Acorn Community
Toddlers: 16 to 33 Months
Dear Acorn Families,
It has been a LONG February! I have been so impressed with all of the children in the Acorn community between snow days, cold days, and late starts they have continued to thrive. When we started the school year, our work cycle was only about 45 minutes to an hour long. Our first work cycle is regularly an hour and a half at this point in the year. With all the indoor recess, we have increased our second work cycle (our work cycle after snack) to 45 minutes to an hour. After our second work cycle, we move into the gross motor area to give them time to move their body in a bigger way.
Through the generous donations from a few JMS families, we have been able to offer more options for indoor recess! We have a beautiful wooden slide, a set of gymnastics foam mats/shapes (we jump and roll on), and soon a Pikler triangle will be arriving! Just like the classroom, I rotate the materials and toys that we use in this area to keep in fun and interesting for the children. Last week I brought out the sit and spin and they had so much fun!
I am looking forward to getting to connect with each of you during our upcoming parent-teacher conferences! I will be sending home conference forms prior to your conference so you have a chance to review it before we chat. Please feel free to come in with any questions, concerns, or fun stories you want to share about your child. A sign-up genius was sent home last month to sign up, if you need it sent to you again, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Megan, Beth, and Glenda
Photos from our Work Cycle
Fun in the SNOW!
A Word from Simone Davis
I once visited a home and the parents told me that nothing seemed to keep their child’s interest for long. Everything was simply tipped out on the floor and the child was testing every limit.
I looked at the activities that were available. Even though they were beautifully displayed on low shelves, some activities were likely too easy (still hanging around from the baby days) and some had so many pieces or were so difficult that they most likely caused frustration for the child rather than concentration.
So, rather than going into a toy store to see what to buy for a 2-year-old, look at the types of things that your child is trying to master. The activities that are going to be most engaging are those that are challenging for children, but not too difficult that they give up straight away.
Some examples:
If you see your child lying on the floor, rolling a ball from one end of the room to the other, you might want to help them set up a track for their ball to roll along, show them how they can make the ball turn a corner, or for an older toddler, improvise a marble run from cardboard toilet rolls.
If they are interested in things fitting inside other things, they may be interested in a Russian doll. Russian dolls are beautiful wooden nesting toys which will last for a long time in your home.
If your child is pointing at everything for you to name it and parroting the names afterwards, encourage this language explosion with baskets of classified objects. You could have one basket with kitchen items, one with farm animals, another with items of clothing. They will love pulling things out of the basket for you to name.
If your child loves cleaning more than playing with toys, set up opportunities for them to help in the house, the garden, and preparing meals. This is just as valuable as playing and mastering toys.
To practice:
Using things that you already have at home, find just one activity today that keeps your child’s interest for a few minutes. What are they trying to master? And if you have time, perhaps think of a second activity to challenge them further.
Our Acorn Community Friends
Please check for updates and information on our bulletin board outside of our room.
Megan Wylie
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Montessori Material: Binomial Cube
Favorite Restaurant or Coffee Shop: Red Bench Bakery
Birthday Month: April
Favorite Color: Pink
Email: mwylie@jonathanmontessori.org
Website: jonathanmontessori.org
Phone: 952-449-5232