Weekly Newsletter
Week 5
Learning to share can be a challenge for young children, but sharing is an essential skill needed for play and learning throughout childhood. You can help your child learn to share by giving them plenty of time and opportunities to practice. Here are some ways to encourage sharing in everyday life:
- Point out good sharing in others. You can say things like, ‘Your friend was sharing her toys really well. That was kind of her’.
- When you see your child trying to share or take turns, make sure you give lots of praise and attention. For example, ‘I liked the way you let Jane play with your train. Great sharing!’
- Play games with your child that involve sharing and turn-taking. Talk your child through the steps, saying things like, ‘Now it’s my turn to build the tower, then it’s your turn. You share the red blocks with me, and I’ll share the green blocks with you’.
This week we have been focusing on how we make and keep friends and how we can be part of a group. We began the week asking “What does take turns mean?” and practiced with a game of "my turn at the microphone". The children took turns to share their ideas during Circle Time. They practiced being good listeners and only talking when they were called on.
Together we are making a class book with pictures and narrative about what we do at school. The children also made friendship bracelets to share and, in the library, materials were available to make friendship cards.
On Friday we shared a snack with our new friends in the grassy area. What a wonderful start to the year it has been!
Upcoming Unit: Balls
Dear Families,
We have noticed that the children are very interested in balls. They’re curious about different kinds of balls, how people use balls, what they are made of, what is inside them, and how high they can bounce. We think balls will make an interesting study.
If you can, we would like your help in gathering a collection of balls to investigate. We’ll need many different types of balls. Here’s a list of suggestions, but you may also send in balls that are not on the list. We’ll take good care of them so we can return them to you at the end of the study.
•baseball, basketball, beach ball, bowling ball, cotton ball, crystal ball, doggie ball, football, golf ball, kickball, Koosh® ball, marble, ping-pong ball, pool (billiard) ball, racquetball, soccer ball, tennis ball, volleyball, WIFFLE® ball
As we study balls, we will learn concepts and skills in literacy, math, science, social studies, the arts, and technology. We’ll also be using thinking skills to investigate, ask questions, solve problems, make predictions, and test our ideas.
What You Can Do at Home
•Spend time with your child, playing with balls of all shapes, types, and sizes, such as playground balls, tennis balls, ping-pong balls, Koosh® balls, volleyballs, baseballs, footballs, and marbles. Talk about what the balls are made of, whether they are heavy or light, and whether they are big or little.
•Wonder aloud with your child to encourage his or her thinking about balls. For example, you might ask, “I wonder what’s inside a tennis ball. I wonder how far you can throw a foil ball, a beach ball, or a tennis ball. How can we find out?”
•Help your child use all of his or her senses when playing with balls. You might ask, “What does it look like? Feel like? Sound like? Smell like?”
•See how many types of balls you can find around the house and in your neighborhood.
•Play a game while riding in the car, bus, or train. Think of all the words that contain the word ball in them. Look for examples of balls around you.
At the end of our study, we’ll have a special event to show you what we’ve learned.
Thank you for playing an important role in our learning.
Books, Rhymes, and Songs
- Corduroy goes to school
- The Gingerbread Man
- I'm A Good Friend
Rhymes
- Mary had a Little Lamb
- This old man
Song
- Freeze Dance
About Stem
Our Activity: How can we help the Gingerbread Man get to the other side?
The Challenge: Work together to build a structure for the gingerbread man to cross.
Materials: wooden blocks, duplo legos, foam blocks, measuring tape.
We presented the problem in simple terms. Then asked the children to choose 1-2 materials from the bunch. After each child chose, we began calling them one by one to put their piece of the structure.
Take a look at our wonderful solution!