Jennifer & Deanie's class - September 2008

Wow! The first full month of school has flown by. The children are settling into the classroom environment. We have spent several weeks learning lessons on grace and courtesy. Walking around rugs, saying “please” and “thank you”, raising our hand at circle, and using our “words” are just some of the lessons the children have been given. These lessons are so essential in developing a warm, inviting classroom environment.

In our Practical Life area, there are many important works. These practical life activities are designed to help the child develop personal independence. The children are learning how to pour, how to spoon, and how to use tongs. They are also learning how to clean up a spill using a sponge. As children begin to master these skills, their sense of independence and positive self-image grows.

We are exploring the sense of touch in the Sensorial area. The children have been able to explore “smooth” and “rough” using the touch tablets and basket of differently textured seashells. The primary colors tablets have been introduced. Soon we will learn how combining primary colors creates secondary colors.

In the Math area, we are working on linear counting. A child can use the sandpaper numerals to count from 1-10 or the hundred board to count from 1-100.

“Sound lessons” are a very popular lesson from the language area. We teach children the sound of the letter and not the name. If your child has a letter written on his/her hand, please encourage him/her to repeat the sound. Many of the 2nd and 3rd year students are spelling with the moveable alphabet and reading Primary Phonics books.

Seashells have been the topic of study in our Science area. Children could label seashells, match seashells, read about or color seashells. As Autumn has arrived, we will now begin a study on leaves.

In our Geography area, we are learning to distinguish left from right. The children can map their left or right hands and then the teacher will tie a piece of yarn around the corresponding arm.

One of the most popular areas of the classroom is the Art area. We have introduced paper tearing, pasting, and stamping. The children absolutely love the process involved in each work.

We are looking forward to guiding and supporting your children throughout the school year.