The Month of March

This has been a busy month in the Toddler Room!

Here is a peek at our special time together:

We received a new friend this month! Max joined our class and we have enjoyed getting to know her. On her first day, many toddlers welcomed her into our class by offering her toys and finding her water bottle for her.

The Yarn Is For Everybody group has been investigating

"what is TALL?"

We measured our bodies with yarn.

Snipped yarn really small.

Stretched yarn long.

And recently began tracing our bodies to further investigate how tall we all are.

Henry and Luba have enjoyed viewing their reflection in the mirrors, making funny faces, and giggling A LOT!

Aiden and Gideon figured out how to make a boat. They sat close together and described sea creatures that they might find in the ocean to each other!

The sensory table filled with puff balls inspired lots of science experiment about gravity, and lots of imaginative play! The children also enjoyed getting into the sensory table to bathe in the puff ball bath.



Michelle noticed that the afternoon group was super interested in water play, so she led the group to experiment with water and ice!

We filled containers with water, added paint, glitter and cars, and then popped them into the freezer. The group enjoyed discussing temperature, mixing, and sink or float as they worked.

Once the mixtures were frozen, the group experimented with different method to break out the cars! They hammered on them with mallets, melted them with their hands and tossed them on the ground.

More puff ball fun!

Aiden, Sam, Henry and Gideon have been visiting a magical spot in the neighborhood each week, that they call The Meadow!

Melody and mentor teacher Sandra have walked the group to The Meadow each week, and we have enjoyed hearing about their adventures!

Michelle and I have been visiting the duck pond with the rest of the class while the meadow group is out.

A friendly neighbor offered us some bread so that we could feed the ducks.

Each trip that we took to the duck pond, we met up with the Meadow group on their hike back to school!

Reading with a friend is always fun!

Aiden taught his friends to make an octopus out of pipe cleaners!

Building and smashing with magnatiles happens everyday. Have you noticed how much the toddlers communication and problem solving skills have progressed since the beginning of the year because of this work with magnatiles?

Flubber was hung from the ceiling to drip into the sensory table!

This was a busy spot!

Aiden introduced a new game...CASTLES! He helped to make a fort under the tables with blankets, called it a castle, and invited friends to come inside through the tunnel.

Inside the castle, friends laid on pillows, held flashlights and snuggled!

This has been a busy month, and it is not even over!

Thanks for sharing your children with us, we have so much fun together and learn so much from each other.

With lots of love,

Jill and the Toddler Team

"Through literacy you can begin to see the universe."

 

The foundation for literacy skills is laid years before children enter kindergarten. Emergent literacy, much like any other cognitive skill, begins at birth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the early years, children develop competency in language and literacy not through a set curriculum, but through interactions and experiences with the adults around them.

 

 

 

Be a model for your child. Children learn that reading and writing are important when they see adults using these skills!

 

 

Naptime Readers!!

By observing the teachers in the classroom taking notes, Bel has discovered that we are doing something important. She is imitating what she sees. This is where the foundation to learning how to write happens!

 Our cozy space behind the climber is a perfect quiet reading spot.




Often the children will take a book and snuggle behind the climber to take a break from the busy classroom.
















Even though the toddlers are not reading yet, they are making meaning out of the pictures, and they have an understanding that books are magical, special, and important.


 



Using activities like cooking is a great way to incorporate literacy!
Melody and the class read through a cookbook to find a
delicious pancake recipe.
The children begin to understand that there is important information in books,
 and look to Melody to explain pancake recipe.

 Malia and LeRoi are missing mommy and daddy, so we helped them write a letter to them. This is another great way for children to understand that letters have meaning. You can write out their words for them, talking about the letters and words as you go.

 

Check out our literacy wall in the hallway outside of our classroom!

 

 

Love,

Michelle and the Trillium Toddlers

 

Special baking project last Thursday!

On Thursday, February 28th, Scarlet and her mom Caren came to school with a big bag of goodies!  They had a plan to help us bake up a delicious berry tart! 

To begin, we sat together on the gather carpet and talked about our plan.  We talked about baking a treat, and what we would have to do in order to make it happen.  We made a list of steps to take, then we all went to wash our hands. 

The children were very excited to begin!  Everyone crowded around the table to get some hands-on time with the measuring cups and spoons.  Also the spatulas, bowls and various ingredients.  We are familiar with our cooking tools here at school, but these were new ones from Scarlet's house!  Once everyone had checked out the equipment, we were ready to go!  Here are the pictures of the Toddlers enjoying another baking project!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were many steps in this recipe.  We mixed cream cheese and sour cream together.  We then added a few spoons of sugar.  Next, we juiced a lemon and added that to the mix and stirred it up.  We were now ready for the dough.  Rolling out the pastry seemed to be very sastifying work for many of the children!

We spread the filling on the pastry and then

kids mixed blueberries and raspberries together and put them on top.  Caren and Scarlet took the tarts up to Maya and she baked them for us.  Thanks Maya!

 

After our rest time, we had a little picnic on the carpet and ate the tart.  Wow!  It was delicious!

