NEWSLETTER
October 2-5
Books we read this week:
We introduced all of our Halloween and Friendship/Emotions books this week!
The 4 B's of Self-Settling
This week we began to extend our discussion of feelings to include a book about monsters recognizing their feelings. It is a GREAT book that explains the feeling and shows the monster's facial expression each time. Stories are a great way to discuss and reinforce concepts because children can relate to the characters and there are visuals for the children to look at as they listen to the words. We added an interactive component to this reading by asking everyone to make the same facial expression as the monster as each feeling was introduced. We also discussed when we might feel that feeling as we made the face.
After we discussed the different feelings we could have we moved to the introduction of "The 4 B's of Self-Settling." These four motions are an easy way for everyone to calm their bodies and minds after different feelings emerge. The key to these four motions is that it moves the body in different ways and gets progressively calmer. We used visuals to show what the body should be doing and verbally said the motion as we did it. The children know that if they hear "Beeeeees" that they need to stop and move through the four motions. The goal is for the children to do it on their own when they feel an overwhelming feeling that they need to recognize and work through.
Finally, we introduced our "Calming Corner." This is a place to practice the B's or just take a minute to calm our bodies and minds. We introduced two calming tools this week (Hannah the doll who likes hugs and our sensory bottle) that the children can use as a tool to calm themselves. We'll continue to introduce different sensory tools in this area as we see the need for them (we have a whole bin ready to go!). We explained that this corner has "tools" not "toys" in order to differentiate our calming items from the things we play with anytime in the classroom.
These experiences practice and reinforce a number of social-emotional skills that children learn and practice at this age. We do this work in the context of the classroom and their experiences so that it makes sense and there is a logical connection to the skills and concepts. This page gives more detailed information about all of the social-emotional skills and expectations we emphasize in our classroom.
Making GAK: Our First Science Experiment
In order to incorporate more sensory experiences into the classroom, we made our own Gak. Gak uses glue and Borax to make a rubbery and stretchy material. You can also cut it and color it, so the sensory possibilities are endless! Making the Gak together also gives us an opportunity to perform a "science experiment" with specific steps to follow and reactions/changes in the materials to pay attention to. Simple experiments inspire children's curiosity and thinking, and hits many different areas of learning and development. It is also lots of fun to make our own materials to play with and figure out all of the different things we can do with them!
The steps in a science experiment mirror following numbered steps in a recipe. The key to a good recipe for children is clear visuals, words and numbered steps. Then they can follow each part with minor guidance, and each child gets to participate in some way. Children learn comparative words as they measure and observe cause and effect as their work develops. They naturally practice counting and sequence as they move through the steps. The matching pictures and words help the children read the items and actions in the recipe, as well as problem solve where to find the materials and how to use them. They practice and develop independence as they identify the step they are in charge of and then work cooperatively to complete it. Fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination are continually practiced through pouring and stirring. And it is quite exciting to see the outcome of their hard work!
The children couldn't wait to see how the Gak formed and what they could do with it. They really dove into the sensory part of the exploration. They incorporated many different tools into their play with the Gak, and were able to use various levels of motor skills and actions (rolling, cutting, hammering, etc...).
