It has been a rough month with computer issues here. It took 2 weeks to clear up our main computer and I still am leery about using it. So decided to use the laptop and get on with business.
Tax info is ready to be picked up at your convenience.
I have not planned my vacation dates for the coming year yet as I may need to close for a few extra days this spring to redo our bathroom. When I figure all this out I’ll let you know well in advance.
Our recent themes have been short & sweet in an attempt to cover more learning areas. For example, we had a 3 day Airplane theme. And with the birth of another baby, we had a “Baby Day”. These are what child care providers call Opportunistic Learning. When we go with what the children are interested in, we gain more of their attention and therefore the lessons learned increase. I have so many ideas from the years past that I am very anxious to take them out again & again because they work! So when your child doesn’t come home with a ditto sheet, don’t fret. We have been learning through life experiences and those are lifelong lessons.
Have a great week! Stephanie
Check out my other blog for some pics of the
children's activities in action :
Learning Centers
Language: Weekly Readers w/ activity pages – ABC Soup (cover the letter & name an ingredient) – Listening to Books on CD individually – S Tracing page – Rhyme page – Letter Listening Game – Pig Bingo – A Sound Cards – Snowman color word page - Writing Journals-
M & K Sound game
Math: Color match file folder game – Counting cookies file folder game – Sequencing file folder activity – match a snowflake page – Snowman maze page – Trace shapes & complete the pattern page
Science: Homemade etch a sketch – 4 Seasons cut & paste – Count how many airplanes we hear during a day
Art: Calendar puzzles – Airplane stamping w/cotton clouds – Airplane mobiles – Rectangle drawings made into puzzles – I draw a line, you draw a line art (taking turns) – Make a picture from a large Letter drawn on paper – Rectangle collages
Manipulatives: String color beads – Cut snowman shapes – Create color block runways to match color of airplane – Recreate Block shapes w/Legos ( E, X, Diamond, Triangle)
Music: Bananas in Pajamas on YouTube – I’m gonna catch a baby bumblebee – Dance to banjo tunes – She’ll be comin round the mountain – The Rectangle song w/shapes for each to hold up
Large Muscles: Letter action cards – Dancing – Walk the path of rectangles, & tip toe, & march, etc – Letter Basketball – Snowball (pom poms) tossing – Bean bag toss
Dramatic Play: Doctor prop box – Dress up play – Baby play day – Little People & houses play – Horses & blocks for fences – hotwheels & maps
But What Do the Babies Do All Day???
If we engage with babies during caregiving tasks, they learn about their bodies and how to care for them. They learn language naturally and internalize it because they don’t just hear our words, they experience them through all of their senses. (“Can you help me squeeze the warm water out of this yellow sponge?”) Most importantly, babies learn that their participation is expected and highly valued. From: http://www.janetlansbury.com/2011/08/the-secrets-of-infant-learning/ We engage babies here with hugs, cuddles, singing, laughter, speaking, and plenty of eye contact. These are the ways we show all children how to care.
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