Baby Week II

Baby Week II facilitated a continuation of our baby exploration through play and discussion.

Additionally we broadened our scope to include music, movement, literature and a "special guest"!  We pretend to be babies during Music and Movement time!  At first we could only lay down, with time we could roll over, soon we were crawling, and before you know it we were taking our first steps!

In addition to reading lots of "Baby Books", Baby Mikka came for several visits during story time.

Thank you to Isla's mommy, Sarah for coming in as our Guest Reader this week!

Divertido con Espanol / Fun with Spanish

Senora Jen reinforced our theme this week as she read a story about Mommy and Baby Animals en Espanol!

Vocabalo de Semana en Espanol / Words of the Week in Spanish

Biberon / Baby Bottle

Crecer / Grow

Bebe / Baby

Semana / Week

Looking Deeper:  Exploration and Learning through Play

Let's take a closer look at Parker's Artist in Residence Program.

This week we once again extended our classroom beyond its four wall as the children 
continued working with Sean and John as part of Parker's "Artist in Residence Program".  
For the Pre-K Students, the program begins with an age-appropriate introduction to the timeless story teller William Shakespeare, then moves to a more detailed focus on the art of storytelling, while providing the children with ample opportunities to engage in music, movement and improvisation, and culminates with our young students participating in a school-wide performance for the Parker Community.  As the photos illustrate so well, the children fully enjoyed their meetings with Sean and John, as they listened to stories, watched as parts of the story were enacted, and then participated in improvising parts of the story!  Our "Artist in Residence" program broadens and deepens the children's exposure to, and participation in the arts, while providing a great opportunity for the children to assume their place in the larger Parker community!   

Have a fun and restful weekend!

Baby Week I

Baby Week I provided lots of time and opportunity for the children to take on the role of caregiver and nurturer of our classroom babies.

Additionally, they explored and assumed these roles as they played with the large play houses that were brought into the classroom for our Baby Weeks.

We incorporated our second and final Community Service Project into our Baby Weeks.  The children are bringing in Baby Diapers and Wipes to share with other Babies who are in need of these items. Our thanks to all of you who have helped your children to contribute to this effort.

Baby Week is the starting point of our Growing Unit, so there was lots of discussion about the many ways in which the children have grown since they were babies.  The children took great pride in sharing their baby picture, clothes and story with their classmates.  This activity provided a concrete illustration of each child's personal growth.

The children had a wonderful time working and playing with Sean and John, as Parker's Artist in Residence Program got underway this week!

Thank you to Luca's Grandma, Karen for coming in as our Guest Reader this week!

Looking Deeper:  Exploration and Learning through Play

Let's take a closer look at the recurring connection between the children's play 

and our class discussions.

During Doctor Weeks, we talked about the three things we need to do to stay healthy.  They are: eat health foods, get plenty of exercise, and get plenty of rest.  This week as we discussed how much we have grown since we were babies, we concluded that these three activities not only kept us healthy, but also facilitated our growth from babies to big girls and boys!  Interestingly, before we even had this conversation the children innately revealed that they possessed this knowledge in the way that they "played" and cared for the dolls.  Within their play they consistently fed, walked and napped the babies daily.  Children routinely demonstrate, broaden and deepen their knowledge within their play.   Frequently our class discussions merely point out to the children what they already know.  Often our discussions merely put the knowledge they have both gained and exhibited during their play into words that they can then share and apply at other times and within other situations.  In a way, the play environment is the research lab and our class discussions provide a forum for reflective and connective thinking as we articulate our findings!  

Have a fun and restful weekend!