Our Study


May 2024

Dear Families, 

We have noticed that the children are very interested in balls. They’re curious about different kinds of balls, how people use balls, what they are made of, what is inside them, and how high they can bounce. We think balls will make an interesting study. If you can, we would like your help in gathering a collection of balls to investigate. We’ll need many different types of balls. Here’s a list of suggestions, but you may also send in balls that are not on the list. We’ll take good care of them so we can return them to you at the end of the study. As we study balls, we will learn concepts and skills in literacy, math, science, social studies, the arts, and technology. We’ll also be using thinking skills to investigate, ask questions, solve problems, make predictions, and test our ideas. 

List: baseball, basketball, beach ball, bowling ball, cotton ball, crystal ball, doggie ball, football, golf ball, kickball, Koosh® ball, marble, ping-pong® ball, pool (billiard) ball, racquetball, soccer ball, tennis ball, volleyball, WIFFLE® ball 

What You Can Do at Home 

Spend time with your child, playing with balls of all shapes, types, and sizes, such as playground balls, tennis balls, ping-pong balls, Koosh® balls, volleyballs, baseballs, footballs, and marbles. Talk about what the balls are made of, whether they are heavy or light, and whether they are big or little. Wonder aloud with your child to encourage his or her thinking about balls. For example, you might ask, “I wonder what’s inside a tennis ball. I wonder how far you can throw a foil ball, a beach ball, or a tennis ball. How can we find out?” Help your child use all of his or her senses when playing with balls. You might ask, “What does it look like? Feel like? Sound like? Smell like?” See how many types of balls you can find around the house and in your neighborhood. Play a game while riding in the car, bus, or train. Think of all the words that contain the word ball in them. Look for examples of balls around you. 

 Thank you for playing an important role in our learning.

March 2024

Dear Families, 

We’ve noticed the children showing interest in the different kinds of signs that we see around our community and school. The children are curious about what letters and words they see on signs, what those signs mean, and how they are used. We think a study of signs will be a great opportunity for children to explore their ideas. We need your help to get our study started. If you can, your help in gathering materials related to signs would be valuable in supporting our investigations. We need a variety of materials for the children to explore and use to make their own signs such as cardboard, scrap paper, fabric, and stencils. If you have any books or pictures related to signs, we’d love to borrow those, too. Below is a list of suggested items, but feel free to send other items that would enhance our exploration. Please label your items with your name so we can return them to you at the end of the study. We promise to take good care of them! Also, please let us know if any member of your family works with signs (e.g., printer, crossing guard, sign language interpreter) and would like to share their expertise with the class. We would love to arrange a time for you to join us in our investigations. 

Toy signs Cardboard Cardstock Scrap paper Magnetic letters and boards Magazines that have pictures of signs Clean, empty food packages Flashlights Books about signs or sign language Fabric Stickers Paint Stencils Board games with signs Whistles Paint rollers Pictures and Videos Interesting signs from other places Signs in your community People using signs 

What You Can Do at Home Talk with your child about signs that you see around your neighborhood. Point out street signs, traffic signs, and signs you see at any stores that you visit. Talk about what they look like and compare the colors, shapes, and words that you see. Read the signs with your children and talk about what information the signs are communicating and how some signs help keep you safe. 

 Thank you for participating in our learning. 




2/2024

Dear Families,

 When we are outside, children often ask questions about our building. They want to know the height of the school building, what it’s made of, and how strong it is. They also ask many questions about the way it looks. Their ongoing interest in our building helped us realize that buildings would make a good study topic. To get the study started, we are gathering all sorts of pictures of buildings. We could really use your help! We welcome pictures from any source, such as newspapers or magazines, postcards, printouts from the Internet, and your family’s photo collection. It would be wonderful if you could include pictures of buildings in other parts of the world, too. Here’s a list of suggestions, but you may also send in pictures of buildings that are not on the list:  houses apartments barns sheds castles cottages cabins bungalows huts yurts shacks hotels–motels inns office buildings schools stores churches synagogues mosques post offices supermarkets libraries restaurants hospitals factories skyscrapers theaters concert halls museums parking garages gas stations mechanic shops government buildings community centers 

 As we study buildings, we will learn concepts and skills in science, social studies, literacy, math, the arts, and technology. We will also be using thinking skills to investigate, ask questions, solve problems, make predictions, and test our ideas.

