Building in different ways

This term the children have really continued with their interest in building.  We have noticed that certain concepts are more interesting than others to the children, but the children are all excited about building in general.

Ms. Sharesse has been working with the children on shapes related to building.  She noticed the children are interested in different shapes in structures, so she specifically worked with them to point out how structures have shapes in them.  She would like to further explore this idea.  She also noticed that the children were using words like "tall" and "short" as they built, but wants to see if they are truly able to represent these ideas as they create their own structures.

Ms. Kat has been working with the children on Mondays and Fridays.  She has also noticed a large interest in building.  Ms. Kat brought in a ramp for the children to create on.  She wanted to see if the idea of building on a inclined surface impacts how they create their structures.  She took it a step further the other day by adding carpet squares to the incline.  The rough surface wasn't something the children were used to building on in addition to the incline, so she noticed that it may have changed their strategies.

As the weeks progress, it will be interesting to see how the children change up the strategies they use as they work on different concepts.  We are also curious to see if the ideas that they work on Tuesdays and Thursdays with Ms. Sharesse transfer to the ideas that Ms. Kat is working on with them Mondays and Fridays.

Regie Rainbow!

Regie Rainbow!

Over the next few weeks the children in our room will be trying some new foods as part of the Regie Rainbow program!  Each week we talk about foods from a different color of the rainbow, how the fruits and vegetables help their bodies, and we get a chance to taste them!

Over the past couple of weeks we have tried red peppers, tomatoes, orange squash, starfruit, and yellow squash!  We have some more colors to explore (green, blue, brown/violet) as the weeks go on so it will be fun to see what the children are interested to try and how adventurous they get with trying new things!

Early Childhood Intern - Mondays and Fridays

Hello Parents and Family,

My name is Katherine Nealy and I am a senior at the University of Michigan Dearborn studying Early Childhood Education. This semester I will be working with your children in room 7 as an internship student from now until April. During my time in Room 7, I plan on getting to know your children while helping them learn as well as learning from them. My goal this semester is to engage your children in learning activities that will enhance their creativity, and knowledge towards specific subject areas. I will be working hands on with the children and teachers in Room 7 to give and receive the best experience from my internship as possible. I will be in attendance every Monday and Friday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. I look forward to meeting you all soon.

Thank you,

Ms. Kat

Our Early Childhood Intern - with us Tuesdays and Thursdays this term!

Hello Parents,

My name is Sharesse Turner and I will be student teaching in classroom #7 with Ms. Stone and Ms. Eunice this semester here at the University of Michigan-Dearborn Early Childhood Education Center. I graduated from Henry Ford Community College with my Associates degree in Early Childhood Education and this spring I will be graduating with my bachelor’s in children and families.

I am a native of Detroit. I am a wife and mother of a fifteen-year-old daughter, Kierra who is in her first year of high school. I also have a dog, Pepper. In my spare time I enjoy bowling and singing. One of my most favorite things to do is to help children learn and evolve. I am looking forward to getting to know all of you in the next few months.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Sharesse Turner

Classroom Updates

Hello!

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  We just wanted to take a minute and update you on what's been going on in the classroom.  We have been recording and observing the ideas of the children to continue to expand on in the classroom.

 We have noticed that animals, their habitats, and their lifestyle have been very interesting to some of the children.  We have been talking about pets, looking a lot at the animal figurines we have in the room, and moving/acting a lot like various animals.  We have also noticed that the idea of movement of our bodies has been an ongoing interest with the children - how can we dance in different ways, how can we move across obstacles in different ways, and how can we challenge ourselves to move in new ways?  There is also a core group of children who have been very focused on construction with the blocks.  They are building with various types of blocks, working to create stable structures.  We would like to begin to challenge them to construct with a building goal in mind. 

We are going to create a concept web in the classroom - a web of things we are exploring with the children, their ideas, and what we would like to continue to expand on.  If you have any ideas you would like to add to the web, you are more than welcome!  We would love input from our families and look forward to hearing what you think!

Cider Mill!

You are invited to join us on Saturday, October 6th from 12-4pm at Plymouth Orchards!

Our families are invited to come visit the animals, enjoy some apples and cider, and go for a hay ride!  Teachers will be coming up to enjoy the day as well.  We hope to see you there!

If you would like any other information, please let us know. 

September Beginnings

Happy October!

It's hard to believe we have been in school a month already!  We have been having a lot of fun getting to know each other and getting into a classroom routine.  All of the children seem to be settling in and getting to know each other.  

We have noticed a huge interest in dramatic play - specifically dress up, cooking, and with the baby dolls.  The children are modeling some of the things they are familiar with from home, like making dinner, taking care of babies, or dressing in familiar professions.  We would like to continue this interest to see what happens next!  

We have been getting to know each other and moving and constructing together as well.  Dancing and music as well as construction have been large parts of our day.  This is a great way for the children to get to know each other as they work and form connections.  We have also started to bring in different musical instruments and move our bodies in different ways through dance and yoga.

As we enter fall in full force, we had some pumpkins donated to our classroom from one of our families.  The children were interested in exploring the outside of the pumpkins, and today we had a group discussion about what might be inside.  After lots of ideas, we opened one up to see what was inside.  The children had the chance to explore the inside of the pumpkin in lots of different ways.  Some children just wanted to smell it, while others wanted to get their hands right in the seeds! 

It will be exciting to see where the next few weeks take us!