TerraNichol Academy of the Arts
September Monthly Blog-Goodbye September, Hello October.
Learning Lab Journey
We hope that you have enjoyed our learning journey shared through the blogs this month. Please review the standards and skills for October and November curriculum. Master teachers will diligently be working on skill development daily. Find creative and developmentally appropriate ways to follow through with them at home.
This month's learning lab journey students engaged in a variety of projects and experiences building skills in math, literacy, fine motor, and science.
Next week we will begin introducing drama workshops to the students. They will be introduced to our newly forming acting skills to mimic animals. Teachers will help students use their knowledge of what animals do, the sounds they make, how they move to act the animals out. We continue playing acting games to develop expression, tone of voice, and body language as we gain self-awareness in October.
The Art Appreciation workshop introduced us to the artist Renoir. We discussed muted pastel colors as we painted the garden background. Then we observed the famous Renoir painting Girl with the Watering Can noticing the girl's blonde wavy hair, red bow, long white and blue dress, and black boots. Students used oil pastels to sketch their vision of the girl with the watering can onto their backgrounds.
In yoga poses are being broken down into steps to provide greater control. For example, when forming a downward dog first we place our feet shoulder-width apart, next we slowly begin to lower our body to toe touch, then place hands on the floor and carefully walk them out. Lastly, we walk our feet back and ready ourselves into a downward dog pose. Going in and coming out of poses builds muscle strength, motor planning, and body awareness. When doing yoga help guide your child in and out of poses.
Exploring the human body project the students were intrigued by how amazing our body is how it works and doesn't work when something is out of sync. This month there were scientists, doctors, Yoga & Zumba assistant instructors, nutritionist, blood analysts, nurses, and compassionate caretakers. The human body can teach us so much. We also learned that we have to listen to our body by respecting our body, eating well, being physical, practicing yoga for mental balance, drinking plenty of water, and laughing meditation. But most of all loving ourselves by listening to our heart to help guide our energy, positive thoughts, self-love, self-care, self-compassion, and self-talk.
That's a wrap! Goodbye, September HELLO October.
What to look forward to in October!
Experience charts and language building charts about wild animals, pets, and native Florida animals
Writing Workshop: Writing about our beloved animals.
Don’t forget to Bring in your favorite photo of your pet month!!
Poetry writing: Valentino Poem
Working with UF to plant our fall/winter harvest
Activities that support fine motor development
Supporting Satchel’s Last Pet Resort and WWF drives
Native Florida animals exploration
Wild animal provocations
Baking organic pet treats
Making pet toys
Reggio Emilia Provocation- Loose Parts Bird Research
Putting our own WILD spin on National Smile Day
Animal Rescue on the Playscape
Happy Paws Veterinary Office set up.
Our new intern Miss Laurie will be working closely with the students to plant our starter plants.
Next Thursday we begin planting seeds as well in our school garden with the guidance of the Master Gardeners from USF, Miss Laurie. and Miss Dina. Miss Dina is a school nutritionist from USF and will visit us once a month to engage the students in healthy eating and prepping culinary arts workshops about preparing healthy snacks. YUMMY!!!
Music Appreciation: Bluegrass
The Sounds of a banjo, a guitar, stand-up bass, accordion, fiddle will be filling the learning labs for October. The students will learn about the rhythm and instruments of Blue Grass Music. We will be exploring how to play each of the instruments that are present in a Bluegrass band. This month we will listen to Bluegrass and began sketching the instruments that we could identify in the music. We will also learn to use our resources such as books, photo cards, musical sheets, and information about Bluegrass to guide us in forming our ideas and to add details to our sketch as well as inspiring each of us in writing the narrative of our story about Bluegrass.
Note From The Founder-Miss Terra
Friendly Reminder:
We need your help. Please use the parent portal to communicate questions, inform the team, absents, early pickups, home changes, new transitions at home, etc. All communication needs to be sent directly to the Founder. She will then inform her teaching team. This helps to form clear communication and prevents mixed messages. The team will then have clear and accurate communication/information.
Our arrival and dismissal is not a good time to stop a teacher to give information. They are focused on greeting students and parents, helping students get engaged in the morning, assist with any separation transitions with new students, ratios, daily attendance, body scans, keeping the students safe, and daily health checks. It is sometimes hard to process information when students are seeking the attention of the teaching team.
Dismissal should be wrapped up by 1:30 Sharpe. Teachers need to take their breaks, assist in the nap room, and prepare for the following day.
As you can see we provided many Reggio Emilia project opportunities throughout the month.
If The Founder is on campus and is free from teaching workshops she is happy to receive any information parents would like to communicate for the team.
Get Register Today with Pure Imagination Studio!
