April!

I hope all of my students had a restful Spring Break!  We are smooth sailing for the last two months of school!

April is an exciting month!  The children will be studying different eggs, plants and how they grow, seeds, flowers, Asia, the flags of Asia, the artist Georgia O'Keeffe.


Reminder:

Please send in a change of warm weather clothing for your child.  I will return the clothing I have here for your child when you send in the replacement.

Early Release:

4/4 & 4/5 are half-days for the full-day children.

No Early Release:

4/17 & 4/24 are not half days for the full-day children due to AIMS testing.  (Our students are too young to participate in the test)  If you want to pick up early on those days, you may.

Water Day:
This is importannt!  Water Day is 5/17 for our students.  It is a day of great fun, sweet treats and water slides here on campus.  When I say, "water slides", I mean 2 story tall water slides.  Beacuse of this, if you are the parent of a first year child, it is mandatory that you accompany them to water day.  For the rest of the students it is optional that a parent be there, but it will your last chance(that's right, last chance) for volunteer hours.  The even usually begins by 9:00.

Classroom Wishes:

Cotton Balls
Food coloring
Gallon size Ziploc bags

Dates:
4/10-Site Council/PTA (Only 4 of my families attended last time.  :(  We have to do better that that!  This is for all of our children!)
5/15-Kinder Promotion
5/17- Water Day
5/17- Talent Show/Basket Raffle
5/21-Last school day for the children

Butterflies

Butterflies!!!

 

 

The Release into the Garden!!

 

 

Today was great!  The children were elated to see their butterflies go!

 

 

PTA tomorrow!  I will be there,  let's party at PTA together!

 

Thank you pasta fairy, who ever you are, for the 2 cases of pasta for the necklaces!!!

 

Spring break is next week all week!  Play outside, turn off that T.V. and have some fun!

 

 

 

March! Already?

March

It is hard to believe that March is upon us!  This month bring some really exciting lessons for my group.  We are observing our ladybug larvae and painted lady caterpillars which will soon go through that exciting metamorphosis!  When the adult insects are ready we will release them to the garden.  We are beginning to look at the parts of the insect, several different animal life cycles, studies of Europe as well as the flags of European countries and the artist Georgia O'Keeffe.

Reading

I think we are all aware of how important it is to read to your child.  Dedicate at least 20 minutes of your day reading to you little one.  If your child is a reader, they should be reading at least 20 minutes at home per day.  Here is my challenge to you:  Turn off the television and keep it off for your child Monday through Friday.  One week.  Just one week.  Allow your child to enjoy weekend TV.  In my own home, my child knows T.V. days are Saturday and Sunday.  After school time is enjoyed playing outside, painting, drawing, reading, cooking, and many more practical life home activities.

Here are some great ideas to get you going!

Laundry –       1. Folding clothes – wash clothes & dish clothes.
                        2. Child can match socks and roll them up
                        3. Child can fold his own clothes and put them in a drawer.

Dusting           Show how to move objects carefully, and dust table tops, shelves (encourage left to right sequence)

Cleaning-         Windows, TV, mirrors, etc. – for the young child you may spray and child may wipe with a towel.

Scrubbing the sink- In a step by step manner show the child:

1.      Wet sponge and squeeze out.

                        2.      Give small amount of non-toxic cleanser in a dish.
                        3.      Child can dip in the cleanser and scrub the sink.
                        4.      Rinse out the sink.

Washing surfaces with water – Refrigerator, stove, woodwork, car, etc.

Give the child a small pail of soapy water and sponge, demonstrate how to squeeze sponge and wash surfaces.

Sweeping -      Give child a child size broom and dustpan.  Demonstrate how to use.  Also, try mopping, raking leaves, shoveling snow (Just making sure you’re still reading.)

Plant care -      Indoor and outdoor plants / garden work.

1.      Give child a small watering can.

                        2.      Show how to feel if the plant needs water.
                        3.      Pick off dry leaves.
                        4.      Clean dusty leaves (indoor plants.)

Making a Bed -    This may be difficult for a very young child, but try to recognize when

child is ready.

1.      Show child how to pull the covers back.

                        2.      Pull the sheet and smooth the wrinkles.
                        3.      Fix the pillow
                        4.      Pull the covers smooth.

Encourage child to make his own bed, but make sure the bed is arranged in such a way that the child can walk around all sides.

