletter
2/13/10

Dear Families,

This was an exciting week full of cooking, valentines, and exploration. Throughout the week the children worked together creating wonderful collaborative art pieces which brightened up the walls of our classroom. The dramatic play areas were a big hit! The children were engaged and curious of the new and extended themes in the classroom. Below are some of the highlights from the curriculum I developed this week.

The ramps and the race track have been a popular area in the classroom.

The children explored the ramps and made comments about speed and distance. As the week progressed they started creating their own ramps. They worked together to make "bumps" in the race track. It started with Katie and Ebisaa working together cooperatively. Then other children joined in. Playing in this area encouraged the children to take turns and negotiate.

Max discovered how to make a bridge for the cars to travel underneath.

The race track encouraged the children to share, as they took turns making it to the finish line.

The children were careful to stay on the track. When their cars went off the track, the dramatic play scene in the "repair shop" emerged. They called for children to fix their cars or help them get them un-stuck.

The children were enthusiastic about taking a ride to the moon in the "rocket ship." They put on their space helmets and their jet packs and climbed aboard the rocket ship. On the rocket ship we sang: "Zoom zoom zoom we're going to the moon. Zoom zoom zoom we're going to the moon. If you'd like to take a trip, climb aboard my rocket ship. Zoom zoom zoom we're going to the moon. 1, 2, 3, BLAST OFF!!!" Once they arrived on the moon many of the children searched for "space creatures." They searched the classroom for interesting things to bring back to the rocket ship. Some children brought back cars, tigers, and spiders.

This week in the gym the children learned a new game called "Bug in the Rug." The children were asked to close their eyes as the teacher picked one child to be the "bug" and hide underneath a blanket. Once the "bug" is chosen the rest of the children open their eyes and try to guess who the "bug" could be. The children enjoyed becoming the bug, waiting patiently for the rest of the class to discover who the "bug" was. This game challenged the children to problem solve and rationalize their thinking. They enjoyed singing "Bug in the rug, bug in the rug, whose that bug in the rug" and watching as the bug is slowly revealed.

Leading teaching this week was a wonderful experience. I enjoyed watching the children explore the different areas I had created around the room. Their curiosity and creative minds delighted me. Thanks for all your support this week.

Sincerely,
Darya

Classroom Newsletter
1/15/10

Dear Families,

What a wonderful two weeks it has been. Now that the children have experienced the "getting to know each other" phase in the first term, the second term seems to reflect their growing relationships and friendships. A lot of these interactions are evident by the way the children collaborate and cooperate in the dramatic play area. We also have had many opportunities to extend the children's play, adding new elements to each theme.

The airport has been a big hit. Many children have been in and out of this area flying airplanes or riding in one. A world map has been an intriguing visual that allowed the children to experience the concept of destination. They are able to physically see the abstract concept that living in "Minneapolis," or going to "Mexico" leads to a place where we can point and label on a map.

The children took the concept of "traveling" and "transportation" to another level by going somewhere on a school bus, which has also been interchanged with a city bus. They seem fascinated by the idea of pretending to ride the bus to go to school. After the day of riding the bus with Ebisaa, other children started to gather, stating that they want to go to school as well. Sofia claimed that she was on the bus to go swimming. She even brought "snacks" to eat on the bus.

Traveling on the bus has been a sub-theme since it is their mode of transportation to go from one curriculum area (cave) to another (water table).

The story of a bear cave and hibernation has led us to discuss topics such as real vs. not real, adding a new word, "pretend," to the children's vocabulary. Even though our experience of "going on a bear hunt," became a little too realistic for some children, I was pleased to see the aftermath of that incident. During snack time, the children were empathetic; concerned about the few children who seemed scared to see the "real bear." They suggested that we go on a hunt for horses instead. The following day, we acted out a story about going on a horse hunt and they all enjoyed taking a picture of the "horses" and feeding them carrots. Below are the lyrics I have made up. You can sing it to the tune of "going on a bear hunt" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzIcu6tbEko with slight adaptation.

I am excited to see children taking a lot more interest in each other. They are learning how to collaborate, discuss, and work together towards a common goal. I believe we are off to a great start to the new term.

