April Newsletter
2016 - 2017 Academic Year
"We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children."
3rd Annual Spring Family Festival
We will have a bounce house, tattoo parlor, face painting, lots of games, photo booth, and a special shaded play area for our infants and todfants. We are super excited for all the children and families to explore the new interest areas on the big playground! In lieu of small prizes at each game booth, upon leaving the festival the children will receive a goodie bag!
We will be raffling off the themed baskets from the items that were donated by our families. The raffle tickets can be purchased all next week in the front office, as well as at the festival. They are selling for $1 per picket or 6 for $5. The following themed baskets are being raffled:
- Crickets- Date Night
- Ladybugs- Backyard Bonanza
- Caterpillars- Pamper Me
- Butterflies- Family Night In
- Bumblebees- Camping
- Dragonflies- Beach Bum
- Office- Enrich Your Mind
- Office- Garden of Eden
Donation sheets are located in each cottage as well as the office. If you would like to donate an item or happen to know of any businesses that would like to donate towards any of the baskets please let us know. The more items we collect, the more valuable the baskets will be! Last year the baskets were amazing and we're anticipating that they will be even better this year!
The festival will be super fun and family friendly. We hope that you will come and hang out with us and other cottage families! Feel free to invite your friends and family as well. The more the merrier!
Saturday, Apr 15, 2017, 09:30 AM
602 McIntosh Road, Sarasota, FL, United States
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Earth Day Celebrations!
Professional Day - School Closed
Spring Portraits and Class Pictures
Say Cheeeeeeese! On April 18th and 19th, Precious Little People Portraits will be at The Cottages for Spring Portraits. After individual and sibling portraits have been taken, the photographers will be taking class pictures as well. Be sure to check out the picture day sheet in your child’s classroom to see which day your child will be getting their picture and class picture taken. The Parent Info Board in front of the school will have the backgrounds posted that the photographers will be using. Additionally, as it gets closer, we will send out a reminder flyer via email through Smore.
Mark Your Calendars
4/14 - TCMLC Closed for a Professional Day
4/15 - Spring Family Festival, 9:30am - 12pm
4/18 & 4/19 - Spring Portraits and Class Pictures
April Birthdays!
” May the sun’s rays shine brightest on you today with the wind at your heals. Happy Birthday.”
- 4/6- Ms. Cat
- 4/15 - Ally V.
- 4/23 - Charlie S.
- 4/24- Easton T.
- 4/26 - Darren G.
- 4/26- Ms. Angie
Happy Birthday to our friends born in April!
Cricket Cottage News
Hopping into Spring
We welcomed Spring into the Cricket Cottage by introducing spring colors and new animals such as ducks, lambs and bunnies. We will continue to explore the various colors of spring thru sensory art and visuals. We will be adding plastic eggs to their play experience to help develop our friends’ fine and gross motor skills by picking up and filling baskets. We will be introducing water play with our older friends. I’m hopeful for some great photos! We will be putting water on the high chair trays for the younger friends.
Music and Movement
We will be singing “Five Little Ducks” and “Old McDonald Had a Farm” This will help introduce the children to animals and the sounds they make. We will expand on their experience by including the corresponding hand puppets.
Celebrating Earth Day
April is all about saving our Earth! Recycled items will be added to the play area for our friends to touch and explore. We will add empty containers such as water bottles and boxes. If you have a great recycled item please bring it in to share. Our friends will be doing a special art project for earth day using a coffee filter. We will also be adding some finger paints into a large ziploc bag so our friends can have some sensory fun poking, squeezing and squishing the colors together.
Sign of the Month
Bottle
Hold one hand in front of the chest with the palm facing up. Form the other hand into a signed letter O. Place the O on the palm. Move the O up in the motion of tracing the shape of a bottle.
Family First
Our friends miss their families while they are here at school. As an extra comfort for our friends, we have a family wall in our play area. If you haven’t already, we kindly ask for you to bring in a few photos of your family so that your child can see pictures of their loved ones on a daily basis.
Ladybug Cottage News
Month of March in Review
The Ladybugs enjoyed lots of outside time this month. We shifted focus to colors as the children explored the colors of the rainbow. The children have been really interested in caring for babies. They enjoying "feeding" the baby dolls with sensory bottles and putting the baby to bed using rocking methods as well and "shhh, shhh, shh" ing them.
Moving into April...
Earth Day! In celebration of our providing planet, we will be taking a nature walk and collecting materials for art projects. Some examples of items that we may collect are palms and leaves. We will also explore different ways to use recycled materials throughout the classroom. If you have any of the items listed below we are welcoming donations.
- Bubble Wrap
- Plastic containers with lids
- Paper towel rolls (no toilet paper rolls please)
- Small boxes
Advice from a Tree
Stand tall and proud
Go out on a limb
Remember your roots
Drink plenty of water
Be content with your natural beauty
Enjoy the view
Parents, We Love You!
