TerraNichol Academy of the Arts
Weekly Blog October 1st-4th, 2019
Learning Lab Exploration - Our educational Journey
Students jumped at the chance to get busy in our learning labs and projects for October. As students helped set up learning labs they already had ideas of where they wanted to begin, what they wanted to explore and the projects that they were most excited about! Exploring animals has invoked many conversations regarding what baby animals are called. Having prior knowledge that a cow is a calf and a pig piglet students began to question the names for other baby animals like owls and giraffes. They were delighted to find out that an owl baby is an owlet and a giraffe a calf. We had fun researching these facts together! The story Panda Bear, Panda Bear led to a deep conversation about what the word endangered means and the role that people play in the decrease of their population.
Exploring math concepts such as sorting, counting, and patterning was inspired through animal loose parts! Students will also begin to paint patterns examining animal fur prints such as the cheetah, tiger, and zebra! We also graphed animals both wild and pet. Students had a deep discussion about whether we should have animals as pets, what animals are safe and appropriate to have as pets. After the graph was complete we discovered that there are more animals that are wild than as pets! Keep our animals free!
In talking with our students we realized that many students are having a difficult time expressing themselves, sharing their thoughts, and discussing what is important to them. As a part of our growth mindset, we are encouraging students to discuss their values. We want students to be able to answer open-ended questions putting thought and details into their answers. This month's growth mindset project encourages students to engage in a mindfulness meditation sketch with the title "I will respect animals by..."This type of questioning expands children's minds and encourages them to think more deeply about a topic. Using this type of prompting at home whether during a project or a discussion increases the level of understanding, processing and allows students to have individualization in their responses.
We will continue to challenge and develop progress in the Fine Motor Development domain area. Fine motor projects are challenging students to really work their finger muscles and motor planning! Placing beads on spaghetti towers, wrapping rubber bands around sticks, disc drop games, cutting on lines, twisting nuts and bolts.
After awakening our garden last week the volunteers from USF came to help us plant our yearly school garden! Students were excited to see the sprouts and seeds brought to create our wonderful resourceful garden! We are eager to take care of these seeds, sprouts, and plants each day and watch their growth! As the garden grows we will send home herbs and vegetables as well as use them for culinary arts!
Did you know Picasso designed stage sets? Or that he loved to play jokes on his peers? Students have discovered this and more as they use his work as inspiration in Art Appreciation. Exploring his blue period students are working on a group collaborative mural discussing how the color makes them feel. For the most part, students are in consensus that blue is not a sad color as often depicted but a happy peaceful color.
Friday was the world smile day! We hope that you passed the smile along! Did you see the silly animal smiles that we posted on Friday in honor of this happy day?!
What to look forward to Next Week!
Poetry writing: Ode to Valentino
Tending to our new sprouts, seeds, and plants.
Supporting Satchel’s Last Pet Resort, Englewood Humane Society and WWF drives
Making pet toys
Animal Introduction to though provocations advocates.
Reggio Emilia Bird Table-Research and Investiagation.
Bird Project
KWL -What we know about birds already, What we want to learn about birds, and what we learned at the conclusion of the bird project.
Grace- Would like to know. What do birds do with the shells after the baby birds hatch out of the eggs? We shall investigate! Happy Birding.
World Migratory Bird Day
World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats. It has a global outreach and is an effective tool to help raise global awareness of the threats faced by migratory birds, their ecological importance, and the need for international cooperation to conserve them.
How to involve the kids: Take the kids to public events such as bird festivals, education programmes, exhibitions and bird-watching excursions to celebrate WMBD. The 2019 theme for WMBD is plastic pollution and its harmful effects on birds. One way to get involved in WMBD is to organize an event to help address plastic pollution and celebrate migratory birds and register it on the WMBD website.
School to home connection.
Birding can be a wonderful lifelong hobby that allows kids to build patience, concentration, powers of observation and develop a connection to the natural world.
Great Wildlife website for kids.
