Things That Go!

WE have been enjoying transportation month so far. I knew all the boys would love it, but I have found that our girls find it just as interesting! Our first week we studied maps, tickets, and trains- all very exciting topics for us.
Our book of the month is "The Pigeon Loves Things That Go!" by Mo Willems.

Harvest Party!

This year, instead of going to the pumpkin patch as a class, we'll be having our own pumpkin patch here at Just Kids! Friday morning, we are going to have a little harvest party and go down to the field, where we can choose a pumpkin, go for a 'hay ride', have a candy dig, and play games! The cost will be $3 for every child who attends, and it will be applied to your bill.
Then, after rest time, we will be having our class Halloween party! Send your child with their costume, and feel free to bring a treat to share with everyone. It's going to be a day full of fun! We hope parents can attend as well!

This week...

Our book of the month is 'We are Going on a Leaf Hunt' by Steve Metzger.

We are studying trees! We have discussed bark, the tree trunk, and porcupines, who make their home in trees. Be sure to look around the classroom at the projects we are doing as we turn our space into our own treehouse club!
p.s. check your child's art box for projects we completed last month.

Parent/Teacher Conferences.

As you may have figured out by now, I am only able to work half days so I leave for the day at 12:30 pm. My doctor has advised this, and within the next two months I will be on full maternity leave for 8 weeks. So there have been some changes in staffing, and consequently there has also been a lull in communication, since I go home before most children are picked up.
First of all, I want to make sure communication lines stay open. Even though I am not at the center after 12:30, I am available for meetings or I can be reached by phone. If you have any questions about your child's day, please feel free to call me or schedule a meeting in the afternoons to talk. I also plan to utilize the blog as much as possible to discuss what we are learning and any news or announcements.
Our daily routine is still the same; in the morning, I am still able to teach circle time and work on science and handwriting projects with the class. In the afternoon, Maisie is in the class to keep the afternoon routine going. We have shortened rest time quite a bit by not laying down until around 1:00 pm, and we have been trying to add as much to the morning, when I am there, as possible.
Over the course of the next month, we will begin fall conferences. We realize that half of our current class is new this fall, and we are at all different starting points with our students this year. The parent/teacher conferences will allow us to start out the year on the same pages, with open communication and a clear goal for each child. More info about dates and times will follow.
Lastly, if you would like to have direct contact from me every day, or even once a week, then give me your email address or email me at kate@celebrationcenter.com. I would love to correspond with you via email about your child's progress.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them!
Thank you, Kate.

Toucans.

I asked the class today 'what does a toucan eat?'... here are some of their responses:
- butterflies
-seeds
-bugs
-dinosaurs
-fruit snacks
- a horse
-leaves
-pretzels
Ok, maybe we got a little silly!

We love learning about new animals every week!

September 21-25th.

This week, we studied to emergent layer of the rain forest. This layer is home to many birds and insects, and we focused on parrots, beetles, and snakes. In circle time, we all knew what foods that each of the animals we studied ate, and we learned about a new snake that eats in a different way- a boa constrictor! We liked being snakes and slithering on the ground.
For art, we continued to make animals to turn our classroom into a rainforest and we made our own emergent layer. Slithery snakes and feathery parrots are in our classroom on display!
Please be sure to check your child's art slot every week to pick up projects and find important notes. We had a great week, and we are looking forward to our last week of studying the rainforest before we move on to another subject!
p.s. have your child point out South America on our map!

popcorn picnic.

It was a warm afternoon, so we had our snack of popcorn on the lawn today... made for some great pictures.