 

Thanks again to Caren for organizing such a fun project!  The Toddlers love to cook (as you know!) and spend a lot of time creating imaginary dishes of soups, pancakes, ice cream, noodles and more to share with their friends.  Do they cook for you at home?

 

Experiencing projects like this, the children gain so much knowledge!  They get hands-on practice to hone small motor skills, ability to follow directions and take turns.  They also gain a sense of co-operation and satisfaction of working together. 

 

Once again, if you have a special family recipe that you'd like to come in and share with us, we would love it!  Let us know if you'd like to join us!

 

OK!

Melody

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love Is In The Air!

 

Last week on February 14th, many Toddlers shared Valentines. We talked a bit about how some people celebrate this day to show each other love. The Toddlers were especially inspired by the heart shaped Valentines that Luba brought, so we pulled out some supplies and made more! Since then, we have noticed that the Toddlers have become super snugly and in love with each other!

 

Le Roi asked for me to write his name. I asked, "Can you do it?"

He quickly got to work making careful marks on the paper.

"I see an L, E, and O!" I told him.

"Yeah!" Le Roi exclaimed.

 

 

 

Jack and Scarlet shared a tight hug in the Art Studio. Soon Le Roi and Malia joined them!

These 4 kids have become so close since we began meeting together every Wednesday in the Art Studio to work with yarn.

 

 

Le Roi and Gideon snuggled close on the carpet. They did some careful negotiating over the pillows, and both agreed not to have their pillows touching, just close together.

 

The picture above is a snugly Gather Time! We didn't plan for it to be this way, but the Toddlers all began bringing pillows to the carpet to lay on. Melody followed their lead, and lead some sleepy-time, slow songs. We even turned the fast paced song, Old Lady Leary (which usually ends with everyone screaming "FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!") into a slow and gently lullaby.

 

Malia and Luba fell asleep for nap snuggled together on the carpet.

 

One afternoon, Aiden and Malia asked to make a "pillow pile" by the climber. We sometimes make pillow piles by the climber to jump onto, but on this day, Malia and Aiden just wanted to lay down and relax.

 

 

Henry gracefully rolled down the climber while clutching a pillow to join Aiden and Malia!

 

Sam and Aiden played "Peek-A-Boo! Surprise!" under the blankets.

 

 

Malia, Luba and Henry designed this pillow-pile with blankets and pillows.

 

 

 

We have thoroughly enjoyed this week filled with love and snuggles! During these quiet times, we hear such kind words exchanged between friends.

"I love you." Quinn.

"We are ALL together!" Malia.

"Do you need a blanket?" Scarlet.

"When I wake mommy up she tells me, "Hi sweetie!" Aiden.

"Surprise!" Sam.

"Lay down with me." Le Roi.

"Gentle touch." Gideon.

"Hello!" Henry.

 

With LOTS of LOVE,

Jill, Melody & Michelle

 

 

 

 

 

Get Back Jo!

When Jana first began sharing music in our classroom, Gideon fell in love with the banjo-uke. He anticipated music day with exciting thoughts of Jana sharing her banjo-uke with the class. Gideon and his dad got their very own to play and practice at home. Gideon has continued to share his love for music in the classroom, encouraging his friends and teachers to join in!

 Gideon uses dinosaurs, pillows, blocks, and anything else that strikes his fancy, to play music in the classroom. On this specific occasion, Gideon brought over a long wooden blog and began to sing, “Get Back” by the Beatles. Gideon then went to the block shelf and brought back a “banjo” for each of his friends. We all played our banjo’s and sang “Get Back,” “Baa Baa Black sheep,” and “Frere Jacques.”

 

“This is my banjo.” –Gideon

“This is the rock show.” –Scarlet

“I want to play too.” –LeRoi

“Like Jana! This is my big banjo!” -Gideon

 

Music has become a central component to our classroom.

 

 

 

Here are some of the lyrics to our favorite classroom song, so you can sing along at home!

"A sailor went to sea sea sea, to see what she could see see see, but all that she could see see see, was the bottom of the deep blue sea sea sea."

 

 

 

"Buffalo kids wont you come out tonight, come out tonight, come out tonight. Buffalo kids wont you come out tonight, and dance by the light of the moon. Buffalo kids got a hole in their stocking, hole in their stocking, hole in their stocking. Buffalo kids got a hole in their stocking, but they'll dance by the light of the moon." *We often change the pronouns in this song from kids to gals, guys, friends, boys, girls, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"We're going to the market, we're going to the fair. We're gonna wear some ribbon, and flowers in our hair. Shake it baby, shake it. Shake it if you can. Shake it like a milk-shake, and do the best you can. We rumba to the bottom, rumba to the top. And spin and spin and spin and spin, until you make it...stop!"

 

 

"Late last night, when we were all in bed. Old Lady Leary left her lantern in the shed, and when the cow kicked it over, we raised our arms and said, "It's gonna be a hot time, in the old town, tonight. Fire! Fire! Fire!"

These are just a few!! We would love if you shared some of your special family songs with us!

Love,

Michelle and the Trillium Toddlers