TerraNichol Academy of the Arts
Weekly Blog October 22nd-27th, 2018
Learning Lab Exploration
This week in learning labs we enjoyed the introduction to our Where the Wild Things are materials. We are excited for next week when we will experience Wild Things Brew, Wild Things sensory bottles, create Wild Things with Playdough and act out the story Where the Wild Things Are in preparation for the Wild Rumpus on Wednesday!
Our Little Gardeners are Developing a Green Thumb as our lettuce mix and Basil are thriving!
In Music Appreciation, we are concluding our experiences with Folk and Blue Grass. We made a bluegrass band and sketched what instrument we would like to play in the Blue Grass Band, If we would be a vocalist, a musician or a songwriter! Some friends will complete their sketches on Tuesday. To celebrate World Music students took us on a musical safari where we saw large rainbow butterflies and rainbow monkeys feeding their babies, cheetahs playing with penguins, tall giraffes eating leaves, a pride of lions and a herd of zebra running. It was amazing to listen to the students' imagination sore as we sang and played to the Ela Jenkins song Safari!
Taking advantage of the cooler temps we have enjoyed some of our yoga workshops outdoors. Relaxing in the yoga hammocks, and using the playscape to move to songs like Yoga March and The Yogi Shake Down!
In addition to additional Wild Things excitement next week we are also beginning our pumpkin projects! We will start off painting, measuring and using a pumpkin as a geoboard! We will begin pumpkin still life sketches. If you would like to donate your pumpkin after the holiday we would be glad to have it for our pumpkin science experiments!
Mark Your Calendars
Important Dates to Know!
October
29th-Nov. 2nd Usborne Book Fair
31st Wild Rumpus Parade
November
5th School Closed for Teacher Professional Day
7th OffSite Field trip for K/1 and Junior Kindergarten to Crestwood Ranch
14th Art Enrichment Workshop with Studio Bee Art-Onsite Workshop
21-23rd School Closed for Thanksgiving Break
Special and Fun Days through the month
1st Cook for your Pet Day
6th Saxophone Day
11th-Tongue Twister Day
13th World Kindness Day
20th Universal Children’s Day
27th Giving Tuesday
December
21st-Jan. 4th School Closed for Winter Break
Special and Fun Days through the month
12th Gingerbread Day
14th Yoga Day
Let The Wild Rumpus Start!!!
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE PARADE
Calling all Wild Things for our Annual Wild Things RUMPUS!!
Inside all of us is hope, fear, adventure. Inside all of us is a Wild Thing.
Again this is optional and only applies to students who attend the program on Wednesday.
This is an annual tradition for our school and the students love creating homemade costumes, crowns, and wands. Keep in mind when costume designing that it most likely will be warm. All articles of the costume must be labeled with your child's name.
Tips for making DIY Wild Things costumes:
Costumes should be safe and free of any type of mask.
Cool for the weather. White t-shirt and white shorts are affordable and cool. Upcycle an old white pair of shorts, skirt, old pajama's, or t-shirt.
Use fabric markers to decorate costume.
Browse Pinterest for DIY Wild Things Costumes.
Keep age appropriate and simple.
Make it a family project on the weekend.
Let's make mischief of one kind or another. Let the wild rumpus begin!!
Wild Things Photo Booth!
Usborne Book Fair!!!!
Begins Monday October 29th-November 2nd!
So Fun! Look What is Ahead!
Holiday Pop Up Market
Champagne Sparklers and Charcuterie Board.
Shop The Eco-Friendly TerraSoul School Store and many other local vendors.
Purchase with a purpose!
Thank you Melissa Z for volunteering so much of your energy to coordinate this event! We appreciate you!
Thank you Melissa Z, Melissa K, Ally, Angela and Miss Tricia for volunteering to represent TerraNichol Academy at this Year's Safe Walk on Dearborn Street!
Don't Forget!
Van Wezel Field Trip with Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten Students
Giggle Giggle Quack Giggle Oink Giggle Moo!
Parent Resource Article: Crossing the Midline!
Midline Activities to try at Home!
Crossing the Midline Activities – Right to Left
Here are some of the activities to try at home. You may think they are pretty easy and basic, but you’d be surprised at how many children cannot do these movement-type exercises. You may need to clear some room in your home, but you don’t need too much room to get started. You can also do these activities all year long, even during the winter months. All exercises should be repeated 10 times using alternating legs and arms for 20 minutes each day.
Elbow to Knee
For this exercise, you want your child to stand with their legs together and then have their right elbow touch their left knee. Switch from the left elbow to the right knee. Make sure your child crosses our imaginary midline of the body. We want to ensure the movement is precise and slow so children don’t complete the exercises too fast or too sloppy.
