Chicken Preview

We've been talking with the Frogs about some of our upcoming curriculum plans. The one that seems to have generated the most excitement is incubating and hatching fertile chicken eggs. We've tried to explain that baby chickens like warmer weather, so we'll have to wait for spring to come before we can get started. Of course, It's hard to wait for something that is so cool!

Thank goodness for YouTube! This is what we watched during circle time today;

The kids were astounded! The best part was when the entire group went "Awwwww!!!!" once the baby chick finally made it out.

Our eggs should be ready to incubate in about three weeks. We can't wait!

Worms!!!!!

They're here!!!!
Can you see them now????


How about now???

We are sooooo excited that our worms have arrived. So far, they really like Oranges and Carrots. Blueberries? not so much....
Apparently, worms are picky eaters, just like three-year olds!

February Themes

We are starting to see a number of new themes emerge in the Frog room. So many, in fact, that it's a little tricky keeping up with them all!

Two themes that we have seen in February's past are the kids a.) being hungry all the time, and b.) exploring the whole concept of friendship. They may seem unrelated, but it would be safe to say that these phenomena are both related to growth spurts- physically and emotionally! We are adjusting our curriculum to address these trends. We are incorporating more cooking and baking projects into our week in order to accommodate and excite these hungry children. As for the whole friendship thing, we teachers are enjoying stepping back and watching the children negotiate their relationships with each other. You can read more about the Frogs and their exploration of friendship in this month’s Nonotuck newsletter…

We have also noticed an increased interest in words and letters, especially the letters in the children’s names. We have been playing a lot of circle time games that focus on the first letters and sounds in the Frog’s names. We have also added a number of books, puzzles, and pictures that feature our alphabet.
Speaking of language and literacy, the Frogs have been learning a number of simple signs. During circle time, we have adapted the “Ratlin’ Bog” song to use a number of signs for different animals. Today when we sang/signed the song, we didn’t speak the words for the signs we were using. The Frogs successfully filled in every single one!
In other Frog news, the snow has made several attempts to melt a bit, and the temperatures seem to be making an effort to stay above freezing. This means more enjoyable outdoor time for the Frogs. We took our first walk of the year the other day, thanks to the newly clear sidewalks. The Frogs noticed a number of early signs of spring, including birdsong, puddles, mud patches, and even a few buds on the trees! Our compost worms should be arriving in the next week or so, meaning the kids will have a chance to share their lunchbox leftovers with the neighbors in our indoor worm box!