We would like to thank all of you for doing such a wonderful job and your continued support. You help us to maintain clear boundaries in the classroom in order to minimize confusion and maintain consistency for the children. Thank you so much!
Reminders
We would like to continue to encourage the children to stay behind the rug at drop off and pick up times. We encourage this to ensure the safety of the children by avoiding finger pinches and bumps from the door. Children should be sitting when eating or drinking. We also ask parents to label food and drinks and all shoes should be removed at the door.
Did You Know?
That you shouldn't try to avoid bouts of separation anxiety by sneaking away when your child isn't looking? Babies adapt pretty well to other caregivers. Parents probably feel more anxiety about being separated than infants do! As long as their needs are being met, most babies younger than 6 months adjust easily to other people. Sometime between 4-7 months, babies develop a sense of object permanence and begin to learn that things and people exist even when they're out of sight. This is when babies start playing the "dropsy" game- dropping things over the side of the highchair and expecting an adult to pick them up (which, once retrieved, get dropped again!). The same thing occurs with a parent. Babies realize that there's only mom or dad, and when they can't see you, that means you've gone away. And most don't yet understand the concept of time so they don't know if or when you'll come back. So what's a parent to do? Be calm and consistent. Create an exit ritual during which you say a pleasant, loving, and firm goodbye. Stay calm and show confidence in your child. Reassure him or her that you'll be back- and explain how long it will be until you return using concepts kids will understand (such as after lunch) because your child can't yet understand time. Give him or her your full attention when you say goodbye, and when you say you're leaving, mean it; coming back will only make things worse.
Caterpillar Cottage News
March Recap
Our heads are turning from all these colors this month! Each week we talked about a color included in the rainbow. We made different colored sensory play for each week and introduced slime. Slime is a gooey object made with glue and borax that the children had a blast playing with! We also made rainbows, collages, and painted with straws.
"Water" We Learning Next?
Now that April is here, we have been noticing the weather is beginning to change. This month our topic will be April showers brings May flowers. We will be focusing on the weather and what causes rain. The kids will paint with water outside and make cloud binoculars. This weather is perfect for spending time in the school garden and planting seeds while watching the flowers grow.
Earth Day
The Caterpillars will learn how important it is to keep our Earth clean and litter free. We will have a playground activity planned for both Caterpillar and Butterfly cottages where trash has invaded the playground. Oh no! Also, we will reuse different objects to create upcycled art. We love planet Earth!
Nature
We have been noticing some red cardinals, woodpeckers, and blue jays outside since the weather has warmed up. The Caterpillars have been observing these birds on the playground while outside playing and through the classroom window. One of the activities we have planned is making bird feeders for these feathered friends. This will be an activity that the class does as a group for a collaborative learning project. We will also paint with sticks, leaves, and flowers as we continue to watch the season of Spring unfold before our eyes.
Feelings
This month the Caterpillars will focus on our feelings. The kids are learning how to express their feelings by using their words and how to best manage our feelings when we are mad or upset. During circle time we will read the book, "I Have Feelings", sing songs, and use feelings cards.
Donations
During the month of April we will need the following items to help create our projects. Please let us know if you are able to donate any of the following:
- Paper towel rolls
- Empty water bottles
- Egg cartons
- Bird seed
Butterfly Cottage News
March Recap
Our building theme for the month of March was a real hit! We built with different types of materials such as Legos, ice cubes, wooden blocks, and Solo cups. We read books and looked at pictures of famous buildings such as the Eifel Tower and Leaning Tower of Piza. Also, we learned a new game called Tetris in which we connected different shapes together.
Eggs
The month of April will be egg-cellent in the Butterfly Cottage! We have many fun activities planned using plastic and real eggs such as egg towers and dying eggs. We will also be discussing which animals come from eggs and exploring the outside and inside of an egg.
Donations
We are looking for some donations for the month of April to enrich our learning. if you are able to donate, please let us know. Thank you!
- Baking Soda
- Vinegar
- Plastic baby dinosaurs
- Plastic eggs
- Real eggs for dyeing (please see Ms. Jamie)
Science- Magic Dinosaur Eggs!
The Butterflies will be participating in a science experiment this month. We will create "eggs" out of baking soda and water for our baby dinosaurs. After the "eggs" have dried overnight, we will hatch the eggs using vinegar. This is a fun activity in which the children will use problem solving skills as well as engaging in conversations.
Patterning (Math)
Matching and creating patterns is a simple way to incorporate math into our curriculum. We have practiced matching with pictures, felt board games, and even folding the clean wash clothes after they come out of the dryer. We began creating patterns in February with different colored pom poms and shapes. This month we will continue to create patterns using colored plastic eggs.
Reminders
- Please sign your child in and out everyday
- Please make sure that you have communicated with a teacher that you are dropping off or picking up your child
- Quick goodbyes in the morning are always easier for the child. Example, "Mommy/Daddy has to go to work. I will pick you up after work. I love you and hope you have a great day!"
