Greetings Classroom 3 families,
Spring is in the air. As the weather changes, we will begin to spend more time in our Outdoor Classroom. One of our schools initiatives is Environmental stewardship. During many of our staff meetings and in-services days, we are consistently discussing how we can plant the seeds for children to become more environmentally aware and how they can become environmental stewards.
One of our many goals is to teach the children the names of as many things in their environment as possible. The idea is that if the child knows the names of things in nature, they are more likely to care about them. It is good practice to know the names of plants/ trees in your gardens and backyard. Giving the children the names for things not only will expand their vocabulary but also their love for nature. Exploring the outdoors and having connections like these will help to foster a positive relationship with the natural environment. We allow the children to explore the mud pit if they wish to do so. This is a wonderful sensorial experience which many children really enjoy! Please be conscious that as we spend more time outside your child may come home with more messy clothes than usual. We appreciate your grace.
As most of the children have turned 3 (with the exception of a couple). We begin to observe the children are becoming mature. They show signs of maturity as they know very clearly what the expectations and guidelines are for C3. They begin to feel less dependent on the adults in the environment and they become more independence and begin to depend on each other for help as community. One of my favorite things to observe during our morning workcycles is children being very assertive and letting one another know their needs. We see the children more likely to use their words rather cry / whine, we see them head to the bathroom by themselves with no reminders. Helping themselves to things they need and asking for help only as they need it. We see children offering to help each other. These are some of our greatest accomplishments of all. To see that our children have the values and morals of treating others with kindness and respect. To the their gears turning and see them problem-solve to see how they can help each other, just fills our hearts.
At this point in the school year, we, the guides(teachers) have built a strong and trusting relationship with your children. They know us very well, as we also know them. Sometimes, with just a look or a hand gesture, we can communicate and understand each other. Stating expectations clearly and following through is very important for 3 year olds, who occasionally still enjoy testing limits as much as 2 year olds, and we enjoy the challenge! Following through, staying calm and consistent is key to building positive relationships with your children. Which we all want!
Thank you to Shelbi Day, our classroom parent volunteer, who is always so happy to help in anyway possible. We also appreciate all of your generous contributions to our pancake breakfast. It was a huge success! A quick reminder to please take a look at your child's cubby area and take home any unnecessary items. If for any reason you are unable to take home your childs nap bags on Fridays! Pease let us know and we would be happy to wash it for you. Also please feel free to frequently take a look at the small cubby's in the bathroom to see if your child needs more clothing or different clothes for the new season change. Also we appreciate you for keeping your child home when they are sick as this prevents others from getting sick as well. For the weeks to come will be going over proper hand-washing and continue to take extra precaution to keep the spread of illness and to keep our school safe and healthy. Thank you very much!
We hope you all enjoy a wonderful spring break this March 30th-April 3rd!
We look forward to seeing you for spruce up day on April 18th & for the annual Auction Event on May 16th. Please mark your calendars!
Raquel Lisa and Matt