 What You Can Do at Home

 Study your house or apartment building with your child. What materials were used to build it? How many floors or stories does it have? How many rooms, windows, and doors does it have? Don’t forget the basement if you have one! How old is your home? Who built it? What are its dimensions? Talk with your child about the buildings that you see together. Keep a list of the buildings that interest your child. Help your child investigate questions similar to the ones we mentioned above. 

 Thank you for playing an important role in our learning. 



December 2023

Dear Families,

We’ve noticed that the children have been using all kinds of tubes and tunnels in the classroom areas and outdoors. They are interested in building and creating with tubes and tunnels and are curious about what they can do with them. We think a study of tubes and tunnels will be a great opportunity for children to explore their ideas. We need your help to get our study started. If you can, your help in gathering materials related to tubes and tunnels would be valuable in supporting our investigations. We need a variety of materials for the children to explore such as cardboard tubes from paper towel rolls, straws, and hoses. If you have any books or pictures related to tubes or tunnels, we’d love to borrow those, too. Below is a list of suggested items, but feel free to send other items that would enhance our exploration. Please label your items with your name so we can return them to you at the end of the study. We promise to take good care of them! 

Materials Cardboard tubes Wrapping paper tubes Water hose Drinking straws PVC pipes and connectors Toy train tunnels Glue sticks Funnels Toothpaste tubes Tubes of paint Postal tubes Pictures and Videos Tunnels through mountains Train tunnels Subway tunnels Surfing Ant farms Agility tunnels Playground with tube slide Covered bridges Animal burrows 

Also, please let us know if any member of your family works with tubes or tunnels (e.g., baker, gardener, dog trainer, or plumber) and would like to share their expertise with the class. We would love to arrange a time for them to join us in our investigations. 

What You Can Do at Home Ask questions to encourage your child to look for tubes and tunnels around your home. Do you think there are any tubes in the kitchen? Can you find a tunnel in the backyard? Talk about what each tube and tunnel is used for and about any special characteristics it has such as the material it is made of or its size. 

 Thank you for participating in our learning. 


                                                                         October 2023

Dear families, 

From the day they were born, getting dressed has been a part of your child’s daily routines. When your child was an infant, you dressed your child in soft, comfortable clothes to keep them cozy and warm. As your child has gotten older, you may have noticed that they are developing their own preferences for the clothes they like to wear and are beginning to express themselves in their outfit choices. Young children are often interested in the variety of colors, textures, materials, and patterns that clothes come in and enjoy exploring features such as zippers, buttons, and snaps. Two-year-old children are also beginning to engage in more dramatic play activities that can be meaningfully supported by offering a variety of dress-up clothes. These characteristics of clothes and the children’s curiosity has inspired us to introduce a study of clothes. We need your help gathering a collection of clothes for the children to investigate. We’ll need many different types of clothes. Here’s a list of suggested items, but you may also send in items that are not on the list. Please label any items you would like returned to you with your name. We’ll take good care of them so we can return them to you at the end of the study. 

T-shirts pants sweaters jackets hats gloves uniforms helmets saris jerseys leotards robes vests parkas windbreakers rain coats rain boots rain hats suits work shirts blouses flannel shirts smocks aprons shorts skirts pajamas scarves belts mittens hijabs tights costumes dresses sweatpants pajamas scarves shoes ponchos

 As we study clothes, children will develop fine-motor skills as they open and close buttons, zippers, and snaps; social skills as they explore clothes alongside other children and learn about the special clothes other people wear; and cognitive skills as they sort and explore clothes and incorporate them into dramatic play experiences.

 What You Can Do at Home Notice the welcome activity set up each morning for you and your child. These activities that you and your child will engage in reflect what we are currently learning and investigating in the classroom. Look for similar materials at home that you can explore with your child, such as sharing with your child what you wear to work or for any special hobbies you have. Draw your child’s attention to their own clothes and invite them to help choose what they wear each day by offering two or three appropriate options. Invite your child to explore the clothes your family wears for daily activities and special occasions and talk with your child about why you chose them. 

