A Closer Look at the Ladybugs
Greetings Ladybug parents
As most of us are experiencing, with the New Year comes new ideas and endeavors. That being said, I am so happy to announce that your child’s classroom has undergone a bit of a makeover. Most of February will be about exploring the new activities in our room and building our focus and concentration as we learn the art of pouring, spooning, squeezing, sorting, stacking and nesting. All of these materials are meant to encourage your child’s fine motor development. As his or her coordination develops, so does self-confidence which has a direct effect on emotional development as well.
The change has been inspired by your child’s progress and developmental abilities. Currently, the Ladybugs are focusing on physical objects and developing their motor skills as well as acquiring language at a rapid pace. Due to this, you will now see many more sensorial materials accompany the practical life activities in the classroom. The kitchen has been scaled back, just slightly to allow for more shelving and new learning opportunities. I will continue to allow time for dramatic play, as creativity and learning abound in that time. I have rotated in some new food items and added a felt pizza that has many vegetable choices as toppings which will encourage language and healthy eating!
One of the newly added sensorial materials is a word and object matching activity. We begin learning the sound of the first letter of the word and we match it with the actual concrete object. This gives your child visual and auditory learning opportunities. Your children are in a stage of exploration and discovery therefore, they are learning through all of their senses. A sensorial apparatus is used as a key to the world to develop the child’s ability to explore the world. I think that this particular work is very valuable to the Ladybugs at this time while we hear their verbal abilities expand every day.