This week we ventured into the land of nursery rhymes. We love how they are short, easy to remember and sometimes a little silly. Because they are so short they were a great way for us to talk about sequencing with the children. Sequencing is the skill that we use when we break down an event into simple steps and put those steps in order. We need sequencing skills to talk about something that happened in the past in a logical manner so others can follow the story. We also need sequencing skills to understand how to perform certain tasks that require the steps be done in a specific order such as putting on our snow gear later in the year! We decided to make nursery rhyme books as a way to remember some of our favorites! We used scissors to "break" Humpty Dumpty , we created a spider with our fingerprints, we painted our hands for our piggies, and dot markers helped us decorate our tea pots! Our Humpty Dumpty project had the children cut with us for the first time. Cutting with scissors is a great way to promote fine motor development by exercising the muscles in the hands and honing hand-eye coordination. At around 3 1/2, most children can cut straight lines, staying within a half inch of a guideline, and may even be able to cut out a circle. It is also a great way to keep your child busy while you are getting dinner ready! We would love if you would offer some cutting practice at home! Here are some practice hints for you: Start with a pair of blunt, child size scissors. In the beginning, just let them cut. As long as they are holding the scissors correctly (thumb on top), it is a great experience just to get the open-shut movement down. Some children may find it easier to cut through thicker material at first (cardboard or manila folders) and then move onto construction paper and regular paper. Alternately, you can just let them go at your recycle bin papers! :>) Once they gain control, you can draw thick, straight lines and simple shapes on a piece of paper for your child to follow. We practice cutting in many different ways here at school, but working on it at home too can help the children build confidence in a comfortable environment! In the pictures below you can see some of the children cutting play dough. Next week we will be starting our fall unit. We will talk about different aspects of the fall season over the next month or so. We will be starting with the quintessential fall fruit...apples! Please send each child to school with their favorite apple on their first day they come to school next week.We will be exploring apples in all sorts of different ways! Gentle Reminders:
If you plan to take your child to the "big" playground in the afternoon after pickup, please do us a favor and DON'T park in one of the Little Scouts Only parking spots, let's try to leave those for parents who plan to collect their child and leave immediately. We know that parking in the lot can be tricky this time of year, but we appreciate your help! Thank you!
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AuthorMrs. Cunnie, Ms. Monzingo and Ms. Ally are three teachers who think that learning provides us with a rainbow of possibilities! Come enter our wonderful world of exploration, learning and discovery! Archives
June 2021
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