Washing Dishes -        Be prepared for some spilled water.  Encourage child to work slowly and carefully.  This activity should be preceded by pouring water with cups in the bathtub

Drying Dishes – When demonstrating, use slow, methodical movements.  Concentrate on wiping off all the drops of water from a dish.  Don’t rush a child to finish.  Give him a few dishes and plenty of time.

Sorting activities – Anything that can be sorted into various groups.

·         Sorting silverware into the drawer sections

                                    ·         Sorting laundry into piles
                                    ·         Sorting groceries for cupboard, refrigerator, freezer
                                    ·         Sorting buttons in sewing basket

Feeding and care of pets – place food for pets in containers the child can manage, such as a small jar of bird food with spoon to fill bird’s cup; a can of dry cat or dog food with a measuring cup to scoop out the right amount.

Reading Project

Most of you saw this already!  I found the idea in Family Fun Magazine and it is so fun!  Turn the two sides of the egg to make new words.  If your child is not yet reading, designate one egg per sound of the alphabet (in cursive) put them in the basket or have a find the sound egg hunt.  The Dollar Tree Store has large packs of plastic eggs!

Dates

3/13 Site Council/PTA
3/14 Mother Son Flip Dunk
3/18-22 Spring Break
3/29 No School

February Fun!!

Show Me Night was great!  Thank you for sharing this special time with your child!


This Month

February is full of fun things to learn.  The children will learn about Groundhog Day, Chinese New Year, President's Day, Arizona's Birthday, the State flag, desert animals, the five senses, the artist Jackson Pollock (who went to elementary school right around the corner from the classroom), and composer Tchaikovsky.  All of this in addition to Valentine's Day songs and poems and the rest of our Montessori curriculum!

Welcome

In January, my class welcomed two new students, Ayden and Camille.  We are so glad to have two new friends!

Dates:

2/6-8- 1/2 day for full-day students
2/15- Father Daughter Dance
2/13 -Site Council/PTA (Remember your volunteer hours!  This event counts!)
2/18- No School

Happy New Year

Welcome Back!

January is a fantastic month in my classroom because of the level of the work happening and the excitement of the children.  All of the students know what to do, where to go and how to do it.  Poetry in motion!  Please come and observe this!  If you have not seen what a proper Montessori environment looks like-here is your chance!  You may come any day you like, please schedule a time with me first, for 30 minutes. 

January for the Children

This month, as a group, we are studying the Arctic, Arctic animals and people, snow, the science of color and color mixing, the painter Monet and touching on Martin Luther King, Jr.

Volunteer Hours

The school year is now 1/2 over!  If you don't have at least 5 volunteer hours done, you are behind!  You are required to have 10 per year and this is the first year those hours are being carefully tracked! 

Thank You

I would like to thank all of my fabulous families who contributed to our super fun holiday party!  It was a blast!

Dates

1/21- MLK Day-No school
1/30-Show Me Night!  More to come on this soon!

Fun in December!

Let the Fun Begin!

The holidays are here!  This month we will be studying snowflakes, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, winter poems, citrus and Claude Monet.  We will be having a cultural lesson on the holidays in Columbia with Isabella's mother and a look at St. Lucia's Day with Lauren's mother.


This Month!

12/20- Kinder Holiday Concert at Main Campus in Multi-use Room
12/21- Ms. Meg's Class Holiday Party!  A child-only party with sweets (yes, it's true!), music, games and crafts.  Look on the volunteerspot for items we will need for the festivities!!
12/24-1/4- No School, Winter Break

United Children's Day!!!

 

 

What a fun time!  I hope all of you parents enjoyed the celebration!  It was wonderful seeing so many of you involved.

 

November:

 

November brings the children so many new lessons!  We look at Native American culture, the lives of pilgrim children, leaves, new songs and poetry, as well as a study of turkeys! 

 

I have put out the call for more culture a few times this year with little response.  Many families have special cultural traditions for the holidays.  Please share them with us!  Does anyone celebrate Hanukkah or Kwanzaa?  Contact me and let's set something up!

 

 

Dates:

 

11/9- Scholastic Books Orders are due.  Please order some books!  We get free books for the classroom when you order online!  ALSO-the holidays are right around the corner, there are plenty of affordable books that would make fun gifts!

 

11/12-No School

 

11/14-PTA

 

11/19-23- No School