Wrong Way or What to Watch for If your child has a tendency to put their right elbow to their right knee this is a red flag. It means they are struggling to cross one side of their body over the other, which could be why their right and left sides of the brain aren’t working together. If they can’t cross the midline, you will need to physically help them put their left elbow to their right knee or vice versa. Children with poor muscle tone, coordination and balance may also struggle with this activity so you may need to help them at first until they have built their strength.
Shoulder to Shoulder
This activity uses the arms as opposed to the legs. You can have your child stand shoulder width apart and then have them cross their right arm to their left shoulder and back again. Remember to help your child touch their right hand to their left shoulder and vice versa. The movement should be completed slowly and accurately.
Wrong Way or What to Watch for If your child’s right arm doesn’t make it over to the left shoulder (maybe they only got half way), they are not crossing the midline and will not get the full benefit of the exercise. You may also see your child swinging too far back or way over the midline. This also prevents them from getting the full benefit of the exercise.
Leg Kicks
This activity can be altered based on the child’s age. If the child is younger and smaller, you may want to begin them with toe touches first before doing leg extensions. If you have tiles in your floor or a square surface, help your child stand shoulder-width apart in that small area. Have them put their hands on their hips and then extend their left leg over the right side of their body, crossing the midline. Then have them try the other leg over the other side of the body. Help your child with slow and accurate steps to ensure full benefits of the exercise.
Wrong Way or What to Watch for Your child may struggle with balance so you may have to help hold their waist to prevent them from falling over. If your child can’t stay within their square, you will have to remind them to stay in the selected area. Watch your child to ensure their shoulders are square during the movement and that they are not crossing their full body over to the other side. Only their legs should cross the midline.
There are more excercises in the article link above! Incorporate into your daily routines!
Calling on our Tribe!
Volunteers and Donations:
***Looking for handyman to put together a patio storage bench for us! We will be using it for storage of all of our garden tools. Let us know if you can help.
We would love a volunteer to paint our wooden tables that were upcycled from electrical wire. Volunteer would paint with an outdoor paint that includes primer, lime green and aqua) as well as apply a clear coat!
Our adorable garden houses are in need of some repair. We would like to replace some parts with more sustainable materials. When designed and built by the company it seems that the wood was not sustainable enough for Florida weather especially the moisture. If you could help us with the repairs we are need of assistance as soon as possible. Also if you have ideas of what materials would be cost effective and also will hold up please reach out. The porch areas and the molding are the areas that need repair first. See photo below.
See photos of fun take home projects that we would love to add to our environment!
Pics of ways that you can help.
Upcycled Train Table
DIY Sensory Walk
Nature Table and Playscape Signs
We love this marker holder
Garden/Rain Boot Rack
Helmet Tree
scooter and bike port!
TerraNichol Academy Of The Arts School Wishlist
Earn your 12 volunteer hours by shopping our Amazon school wishlist.
TerraNichol Academy of the Arts Innovative Reggio Emilia School
TerraNichol Academy of The Arts School is the kind of school parents expect, educators celebrate and children adore. Our approach to learning celebrates the great potential of young children, with the goal of nurturing self-motivated, life-long learners. The learning labs are guided by our Master Teachers as well as the Founder of TerraNichol Academy of The Arts Preschool with low teacher-to-child ratio to allow for one-on-one engagement and thoughtful observation. Join our small community school for a backstage tour and be inspired by our thoughtful team of Early Childhood Educators here at TerraNichol Academy.
Come and Explore our Reggio Emilia program at TerraNichol Academy acclaimed for the stunning environments, their educators who create, provoke and dazzle the students' senses, invite curiosity and discovery, and most importantly, foster strong, respectful meaningful relationships.
Come learn about the values for children in the program:
Being a home away from home..
connecting children to their families..
helping children to be powerful and active..
being a steward of the natural world..
seeing oneself as a capable learner..
recognizing and being curious about..
We provide a school environment that is beautiful and taken care of with an attitude of care so that parents, children, and teachers want to come to school every day.
It is with an intelligent heart and courage that we continue our goals and vision to continue to proceed with the work of a child.
We would love for you to attend one of the backstage tours on the following dates:
November 10th @4:30pm
December 10th @4:30pm
January 14th @4:30pm
February 11th @4:30pm
March 11th @4:30pm
April 8th @4:30pm
May 13th @4:30pm
June 10th @4:30pm
July 8th @4:30pm
Submit a school application by visiting our website if you will be attending the Tour. http://www.terranichol.com/resources
Email: terranicholacademy@gmail.com
Website: www.terranichol.com
Location: 701 Old Englewood Road, Englewood, FL, United States
Phone: 941-474-3000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerraNicholAcademyofthearts/
Twitter: @terranichol