April Notes

Field Trip: On Thursday, April 30, we will enjoy a field trip to Gilchrist Art Camp to create some masterpieces. The children will have about two hours in the art studio, with Gilchrist camp counselors, Little Lambs staff and Mrs. Carver to assist them. We will need several parents to transport students for this field trip, but, unlike other outings, most parents will not be staying to chaperone while we are there. The studio is very close to Washington Square, Starbucks, etc., so parent drivers will have the chance to enjoy some time on their own before returning to the studio to pick up children for the drive back to school. Thank you for understanding the need to limit the number of adults in the studio. Please be sure your child is dressed in clothes that can get messy. Art is not clean and tidy! Here is the link for their website, if you are interested in more information for your child:
http://gilchristartcamp.com/


Screen-Free Week:  May 4th–10th. Little Lambs will be joining in with “Screen-Free Week” by helping the children to think of activities they can do instead of watching TV or playing video games. Although we recognize that an entire screen-free week may be difficult and unrealistic, we encourage you to choose at least 2 days that can be screen-free for your children. The research on this topic just keeps rolling in, and we want to do whatever possible to help your children recognize appropriate limits on screen time. More information will come home after we finish the Spring Program.

If you are looking for some good outings for your family, consider a hike at Hoyt Arboretum, Cooper Mountain Nature Park or Jackson Bottom Wetlands. These local places offer easy hikes for families, with some great opportunities for viewing wildlife.  So go ahead, get out and get moving!

 
Classroom Notes: The children have been busy, eager learners the past few weeks. They are so comfortable and self-sufficient now, they are able to be highly self-guided during our Montessori times. Visitors are amazed when they walk in and see 17 young children actively, yet peacefully, engaged in the learning process. You should be very proud of your children…we certainly are! Here are some highlights of what we are finishing and what we will be studying as we enter the final weeks of the school year:

Literacy: We have been enjoying many fun poems, mostly from Shel Silverstein, as we continue to look at poetry and rhyming words. This also blends well with some of our music lessons on rhythm. The children have been listening to the rhythm of the poetry as we learn that poems are sort of like “spoken songs.” We have enjoyed more fairy tale time with a few different versions of Sleeping Beauty, including a story called Snoring Beauty. We will finish the year looking at Little Red Riding Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk. In addition to our formal literacy lessons, we are hearing SO MUCH ENGLISH in the classroom! Most of our Little Lambs who started the year without any English language are totally communicating with teachers and peers. It’s so exciting!

Math: We are spending time now on the idea of ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, etc.) and sequencing. The concept of sequencing is important in all academic areas, but it is one that can be tricky for some children. We use number lines, puzzles, the calendar and stories to help develop this concept. All of the children continue to be exposed to the idea of place value in our daily work; most of the older children are also now receiving direct instruction in this concept through both our Sequin Boards and our teacher-made equipment. These items give the students a wonderful, concrete understanding of place value with tens and ones. The Kindergarten students have all been introduced to the idea of exchanging in addition…just an introduction, but it helps plant the seed for later math mastery.

Science: The class is enjoying its study of our magnificent solar system as the Kindergarten students prepare to make their own representations. Although the size and magnitude of the solar system is beyond the grasp of children this age (and many of us adults, too!), it is a fun study for instilling a sense of wonder. Equally exciting, is our study of seeds and plants. This is much more concrete for children this age as they watch seeds send up shoots and leaves in our classroom greenhouses. This also happens to coincide perfectly with our upcoming look at Jack and the Beanstalk. Our Kindergarten group is concluding its study of simple machines. We have had great fun with pulleys, wheels, levers, etc. We will wrap up with a fun "Simple Machines Day" on (tentatively) April 24th. The children will have a chance to use some tools that are actually simple machines, we will have some "machine snacks," and they are invited to bring bikes or scooters that day to enjoy some time on wheels. This day will include a special field trip to Mrs. Sallak's house to look at a pulley in action. More information will come home next week. 

Social Studies: We are preparing to wrap up our study of the continents over the next few weeks as we conclude our time with Australia and then move on to Africa. It has been fun to look at animals, clothing, foods, money and other items from so many places around the globe.

 
Parenting Thought

This month’s “tip” is simple but heartfelt: take some time simply to get outside and play with your children.  Splash in mud puddles, hunt for worms, listen to birds singing, watch a budding tree’s progress each day, kick a soccer ball, play catch, time yourselves running around the block, draw with sidewalk chalk, go for a hike.  The list of possibilities is pretty much endless, and most outside activities don’t require a great deal of time or money to enjoy.  Many parents today have fallen into the trap of thinking their children need sophisticated toys and games to be entertained, but it’s just not true.  We have watched children spend 40 minutes simply looking for flowers.  We have watched children race endlessly around the tennis courts in a game that only they understand, giggling and gleeful with their friends.  I have watched my own children throwing rocks in a pond for an hour with their cousins.  It doesn’t have to be complicated to be worthwhile and important.  So enjoy our longer days by getting outside to play.  It’s worth the time!