October Schedule

October 8 -12  Scholastic Book Fair.  This is a great way to add to your classroom and library selections and support the school at the same time.  Create a wish list and share with the parents in your class.  Did you collect information on grandparents?  They could be a great resource for ordering new books! 

October 10 Staff Meeting One full staff meeting in October.  

Your age group should plan an additional meeting during October.  It should be planned for 

• after school and I should be included.  
• Your agenda should revolve around documentation for the upcoming parent conferences in November.  
• You should have begun your observations and portfolios for each child.  

I will also be scheduling team meetings with each classroom team during the month of October.  

October 11 Pot Luck Supper.  5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. This event is so much fun.  Just show up, eat, and be adored by the children in your class.

October 20 Outdoor Workday 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Bring your tools and join us for any amount of time you can volunteer!

October 25 & 26 Speech and Language screenings.  If you have concerns about a child in your class, please recommend that the child be screened during this convenient time at our preschool.

October 31 & Nov. 1 Fellini's Pizza Days

Outdoor Play Space Action Plan

Our outdoor play space meeting ended on a productive note.  Here's our immediate action plan.

October 1st  Lane will set up a mud kitchen.  This probably will not be a whole class place to play, but small groups or outdoor center area.  We will be ironing out the details and finding out what works and what doesn't.  Please pay attention to the children, listen and watch for what works for them.  Take notes, take pictures, take a video.

OCTOBER 20th OUTDOOR WORK DAY.  New additions will be to prepare an area designated for loose parts.  This will be multi-functional as it will be marked by tree stumps installed at different levels and sizes to offer a balance challenge.  Something like this....

For an area like this 

If you missed the meeting and you're wondering where this would be, please ask your co-workers who were present.  Also, on the list:  spreading mulch and sand on the playground, raking, weeding, and cleaning the other play areas, cementing the bird bath bowl to the bird bath base and installing Ms. Pat's plague, assembling storage shed (s) in the garden area, general repairs to playground equipment (list provided by preK teaching teams).  Bring your gloves, rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows, or other tools you may find useful.  Hope to see you all there.

5 new John Deere dump trucks (that's the limit allowed utilizing my Amazon Prime account) will arrive Wednesday.

Something you can do now to extend the outside play area is to bring paint brushes and paint or mud to the easel hanging on the fence.  This might be a fun thing to do on riding toy day.  The easel can be lowered or moved to a child-centered area of your choosing.

One identified goal for the new outdoor play areas is to extend "respect for property" by creating a habit of cleaning-up and preparing a play space for those who come behind us.

September was for Squash

Lane has gotten our vegetable of the month plan off to a great start.  Who knew raw squash could be so much fun (the movement and the new tools- fun!) or that this healthful idea could be so delicious!  From my observations it was a tremendous hit.

Tennent was in true bliss he loved it so much!

Here's a fun idea from the Dragonflies (Denise and Jo Anna's class). 

I love this extension of the experience.  This is glued down, but you could also just have added a few of the paper plates and other props to the kitchen area.  Or you could keep going and add some red paint and then some dried basil and oregano to give a yummy smell.  You get the drift.  

Several of you asked about the spiral slicer and here it is - Joyce Chen Spiral Slicer.  Lane says you can find it in stores, but it is readily available to order online.

More Trucks?

Hey gang,

What do we think of this truck?  It's hard to find Tonka replacements and even new trucks, but the children really seem to benefit from the heavy pushing and the weight of these steel trucks.  Not to mention they can sit in the back and hang out and socialize once they're exhausted from pushing them around.

This is a 21 inch truck.  The yellow Tonka trucks are 20. something inches.  They are roughly the same size.  However it would be a huge mistake to order just one.

Loose Parts!

We now have tree cookies and I've collected some bamboo poles.  In case you've missed the conversation, beginning last spring many of us have been talking about re-evaluating the outdoor play space and making the space outside the playground fence (not the big fence) full of activities and opportunities for children to expand their imaginations.  We figured some tree cookies would be easy to come by - ha!  Took some time, but we've got some.  Here's some kids playing with tree cookies.

