CIRCLE TIME

 
We are so excited to be back at school and blessed with the opportunity to learn and grow with your children!  Circle time provides a comfortable opportunity for a consistent group of 5 to 8 children to learn from each other (over time!) important group skills such as sitting, listening, and waiting for a turn to talk, as we share information about our weekly theme (and whatever else happens to be on the children’s minds at the time!).  We begin circle time  with a prayer, a review of our job chart (each child has a job for two weeks such as “line leader”, “table washer”, “carpet sweeper”, or the coveted “guinea pig feeder”),  and a weather report from our “weather person”.   Circle time is also the time to discuss what’s new at each learning center, make a plan, and segue confidently into our day!    Each day ends back in the same small circle for story time with a book usually related to our weekly theme, and a review of each child’s day.  Your child’s teachers-

    Primary-1 - Miss Kelly/Miss Chris

   Primary-2 - MissBrenda/MissMaryann/MissNancy

   Pre-K1 - Miss Brenda/Miss Maryann/Miss Julie

   Pre-K2 - Miss Kelly/Miss Meg

 rotate every two weeks to the circles within their class, so that each teacher has the opportunity to get to know each child in her class.  The children also get to interact with the other teachers, including Miss Andrea, during free play time.    

Our recent discussion themes included: 

Welcome to School:  We began the school year singing songs and playing games to help us learn each others’ names.  We also talked about school routines and practiced the proper method of hand-washing.    

School Rules:  We talked about why we have rules (to make sure everyone stays safe), and the children helped make a list which included everything from “use indoor voices” to “don’t stand on tables” and “don’t try to catch a bee”! 

Friends:  Puppets, like ‘Snowy the Owl’, acted out scenarios such as how to introduce yourself, how to join in where others are playing, how to share toys, ask for a turn, peer problem-solve, and more.   

Farm Life:  We made predictions about and then reviewed what we might see and do on a farm like Jane and Paul’s.   

Transportation:  The children enjoyed listing all the ways we can get from one place to another, as well as categorizing them by land, air or sea.

Pets:  What fun we had looking at pictures and laughing over stories of each others’ pets, or fantasizing over the pets we’d like to have! 

Photography:  To help prepare the children for picture day, we have brought in different types of cameras and are talking about why people take pictures.  We will also look at books and compare photographs with drawings of animals and people.    

Upcoming themes:  Colors and Fire Safety.

Small group time is the opportunity once or twice a month to get together with our circle group of 5 to 8 same-age children and one consistent teacher all year to introduce and practice a particular skill.   Our first small group was on

The Craft table features one special craft per week which all children are encouraged to try, and is designed to help us provide and observe a variety of experiences and skills. This is different from the “Free Craft” area, where the children choose their own materials.   

Self portraits:  the children enjoyed thinking about and drawing themselves while looking in a mirror.  Some children included family members and pets in their picture as well. 

Apple prints:  colorful prints were made using red, yellow and green paint and a real apple cut in half.  The prints are displayed on our walls to celebrate Fall!  

Painting with toy vehicles:  During “transportation” week the children made designs by placing various vehicles into green and blue paint and “driving” them all over the paper.   

Creating fall leaves:  As a follow-up to our small group on cutting, the children were busy decorating leaves by cutting colored paper into small pieces and gluing it onto their own paper leaf.   

Foam noodle structures:  the children are currently enjoying sticking foam noodles together onto paper plates by using wet sponges to work like glue.
 

SCIENCE

Experimenting with magnets:  Magnet wands and horseshoes were used to pick up screws, nuts and bolts, to move magnetic balls within an empty 1 ltr. bottle and through a wooden maze, and to stick onto metal chair legs and doorframes around our school!   Also available were stand-up dolls with magnetic changes of clothes.  

Exploring nature:  colorful leaves, acorns, pine cones, magnifying glasses, and pictures of leaves and trees, helped the children learn through sight and touch about God’s beautiful autumn world.     

MATH

Sequencing:  An apple sequencing game provided the opportunity to put apples in order from smallest to biggest, left to right, as well as categorize the apples by color- red, yellow or green.   

Color and shape matching, and co-operative play:  The “Itsy Bitsy Spider” board game with different colored plastic spiders makes learning fun!    