Going on a Horse Hunt
We're going on a horse hunt
We're gonna take a camera.
I'm not afraid.
We're coming to a tall mountain.
Can't go under it.
Can't go through it.
Gotta climb up it!
Do you see anything?
Wait, I see horses down there.
Quick, follow me.
We're going through the tall grass.
Can't go under it.
Can't go over it.
Gotta go through it.
Swish swish swish swish....
Stop! I see them (whisper). Let's tip toe...
Lets take a picture - click.
Lets give the horses some carrots.
Do you think they like their snacks?
I bet we can have our snacks....Are you hungry?
(Go back to the classroom)

We have a great new team this term and I'm looking forward to working with them. The teachers dove right into interacting with the children -- it almost seems like they were always here. Below are their self introductory paragraphs so you can get to know them a little better. Enjoy!

My name is Jeannine and I am very excited to begin student teaching in your child's classroom! I am in my second year of classes in the M.Ed. Initial Licensure program in Early Childhood Education and Special Education. My husband, Tim, and I live in Woodbury with our children, Madison, age12, and Max, age 9. We also have a pet guinea pig named Chestnut. I have worked as an elementary school social worker and currently work in an early childhood special education classroom. In my free time, I love to read, garden, and go on bike rides and hikes with my family.

Hello, my name is Edenia. I am a new student teacher at the Lab School. I will be turning 42 next week. I live in NE Minneapolis with my husband and two children. My daughter, Paxton, is 9 and my son, Wyatt, is 6. We have a family dog named Henry (100 pound golden lab). I do not have a lot of free time while I am in school but I try to give back to the community as much as I can. I am a Junior Brownie Girl Scout Leader for a 4th grade troop in St. Anthony. I have walked the 3 Day for Breast Cancer twice. I volunteer as an Art Adventures picture person for the school my children attend, as well as, any other classroom needs there may be. I work for the Oceanaire Seafood Room and have been a part of the company for the past 15 years. My ethnic background is German and Cuban but I was born and raised here in Minnesota and lived with my Mother and sister in Eden Prairie. I love to garden in the summer, play at the pool, travel and spend as much time as possible with my family.

Hi, my name is Darya. At the end of the spring semester I will hopefully be receiving an undergraduate degree in the Elementary Education program with a specialty in Pre-primary. Once I graduate I will continue my studies and go on to the Initial Licensure program. I am very excited to have the opportunity to student teach at the lab school. I am the youngest of my family being born just minutes after my twin sister. I was born and raised in Minneapolis but it's still hard to get used to this cold weather. I enjoy camping, kayaking, and hiking. I recently took a trip to Georgia where I hiked part of the Appalachian Trail and canoed next to alligators.

November 16, 2009

Dear families,

Another exciting week at the lab school is behind us! As our time as student teachers is winding down, it is consistently a pleasure to come to school and witness the joy and curiosity in each of your children. They have each shown growth over the past several weeks, and I have a great sense of pride to have been a part of this important time in their lives.

I enjoyed my week as lead teacher, and it was wonderful see all of my curricular ideas come to life in the classroom. The body awareness aspect of my curriculum took off with great gusto! The different sized paper cut outs of hands and feet sparked a lot of interest in size. Many of the children placed their hands over the cut outs to find "their" size. One of the children in Frances' class demonstrated his developing understanding of size by saying, "here's the baby feet, and here's the daddy feet." The mirrors in the classroom were a fun spot for children to examine their facial features and compare them with other children's features. Many funny faces were enjoyed as well.

Our large groups for the week were also focused on body awareness. The children enjoyed a new rendition of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes." In Ayuko's class, we added a verse to one of our classroom favorites, "Open, Shut Them," which involved blinking and winking! Children in both classes had fun dancing to "The Freeze Song" in the gym, and they did a great job listening for the musical changes that indicated freezing and dancing.

Painting in the classroom took on a new life this past week as the children explored painting on pieces of standing plexiglass. Many of the children in the classroom are regulars at the easel and art table, but this plexiglass set-up seemed to invite some new children into the realm of art. Children enjoyed looking through the plexiglass to see one another. One child in Ayuko's class was thrilled to learn that he could paint over and cover up a teacher's hand that was behind the plexiglass. The game interested two other children who came over to join in the activity.