Optional Outreach Enrichment Classes start next week!
If you would like to participate please turn in the registration forms asap. We need to create a roster of the students that will be going to Martial Arts class on Thursdays and who will be participating with Miss Kristi from Pure Imagination studio.
Martial Arts class is every Thursday on campus.
Miss Kristi-Pure Imagination Studio will be offering 6 classes per school year.
See the registration form for dates she will be on campus.
We welcomed tw0 new friends!
We will be having several new students starting in October and November. Please help out and give them a warm welcome to our school family.
Thank you to Patricia (Remington's mommy) for volunteering to be a parent mentor to new families.
Masterpieces inspired by Renoir!
I believe in my "Selfie" Growth Mindset Curriculum Project
Human Body Exploring!
HUMAN BODY INQUIRY AND PROVOCATION!
Provocations are experiences set up in response to children’s interests and ideas. When set up a provocation is providing hands-on exploration for children to practice, test, construct and deconstruct their ideas and theories.
Reggio teachers set up a provocation and listen and engage in the children's thinking. It is a thread to lead onward.
A provocation will PROVOKE thinking!
How long is our small and large intestines?
Exploring the Artist "Andy Goldsworthy"
Playscape "Let's get Outdoors"
The Importance of being outdoors.
The outdoors has something more to offer than just physical benefits. Cognitive and social/emotional development are impacted, too. Outside, children are more likely to invent games. As they do, they're able to express themselves and learn about the world in their own way. They feel safe and in control, which promotes autonomy, decision-making, and organizational skills. Inventing rules for games (as preschoolers like to do) promotes an understanding of why rules are necessary. Although the children are only playing to have fun, they're learning.
- communication skills and vocabulary (as they invent, modify, and enforce rules).
- number relationships (as they keep score and count)
- social customs (as they learn to play together and cooperate).
Aesthetic development in a Reggio Emilia environment.
We can't underestimate the value of the aesthetic development promoted by being outside on the beautiful playscape and eco-village. Aesthetic awareness refers to a heightened sensitivity to the beauty around us. Because the natural world is filled with beautiful sights, sounds, and textures, it's the perfect resource for the development of aesthetics in young children.Students learn much through their senses. Outside there are many different and wonderful things for them to see (animals, birds, and green leafy plants), to hear (the wind rustling through the leaves, a robin's song), to smell fragrant flowers and the rain-soaked ground, to touch (a fuzzy caterpillar or the bark of a tree), and even to taste (playscape garden or raindrop on the tongue). Children who spend a lot of time acquiring their experiences through television and computers are using only two senses (hearing and sight), which can seriously affect their perceptual abilities.
Finally, what better place than the outdoor on the natural playscape for children to be loud and messy and boisterous? Outside they can run and jump and yell, and expend some of the energy.
Get them moving and connecting to nature! Free the kids.
My Name
Fine motor Skills
Peaceful Yoga Journey
Yoga Workshop!
Peace begins with me!
Spread kindness, compassion, love, and peacefulness.
Yoga PEACE writing journey.
This Month we acknowledged International Peace! Through books, students are learning ways to spread peace and be peaceful human beings. We have also practiced saying peace in many languages such as hey ping, paz, shaanti, and mir! We worked on many peace writing projects discussing ways to be peaceful at school and ways to be a peacemaker and a peacebreaker. We used motor planning skills to make large peace signs with our bodies on the playscape! We have been singing songs such as Peace In My Fingers, and Peace Begins With Me.
Through the peace project, students were introduced to new vocabulary including fairness, trustworthiness, uplift, communicate, respect, generosity. We will continue to use these words throughout the school year. Adopt them at home too!
Students love to doodle. The doodle project has been a great way for students to learn about lines and shapes and how to use them in a sketch. We have also had discussions about colors and what they represent. Students have been interested in noticing shades of color and creating interesting color names.
Learning Labs
ZUMBA DANCE PARTY
Actor's Life
4 THE LOVE OF PETS OCTOBER CAMPAIGN
It's Miss Terra favorite time of year. The Drive to help animals at Satchel's Last Pet Resort and Englewood Humane Society! This year we will be collecting much-needed supplies that help the day to day operations at the rescues. We also have a jar for monetary donations. Encourage your child to pay it forward by donating some of their piggy bank collection or make a donation as a family! We reached out to our friends at Satchel's and they expressed that two of the items that are always needed but very rarely donated are cat litter and soft dog treats. We have also attached the link to their donation wish list for you!
Collection bins for donated supplies are at the front of the school. A special collection jar is by the sign-in computer for monetary donations.