Thank you for being a part of our study and our learning 



Dear Families,

 You may have noticed a lot of activity lately at the sand table. The children have been very busy! Now they want to learn all about the different kinds of sand, where sand is found, how sand is made, how it’s used, and who works with it. In their play at school, the children have shared their passion for digging, holding, scooping, and pouring both wet and dry sand. We think a study of sand will be an incredible opportunity for children to explore their interest in sand. If you can, we’d appreciate your help in gathering materials related to sand. We’ll need many different objects and pictures related to sand. We will begin our study by collecting books or pictures of sand. Here’s a list of suggested items, but feel free to send other items that you think may add to our exploration. Please label all items with your name so we can return them to you at the end of our study. We promise to take good care of them! Also, please let us know if someone in your family has a job or hobby related to sand (e.g., glass worker, mason, bricklayer, construction worker, or artist who works with sand) and would like to share their expertise with the class. We would love to arrange a time for you to join us in our investigations.

 Natural (not colored craft or art) sand samples Shovels Plastic containers with lids Chunks of broken masonry or bricks Wheel barrow Photos of sand, beaches, dunes, the desert Nonfiction books about sand Sand paper of different grits Water pitcher, spray bottles Hourglass or sand timers Books, photos or samples of art made of sand Microscopic images of sand and dirt Sand molds and rakes

 What You Can Do at Home You can help with our study of sand in several ways. Take your child on a walk to look for sand around your home and neighborhood. Take a small bag, masking tape, a spoon, and a pen. When your child finds sand, make a note of where it was found on the tape and stick it to the bag. Talk with your child about the sand’s color, texture, and size of grains. Was it part of a piece of cement on the side of the road? Did it blow over from the shore? You may even want to record your child’s ideas. Call your child’s attention to the various ways sand is used in and around your neighborhood. For example, point out how sand is used on icy roads, sidewalks and pathways, in mortar, cement, on construction sites, and even in heavy bags at the gym. 

Thank you for helping in our Sand Study!






March 2023

Dear families,

 Have you ever noticed your child playing with a container? You may have seen them play with, for example, a bucket, a lunchbox, or a bottle. Many children are fascinated by the containers they use each day as they play, create, eat, and drink. We’ve noticed children filling up and dumping out containers; stacking them; exploring sand and water with them; and using them to independently complete tasks, such as throwing away trash in the trash can and using a spray bottle of water to help clean the table. The children’s curiosities about the containers they use at school have inspired us to introduce a study of containers. We need your help gathering a collection of containers for the children to investigate. We’ll need many different types of containers that we use at home and at school. Here’s a list of suggested items, but you may also send in items that are not on the list. Many of the items, such as clean food containers and jars, can be recycled or shared with another class at the end of the study. Please label any items you would like returned to you with your name. We’ll take good care of them so we can return them to you at the end of the study.

 shoeboxes take-out containers bowls measuring cups soap dispensers nesting cups jars boxes spray bottles toothpaste tubes shape sorters classroom bins baby bottles lunchboxes milk cartons trash cans wipes containers paint cups tissue boxes jugs cereal boxes food storage containers canisters baskets 

During our study of containers, children will develop language and literacy skills as they name and describe containers by color, shape, size, and function; practice math skills as they count containers and explore how much they can hold; and experience a growing sense of independence as they do new things for themselves.

 What You Can Do at Home Notice the welcome activity set up each morning for you and your child.  Invite your child to explore  containers and discuss what they look like and how you use them. Containers are also a wonderful addition to dramatic-play activities. Using clean and empty food storage containers, cartons, cereal and oatmeal boxes, yogurt cups, etc., during play encourages your child to explore containers with you. Thank you for being a part of our study and our learning 

                                                                                 

January?February News

Dear Families,

 Preschool children use simple machines as they play and create throughout the day. We have noticed that the children are curious and enjoy experimenting as they use simple machines such as scissors, hole punchers, ramps, slides, and screws. They have shown interest in exploring and modifying simple machines and are curious about how they are used. We think a study of simple machines will be a great opportunity for children to explore their ideas. We need your help to get our study started. If you can, your help in gathering materials related to simple machines would be valuable in supporting our investigations. We need a variety of materials for the children to explore: tongs, tweezers, lemon presses, and screw-top bottles. If you have any books or pictures related to simple machines, we’d love to borrow those, too. Below is a list of suggested items, but feel free to send other items that would enhance our exploration. Please label your items with your name so we can return them to you at the end of the study. We promise to take good care of them!

 Lemon press Small boards Paper towel tubes Water bottles with caps Cardboard Corkscrew Gutter pieces Garlic press Chopsticks Tweezers Nuts and bolts Scissors Screws Screwdriver Screwdriver bits Potato ricer Jars with lids Hole punchers Tongs Pliers Nutcracker Pictures and Videos Interesting simple machines Simple machines being used Simple machines in your home Simple machines in your community.

