slings, thermometers, syringes, and bandages.  A large set of false teeth along with a giant toothbrush was available for exploration and discussion.  Our clinic also provided two hospital beds complete with sheets and blankets, as well as a hospital “nursery” with babies, blankets, and clothes.  A doll-sized wheel chair, walker, crutches, and leg braces offered more nursery props for imaginative play.  A reception desk along with appointment slips, sign-in schedules, and telephones provided administrative support for our health care workers and patients.  This theme is not only a lot of fun, but it helps the children work through any fears or anxieties they may feel toward doctors and hospitals, and promotes a spirit of nurturing and caring for one another.  During teddy bear week we added a veterinary section to our hospital, with a small pet crate and assorted veterinary tools.  After two weeks of “ER”, the dramatic play room returned to the ever popular and relevant housekeeping theme.

We used the math table for hospital props while our “hospital” operated in the dramatic playroom. Beginning this week, we have provided a “mitten match” activity where there are numerous “mittens” made from assorted colors of construction paper.  Each mitten has a pattern on it and the children attempt to match up pairs of mittens, either individually or with other children.  This activity promotes visual discrimination skills, as well as reinforcing beginning math skills like matching, sorting, and pattern recognition.

The children have been learning lots of new songs and fingerplays over the last month, including The World is Big, Jambo, Mexican Hand Clapping Song, Brush Your Teeth, Thank You in Many Languages, The Bakery Shop, Razzama Tazzama, Teddy Bear, The Color Song, and Fuzzy Wuzzy.  The words to some of these songs are included on our song sheet.  If you would like the words to a particular song, please let us know!

Miss Cathy:  Why do we call this shape a square?
Child:  Because it’s not a rectangle! 

Child:  Guess what!  I have two grandpas!  I have a great grandpa and a plain grandpa! 

Gazing at a photo of Miss Cathy standing next to a Peruvian family in national dress, along with their pet llama—
Child:  Wow.  Miss Cathy’s family is really different! 

Standing at the writing table, looking at the tracing paper and shapes to trace—
Child:  Are these available to write on? 

In the hospital—
Dr. Child 1:  Child 2 needs to rest.  He broke his arm. I took his temperature.  It’s up to a 3 and a 8! 

Talking about the letter “M” –
Miss Julie:  (Pointing to her mouth)  What’s this?
Child:  Mustache! 

Child:  I have a shark tooth.
Miss Chris:  How did you get a shark tooth?
Child:  I don’t know.  It just grew in! 

Miss Meg:  We have a visitor today.  Her name is Miss Pam.
Child:  Oh!  Like Peter Pan?  

Child:  My Mami lives far away.
Miss Brenda:  Can you drive there or do you have to take a plane?
Child:  We have to take a car because we don’t have a plane!

Talking about “jobs”—
Child:  My daddy’s job is to take out the garbage! 

Holding up a doctor’s reflex hammer—
Miss Nancy:  Why would a doctor use this?
Child  To hurt you!

During costume week, a child was in the process of putting on a black cape—
Child 1:  Are you Batman?
Child 2:  Not yet!