Preschool Newsletter January 2017
Longwood Medical Child Care Center
December was a month of excitement for many of the preschool children as they anticipated festivities and traditions they
share with family and friends. All the preschool classrooms enjoyed visits from families. Parents’ shared different activities
from cooking, reading stories, science exploration, art projects, and sharing family traditions. Below are some of the pictures
from these visits. If you would still like to do an activity in your child’s class please contact your child’s teacher to set up a time.
Young Preschool Room
The children continue to enjoy working together on 100 piece puzzles. The puzzles have lots of detail and the children are
learning to use the colors and shapes to put pieces together. As the children work cooperatively you can hear such statements
as “try here” and “it’s dark like this piece”. One child may work on small areas and join them with the rest of the puzzle while
others may work on a section supplying each other pieces. Some children prefer working on smaller puzzles independently to
practice rotating pieces and finding the right connections before working with a group.
Additionally the December curriculum included the reading of the Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett, which resulted in baking
gingerbread baby cookies decorated by the children as well as an art project creating a gingerbread house out of shapes, paper
gingerbread babies and decorating both with pompoms, ribbons, glitter and other art materials.
During the month some children shared their excitement about receiving gifts during family celebrations. The teachers talked
with them about giving and receiving. Some children ‘wrapped’ presents to ‘give’ to their friends and friends in turn practiced
saying ‘thank you’. They used the presents in play to surprise others.
Middle Preschool Room
The children have been just as excited about the anticipated holidays as their younger friends and the holiday talk steered
some children to ask questions about reindeers in winter. This interest in reindeer lead to an impromptu creation of deer
heads using popsicle sticks, glue and other art supplies. The conversation continued along with the classroom focus on animals
in winter. Some of the animals that the children have been discussing are geese that migrate south for the winter, bears that
hibernate in their caves, and squirrels that collect nuts to eat all winter. Upon the children’s return from vacation the
discussion continues as they share what they know and want to learn about polar bears and penguins. Learning about animals
is fun!
As LMACCC encourages learning through play the children explore a variety of materials facilitating opportunities to create
structures, construct knowledge, and practice social and language skills. Engaging in conversations allow children to talk about
their work, request materials and offer ideas/suggestions/solutions.
December included the first snowfall resulting in excited children. One friend had learned how to make paper snowflakes and
friends wanted to learn so the tools and materials were gathered with guidance from the teacher. The children were
supported if they needed help as they folded paper, cut on marked lines, and used glue and glitter to embellish them. They
were proud of their accomplishments and displayed them on the window.
Older Preschool Room
Many weeks ago the children started a discussion about harvest and food and this topic expanded to include talking about
farming. While talking about harvest they started a science experiment that should take them through to the summer. The
children helped to set up rooting a sweet potato in a cup of water. They have had an opportunity to use a magnifying glass to
check the potato for the start of roots. The children will continue to observe the roots and measure them until the potato
grows a solid root system for planting.
Throughout this curriculum topic the children explored farm concepts in a variety of activities. In the sensory table they
explored with soil and hay, at the science table they used scales and weighed a variety of natural items found on the farm such
as oats, corn, and fire wood. In dramatic play the children pretended to milk a cow or feed their horses. The children tried to
paint with hay and pine needles making comparisons between those materials versus using a paint brush. Upon return from
vacation the children have added a drift of pigs created during an art project.
The following pictures reflect some of the learning that takes place as children play with the variety of materials and
participate in many activities throughout their day. You can observe children in active learning as they practice counting to see
who made the most dough balls, creating letters out of wood blocks, or designing a map to walk on.
Some children work on problem solving skills that incorporate trial and error or cause and effect while making a marble run
that allows a marble to go from one point to another or figure out the physics of balance while using cones and blocks to
create bridges for driving vehicles on or under.
Parents Corner:
As the weather becomes colder and more unpredictable it can become challenging to go outside. Families can still provide
many opportunities for children to move their bodies safely while having fun inside the house! The following are ideas that
may help make that next indoor day a little more enjoyable for everyone.
Tips for Indoor Gross Motor Play at Home
•
Ask your child to hold his favorite stuffed animal, doll or object. Play music and have a parade around the
house. Instruct your child to move various ways as you give him directions. “Hold the bear on top of your head. Hold
the bear behind your back. Put the bear on the floor and jump over it. Take big marching steps. Hop like a
bunny. Crawl like a crab.”
• Create a crawling tunnel by moving chairs to create an open space and draping sheets, towels or blankets over
them. You can also use this arrangement to create a tent.
• Give children a wooden spoon and ask them to try and balance or walk and balance various objects, such as buttons,
paper clips, cotton balls, crumpled up newspaper balls, a ball of socks, an empty yogurt container, a Lego or block,
etc. Challenge them to hop and skip while balancing the objects as well.
• Have an indoor snowball fight! Make snowballs using crumbled balls of paper, newspaper or socks. You and your child
can throw them to each other and see how many each of you collect.
• Play toss with the snowballs and help your child learn to catch.
• Ask your child to throw the snowballs into a laundry basket, empty trash can, clothes hamper, pot or paper
bag. Challenge your child to move further away and use a smaller container once they master each skill.
• An adult and child hold each side of a blanket, sheet or towel. Toss the snowballs in the middle, and try to keep them
on the blanket.
• Have an indoor treasure hunt. Hide plastic animals, legos, figurines, buttons, or cotton balls around the house or in
one room of the house and ask your child to search for them. You can also hide a glove or mitten and ask children to
find the match.
• Create a mini obstacle course. Children can hop to one area, walk backwards to another area, jump over an object,
skip or gallop to another area, and walk sideways back to the beginning.
Adapted from the article “Physical Play for an Indoor Day”, Scholastic Early Childhood Today, March 2005.
Reminder: Please remember to stock your child’s cubby for the changing weather conditions. We will be walking to Movement
and going to the playground whenever possible. When the snow starts to fall please send your child with snow pants, hats,
mittens and boots for snow play as playing on the playground in the snow is sooooo much fun.
Save the dates:
Pajama day is January 11, 2017
Parent Event is on January 19, 2017 in which you are welcome to create art projects with your child.
Parent Workshop January 30, 2017 Parenting with Style
Robin Gossels
Preschool Coordinator