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Hello Parents!

Welcome to our January blog! We have been having lots of fun in the snow on the play deck. Thank you so much for sending your child in with boots, snow pants and mittens. This has allowed your child to play in the snow. Waterproof mittens are best and we ask that the children do not touch the snow unless they have them. (Little hands become cold quickly when wet.)

We have added new work to the classroom. There is a color mixing work where the children identify the primary colors and use them to mix and create the secondary colors (orange, purple, and green). Also new is our flag tracing work. We are learning the names of different countries of North American and South America and tracing and coloring their flags. There is also a baking soda and vinegar work where the children get to see a big fizz when they add the two together.

A few of our second year friends have begun work with the Moveable Alphabet, building 3 letter phonetic words (CVC words – consonant, vowel, consonant i.e. cat, bus). Your children begin work with the Moveable Alphabet once they can recognize and identify about half of the sounds of the alphabet (13 letter sounds) and show interest in this language work.

The children are being encouraged to practice our dressing frames. We have a Button Frame, Snap Frame, Zipper Frame, Buckle Frame, Lacing Frame, and Bow Frame. Practice with the dressing frames at this time of year is helpful since the children are wearing many more clothes now that it is winter. Your children develop a wonderful feeling of accomplishment when they gain the ability to dress themselves (sweaters and jackets can be challenging). When practicing the Lacing and Bow Frames, the children become familiar with knot tying. There are a couple of children in our classroom who are able to now tie a knot. These children are asked to help other children when their bead necklaces or yarn work needs a knot.

Today we learned about the Lunar New Year and how it is the year of the tiger. We talked about the celebrations that are had, foods eaten, gifts given, colors used to decorate, and the importance of being with family and friends. We also talked about Chinatown, located here in Philadelphia and we mentioned the possibility of asking our families if we could visit Chinatown sometime during the next two weeks (Chinese New Year is celebrated for two weeks).

The Kindergarten friends began creating their “K Auction Project”. The rest of the class will begin their “Whole Class Project” soon. Ms. Diana, our Art Coordinator, is collaborating with the teachers and assigning them a painting to create which is inspired by a well known artist. We are excited for you to see our creations in May at the annual Greene Towne auction.

Please tune in for our Parent/Teacher coffee this Friday, February 4th, on zoom, at 9:00. You received a Greene Towne email on January 28th with an invitation to RSVP. Please RSVP if you are planning to attend. Hope you can make it!

Thank you for all you do to support our classroom and thank you for trusting us to care for your children. We love being with each of them, everyday, and we enjoy creating a safe and peaceful learning environment for them to learn and grow.

Thank you,

Jen and Sara