November 2015 Newsletter

Our bird feeding finally paid off this month with some visits from quite a few little birds.  The kids will quietly watch (for a while) and then rush at them to see them fly.  We’ve talked about how the animals in our yard are preparing for the cold winter weather that is coming.  The birds are gathering seeds, the squirrels are getting fat and the bugs under the logs have disappeared and left behind white webs. 

This month the kids have shown a lot of interest in the alphabet.  It started with one of the kids wanting to sing the alphabet song and pointing out different letters in books we were reading.  So I added some alphabet cards and wooden alphabet pieces to their play, highlighting the E, J and S for their names.  We’ve been putting the big alphabet floor puzzle together as well, singing as we go.  It’s great to see them starting to recognize different letters and also the numbers on the hop scotch carpet.

We’ve also been experimenting with telling stories.   They really like the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and will sit and listen very attentively, even though I chose not to use any props. 

Outside, the backyard logs are being used in new ways.  For a long time they were just used as seats or tables.  But they’ve turned them on their sides to balance on them (with help) and they’ve lined up to form a train.  The train has been a big hit.  Each day the play has expanded and changed.  First a face was added.  Then one day all of us took a trip on the train and stopping at different towns (dinosaur town, tractor town, truck town, baby town) and everyday someone new has a ride on their train.

We also constructed a pool noodle train.  We strung together different sizes of pool noodle on a rope that stretches across the back yard.  They use it as a train, but also to count as they move the pieces across the rope.

Here are some of the other things we’ve done this month:

Sensory Stations:

·      Seeds and beans replaced with a rocky construction site.

·      Playdough

·      Finger paint

Creative:

·      Colour mixing

Independence and relationships:

I am observing them play more together.  Especially when we are constructing something like a tower or a castle with blocks or a train track.  It’s a good opportunity to navigate how this can be challenging, like if someone knocks something over or adds something you don’t like. 

We are also working at getting dressed a bit more.   I’ll have them do what they can and then help when they say they need help.

Books/stories we love:

During snack time and lunch we’ve been reading a number of stories.  I have them choose the books they would like to have read.  It’s interesting to see what books they choose and it’s also a great way to keep them in their seats to eat and spend the time together

The Enormous Potato, retold by Aubrey Davis

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

How Are You Peeling?  Foods with Moods, by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers

Songs and rhymes:

 Grey Squirrel

Grey squirrel, grey squirrel,
Swish your bushy tale.
Grey squirrel, grey squirrel,
Swish your bushy tale.
Wrinkle up your little nose,
Put a nut between your toes.
Grey Squirrel, grey squirrel,
Swish your bushy tale.