Toddler Room

December Recap

Our theme was Seasons and Holidays. We learned about the Christmas traditions in America, Germany, and Mexico. The letters of the month were L, M, and N and learned the phonics. The children really enjoyed our Montessori work cycle which was inspired by Christmas. The children loved decorating the Christmas tree as part of their work. They also got to work with Christmas puzzles, scooping “snowballs”, and working with ornaments using tongs.

Throughout the month we sang I’m a Little Snowman and Santa Shark to prepare for our Christmas performance! 

For our Enrichment cooking the children made a snowman out of bananas and pretzels. They also made a reindeer out of celery. For Spanish we learned a few Christmas and winter words; elf-duende, Santa- Papa Noel, and frio-cold. For music we practiced our Christmas songs. For art the children worked with dot painting. We also made candy canes and Christmas trees. Our literature book for December was The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. The story is about love and friendship and discussed the importance of both. 

November Recap

In Room 2 November proved to be an exciting month. The theme for the month was Harvest and Healthy Bodies, and the children learned effective ways to keep their bodies healthy. We discussed the importance of having good eating habits, such as consuming fruits and veggies, drinking milk and water, and avoiding junk food. I showed the children pictures of different foods and asked them if they were healthy or only "sometimes okay to eat." After reviewing the pictures daily, some of the children could identify healthy foods on their own.

During circle time, we focused on teaching the children the letters i, j, and k and their respective sounds. We used sandpaper letters so that children could trace them with their fingers. We also talked about Thanksgiving, and the children enjoyed making turkey handprints and coloring their leaves. The children learned how to name their body parts in Spanish for our Enrichment Spanish class. They also learned to say mom, dad, brother, baby, and sister. In cooking, the children made apple pie roll-ups and participated in a "Filling a Bucket" activity, where they scooped fruit and put it in a cup of yogurt. For art, the children painted gratitude rocks. After they painted their rocks, I asked each child what they were grateful for. It was heartwarming to hear most of their responses were about their moms.

November's literature book, Fill a Bucket, by Carol McCloud, teaches about emotions, kindness, and how we can make others happy by filling their buckets.

October Recap

What a spooky and fun time we had in Room 2! Our theme for the month was “Five Senses and Feelings.” The children learned what our hands, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth are used for. We learned new songs during circle time like “I like to eat”, “Head and shoulders”, and the “Silence game”. The letters of the month were E, F, G, and H. We worked on their phonics and worked on the sandpaper letters. For our Montessori work, we worked on using tweezers and clothespins. Our literature book was Going on a Leaf Hunt. The children had a great time during our Enrichment activities. For cooking, we made spiders, apple donuts, and a pumpkin fluff. Cooking was their favorite! For art, we made pumpkin suncatchers and salt painted spider webs. For Spanish, we learned about feelings, our five senses, fall vocabulary, and Dia de los Muertos and Halloween. During October, we also talked about Halloween and discussed the itsy-bitsy spiders, pumpkins, and costumes. They enjoyed making mummies using tape and toilet paper rolls.

September 2023

September was the start of a new school year! We welcomed new friends and were happy to see our returning friends! Our theme for the month was "Welcome to School: All About Me". We discussed our family and shared family pictures on the family tree in the classroom. The children get very happy seeing pictures of their mommies and daddies. During circle time, we also discussed things we do at school and ways to make friends. The month's letters were A, B, C, and D. The children worked on sandpaper letters and learned phonics.

For our Montessori work, we worked on spooning balls, knobless cylinders, and using tongs. The children also enjoyed singing "The Wheels on the Bus" and "I Love You". Our literature book was The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. This book talks about emotions a child goes through at the beginning of a new adventure, like starting school, and how they can cope with those feelings. It is perfect as it fits well with the theme of the month. For enrichment, we learned how to say some colors in Spanish and say hello and goodbye—for cooking, the children made apple pie in a cup and a school bus. For our cooking activities, the toddlers mix ingredients, stirring or spreading. For art, we painted a school bus and painted their little hand for the kissing hand.

Summer 2023

These summer months have been full of amazing learning activities for our Toddler class. We learned about underwater life, the seas, the oceans, and animals from the land that inhabit them. Our water days have been a splashing success!

The kids learned a lot about science, the dimensions and forms the bubbles can take, and the concept of elasticity and expansion--all key concepts for their later learning years. Not only were we painted on--We painted and crafted the things we've learned about from these aspects of our Earth, and we have many more art projects to do together. This past month, we've thoroughly covered all our primary bases, such as shapes and colors.