Two Weeks of Growth, Learning and Fun!

Dear Parents,

We hope this blog finds you well. We had a wonderful two weeks in our Infants and Toddlers class. The children enjoyed all our activities, and we loved seeing their happy faces each day. They are growing, learning, and becoming more confident. We are so proud of their progress and excited for the weeks ahead. Read on for some more details about our past days…

Large Group

Every morning, on our large group begins the day with a joyful “Good Morning” song that sets a positive tone for everyone. After singing together, the children take part in our daily attendance routine by sticking their picture on the happy face board, which helps them recognize themselves and also their friends. Next, we practice our counting skills by counting up to 15 as a group. The children love participating and showing how high they can count! After counting, we turn to our music book and the children get to choose two songs to sing together. This gives them a sense of independence and excitement as they pick their favorites. To finish our morning routine, we enjoy story time with a book, our most recent choice was “That’s Not Mine”. The children listened attentively and loved discussing the story.

Gymnastics

During our gymnastic class this week, we focused on a fun, skill-building activity- transferring balls using plates and a ladle. We held the session outside, giving the children enough space to move freely and enjoy the fresh air.

We began by having the children sit together in one place while we placed all the materials colorful balls, plates, basket and ladles in front of them. We asked the children what they saw and encouraged them to identify the colors of the balls. This helped them practice observation and color recognition skills. Next, we demonstrated how to do the activity step by step.

First, they practiced in pairs so they could take turns and support each other. After they became comfortable, the whole group joined in and did the activity together. Each child chose their favorite color ball, then selected either a plate or a ladle. They carefully placed the ball on the plate or ladle and walked across the space to place the ball into the basket. The children were very focused, balanced, and excited throughout the activity. They were smiling, cheering, and truly enjoying the experience. It was wonderful to see how confident they became!

Literacy and Language

During our language and literacy session, we focused on a fine motor skill activity. First, we prepared the materials, including clothespins and laminated paper. We placed the materials in front of the children and showed them how to clip the clothespins onto the laminated paper. After the demonstration, each child received their own set. The children were very excited to start. They practiced opening and closing the clothespins and carefully attaching them to the paper. This activity supported their fine motor development, hand strength, and problem-solving skills. We also observed wonderful social interactions between the students. Many of them asked their friends, “can I have this?” and they helped each other when needed. The children enjoyed putting on many clothespins and even asked for more. It was a fun and successful and enjoyable activity!

Art

In our art class, we explored a fun and creative activity using bottle stamps with different colors of paint. We began by showing the children how to dip the bottom of the bottle into the paint and then stamp it onto the paper to make beautiful circle prints. After the demonstration, we invited the children to choose their favorite paint colors. They were very excited to pick the colors they liked. Then they started stamping on their papers, experimenting with different patterns and designs. The children enjoyed dipping, stamping, and watching the colorful shapes appear. They were engaged, happy, and proud of their artwork. It was a wonderful art session full of creativity and fun.

During our second week of art class, the children explored a fun and creative stamping activity. We made flower-shaped tissue-roll stamps by cutting the top of each roll into petal shapes. After preparing the red paint, the children dipped their flower stamps into the paint and began stamping on their papers. They were very excited and fully engaged throughout the activity. It was wonderful to see their focus, creativity, and enjoyment as they created beautiful flower prints.

Science

During our science activity, the children explored colors in a fun and hands on way. We set up the materials outside and prepared plastic bags filled with different colors of paint. Once everything was ready on the table, the children began mixing the colors using their fingers and hands. They were very excited as they observed the colors changing. Some of our dear students even shared their discoveries.

 Millie: “Look, I have purple!  I mixed blue, red, and white, and now it’s purple!”

Mathilda: “Look, look!” as she watched her colors blend.

 Charlie: “Now look at this! It looks like a baby shark color!”

The children were fully engaged, curious, and delighted throughout the experiment. It was a wonderful moment of learning and exploration.

Math

During our math session, the children explored counting using a Montessori activity. They were very excited and fully engaged from the beginning. First we  demonstrated how to count the circles and how to place the small sticks on each one. After watching the example, the children began counting how many circles they had and then carefully placed the sticks one by one.

They enjoyed the activity very much and showed great focus. Many of them even helped their friends who needed support. The children were proud of their work and were excited to show it, saying they wanted to take it home.

Our schedule for next week:

Monday – Library

Tuesday – Gymnastics

Wednesday – Literacy

Thursday – Science

Friday – Math

Our specials:

Wednesday- Art

Tuesday- 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!