Bumblebee Cottage News
March Recap
We “March”ed through last month with a celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, including a very special visit with the Cat in the Hat! The Bees enjoyed learning more about vehicles of today and yesterday, with a special focus on all kinds of transportation from cars and trains, emergency vehicles, to ships and airplanes. They also truly took to the “Name Train” activity, in which they practiced writing out the letters of each of their names. Of course, we couldn’t let this month pass by without a “Wearing o’ the Green” day, in which we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day and learned about a few of the traditions this cheerful holiday brings.
Literature
We will continue through April with a special focus on literature and its enrichment of the lives of each child. The Bees have been learning to identify a book’s title, illustrator, and author, and we will continue to integrate this as we provide them daily with various types of literature they love, both old favorites and new treasures. Taking a tip from Easter, and Peter Cottontail himself, we also will introduce a “carrot patch” word-scramble which will further strengthen their skills in identifying the letters of their names. A “bunny patch” in our reading nook will also make this activity even more enjoyable as the Bees will be welcome to cuddle up with a fuzzy bunny plush and delve into reading.
Construction - Vehicles
Continuing with transportation momentum into the month of April, we will begin to look at various construction vehicles and their roles each week. A Construction Counting activity will implement some of these featured vehicles, while strengthening math skills. With the Bees’ natural enjoyment of vehicles of all kinds, this one is sure to “dig up” enjoyment and interest in this month’s topics!
Construction – Materials
Our Bumblebees will begin to learn about the various structures all around us. A “Build a House” popsicle stick art activity will help get creativity and problem solving skills flowing to better understand buildings and the framework inside them. Cement and bricks (play dough and blocks) will also be integrated to build structures and to understand more about materials used during construction, as will the familiar story “The Three Little Pigs”. A look at homes from past to present will continue to deepen awareness to our Bees and the world around them as we consider shoji paper walls used in Japan, the tipis (teepees) of Native American tribes, to arctic igloos.
Construction - Structures
No lesson on construction would be complete without considering the kinds of structures all around us. From houses, apartments, and skyscrapers to bridges and walls, the Bumblebees will be provided with plenty of inspiration to try new structures in both the Block Center and during play dough creations. These activities will truly help to put the children’s understanding of construction and architecture all together!
Portfolios
We are working very hard to put together your child's 2016-2017 Bumblebee Cottage portfolio. We still need quite a few 3 ring binders to be provided in order to put this keepsake together. Please provide us with a binder with your child's name on it so we can have the portfolios completed by the end of the school year.
Sign-In Board
As each child gains a firmer grasp on spelling their names, we will begin integrating a “sign-in board” for our little Bees, and we need your help! Each morning when you bring your child to class, a sign in board will now be located on the writing table, and we ask that you remind your children to sign in at that time. There is no “write” or wrong way! This will allow them to not only further practice their writing skills, but will allow us as their teachers to gain a better grasp of how they are growing in this area. This activity will also aid in the sometimes-bumpy transitions that occur during drop-off, especially after a lovely weekend at home. Plus, it will allow them to feel confident in this activity when they graduate into Dragonflies!
Dragonfly Cottage News
March Recap
March was a busy and fun filled month! We had a blast learning about geology. We had so much fun cracking our gourds with a hammer and seeing what was inside. We also enjoyed chopping veggies to make our very own delicious stone soup. We explored rocks, pebbles, and minerals as well. We all have a new love for all types of rocks now!
April
During the month of April we will be learning about plants. We will break it down into exploring flowers, vegetables, fruits, and herbs. We want to learn how each plant starts from a seed and see this development by planting seeds in the school garden. Please dress your child in clothes that you don't mind getting dirty. We have also enjoyed our cooking projects so much that we will be chopping and preparing foods from more small recipes. We will get chances to make various salads and dips. If you would like to donate any type of plant, flower, herb, or seeds for our Plant Inquiry unit, please bring it in. We can incorporate it all! As of now we have already grown sunflowers, radishes, tomatoes, beans, corn, and wild flowers in our bucket garden. Any donations are always appreciated. We would love to add some herbs too. We will be collecting recycled cans for planting as well such as tea cans, tin cans, etc. which make cool potters. Thank you Dragonfly families! You are so wonderful!
"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need"- Cicero
Science
As part of our plant inquiry unit we are going to learn all about what kind of plants we can eat and how they grow. The children are growing sweet potatoes, beans, and flowers. We are going to learn how leaves breathe and explore vegetables with the senses.
STEM
The children will strengthen their fine motor skills as they experience a STEM activity creating fruit salad. Yummy! What a delicious activity!
Creative Expression
How much fun can you have when you can be creative with plants? We are going to paint with plants, flowers, and vegetables. We will use our imagination and create still life flower garden painting. We are going to read the stories such as, The Tiny Seed, by Eric Carle. We will also create a flower using potatoes and do some potato stamping.
Math
During our school day we always try to incorporate a math activity that goes along with our monthly topic. In honor of the Spring season we are going to do some math with plants such as flower petal counting, creating a number line 1-20 using flowers, and a beans and flower pots counting activity.