 What You Can Do at Home

 Talk with your child about simple machines that you see around your home and neighborhood: screw-top bottles, nuts and bolts, ramps, slides, tongs, tweezers, brooms, etc. Create a list of the simple machines you find. If possible, give your child simple machines that he or she can use and ask questions about how they work. How is the simple machine used? What does it do? 

Thank you for participating in our learning.



                                                                                    


                                                                                December News

Dear Families, 

We’ve noticed the children showing interest in the different kinds of signs that we see around our community and school. The children are curious about what letters and words they see on signs, what those signs mean, and how they are used. We think a study of signs will be a great opportunity for children to explore their ideas. We need your help to get our study started. If you can, your help in gathering materials related to signs would be valuable in supporting our investigations. We need a variety of materials for the children to explore and use to make their own signs such as cardboard, scrap paper, fabric, and stencils. If you have any books or pictures related to signs, we’d love to borrow those, too. Below is a list of suggested items, but feel free to send other items that would enhance our exploration. Please label your items with your name so we can return them to you at the end of the study. We promise to take good care of them! Also, please let us know if any member of your family works with signs (e.g., printer, crossing guard, sign language interpreter) and would like to share their expertise with the class. We would love to arrange a time for you to join us in our investigations. 

Toy signs Cardboard Cardstock Scrap paper Magnetic letters and boards Magazines that have pictures of signs Clean, empty food packages Flashlights Books about signs or sign language Fabric Stickers Paint Stencils Board games with signs Whistles Paint rollers Pictures and Videos Interesting signs from other places Signs in your community People using signs 

What You Can Do at Home Talk with your child about signs that you see around your neighborhood. Point out street signs, traffic signs, and signs you see at any stores that you visit. Talk about what they look like and compare the colors, shapes, and words that you see. Read the signs with your children and talk about what information the signs are communicating and how some signs help keep you safe. Thank you for participating in our learning 

                                                          December News

                                                                   

   Here is a snip-it from an article from Scholastic that I think you might like.

Your Preschooler Discovers Letters and Numbers 

Literacy doesn’t start only when your child starts school. From birth, babies and children are gathering skills they’ll use in reading. The years between ages 3 and 5 are critical to reading growth, and some 5-year-olds are already in kindergarten.

The best way to instill a love for and interest in reading is to simply read to your child.And yet, many parents don’t. Reading gives you the opportunity for close bonding with your child, and it also provides a window into a world of literacy that your child is about to enter.

As your child goes from saying her first sentences to speaking in paragraphs, you will start to see exciting milestones develop with reading. Your child will begin to recognize print on the street, stop signs, familiar store signs, and the address posted on your home.

Talk About Text

A text-rich environment for preschoolers lays the groundwork for reading success. It’s not just about having books in the home, although that’s a great start. You can also start talking about letters, numbers, and words on packages and signs.

Help your child see how text is already a part of his daily life. Point out the name of his favorite cereal. Show him the labels on clothing. Show him the different parts of a birthday card or invitation.

When you are out and about, play games involving letter and number recognition. Can your child tell you any of the letters in the supermarket sign? Can she read the serving amount on a packaged snack? She will be delighted to understand more about her world — but don’t push her delight. Developing text awareness should never be a chore.

       Reading Activities for Ages 3-5

1. Fun With Letters

Children enjoy copying words out onto paper. Write your child’s name and have him copy it himself with alphabet stamps, stickers, or magnets. Encourage him to “write” his own words using the letters. Your child will write letters backwards, spell seemingly randomly, and may hold his marker strangely — it’s “all good” at this age when a child wants to communicate in writing of any kind.

2. What Word Starts With…

The letter-sound connection is one of the first steps to reading. Play a guessing game about your child’s favorite words. What letter does “p-p-p-pirate” start with? How about “M-m-mommy”? Once your child guesses one correctly, see how many words you can come up with together that start with the same letter.

3. Your Child the Author

Three-year-olds can be chatty, and by age 4, it can be hard to get a word in edgewise. Take advantage of your child’s interest in talking by writing a book together. Start out with something simple, like describing a fun day at a park or visiting friends. Staple a few pieces of paper together, and write out one or two of your child’s sentences on each page. Then, read the story to her and let her illustrate it.

4. A Different Way to Read

Reading to your child is great — but what’s even better is something called “dialogic” reading. That’s when you ask your child to participate in the story. Before turning the page, ask your child what he thinks will happen next. You can also ask your child what other way the book could have ended. For example, with the classic book Corduroy, what would have happened if the little girl hadn’t come back to take Corduroy home from the toy store?

