Lively Learning Adventures In The Infants and Toddlers Class!

Dear Parents,

Happy Ethiopian New Year!

We hope you had a joyful start to the year. Over the past two weeks, we’ve had a wonderful time with the children. They were very excited and fully engaged in all our activities, and it has been a pleasure to see their enthusiasm and creativity shine through.

Free Choice Time

During free choice time, the children had the opportunity to explore and play in their favorite corners with the materials they enjoy most. They were very engaged and happy while making their own choices. When it was time to clean up, we gave them a countdown (five minutes, then three, two, and one minute) to help them prepare. At the signal, we sang the “Clean Up” song together, and everyone joined in. The children practiced putting materials back in their correct places, and we guided them to make sure everything was cleaned up properly. This routine helps the children learn responsibility, teamwork, and how to take care of their classroom environment.

Large Group Time

We began our large group by singing the “Good Morning” song. The children waved their hands and greeted each friend and teacher by name, which created a warm and cheerful start to the day. Next, the children were given the chance to choose their favorite songs. They excitedly selected “Baby Shark” and “Baa Baa Black Sheep”. While singing, they listened carefully to the music, followed the directions, and joined in with lots of enthusiasm. After singing, we moved on to attendance. Each child placed their own picture on the board, helping them take responsibility and recognize themselves as part of the group. Together, we counted how many friends were present and how many were absent.

Library Session

During our library session, the children had the chance to choose their favorite books. After making their selections, they found a comfortable place to sit and enjoyed reading quietly by themselves. Some children also shared books with their friends, showing kindness and cooperation- when a friend asked for a turn, they happily passed the book along. Each child also chose a book to take home, giving them the opportunity to continue exploring stories with their families. The library session was truly amazing, filled with excitement, sharing, and a love for books!

Gymnastics

Gymnastics has been an energetic delight for our class recently! We have been focusing on stretching activities using a big ball. Before beginning, we demonstrated to the children how to stretch on the ball, and then supported them as they tried it themselves. Each child had a turn one at a time, while their friends patiently waited and counted along for them. The children were very excited, engaged, and encouraged one another throughout the activity. It was a wonderful session that helped the children practice patience, teamwork, and body movement while having lots of fun!

Art

In art, our students worked on making a collage. First, we explained the steps and showed them the materials they would be using. Each child received a piece of white paper, glue, and colorful paper to cut into small pieces. The children carefully spread glue on their white paper and then added the small paper pieces to create their own unique collages. They were very focused, creative, and proud of their work. It was a fun and hands on activity that encouraged creativity, fine motor skills, and self expression.

During art class this week, we celebrated the upcoming Ethiopian New Year by making Adey Abeba (New Year flowers). First, the children carefully put glue on the white paper. Then, they gently stuck the Adey Abeba flowers onto the paper. The children were very engaged and excited throughout the activity. They enjoyed creating their own artwork and were proud to see the beautiful yellow flowers shining on their papers.

Science

For our science activity, we explored different textures outdoors. The children were provided with materials such as grass and rocks. First, they explored the textures using their hands, feeling and comparing the differences. Afterwards, the children sat together and had the chance to experience the textures with their feet by walking on them. They were very curious, excited, and fully engaged in discovering how each material felt. This activity encouraged sensory exploration, observation, and descriptive language as the children shared their experiences.

Math

Over the past two weeks in math, we have been working on a color matching activity using colorful balls and baskets. First, we explained and demonstrated to the children how to match each ball with the basket of the same color. We also talked about the names of the colors to support their understanding. The children took turns matching one ball at a time. They were very supportive of one another helping their friends and showing them where to place the balls. This activity was a wonderful way to practice early math skills, color recognition, turn-taking, and cooperation.

Our schedule for next week:

Monday – Library

Tuesday – Gymnastics

Wednesday – Literacy

Thursday – Science

Friday – Math

Our specials:

Wednesday- Art

Thursday- Music and movement

Friday- Ethiopian Center

Reminders:

• Every Wednesday is art day, so please send your child with art appropriate clothing.

• Every Monday is library day,  so we will be sending a book that your child picked from our library, which will be returned after a week on library day.

Have a nice weekend!