Today the children were excited to return to school and they were eager and ready to dive into the classroom to talk, bond and play with their peers. Immediately, a group of Cardinals visited the library rug and started to look at a collection of books that had been displayed on the rug. They chose their favorite books and snuggled up on the big comfy chair to read together! The joy and delight in seeing each other this morning was a reflection of the friendships and bonds that have evolved throughout our classroom. What a fantastic way to re-enter the 2nd half of the school year!
Our building study took off just where we had left it as a few of us began to bring in our creations from the sticks and wooden shapes that were sent home. We invited the children to bring in their creations all this week to share with the class and help us begin to expand our discussion around buildings and see what other questions might arise. The spirit of building spread to different centers as well as children were seen cooperating in the Magna Tile center and working with goggles, hammers, nails, glue and wood in the studio area to create wood structures. We also used skinny tubes and small connectors to create objects and representations. For example, the children connected the long straws together to make numbers, structures, and carousels.
The group gathered together for a short Morning Meeting. We shared some experiences from Winter Break and some of our wooden sculptures. We talked about the name of the new month and year and Paula showed us what the date looked like in print with letters and numbers! The children are beginning to recognize sight words and they became very excited to accurately 'read' words from our chart paper! The children take pride in their own growth and development and we feel so fortunate to be able to experience this joy with them in our classroom. The children especially loved when we kept saying, " Did we walk into the wrong classroom ? Is this really the kindergarten class?"
Also at Morning Meeting, a new cooperative art project was introduced with colorful wastebaskets, beads and pipe cleaners. The children worked side by side as they experimented with the layout of each piece and discovered ways to connect each of the baskets using pipe cleaners as an attaching tool. Once they had a sturdy structure with multiple levels, the children showed impressive fine motor coordination as they began adding details to each pipe cleaner with beads. This interest was seen at the table and on the rug as groups of children traveled back and forth, cooperating and showing patience with their careful placement of each new piece.
After enjoying our Choice Time and spending some time exploring outside in the welcoming sunny weather, we closed our morning together with journal writing. We sat down to talk about special experiences, visits, and happenings over Winter Break. Then, we sat down at the table and began drawing pictures of our winter break experiences. After our drawings were complete, we dictated our stories to the teachers. We had a wonderful morning together reconnecting with each other and continuing to express ourselves through conversations, interactions and play. Welcome back in the New Year 2013!
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