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  "special guests"!  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.

We also had visits from real babies, ranging in age from one to twelve months! Many thanks to Melanie's new baby sister, Zoe, and Brynn's baby brother Max!

Our thanks once again for your donations of diapers and wipes to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry! St. Vincent's is a division of the Capital Districts Regional Food Bank!

Divertido con Espanol / Fun with Spanish
Senora Jen continued to explore our Baby Theme en Espanol as she read "Cuaquito" por Lauren Thompson and ilustrado por Derek Anderson.

Sarah's Reflections:

As we return from Spring Break, we are very much aware of the on-going change and growth within our classroom.  Much like the daffodils that are sprouting at Parker, so too are the children.  One of the biggest "sprouts" I have observed in the past two weeks is the blooming and deepening of friendships among all of the students.  It is so gratifying to see our goal of bringing the children from Parallel Play to fuller Interactive and Cooperative Play materializing before our very eyes.  The children now spend the majority of their time playing together, and in so doing have expanded upon both their language and social skills.  They readily converse with one another, and are routinely taking turns, sharing, compromising and problem solving.  They have built upon their sense of empathy and are beginning to understand more fully one another's feelings and emotions within their play and classroom situations.  They now know that school is even more fun when they reconnect each day to play with their friends!

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.  We will continue to collect diapers and baby wipes through the end of next week!

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.  

Divertido con Espanol / Fun with Spanish

Senora Jen explored our play houses with the children and helped them name the furnishings en Espanol!

She also read to them about Baby Animals in a book entitled "El Canguro Tiene Mama" by Eric Carl.

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 rest, and get plenty of exercise.  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 actually 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!