Love Is In The Air

So yesterday was Valentines Day and I hope you all found a Valentine in your mailbox from your child! I said we were working on a special Valentine Project and now you know what that was!

The inspiration for the project came from the story, "The Day It Rained Hearts" by Author Felicia Bond. If you don't have this book I recommend that you read it sometime. I love the sentiment and the way Cornelia Agusta, the little girl in the story finds all sorts of ways to make Valentines for her friends. We hope you had a lovely Valentines Day! xo m

A Tisket, A Tasket

At circle time on Monday of last week we played a Valentine's game with the children. We had a stamped addressed envelope with a little pink heart card inside and a small pink scarf tied around it. We placed the letter in a small basket with a handle that happened to have some green and yellow flowers around the rim. We then taught the children the tune and words to "A Tisket, a Tasket". The words to the song are:

A Tisket, A Tasket, a green and yellow basket
I wrote a letter to my love and on the way I dropped it,
I dropped it.

After the children had learned the song we handed the basket to one of the children and invited them to circle around the outside of the circle of seated children as we sang the song. When the child carrying the basket was ready he/she dropped the letter behind the child of their choice, put down the basket next to the letter and ran around the outside of the circle with the chosen child giving chase to see who could arrive at the empty place in the circle first. It was usually the delivery person child who who arrived first and then sat down. We sang the song again with the chosen child, now the delivery person, circling with the basket behind the circle of his friends. The children loved the song and the game, sitting qute still and quiet as the song finished and the new delivery person made his/her decision behind whom to drop the Valentine's letter. Once the chase began several children sitting in the circle began to cheer on the delivery person as they ran to claim the empty seat. Several children enjoyed having a turn at being the delivery person or the person behind whom the letter was dropped. We tied a small scarf around the letter in order to make the letter float down when it was dropped. Happy Valentine's Day.

Reading the Signs

Preschoolers are beginning to learn to interpret signs and language around them. In the classroom at Maple tree they may be working with sandpaper letters, discussing the sounds made by different letters, or printing or reading independently. They are ready to do the same in music. Since the new year the children have learned to read rhythms: quarter notes and quarter-note rests. They can clap or say the rhythmic syllables in a 4-beat series. If you hear your child chanting "ta" or "sh" at home (and we will soon be adding "ti-ti"), these are the syllables we use. The children enjoy choosing cards to create their own rhythm for the class to clap and say together. Posted by Ms. Susanne

All You Need Is Love

I've been sewing for the last week to get these beautiful wool felt hearts out on the shelf in our classroom. The teachers and I have been talking a lot about sensory experiences and these wool hearts certainly enhance that for the children.

We are always looking for new ways to have the children practice their counting and, sometimes, even we get tired of cut-out numbers and counters. I started these hearts last year but ran out of steam. I was, however, eager to finish them and get them out this year.

The "aahhhhhhs" were so exciting to hear as child after child watched and then tired these out for themselves. The feedback from the children has been wonderful. We've heard things like, "they are so soft and beautiful and I can feel the number with my finger tip" and "how did Ms. Michelle make them so puffy?"

I feel that not only did we appeal the the child's senses on this experience but they are practicing math and working on that all-important pincer grip with attaching the clothes pins.

I love our children, and I love making new work by hand for them. They love it so much and it shows. Love is all you need.