Don't forget all month we will be running our collection drives for Satchel's Last Resort and Englewood Humane Society. We encourage you to visit these amazing organizations. Visit their website and view the wish lists. Helping animals is an expensive mission and Satchel's relies on volunteers and donations. Marked bins for your supply donations are available at the front of the school. Share with your family, friends, companies, EVERYONE you can think of. We want to have a HUGE donation for these organizations this year! It is our mission of kindness and compassion!
We will need two volunteers to drop off the supplies at the end of the month. Email Miss Terra if you are interested in earning CO-OP volunteers hours this semester.
***Please no dog food when donating supplies. Rescue animals are on special diets.
Wish List
- Dog Treats
- Hard Biscuits – ex: Milkbones
- Soft Treats – ex: Milkbones soft & Chewy, Pupperoni, Canine Carry Out, Milo’s Kitchen Treats, T-Bonz
- Cat Treats – Whiskas Temptations, Pounce, Friskies Party Mix
- Laundry Detergent – Dry or Liquid – he (high efficiency)
- Bleach
- Cat Litter
- Contractor Trash Bags – Black 42 Gallon 3 ml thick
- Kuranda Pet Beds for Dogs & Cats —
- Rubber Backed Carpets for old dogs to get up and stand on
- Dogs Hard Chews – ex: Kongs, Deer Antlers, Bully Sticks, Nylabones
- Hard Rubber Balls that Squeak — ex: Cuz Balls, Kong Air Balls with Squeaker
- Donate Imperial Cat Scratchers
IF YOU SHOP DIRECTLY THROUGH AMAZON ON SATCHEL'S WISH LISTS PLEASE HAVE YOUR DONATION SENT TO THE SCHOOL ALONG WITH A GIFT RECEIPT. THIS IS TO ACCOUNT FOR ALL DONATIONS AS PART OF OUR 4 THE LOVE OF PETS DRIVE. THANK YOU!
If you choose to make a monetary donation through their site please mark TerraNichol Drive in the notes/memo section.
Our Little Helpful Friends Will Be Opening a Toy Making Workshop!
In October students will become pet toy designers making chew and play toys to donate to the rescue animals. If you have the following items we would love to have them by Monday so we can prepare for the toy-making workshop!
-recycled clean and empty water bottles
-pieces of felt, fabric
-old clean t-shirts
-wine corks
Satchel's Amazon Wish List
Englewood Humane Society Amazon Wish List
Items the Englewood Humane Society is in need of right now.
- baby wipes
- size small latex-free gloves
- pill pockets
- deodorizing candles and rubbing alcohol
Wands for WildLife
A wildlife rehabilitation nonprofit in Western North Carolina recycles old mascara wands to help remove fly eggs and larva from the fur of animals. They work great because the bristles are so close together and gentle to use on the injured and orphaned wild animals receiving care.
By gathering old mascara wands and donations, you help to save wild lives!
Please soak and wash all mascara wands prior to donating. We will only accept clean wands.
Volunteer
Our Little Loves that are from Rescues
Valentino our beloved school mascot, rescued from an abandoned litter
The Toys That We Will Be Making towards 4 The Love of Pets Drive!
Upcycle Material Donations
Old Clean socks
Rubbbainds
Great Parent Article!!!!Read On!
Deprogramming Your Child
Deprogramming Your Programming
By Terra Tominelli
At even a tender age children have learned some of the ways they can get what they want from life. They learn what behaviors they need to display in order to get a treat before dinner, they understand that they do not have to pick something up off of the floor because their nanny will do it and children also learn that if they pout their faces long enough, they will not have to brush their teeth. Our children have become programmed. They understand the laws of cause and effect. However, as soon as they display behaviors that show that they have been “ill-programmed” it is our responsibility to make steps towards deprogramming.
Children can make us very weak. Their smiles and laughs can make our hearts melt and their tears make us come to their rescue. If they are hurt or sad we enjoy being the ones to comfort and console them. However, there are some tears shed not because they are hurt or sad but because they cannot have what they want, when they want it. These behaviors may even turn into public tantrums. They must be deprogrammed. It can be difficult to de-spoil a spoiled child but gradual steps can be taken. When the child begins to cry because their request has been denied do not begin to negotiate with them. For example, “If you stop crying, I will take you to the movies this weekend.” The initial response should affirm the child and name the emotions that they are displaying. “Honey, I love you and I am sorry that you are sad but you may not snatch your brothers toys from his hand.” If they continue to cry, physical space should be given and then return every so often so make sure they are not hurting themselves or others. Eventually, the crying will stop. Affirm the child and address their emotions, and state the expected behavior. Refrain from being completely silent this may only cause the child to act out in more extreme ways.
