GTMS Life > Blog January 28, 2021

Toddler ADM: January 2021

Happy New Year! While this is the first blog of 2021 it feels strange to say Happy New Year, as that feels ages ago, much more than just a month. We have been incredibly busy in the classroom, welcoming a new adult and child into our environment, exploring with new materials, and having fun conversations […]

Happy New Year!

While this is the first blog of 2021 it feels strange to say Happy New Year, as that feels ages ago, much more than just a month. We have been incredibly busy in the classroom, welcoming a new adult and child into our environment, exploring with new materials, and having fun conversations at circle with your children. We introduced our medical bag and the children immediately knew how to use the various tools in the bag, and then began desperately checking the baby to ensure her health was ok— we are happy to say baby Rosie makes it through each day unscathed thanks to all of our young doctors in training.

 

The interest in art in our classroom has been growing, and the children are always wanting to create or design their ideas. Recently, we acquired paper silhouettes of people. The children chose their background paper, as well as the person they wanted to decorate. We hung the finished pieces on our cabinets and the children began talking about “their person.” Soon it became the biggest interest and some would exclaim, “I want to make my person!” 

 

New ADM Additions

We would like to officially welcome Ms. Jackie as our new morning assistant teacher and our new friend Aella who joined us earlier this month. Here is our new friend Aella: 

 

 

MLK Discussions

During the week we often send out good thoughts: to someone we know, to doctors, to children without shoes, to people who suffer natural disasters, and many others. We will close our eyes and tell them to be happy and be healthy. In December we began to weave in Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream for peace and kindness. We said he had good thoughts and he called those good thoughts dreams. We sang our MLK songs and continued discussing what kindness looks like. This past month, for his birthday, we listened to a minute of his “I Have A Dream” speech during Circle Time, and the children were enamored! In a deep voice, they repeated, “I HAVE A DREAM!!”

 

Here are two of our Martin Luther King Jr. songs: 

 

Martin Luther King (to the tune of B-I-N-G-O)

There was a man who had a dream

His name was Martin Luther King

Mar-tin Lu-ther King

Mar-tin Lu-ther King

Mar-tin Lu-ther King

His name was Mar-tin Lu-ther King

 

Freedom, Freedom, Let It Ring (to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)

Freedom, freedom, let it ring

Let it ring said Dr. King

Let us live in harmony

Peace and love for you and me

Freedom, freedom, let it ring

Let it ring said Dr. King

 

Care of the Environment 

Outside of the work on the shelves, the children assist in maintaining the environment. Whether this includes pushing in chairs, washing dishes, sweeping up dirt, and scrubbing the furniture, the children are happy to help keep the classroom safe, clean, and beautiful. This type of environmental care requires a lot of energy and movement, and is a great way for children to release energy in a positive and productive way! They take pride in their work and their environment. 

 

 

Responding to Toddler Behaviors 

Toddlers have a big desire to be independent and to feel significant. When something arises to make toddlers feel otherwise, their reactions are ruled by emotions that can often become heightened, like when they are tired, hungry, or not feeling well. Perhaps a child knows what they want to say but are not capable of expressing those ideas the way they want; their fatigue overrides their ability to complete a task, or their sock is tight and will not go over their heel easily… we imagine your child will feel less than, incapable, helpless, and/or disappointed. As adults, we may get those feelings in other ways: with work, with a household task, in our communication with someone else, etc.; however, we have the tools to help us through the little storms in our lives. For our toddlers, we must be the ones to help them to navigate their storms. We can model for them and guide them along their journey so that they can help themselves.  

 

 

 

Zero to Three (zerotothree.org) is a wonderful resource for adults, and you do not need to be a member to have access to some of the articles or videos. Here is a video, plus two short articles that give positive and effective ways to respond to Toddler behaviors. 

Video: Tantrums, Defiance, Aggression—Oh My! 

I Said I Want the Red Bowl! Responding to Toddlers’ Irrational Behavior

5 Tips for Responding to Toddler Sass

 

Highly recommended books: 

The Yes Brain: How to Cultivate Courage, Curiosity, and Resilience in Your Child

The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind

 

Valentine’s Day Tradition

It has been a tradition in the Toddler Program to donate a book to your child’s classroom. Please know that we do not expect a donation, but we just wanted to share how we celebrate Valentine’s Day. Each teacher makes a list of desired books, and adults may choose to purchase a book from the list. If you wish to participate, we included a link to our list, and please know that you can donate a book that is not included on that list. If you donate a book, please write an inscription on the title page with your child’s name and the year– when reading books at the circle, we always read the inscription.

Click here to view our list: Valentine’s List.

 

Important Dates & Reminders:

  • Thursday, February 11, 2021: Coffee with Michelle Nowacky and Dominique Wells at 9:30-10:00 am via Zoom

    • This is a time to meet with us to discuss what has been occurring in the classroom. During this time, we like to present you with one or two pieces of work that the children enjoy, talk about how the children are mentors to each other, and discuss other classroom specific things! We plan on speaking for about 15 minutes and will leave 15 minutes for questions. 
    • If you have any topics, specific situations, or questions you would like to discuss during the coffee, please email us.
      • Zoom link to come soon
  • Monday, February 15, 2021: All GTMS Closed
  • Conference Signup: Click Here
    • This is a time for us to meet and discuss the wonder that is your child. During this time, we will discuss where your child is, what we are working on with your child, and things you can do at home to continue their growth. We will have 25 minutes together and give a warning as the end is nearing to allow time for questions. We will have a report that will be sent to you the night before our meeting that you can review, and we will ask you to sign a copy for our records. 

We hope you are enjoying this snow day and staying safe and warm! If you are adventuring outside, please send photos! We would love to see the fun you are having!!

 

Best, 

Michelle and Dominique

 

Enjoy the slideshow below! 

 

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