WRITING/LANGUAGE CENTER

The writing center encourages writing in various ways, and at different developmental levels:  drawing, scribbling, making letter-like forms, conventional letter forms, and inventive spelling.  Always available in the writing center to encourage “writing” are crayons, markers, fat pencils, colored pencils, paper of various size and color, envelopes, stencils, word/picture cards and alphabet books.  A separate table hosts a special game, toy, or utensil which promotes more specific writing or language skills, and changes every two weeks.  

Pencil grip:  Short, chunky animal markers were enjoyed by the children while encouraging the triangular “pincer grip”.    

Fine motor skills and eye-hand  coordination:  A plastic play farm tracing set was out next for the children to trace pigs, horses, sheep, a barn, and more.    

Language development, and spatial relations: Currently, the children are finding opposite pictures/words such as a cat that is “asleep” and a cat that is “awake”, to complete several two-piece puzzles. 
 

CREATIVITY ROOM

Sensory table

Building vocabulary, conversation, cooperation, and role playing:  Wood shavings, Lincoln Logs, and farm animals created a place for creative play during our ‘farm’ theme.   

Fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, static electricity, and sensory experience:  Styrofoam peanuts, scissors, tweezers, small scoops, and cups fill the sensory table where the children never tire of cutting and scooping.   

Playdough

Building fine motor muscles, social skills and creativity:  red playdough, scissors, rolling pins, apple-shaped cookie cutters, mini pie pans, a plastic microwave oven and some imagination helped to create delicious fall cookies and apple pies! 

Easels

Creativity, experimentation, self-esteem, and eye-hand coordination:   the children are learning about color as they use red and yellow paint and discover what happens when they are mixed together.  Much to their surprise they found it made orange!   

On the other side of the easel the children have found real leaves of different sizes and shapes.  They put a piece of easel paper on top, rubbed over the leaf with the side of a crayon, and watched as a  leaf print magically appeared on their paper!
 

DRAMATIC PLAYROOM

Pretending, role-playing, and developing social skills:   A refrigerator, sink, stove and microwave with play food, cooking and eating utensils are always available, as well as vacuums, brooms, telephones and tool boxes.  Baby dolls and clothes, a changing table, strollers, high chairs, baby food and bottles, and of course a variety of “adult” dress-up clothes and accessories are also available!  These materials allow the children to “try on’ a variety of adult roles through imagination and make-believe.  The room comes alive with moms, dads, sisters, brothers, princesses, cooks, and cleaners to name a few!  Through role play the children gain understanding and control over events they may have experienced or witnessed.  Deciding on a role provides for problem-solving, language development and building friendships.  The children learn to take turns, share and be patient – all important in developing social skills.    

The Dramatic Playroom will soon become a Farm Stand!
 

MUSIC AND MOVEMENT

Language skills, motor skills, eye-hand coordination, and awakening the senses to start the day!  Recent songs included:  “Down on Grampa’s Farm”, “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”,  “Jambo”  (means ‘Hello’ to Jesus),  “The Magic Hat”, “The Father Loves Me”,  “How Much is That Doggy in the Window?” “My Dog Rags” (he goes flip, flop, wig wag, zig zag) and “There’s a Dog at School” (oh no, he’ll have to learn the alphabet too!). 
 

EXTENDED DAY

The Extended Day children are having so much fun.  On Monday afternoons they bring their lunch and after their morning class has finished, they eat together outside at the picnic table, or in the Activity Room.  We have a special fun craft planned each week.  We have painted with water and salt shakers filled with powdered paint, made foam door knob hangers, and pumpkins out of paper plates, streamers and pipe cleaners.   After Craft we gather together to read a story, and then enjoy free play time as the children visit the different centers at school.  Extended Day ends at 2:30, and is open to any child who attends school on Monday mornings (provided that they are reliably potty-trained).  Sign-ups are on a week to week basis.  If your child is interested in attending, please call Cathy either at the school or at home (508-520-1068) any time prior to the Monday you would like your child to stay.  There is a small fee for this program. 
 

QUOTES

MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU DURING THIS BEAUTIFUL SEASON

Miss Kelly               Miss Brenda

Miss Nancy            Miss Maryann

Miss Meg                 Miss Chris

Miss Julie                        Miss Andrea