Mrs. Wilson: Little Adventurers and Celebrating Diwali

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

In the enchanting realm of our toddler classroom, there’s a captivating transformation unfolding—the delightful transition from parallel play to cooperative adventures. While our younger companions explore the nuances of parallel play, the older children are weaving together imaginative exploits on the playground.

A whimsical saga commenced with a simple pile of leaves ingeniously placed on the slide by two adventurous souls. Once the others caught on to the fun, more of the children joined in. What ensued was a collaborative masterpiece, each child taking turns, sliding down to craft an ever-growing cushion of leaves. A symphony of laughter echoed as they collaborated in gathering more leaves, sharing in the sheer joy and excitement of their collective creation.

The enchantment continued the next day as the slide metamorphosed into a towering mountain to conquer. One brave explorer would ascend, calling for a friend’s helping hand to reach the summit. Witnessing this magical camaraderie unfold was a joyous spectacle, a testament to the bonds and creativity flourishing within our cherished classroom.

On Thursday, the enchantment in our toddler classroom reached new heights as the children gathered for a captivating Diwali presentation curated by our very own Ms. Paromita and two dedicated toddler parents. Ms. Paromita adorned the space with meaningful decorations and shared items of cultural significance. Engaging the little ones, she read a delightful book about the celebration of Diwali, transporting them to the vibrant traditions of her heritage.

As the rhythmic beats of music filled the air, Ms. Paromita danced with grace, inviting the children to join in the festivities. Awe-struck faces lit up with joy as some toddlers eagerly embraced the opportunity to dance alongside Ms. Paromita, creating a heartwarming scene of cultural exchange and celebration.

After the presentation, the children headed back to their classroom to savor a delicious treat, Laddu. Amidst smiles and laughter, they also engaged in a creative activity, painting paper Diya —a colorful expression of the cultural richness shared during this special day.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Ms. Paromita and the toddler parents for enriching our classroom with this beautiful Diwali experience, fostering a spirit of unity, appreciation, and creative exploration among our young adventurers.

Food Tasting: We tasted a tart raw cranberry and some amazing homemade cranberry sauce. Almost everyone devoured the sauce.

Love and Light,

Cynthia and Sara

Mrs. Hood: Let the festivities begin!!!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

As families worldwide eagerly embrace the upcoming holiday season, we at the school are equally enthusiastic and ready to join in the festive spirit.

One of the main highlights of this week was our baking day, preparing for our Thanksgiving celebration next Tuesday. Children listened to the names of ingredients and had the opportunity to touch, smell, watch, and help with the mixing of the ingredients of a delicious Vegan banana bread.  On Monday, the whole class will work together to prepare homemade butter as well. We can’t wait to celebrate and take time to let our thankful hearts speak. 

This week, the toddlers also embarked on a colorful and joyous journey as they celebrated the festival of lights, Diwali! 

Diwali represents new beginnings and the victory of light over darkness, good over evil. It is the triumph of righteousness, knowledge in place of ignorance. This five-day festival is observed around the world, and its rituals vary by region. Homes are brightly illuminated with diyas (candles) and oil lamps, and people decorate their homes with rangoli. People also often wear new fine clothes and jewelry and celebrate with family and friends.

The little ones had a blast immersing themselves in the vibrant traditions of this Indian festival. The children were treated to a beautiful presentation and a mesmerizing Indian dance performance that left our little ones wide-eyed and enchanted, and they immediately joined the fun as the dancer, our wonderful Paromita, invited them to join in. 

No Diwali celebration is complete without indulging in some mouthwatering treats, and our toddlers were no exception! The children enjoyed the delicious taste of Laddu, a popular Indian sweet that symbolizes the sweetness of life. 

In the spirit of creativity, the toddlers got their hands dirty (literally!)  with some Diya crafts. With vibrant colors and a whole lot of imagination, our toddlers crafted their own unique Diyas. 

A big shout out to Neetha Desai for the amazing Diwali gift bags donated for each toddler and volunteering in our class, to Supreeti Saikia for the yummy Laddus, and of course, to Paromita Dutt-Kunzweiler for organizing this beautiful event.

Lastly, the children enjoyed some plantains as the weekly food-tasting lesson, and my Latino heart couldn’t be happier seeing the children enjoy this food item.

