Bugs

This week in the Peach Room we've been exploring bugs. We began the week with a bug hunt outdoors. We spotted lots of ants and found one beetle that we were able to observe. We noticed that it was black and red and that it had wings. In the sensory table we dug in soil and found butterflies and worms (plastic).  We read books about all kinds of insects including "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carl. We listened to some bug songs and Mina and Scarlett danced to a recording of "Butterfly, Butterfly".  We sang "The Itsy Bitsy Spider"  and "I'm Bringing home a Baby Bumblebee".

This week we were so excited to have Morah Ora's canary in our classroom. Our friends observed it each day with wonder, noticing its color, sounds and how it ate and drank.

Outdoors we had great fun in the sprinklers.Some friends touched the spray tentatively with their hands while others ran through it with delight. Mina led calling out, "Come on friends!". Eventually everyone was quite wet! As usual there was lots of gathering water in containers and pouring it out. A puddle formed in the grass and of course everyone gravitated to it to splash, pour and sit!

Our class has grown and changed so much in the last weeks and it's hard to believe the year is coming to an end. We look forward to one last week together!

Morah Ora uploaded lots of pictures on the private Facebook group so please check them out there!

This week in the Peach Room we welcomed Jemma to our class. She comes each day full of enthusiasm and adds great zest to our day.

Our dramatic play with baby dolls has continued to evolve this week. Everyone has had a hand at caring for a baby (or two or three). We have been giving the babies bottles, changing their clothes, rocking them to sleep and doing more check ups!  We were able to add some life-like baby dolls to our classroom which have been very appealing to all of our friends.

We've continued preparing for Mother's Day with some special projects, stories and conversations about our mommies.This is one topic everyone has something to say about!

It was welcome relief to have cooler weather this week and we relished our outdoor time. We spotted airplanes and dragonflies, took turns on the slide and watched (even joined) some of the elaborate play of the older children. We looked for bugs, explored the yard, rode bikes, played in the water and built with blocks.

As our class grows, our friends are relating to each other and seeking each other out more and more. They inquire if someone is absent and remark if someone is sad. As their budding language and awareness of self and other develop we are noticing a growing sense of community together.

We wish you all a Happy Mother's Day!

The Peach room has been all about babies this week! We filled our sensory tub with a bubble bath and gave our babies baths. We have tried our hand at changing our babies diapers, changing their clothes and we've bundled them up and put them to bed. All of this play with our babies has sparked other ideas for pretend play and we've taken our babies shopping, taken photos of our babies and put our babies to bed. Some of our friends have even engaged in play with roles ("I'm the mommy and you be the sister.")  We also learned the baby song, about putting baby to bed and then taking care of him or her when she wakes up. We take turns deciding what the baby needs to go back to sleep (a new diaper, a kiss, a bottle...).

As Mother's Day approaches we have been reading books about Mommies. Mommy and Me, Are You My Mother  and Teeny Weeny Looks for His Mommy are favorites. Mommy and Me has sparked some discussion about what we like to do with our mommies. We've also enjoyed working on a special project for our own mothers this week .

With the weather getting hotter we decided to pull out the bounce house for some of our activity time as well as playing in the water outdoors. We have painted, played with trucks, sung lots of songs and as always, looked at many books. (The library continues to be a favorite spot for our class!)

We would like to thank you for your thoughtful kindness during Teacher Appreciation week. Working with your children is engaging and joyful for us and we thank you for all of your support!

We look forward to a new week!

Morah Ora and Morah Sydney

Sensory Exploration

 This week we all came back from break with great enthusiasm. There were lots of hugs and kisses and happy greetings! Even though we had a long break, we were back in our routine quickly and easily.

We have enjoyed a week full of sensory play. We've played with playdough, moonsand, water and paint. Scarlett and Mina rolled playdough out together while Mina sang a rolling song that she made up as she went. Our sensory table was filled with moonsand and we made birthday cakes for each other and sang Happy Birthday. We painted large rocks with brushes, sponges and our hands as well. Everyone enjoys water play outdoors pouring, dumping, transferring and splashing. We must take turns with containers and let each other know when we don't want to get wet. We explore what we can do with watering cans, funnels, sieves and buckets.

All of this sensory play allows us to explore and make sense of the world around us through our physical senses. In                                                                             addition, it provides opportunities for problem solving,                                                                           language development, social interaction and development of                                                                 gross motor skills. Most importantly, it contributes to brain                                                                           development and cognitive growth.

Our sense of community and competence grew this week at mealtime.  Zoe and Mina joined in to wash the tables and sweep the floor and soon everyone was helping. Preparing for snack is now a group effort that gives everyone a feeling of accomplishment and pride!

We are growing and changing every day in the very best ways!                

Pesach

We have a new friend in the Peach room. Tzippy has joined our class. We are so glad to have her with us and she is so happy to be at school!

This week as Pesach approaches, we made place mats to bring home. We painted them with sponges and brushes and added our hand prints and pictures. We've been curious about the pictures of the pyramids of Egypt that are on our wall and we molded "pyramids" of sand in the sensory table with orange cones and sand. In our play kitchen area friends have been busy putting matzah in our afikomen and we've played a game of hiding the afikomen and finding it. And in our classroom library we're becoming familiar with Pesach items with our Pesach counting book ( 1 cup, 2 hagadahs, 3 matzos...)

This week dress up was popular in the dramatic play area as was caring for teddy bears and dolls. We painted rocks, made moon sand and did finger plays with finger puppets as well.

This was a busy week and it flew by quickly! Thank you to Morah Shoshona for helping out in our room these last two weeks. And a very heartfelt thanks to the Luedy family for the wonderful stacking toy which they donated to our classroom. It is getting lots of happy use!

We look forward to seeing you all after break!

Pesach Pillows and Teddy Check-Ups

In the Peach Room this week we continued exploring Pesach. We started the week with art and we made pillows! During Pesach ,when we drink wine (or grape juice) we recline in our chair against a cushion. This is to remember that Jewish people are no longer slaves in Egypt and are free to relax and enjoy the goodness of life. We painted our pillows and stuffed them and Morah Shoshonna added each friend's name in Hebrew.

We are also becoming familiar with the Seder plate. Our Seder plate puzzle is very popular! We've also worked with velcro-matching Seder plated to learn about the foods that are found on the plate.

On Friday we made grape juice! Smashing grapes with our hands gave us a wet and sticky sensory experience.

We go to our classroom library often where we have, among others, several Pesach books that everyone likes to read over and again.  Sharing books as a whole group or with a friend is a much loved activity with all of our friends. The library has become a place  where    rich social interaction takes place as we read stories, point out                illustrations and negotiate turn taking and seating arrangements. Our    class really enjoys books!

In the dramatic play area we've taken care of teddy bears with stethescopes. This week we also attended sports with Coach Picachu and enjoyed a picnic lunch outdoors.

It's been a great week in the Peach room and we look forward to the next one!