Catching Up...

Happy New Year!

Phew! The Frogs came back from winter break and hit the ground running! It's been hard find a moment to reflect on what we are seeing...

Winter is really here. The dusting of snow we were so excited about last time is now a good thick blanket all over the playground. Winter usually means that the kids get less exposure to a variety of sensory experiences when they are outdoors (snow pants + mittens + hoods + hats + scarves = warm kids, plus tactile, visual and auditory interference!) We are trying to step up our game in the sensory table to make up for what the kids are missing outside;


We have moved our now empty worm compost box indoors. We are hoping to re-stock it with worms soon so the Frogs can observe the whole process of vermicomposting, as well as enjoy some up close time with soil and crawly things- despite the snow outside!

We are also trying to add a little variety to the Frog day by exploring different environments inside our school building. In addition to our wonderful, wonderful community room, we have been spending time in the Possum classroom (when the Possums aren't using it), and the Art studio.

One of the projects that really caught the children's attention in the art studio was stringing penne pasta tubes to make necklaces and bracelets. Ever since then, we have been putting out more stringing activities to let the Frogs really practice their creativity and their fine motor skills.

We have started work on a new seasonal mural, using lots of whites, greys, light purples and light blues. We will continue to look out the window for inspiration as to what to add next.

the Frogs are still very interested in story telling and books. Abiyoyo is still a favorite, but we are noticing that there are a few more favorite books being added to the "read that again!" rotation. So far, The Mitten, and Annie and the Wild Animals- both by Jan Brett- are very popular. We are also beginning to hear some storytelling from the Frogs. We were treated to a lot of fantastic (literally!) "What I Did During My Winter Vacation" stories!

With so many different things going on, we are watching and waiting to see if any overarching curriculum themes emerge. For now, everyone is happy, intellectually engaged and having a good time, which is exactly what we're going for!

P.S. We finally figured out what to add to the fall mural....

(this image was created using this tutorial on turning photos into coloring book pages using photoshop. We've added the link to the sidebar as well...)

The Frogs spent a morning customizing their very own raccoons-with-spoons, then pasting them onto the mural. Some are flying, some are climbing the tree, all are holding out their spoons and begging for more stinky muffin batter!
Cute, or creepy? you decide;