For more than 50 years, WWF has been protecting the future of nature. The world’s leading conservation organization, WWF works in 100 countries and is supported by more than one million members in the United States and close to five million globally. Students can also adopt an animal by building an animal bucket. This is a great birthday or holiday gift to teach children about protecting the future of nature.
Animal Yoga Flow
We’re going on a 🐻 Bear Hunt! Get your binoculars out! Create your Treasure maps.
Happy World Smile Day!
Happy World Animal Day!
GARDENING WITH MISS DINA AND MISS AJ FROM USF EXTENSION
Benefits of Gardening with students.
- Gardening engages all of the senses. ...
- Gardening encourages healthy eating. ...
- Gardening enhances fine motor development. ...
- Gardening introduces kids to scientific concepts. ...
- Gardening fosters family bonding. ...
- Gardening teaches responsibility. ...
- Gardening helps learn to plan and organize. ...
- Gardening creates environmental stewards.
Welcome our beautiful friend Savannah!
Donations Needed for our Satchel's and Englewood Humane Society For the Love of Pet Drive
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! This year we will be collecting much-needed supplies that help the day to day operations at the rescue. 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 & Englewood Humane Society. We encourage you to visit these amazing organizations. Visit their websites and view the wish lists. Helping animals is an expensive mission and Bothe organizations rely 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 this organization this year! It is our mission of kindness and compassion!
***Please no dog food when donating supplies. Rescue animals are on special diets.
Wish List
- Small Soft Dog Training 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
- use baby wipes, size small latex-free gloves, pill pockets, deodorizing candles and rubbing alcohol.
IF YOU SHOP DIRECTLY THROUGH AMAZON ON 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
-clean recycled water bottles
-Knee-high socks
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.
Featured Parent Article-How to respect and further encourage your child's art at home!
Children and Art - Embracing the Picasso in Every Child
We all love to create...whether it be a masterpiece in the kitchen, a great journal article for the newspaper, a collage of scrapbooked photos or an architecturally designed skyscraper. Where is our desire to create fostered or quelled? Usually in our early childhood years. We have a responsibility to see the creative potential in every child and to provide an environment that will allow this to flourish. I would like to suggest some ways we can successfully do this in Early Learning environments.
Value Children's Artwork
Imagine an art gallery with paintings, photos, and sculptures in a muddled mess with little information, description or care taken to how art is displayed. It just wouldn't happen because artists would soon stop providing artwork for that gallery. If we want children to continue to explore the artist inside them, we need to value their creations.
We can value children's artwork by writing about what they have drawn, painted, or sculpted - a description or a story that the child tells. Simple considerations such as providing good quality paper/materials; using neat handwriting when writing on their artwork; and asking questions about specific parts of their artwork shows children that what they have done or are doing is important. How we display children's work reflects what we think of it and adding colorful cardboard frames or mounting pictures (with the child's permission) is actually treating the artwork like a masterpiece. When a child's work is valued, they are much more likely to continue creating.
Focus On The Creation, Not The Process
"Wow" you say, "I thought we were meant to focus on the process, not the product"? What I am suggesting is different. Provide activities where the child can focus on the art of creating and arranging, and not on having to master the skills of cutting, gluing, or even holding a brush. For example, provide large black pieces of cardboard and colorful items such as feathers, flowers or pop sticks. Allow the child to arrange the items in any pattern they desire. Talk to them about what they are doing. A photo can be taken of the end result so that a 'product' or memory is kept, but the focus is on the arranging and the pattern making.
Provide Variety
We are all familiar with providing variety in materials and variety in the environment (indoors / outdoors/ bright colors / peaceful surrounding). Have you considered providing a variety of perspectives? Children do not need to be sitting at a table or standing at an easel to paint or draw. They can be lying on their backs looking at the sky and drawing on a clipboard. They can be painting while lying on their side on comfy cushions. Don't limit children to easels and tables.