5. Take Letters Outside

Kids are tactile and enjoy few activities more than poking things with a stick. Many preschools encourage kids to make letters out of Play Doh or draw them into sand or clay. The next time you are out in the park, or at the beach, or in the snow, use your surroundings to play with letters. Take turns writing letters in the snow, dirt, or sand.

6. Just the Facts

Try getting your child interested in nonfiction books. At the library or bookstore, find books on your child’s favorite topics. Cars, dinosaurs, dogs, and other topics are covered in on-level books with plenty of pictures, designed especially for kids this age.


Reading on Your Phone or Tablet

There are many classic books that your child can either read or have read to him as apps on your phone. Look for these popular titles:

Plus, you might want to look into “Tales to Go,” a subscription-based app that streams over 900 stories for kids ages 3-11 with constant updates (iPhone and iPad).

Word and Letter Games on Your Phone or Tablet

To build the sound-letter connection and practice sight words and spelling, try these apps:


 



                                                                                            

Dear Families, 

Our class is beginning to study trees. We’ll be observing and comparing trees to learn about what lives in them, what they’re made from, and who cares for them. We hope that this study will help children explore and appreciate nature. As we study trees, we will use literacy, math, the arts, and technology to explore the topic in depth. We will learn important social studies and scientific concepts through firsthand investigations.  If you are able to take a “tree walk” with your child, we would appreciate your help in collecting tree parts to investigate. If you can, please take a bag to a tree area and collect things that have fallen, such as leaves, bark, acorns, twigs, flowers, fruit, or cones. See below for suggestions of other tree parts to bring in. We need your help to enrich the children's learning. 

 What You Can Do at Home You can help your child explore and appreciate nature by learning about trees. Invite your child to talk about trees. Share stories about your favorite childhood memories involving trees and games you might have played around them. Wonder aloud with your child to encourage his or her thinking about trees. “I wonder why leaves fall from trees.” “I wonder what makes some trees grow so big.” At home, collect parts of trees, and encourage your child to sort them. Your child might also enjoy making a collage by arranging and gluing tree items on paper. 

 Thank you for playing an important role in our learning!

SUGGESTIONS: a variety of leaves small limbs, branches, twigs food from trees (fruit, nuts) pinecones evergreen sprigs or small boughs a live, potted tree flower clippings (may be kept in water) seeds tree “cookies” (cross sections of trees that show the rings) bark 

Dear Families,

     The Creative Curriculum® is a play-based learning curriculum that focuses on interest areas and fosters creativity in both children and teachers. Being creative means thinking of new ideas, obtaining information by asking questions, and learning through trial and error. The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool is based on 38 objectives for development and learning that focus on all the areas that are most important for school success: social–emotional, cognitive, math, literacy, physical, language, social studies, science and technology, and the arts. These objectives are built into every activity that happens in the classroom, which means that all day long, the teacher is helping your child build skills and knowledge in these important areas.

     In The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool, learning happens through studies. Studies, which span several weeks, are in-depth, project-based investigations of topics that are part of your child’s everyday life. They feature topics such as trees, buildings, clothes, and balls. In a study, children raise questions about the topic and find answers by exploring, experimenting, and investigating in a hands-on way—through activities that take place in the classroom and outdoors. 

      Our first study, Beginning The Year, helps children become familiar with our school.  Some of the topics we will explore include:  What names do we need to know at school? What should we do if we get sad or scared at school? What are our rules? When do thinggs happen at school? Who works at our school? How do we make friends? Hqw can we be part of a group?  We will be encouraging children to observe, take things apart, build and see what they can find out.  The more active children are in their work, the more they learn and remember. As the children play, we will be watching how they use the materials. We will listen. We willl talk with them to find out what they are thinking and trying to do.  Through the studies and play,  children will think of new ideas, obtain information by asking questions, and learn through trial and error. 

     Parent Involvement helps extend teaching outside the classroom and helps create a more positive experience for children. Ask your child about their day. They may just say, "I played."  This will be very true because there is tremendous power to be found in play. It is a process of self-discovery - to make mistakes, to fail, to learn, to try again, to persist, to be creative, to innovate! Through play, they will be learning. So you may want to continue and ask your child, "Who did you play with?", "What did you play with?", and "What was your favorite part of your day and why?".