As we finish this week, our hearts are filled with gratitude and joy, thankful for the rich cultural experiences that shape our learning environment.

Enjoy the pics, 

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Mollie 

Mrs. Sargeant: A Peek at the Week

Posted on by Christine Sargeant

The highlight of the week was our visit with Firefighter Bill from the Botsford Rescue Squad. We were able to see the firefighters’ gear and equipment and even climb into the truck! We talked about the different colors firetrucks can be, the parts of the truck (ladder, wheels, hose, steering wheel), and the loud sound the siren makes. This was a fun experience for our toddlers and a great opportunity to begin to instill a sense of respect and admiration for the brave first responders who keep our community safe. 

As part of our pumpkin-tasting experience, we cut and scooped the seeds and pulp from a pumpkin. All of the children were invited to participate in the scooping and to use all their senses for a full experience. Every child was eager to taste the pumpkin. We tasted both roasted and canned pumpkin. While the enthusiasm in the room was buzzing as they were being served, many of their faces changed after having a taste. I really wish we had been able to capture some of their expressions! Perhaps you’d like to try again at home .. maybe even add some cinnamon. 

We have been learning the names of body parts and what each part does and singing songs such as “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes’, and  ‘Do You Know Your Body Parts?’ (You can listen below)

We’re loving our days with your children. It is truly amazing to witness their growth week to week. Thank you for entrusting us with their care!

Happy weekend! -Christine & Lizette

Mrs. Hood: With My Eyes and My Hands!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

Hand-eye coordination is one of the most important parts of the learning process. It helps your child track the movements of their hands with their eyes, which is essential for decoding and reading. Because your child also uses their visual system with hand-eye coordination, it can greatly impact their writing skills and handwriting as they use their eyes to guide, direct, and control their hand movements across the page as they write letters and words.

Our Toddler environment is set up in a specific way, looking to sharpen and challenge these skills while meeting your child exactly where they are developmentally. Each material is displayed in progressive order, from easiest to hardest and from left to right. This logical structure encourages children to organize their thinking and to absorb the outcome of the material at their own pace. The left-to-right orientation of the materials also assists children with preparation for reading and writing, aligning with the natural processing flow of the brain. By engaging in activities that demand hand-eye coordination, your children are actively stimulating their cognitive faculties, fostering attention, memory, and problem-solving skills.

Some of the most popular works in our environment these days, sharpening these skills, are spooning acorns, sorting leaves and pumpkins, pouring water, water transferring with a dropper, sunflower stickers, draining and spooning cranberries, cubes nesting, putting the scarecrow together, jigsaw puzzles, ring box, using a roller and a leaf stamp with the playdough and many more.

As a fun activity, the children got to enjoy the visit from the Botsford Fire Department this week. We were surprised to see the firetruck was green instead of red and learned that as we are most sensitive to greenish-yellow colors under dim conditions, these firetrucks are easier to see in low lighting. Children received a tour of the firetruck, and they even got to see me dressed like a firefighter! 🙂

For food tasting, children explored cranberries. They seemed to be in awe of the flower shape and tiny seeds that we found when we cut a small cranberry, and most of them enjoyed tasting the cranberry sauce.

Children also have been learning the names of different types of leaves and enjoy observing, finding, and of course, playing with them on the playground!

Enjoy the pictures,

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Mollie

Mrs. Wilson: November Explorations and Little Firefighters!

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

In the enchanting month of November, our pint-sized explorers will embark on a journey through the warm hues of yellow, the crunch of leaves, the charm of acorns and pinecones, and the magical world of woodland creatures. 

During our time outdoors, the children filled the air with laughter as we leaped into a pile of leaves and found simple joy as they tossed the fallen leaves up into the air and at each other. 

A highlight that lit up our week was the visit from Fireman Bill of the Botsford Fire Rescue. Mrs. Wilson transformed into a firefighter, and the kids got an up-close look inside a real firetruck. The firefighter helmets were the cherry on top – who knew a firetruck wheel could tower over our toddlers?

Food Tasting: Food tasting took a delicious turn as we introduced the little ones to pomegranate seeds. The children saw the vibrant red juice drip out from the fruit and heard the crunch of one little seed. This was a sensory experience that brought the flavors of fall to life.

