Even though we are early into August it has been a busy month....
Our teachers visited GeoKids for our training on Reggio & emergent curriculum and visited their facility. Needless to say, all of us came back charged to make changes in our environment. Our overflowing trash bins and our deliveries to the junk yard say it all! Everyone worked really hard in making the classroom environment the "third teacher" in the program.
Teachers in Blue Room changed their soft squishy rug to a more flat block-friendly rug and it seems like everyone this morning is into block play.
The natural elements table ("nature library") created lot of excitement too..kudos to Teacher Romina! (This table is her brain child.)
Kids spent a lot of time with shells, talking about them... "This is flat, pointy, rough, smooth..." and explored the materials while sorting them.
Another change teachers mentioned that in the past, the light table was more of a building area and today it seemed like kids would bring stuff to the light table to examine them in the light. :) We've seen a lot more curiosity and deep exploration exhibited by children in this newly cleared-off space.
Their topic of building their own country is still going on. In terms of government, they voted on king and queen....stay posted.
Blue Room teachers have requested the shares to be pertinent to their project of country, fort, flag, currency, etc., rather than cars, My Little Pony or Disney theme since it will allow for deeper exploration and will give children a chance to talk about their authentic experiences. For example, a postcard from travels, sand from a campground, pictures from the beach, or a book about another country would be a great share. Thank you parents for all your help in deepening our projects!
Interviews are still going on, probably another week and a half before we set up second-round interviews. Please refer any candidates you know!
Another major discussion we had this week was our afternoon program for full-day kids. Teacher Karen has been the afternoon teacher for some time and has done a Pre-K program with kids who are going to kindergarten the next year. This is expected to continue this fall, so watch for our next newsletter for more details.
I know last week they were doing sunflowers and are continuing with that this week. The afternoon children are also continuing their work on morning projects. Karen will continue with her Pre-K program in a Reggio spirit, although it will be a little bit more skill-based and structured than the rest of the day. From now till January, you will not see much difference between mornings and afternoons, since our kids are still a lot younger.
As the school year goes on, Teacher Karen will very gradually guide the Pre-K children into longer table activities and more kindergarten-like expectations during their brief "Pre-K" time in the afternoons. The goal is not to turn ours into an academic program at all, but to make sure that our children are confidently prepared for their new adventures. This is based on the feedback we have gotten from past families who have made the transition to kindergarten. Our children have always been socially and emotionally prepared, but as kindergarten today is more like first grade was when we were in school, we do also want to make sure they are ready for the academic expectations as well.
Naturally we approach this in a hands-on, developmentally appropriate way, consistent with the rest of our program. The Pre-K time is like a "booster shot" of the skills they will need at the start of kindergarten. Doing it in the afternoon allows us to maintain the flow of our Reggio theme projects in the morning, which is a longer block of time, and help our oldest children to take advantage of the more mellow afternoon time to enhance their kindergarten readiness.