As children grow and change, they begin to develop better skills and more control over their bodies. Though, children all develop at different rates, their are some basic skills that they all should develop by specific ages. For example, their fine motor skills should strengthen between the ages of two and three. If by 2.9 years old, your child's fine motors skills are still similar to when they were 2.1 years old, it is time to deprogram. Most likely, too many tasks that require fine motor skills have been done for them. When children are too dependent on others to complete a task they should be able to complete on their own, it is best to observe the dependency (what, when and where) and refrain from helping the child. Encourage them to try to complete the task on their own and provide more activities that will resolve their lack of skill and allow them to become more independent. Do not be afraid to see them struggle or to see them frustrated. Support their need for independence.
Lastly, everyone has the power of choice and free will, including your child. However, when their rebellion begins to harm others, themselves, or becomes redundant at specific places and times, it is time to deprogram. As they are refusing to complete a certain task, it is best to speak in a low tone and talk at eye level. Again, like de-spoiling, affirm the child and address their emotions. Then give them acceptable choices to choose from. “Lacey, I know that you would like to play with blocks by yourself, however these blocks are for everyone in the class. Would you like to give some of the blocks to Peter or would you like me to give Peter some of the blocks.” Be firm and swift, do not beg or plead.
Deprogramming your child can be challenging but with careful observation and consistency, they can be programmed to be the best version of themselves.
Exploring Literacy the Reggio Emilia Way!
Breaking it Down Reggio-inspired literacy
If I had to break down what Reggio-inspired literacy means to me, I would say it’s about keeping it meaningful, creating a literacy-rich environment, and adapting to each child’s learning style, interests, and preferred mode(s) of learning and expression.
Making it meaningful
A key idea here is that literacy is so much more than strictly decoding print. Reading and writing are tools that we use to share ideas, collaborate towards goals, express feelings, and basically connect with other human beings. A truly “literate” person not only knows how to read and write, but can use those skills to do all of these things. When children view reading and writing as a useful tool rather than just an academic exercise that they are forced to do, they are much more motivated to learn, and learning happens much more organically. One big misconception is that Reggio-inspired learning labs don’t teach reading and writing. If you look at what Reggio-inspired learning labs are doing, you see games, projects, provocation loose parts tables and activities that focus on these skills, but they are presented in a meaningful and developmentally appropriate way as part of a literacy-rich environment.
Creating a literacy enriched environment
If you are familiar with the RE approach, you know that one of the main principles is the environment as the third teacher. We know that children’s play is influenced by the environment around them, so if we want to nurture their early literacy development, it is important to provide plenty of opportunities to engage in literacy activities. Here a just a few examples of ways TerraNichol Academy adds literacy-rich elements to our learning environments:
- including print in the form of labels, signs, books and magazines
- Emergent literacy prop baskets
- providing literacy-rich dramatic play opportunities/props (grocery shopping with a list, creating and mailing letters, ordering from a menu at a restaurant or taking orders as a waiter, etc.)
- documenting and displaying children’s work with a mixture of photographs, print, diagrams, etc.
- adding literacy props to block/construction areas (road signs, etc.)
- keeping paper and writing tools available for children to incorporate into their play/project work
- including relevant books and printed materials in project work, invitations/provocations, etc.
- access to materials that encourage music and movement (instruments, CD players, ribbon wands/scarves)
- modeling literacy behaviors- children should see adults reading for pleasure, seeking information in books, telling stories, etc.
Adapting the environment to the child's needs
Another key principle of the RE approach is the “100 languages of children” which basically refers to the idea that children use many different modalities (i.e. written/spoken language, art, drama, music) to understand and express ideas. This meshes with the more mainstream idea of tuning in to the different learning styles of children to present material in the ways that are most engaging for them.
Another part of following the child’s lead is using their interests to guide their learning. This is a central part of the RE approach and is also referred to as an “emergent curriculum.” Preschool-age children may work together to answer a specific question or solve a problem using literacy-based tools. We observe children playing and engaging to provide literacy activities and materials that build upon their interests as they emerge.
Happy literacy!
Terra Tominelli-Founder
Did You Know About Our Parent Resources???
Below is the link to the parent resource page on our school website. Parent books are showcased here as well as some lovely and meaningful children's books. We also have a sample yoga playlist to encourage yoga workshops at home! Namaste! We hope that you find these resources helpful! Happy Reading!
Calling on our Tribe!
Stop by the rock room and choose your volunteer hours to meet your 6 hours for this semester! The Deadline for all families to have their 6 hours planned has passed! We are including photos of the Volunteer book so that you can look and see which ways you would like to participate and next week you can write your name in. The Co-Op Volunteer book has many opportunities for families to participate. Each volunteer opportunity has a detailed description.
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.
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