Use Music To Enhance Creativity
Music is a powerful tool for helping creativity to flourish. We can be transported to other worlds through music. Use a variety of loud, brash music; jazz; classical; and music from other cultures. It is interesting to compare children's paintings when different music is playing and how this affects their art.
Foster A Creative Mind In All Areas Of The Program
Provide activities which encourage imagination and invention such as the dramatic arts and outdoor play. Children can even be imaginative in meal times by being encouraged to pretend they are having 'tea with the queen' or eating bush tucker. Play language games that encourage children to invent new words and makeup rhymes. Children need to be given freedom to 'think outside the square'.
Allow Time For Children To Create
Do not dictate how long a child can be creative for. Encourage children to take a project approach and give them places to leave their art to come back to at another time.
Be Creative With Children
Allow time to sit with children and be an artist yourself. Model experimentation with colors and patterns, textures and form. Be with children in the moment and have fun being creative!
Challenge Children's Perspectives
It is common for children to draw similar pictures or make the same dough sculpture over and over again. This is a learning tool children use, but there is nothing wrong with challenging them to look at things differently from time to time. For example, many 5 year old children draw a blue line at the top of their page for sky and a green line at the bottom for grass. Take them out into nature and discuss how the sky and ground form...introduce them to "the horizon" and see where this takes them in their next drawing.
Reflect on what you as an adult enjoy when you are being creative. Is it lots of time or space? Is it new and exciting materials? Is it other people to talk to while you create? Is it solitude and quiet? Consider how your program can embrace the artist which lies in each child and encourage the next generation of Picassos.
Cassandra is dedicated and experienced childcare professional and writes for Onsite Early Childhood Training. You can visit our website for more information on children and art and childcare staff training
http://www.onsiteearlychildhoodtraining.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cassandra_Eccleston
Mark Your Calendars
October
14th (M) School Closed for Teacher Professional Day
31st (TH) Wild Rumpus Parade This is a Regular School Day with a Typical School Daily Rhythm
TBA Usborne Book Fair
November
8th (F) School Closed for Teacher Professional Day
25th‑Dec.1st (M-F) School Closed for Thanksgiving Break
December
20th ‑Jan. 6th (M-M) School Closed for Winter Break
October
4 The Love of Pets
4th World Animal Day
4th World Smile Day
25th International Artist Day
31st- Wild Rumpus
November
1st Cook for your Pet Day
8th-Tongue Twister Day
13th World Kindness Day
20th Universal Children’s Day
December
3rd Giving Tuesday
12th Gingerbread House Day
Roar Your Terrible ROAR!!!!
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!!
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 12 hours! The Deadline for all families to have their 12 hours planned has passed!
The volunteer book is located in the rock room.
TerraNichol Academy Of The Arts School Wishlist
Earn your 12 volunteer hours by shopping our Amazon school wishlist.
Featured School Store Product! Better Life Cleaning
Shop Local! The TerraNichol School Store Purchase with a Purpose!
A little about Better Life Cleaning Products!
We take great care to ensure our products are free of unnecessary ingredients that may pose health risks for people, pets, marine life, and the planet. They’re packaged using solar energy and recyclable materials, with formulas that biodegrade (break down in the environment) two-to-five times faster than leading natural and conventional cleaners.
Better Life loves animals.
We don’t test on them (and we never will).
A NON-TOXIC FRIENDSHIP!
We only used plant-derived cleaning agents from coconut, corn and soap bark!
HARSH CHEMICALS WE LEAVE OUT
- Perfumes
- Dyes
- Alcohol
- Ammonia
- Bleach
- Chlorine
- Chloroform
- Ethers
- Ethoxylates
- Parabens
- Petroleum Solvents
- Phosphates
- Phthalates
- Sulfates (SLS/SLES)
- Triclosan
#cleanhappens
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:
October 7th @4:30pm
November 11th @4:30pm
December 9th @4:30pm
January 13th @4:30pm
February 10th @4:30pm
March 9th @4:30pm
April 13th @4:30pm
May 11th @4:30pm
June 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