I think the area just outside the gate of the big playground would be a great place to start.  I think these items will need to be brought out like the riding toys.  What do you guys think?

And while your considering it.  Check out these other outdoor play spaces.  

Simple mud pie kitchen!

 Just add a little fabric.

 I'm pretty sure they are actually cooking.  Mixing up your ingredients outside is a great way to avoid a large clean-up.

Hanging objects create a sound experience.  

NAEYC Conference in Hotlanta!

Here's the Preliminary Conference Program which may be faster to look over than the Itinerary Planner.
Either way, give it a look over and let me know if you're interested in attending.

Reggio Chat and Mary Kay's Photos from Portland

Yesterday we had a great chat about possible plans for the upcoming school year and ways we'd like to bring Reggio inspired ideas into our classrooms.  Inspired by Mary Kay's photos and stories of notebooks she observed in Portland (you can see them in the video below), we discussed how we'd like to create notebooks that travel with the children from year to year.  We talked about how this type of documentation helps children connect their experiences from year to year and underscores their ability to adapt to changes.  Ideas for the notebooks included class photos and drawings and documentations of projects or activities the child particularly enjoys, or accomplishments, big events, etc.

We also discussed creating a recyclables area at least for our work week and making stuff available from room to room.  If you don't want it, but think some one else might - that kind of thing.  Terry Coffey started a list which we can expand on at our meeting.

Here are the photos Mary Kay shared with us. Check out the mud hut.  Wouldn't that be a fun addition to our outdoor space?  Enjoy!

Optimizing Environments

On Monday, August 13th we had a great workshop with Kate Drummond.  For any of you who missed it or for those of you who were there but would like a review,  here's a link to the handout from Kate..  It's got a really great overview of sensory processing as well as thorough footnotes of resources and books.  As you plan to ready your classroom for the first days of school consider the sensory needs of the room's occupants.  This is a great tool to look at the why in making decisions about room arrangement, what and how much you want to offer, creating hospitality, areas of calm and areas to inspire excitement and learning, and all the many decisions you will make both before and after school begins.

This book recommended by Kate looks interesting. It comes out in paperwork this September. Anyone think it's good book club choice? Check it on Amazon

Demolition begins Monday morning, August 6th!  Here's the plan that received the permit.  Check it out and let us know if you have any suggestions before it's a done deal.

Schedule for August

Hi Gang!

We're getting geared up for the new school year.

We are working on hiring 3 new teachers:  2 MWF Explorer team teachers and 1 M-F Explorer team teacher.  It is our belief based on conversations with each of you during conferences that these are the only openings we currently have.  If you have had a change of plans and are no longer planning to return for the 2012-2013 school year please let me know now!

Floors need to be done, but that's not on the schedule yet!

Schedule wise - here's what IS on tap upcoming in August:

• Saturday, August 4th  Phase 2 Pots for Tots underway.  Bathroom Demolition and Reconstruction begins.

• Monday, August 13th 10:00 a.m.  Creating a Healthy Thriving Classroom Environment.  Workshop with Kate Drummond, O.T. and DHUMP parent.  Attendance is voluntary.  Please RSVP.

• August 27 - August 31.  Planning/ Educator Work Week

Let the fun times roll!

• Monday, August 27th 9:00 a.m. CPR/First Aid & Fire Safety Training. This is scheduled only for those due for CPR update. Fire Safety is now being added to the annual safety training rotation which means that it will take a little longer than you may have experienced in the past.  Plan accordingly. 

• Tuesday, August 28th 9:15 a.m.  Staff orientation and collaboration meetings. 
• Thursday, August 30th 7:00 p.m.  Parent Orientation.
• Friday, August 31st 10:00 a.m.  Classroom Meet & Greet

I hope to fit in a few Reggio Chats prior to our work week .  Let me know any ideas or thoughts you have about scheduling these.

Introverts & Extroverts

For more insight into introverts check out this Ted Talk The Power of Introverts.  Really interesting and valuable information when conferencing with parents who are concerned about friends and popularity.