It's Winter. What a great opportunity for the children to fully experience the world around them during this season. Through our experiences we continue to build our vocabulary and knowledge of the world around us.
Earlier last week, the children were delighted to find a surprise awaiting them at the water table - lots and lots of ice! As the children used their senses to experience the "ice table" they told each other "There's ice in there." "Cold." Later on in the day, the children were wondering, "Where ice go?" Morah: "There's no more ice in there. The ice melted. Can you say "melted"? "Melted. Ice melted."
At circle time Morah asked the children if there was anything we could put on our hands to keep them warm from the cold. The responses: "Gloves.""Mittens."
"Put on my hand."
We then put on our mittens and held the ice, comparing the feeling to that of the mitten-less hand. It was definitely warmer!
Each time we get ready to go outside, we re-talk about what we need to wear to keep each of our body parts warm. What a great way for us to begin to internalize the importance of the need to assess 
and prepare. Then all bundled in their warm winter gear, the young toddlers enjoy playing with the fresh snow and going sledding. 
They are definitely building their muscles as they are determined to make it to the top of the hill for another ride on the sled. Sometimes we ride together with an older child, fostering the community spirit.To hone the children's focus and observation skills we created a match-it game to play together in class. We specifically chose winter-themed items, so that we could further the vocabulary words introduced in our winter unit.
Rather then pre-preparing the game, we involved the children its creation. The children went to their cubbies to find the clothes that we wear outside. We found hats, mittens, jackets, boots... We called each object by its name and owner, and took a photo of it. We then looked at all the pictures on the camera and the children were very excited to see their article of clothing on the screen.
The children then had the opportunity to be part of the learning process as they went upstairs to the computer room, saw "Aidan hat" "Boots" "My mittens" and more on the screen. Morah then asked the class if they would like to have their pictures "on a paper" (in other words, printed out). The class seemed intigued about that and went to pick up their pictures from the printer. When they saw the paper coming out of the machine, their faces were gleeful. They are thrilled about these pictures. Imagine, MY jacket on this paper. MY hat. MY boots. We will now continue to use these personal cards to play our match-it game in which we will hone math skills of counting and one to one correspondence as well as literacy skills of vocabulary. And, since the children were a part of the process, they will certainly feel a connection to the game!
More News from Our Class:* Congratulations to the Dees family on the birth of a baby boy, Aleric. This is a important time for Jade as she moves into her new role as big sister. We wish the family much joy and happiness in raising your growing family.
*We would like to wish a Happy 2nd Birthday to Audrey and Gabriel. The children enjoyed baking birthday cakes and celebrating together. Thank you to both families for your gifts to our class.
Have a great week,
Morah Chaya
