Friday Fun!

Today was all about being outside! We ate our morning snack in the school Sukkah, played on the playground, and got to play on the bike track. While inside, we did Shabbat and got to enjoy lots of free play. We are looking forward to starting our study of fall next week after the holiday!

Snack in the Sukkah was so fun! Our little ones were a bit confused at first, but quickly got used to the idea of having our "picnic."

The latest round of fun of playground pictures! Katon loves to explore outdoors, and we are starting to hear more requests for help when the children want to play on a certain piece of equipment. Those communication skills are really growing!

While friends played on the bike track, we gave each child a turn to play and explore with the lulav and etrog. 

Indiana Early Learning Foundations:

ELA2.1:Demonstrate continual growth in increasingly varied and complex vocabulary

SE1.2: Communicate feelings and emotions

APL1.2: Begin to show curiosity and interest in new objects, experiences, and people

SC1.1: Notice and react to cause and effect within the physical environment

SS1.1: Participate in celebrations and other cultural events if observed

SS2.1: Adapt to changes in routine and/or schedule

SS3.3: Show interest in various aspects of the environment

SS5.1: Make choices known

CA1.1: Sing along to familiar songs

This week's Friday Fun Link!

The children have really started responding to music in the classroom! We have seen quite a bit of spontaneous dancing. We thought it might be fun to share a link to one of their favorite songs. Do not be concerned if they hear the song and react differently at home. Sometimes, out of the context of the classroom, they might be less inclined to react to a certain song or activity.

 "I Like to Move It"

 

Sukkot, Flags, and Torahs!

 What a whirlwind these short weeks have been! Our Katon class finished their study of Sukkot and have begun a short study of Simchat Torah this week. 

Building was the name of the game on Monday as we explored the MegaBlocks.

We continued working on our fine motor skills by trying to peel and stick stickers. One friend even decided to make a fun game where he stuck stickers on his nose!

Our littles are getting more and more confident in the gym and we are starting to see more and more parallel play everyday.

We used glue and construction paper to make flags today for Simchat Torah! The children were given an example of the flag but were permitted to make their flags their own. They loved using the brushes to "paint" the glue onto the items.

We also started a group painting. This will dry tonight and tomorrow we will use it to make a scroll like the Torah.

The outdoor classroom was very, very wet. So we opted to work on our gross motor skills playing on the bikes in the hallway. Many of our friends have the concept of putting their feet on the pedals of the bikes, if not the ability to push the pedals with their feet. This is a really good start for this age!

Indiana Early Learning Foundations:

ELA 3.1:Explore drawing, painting, and writing as a way of communicating

M4.1: Begin to combine shapes to make new shapes

SE4.1:Observe friendship skills in the environments

APL 4.1:Begin to exhibit skills in parallel play

CA3.2: Explore a variety of media

PHG 2.2: Use simple movement skills to participate in active physical play 

PHG 3.1:Begin to develop coordination and balance, requiring less suppor

Friday Fun!

 Our unit of Sukkot has lead to lots of fine motor exploration this week.  The pincer grasp is an important developmental milestone for toddlers and our kiddos really have enjoyed activities that test their use of this skill.  One class favorite this week has been a "put in" task with wooden coins and old takeout containers.  A slot was cut in the lid to make the use of the pincer grasp necessary to get the coin in the container.  

Our kiddos are beginning to explore different types of building materials.  Stacking blocks is always a great activity for toddlers.  But today, we took duplos and used them as stamps to paint with! 

"Yeah!"

"Yellow, white, blue. Oh, green, yellow!"

Bike track day was a big hit again this week!

Shabbat Shalom!

Indiana Early Learning Foundations:

ELA1.3 Demonstrate ability to engage in conversation
SE1.1 Demonstrate self awareness and confidence
APL1.1 Demonstrate initiative and self-direction
APL2.1 Demonstrate development of flexible thinking skills during play
SC1.2 Demonstrate awareness of the physical properties of objects
SC5.1 Demonstrate scientific curiosity
CA3.2 Demonstrate creative expression through visual art production