The music and dancing center have also been a highly-frequented area in the classroom. The children are becoming more familiar with manipulating the mouse on the computer to select one of five song buttons It is such a joy to watch the children as they experiment with the cause and effect of clicking and hearing music! Children in both classes have enjoyed listening to the different genres of music and dancing accordingly. We have seen a great deal of marching to The Imperial March from "Stars Wars" and lots of movement with flowing scarves to a classical piece by Johann Strauss. I was surprised to see how many of the children have shown preferences for certain types of music and musical instruments. Overall, this area has been a great creative outlet for many children, and teachers (just ask to see Teacher Bob's jig).

The dramatic play areas are an ever-popular place. We have been reveling in the amount of group play that has been happening in both classes. Many of the children in Frances' class took a trip on a train made of cardboard boxes. One child even declared, "We need tickets!" We have been seeing whole litters of kitty cats in Ayuko's class, complete with human caregivers and delicious cat food! These group play experiences are truly creating a sense of community between the children. I have enjoyed watching the blossoming relationships and emerging social skills as the children learn to share materials and negotiate play themes.

After a long and successful run, our grocery store recently came to a close. We send thanks to all of you who sent in your food containers, and to those of you who were able to clue us in as to what types of foods your child likes to eat and cook. This information was so helpful as we supported play from the grocery store into the play kitchen. The children were tickled when we offered just the right spice for their mac and cheese or knew that they liked soy nut butter on their toast. This home-school connection makes our classroom community lively and meaningful.

I have enjoyed my time as lead teacher. The children teach me so much each day; their curiosity and excitement is a reminder of the kind of attitude I hope to bring with me to class. So, it is with that curiosity and excitement that I look forward to lead teaching again next week!

Sincerely,
Becky

Dear Families,
With just three weeks of school left it seems like the beginning of the end. It's very sad to think of our time at the lab school being over and these students that we have come to know moving on to meet a new batch of student teachers! My first week of lead teaching proved to be an eventful one, with picture day in both classes, a visit from a dance student, and a short week for Frances' class. We also made applesauce together in Frances' class and have been delving deeper into our small group projects in Ayuko's class. It was great to see the children becoming more comfortable with each other this week, which manifested itself through group play episodes and increased levels of sharing and cooperation.
The back of our classroom underwent a major shift last week--we moved the kitchen into the loft and switched the grocery store and construction areas in order to provide a larger space for construction with cardboard boxes. My hope was to connect the grocery store with the kitchen so that the children could bring food home and use it in kitchen play. As they became familiar with this set up, we began seeing children "call" the person in the grocery store to ask for apples or mac and cheese to be brought home for dinner. Several children worked together to mix, stir, and bake pretend cakes and soups. One child decided that if we ate spices, they might be hot, which created a short scenario between a few children of fanning our tongues and then pretending to drink water.
As the grocery store play began to fade out, one child discovered that the corner of the loft/kitchen made a neat little area for "pets" to sleep and hide in, which led to an ongoing theme of pretending to be kitties. Several children crawled around the room on all fours, meowing and pretending to eat food out of dishes on the floor. We even had a kitty picnic, where the "people" in the scenario gathered food and dishes and took the kitties to an area of the room which became the park. Approximately five children then pretended to have a picnic and take a nap. It was great to see such an extended group dramatic play experience! Children were imitating each other, sharing materials, negotiating both space and the direction of the story line, and communicating their ideas.
I had wanted to infuse new materials into the science center, so we introduced a magnet display. This began as a simple exploration of magnetic wands and a few metal objects. The simple fact that the wands jump together when you bring them close was pretty interesting. While exploring the classroom with her wand, one child discovered that the wands stuck to the back door of the classroom, which is made entirely out of metal. This was an exciting discovery and led to tests of the table legs and door knobs found around the room. The next step was to introduce paperclips, which are interesting to watch fly up to the magnet when it is dipped into their bowl. Several children also discovered that they are hard to remove from the wand once stuck.
Music has continued to be an important part of our day. We have been exploring instruments both in large group activities and during free play. We have been playing the CDs brought in by families during free play time, and several children come over to dance or play along on various instruments. This week we turned the computer into a juke box with a selection of five different pieces of music that children can choose themselves. Children have had a great time using scarves, bells, and shakers to express themselves through creative movement. I also wanted to emphasize rhythm during my large group times, so we sang songs such as "We're Going on a Bear Hunt," "The Stick Song," "Ram Sam Sam," and "The Hokey Pokey." These songs have strong beats that the children could experience with their bodies while clapping, patting, or moving. "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" was quite exciting as we sang about discovering the bear in the cave and then running out of the cave, through the river, up and down a tree, and through the tall, tall grass.
I enjoyed stepping into the leadership role during my first lead teaching week, and I'm excited to be able to revise my strategies the next time around. It's a great feeling to have put thought into the curriculum and room arrangements and then watch the children explore, manipulate, and expand upon what is presented to them. Thank you all for your support and for providing us with such wonderful children.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth

NEWSLETTER--Ayuko's Class

by Bob
November 7, 2009

I have to be honest and say I have been learning from my mistakes as much as I have from my successes. In my eagerness to promote appreciation of our natural and native environment, I learned how easy it was for me to fashion a 'thinking' lesson rather than a more experiential lesson appropriate to the ages of the children. (Perhaps my two teenage daughters have me 'thinking' a lot lately.) And so I adjust. A head on structural comparison of the specifics of native prairie plant species became a lot less important than which seed floated the most (orange butterfly weed), or, what kind of animal might live in the hollow knot of a branch, or, what does the inside of the green gourd look like? Will it look the same as the orange pumpkin? We cut them open to find out. The children, on their own, found out whether the gourds floated or not, by putting them in the water table (mixed results, pending more advanced study design). Eager to bring all of my knowledge to them, I had briefly overlooked that they are already 'scientists' and natural empiricists, already supremely inquisitive and experimental by nature. What I need to do is supply them with the material and watch and listen to their thoughts, and support their many discoveries.

In dramatic play, I am happy to see the grocery store doing a pretty brisk business every day. It has been interesting to see the level of play detail grow over time, from simple filling of shopping baskets, to more detailed playing out of dramatic scripts, from scanning products or manually entering product codes, to sending the groceries down the conveyor belt to be bagged. A few children have even taken their groceries 'home' to the play kitchen. In addition to signage, the grocery store has also involved literacy with pads of paper by the register to 'sign' or write out receipts with. The store has offered many opportunities for detailed dramatic play as well as cooperative social interactions. I'd also like to thank all parents for stocking our store with a wonderful selection of products.

It's a pleasure to watch the changes occurring in 'vehicular' block play. Simple roads eventually required ramps. Numerous 'collisions' required social negotiations on rules of the road. Last week, a child suddenly commented, "We need stop signs!" Another child playing cars heard this comment, and after a second dashed off, immediately returning with a hardcover picture book, which he stood up against the roadway, quietly proclaiming, "Stop sign!"--a real bit of symbolic invention. In the days ahead, we are wondering if the roadway will reach and incorporate play in the dollhouse.

Changing painting tools at the art easel proved a real draw for some children who had been a little ambivalent about painting. Painting with wood rollers, bumpy rollers, and foam brushes was just plain exciting. Interestingly, adding black paint also appeared to be a powerful draw for particular children. We don't know whether it was the high contrast it offered, or the more graphic effect of black line against color. Of course, we never want to force children to do art, however much we might want them to try it, so we will always look for different ways to invite children into a positive experience with it, watching for their interests, and finding ways to invite them to new experiences.

Play dough--what can I say. It is the substance that is always magic. This past week we have seen various tracks left in it, by a variety of animals and vehicles, challenging the children to think of evidence of things not present. Children continue to learn to roll snakes, a fine motor skill. And for a number of children, it remains an area of sensory solace, a comforting place to be and a comforting thing to do, an activity around which social possibilities arise.

We are experimenting more with making music, listening to music and dancing to music. We are discovering some pretty avid dancers as well as many curious children interested in dancing and hope to do more of it in the weeks ahead. And thanks for sending in music, and letting us know about your children's favorites.

My first week as lead teacher was very busy. I appreciate all the support and understanding from all parents and my colleagues in the classroom. One learns very quickly about the importance of a good, strong team.

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