Mrs. Hood: At the Fraser farm and some more fun!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

And like that, October is gone, and we continue having fun here at the Toddler level!

Last week we celebrated the fall harvest with our annual wagon ride and visit to our very own “Fraser Farm” located in our Zen garden, which was transformed into a beautiful pumpkin patch for our toddlers to explore.

First, the children were invited to ride in wagons all around the school, knowing that they needed to keep their eyes open for the pumpkins. Once we arrived at our Fraser Farm, the children were ecstatic to run around and pick their own pumpkins. There were giggles and so much excitement! Children explored different sizes of pumpkins and worked hard to carry them around. We all had a great time! When the time came, every toddler got into their wagon, carrying their chosen pumpkin, and we went for another ride around the school, arriving at our classroom ready to celebrate by sharing some yummy pumpkin treats and apple cider.

A big shout out to our wonderful Middle School students who happily offered to pull the wagons for us. Also, a big THANK YOU to our wonderful class parents and to all of you who helped with wagons, donations, and volunteering. We are so thankful to be part of a community that cares!

On another note, painting on the easel was a new addition to our art shelf this week. There are three main objectives of this exercise. First, the development of hand-eye coordination. Dipping the paintbrush in and out of the paint pot requires a steady hand and a keen eye, working simultaneously. Second, small motor control. Holding the paintbrush and whooshing it across the paper in the direction you want it to go is hard work when you’re small. Think of all the pre-writing skills they are learning just by holding the brush! Third, and I have to say, my favorite goal is creative independence! There are no rules when it comes to painting. There is no predetermined product, just a process. The children can plan their own painting from start to finish without any interference from adult rules or directions. The only thing they must remember is to paint only on the paper. Their sense of satisfaction, after they finish their masterpiece is just incredible to witness!

In the practical life area, we introduced the exercise of water transferring using a dropper. It was a challenging exercise, but the children were so proud of themselves when they were able to make the dropper work and hear the sound of the water touching the silver bowl. It’s common to hear some children say to themselves, “Squeeze, open,” as they work hard to coordinate their hand movements.

Lastly, the children enjoyed watching the school Halloween parade and exploring yellow dragon fruit for our food-tasting lesson, which it’s actually much tastier and yummier than the regular red dragon fruit, in case you want to add it to your grocery list!

Enjoy the pictures and your children’s favorite fingerplay these days,

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Mollie

Mrs. Sargeant: A Peek at the Week

Posted on by Christine Sargeant

We were so fortunate to have such a gorgeous day for our pumpkin-picking event in the Zen garden last week. The children rode in wagons pulled by middle school students. After the wagon ride, the children were thrilled to go out to the Zen garden, which had been transformed into a pumpkin patch. The children were delighted to explore, mesmerized by all the things they could pick up and touch. It’s hard to say if they were more interested in the pumpkins or the tiny stones that cover the floor of the Zen garden- but we made sure everyone left with a pumpkin!

On Halloween, we were invited to the field to attend the upper school’s costume parade. Our toddlers were a captive audience as the older students marched around the field several times, waving to them.

In addition to blueberry muffins and apple cider this week, we tasted pears, which the children loved. If you don’t have pears in the house, I’d definitely suggest adding them to your grocery list this week!

Many of us participated in a missing boot adventure on the playground one day. Our friend lost his yellow boot somewhere in the leaves. It was a fun hunt for the boot, which was very tricky to find as it was camouflaged in the yellow leaves! We worked as a team and noticed the variety of colored leaves that had fallen from the trees – and even found a few acorns.

I will include a song that we have been singing daily since the first week of school. Despite learning new songs and moving from apples into pumpkins, the children request this song every single day! We use numbered apples with Velcro on a tree and subtract an apple after each verse. The children enjoy watching the tree become ‘bare’ or empty. Enjoy!

We hope you all enjoy this first November weekend with your families,

Christine and Lizette

Mrs. Wilson: Pumpkin Festivities!

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

Over the past two weeks, the children had a great time participating in various fall festivities. Last week, we hosted our annual pumpkin patch event, where the Zen garden was transformed into the beautiful Fraser Farm. We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated parent volunteers who helped create a stunning space for our toddlers and to all the families who supported this special occasion.

On Tuesday, the children had the opportunity to watch a Halloween parade organized by our 1st through 8th graders. It was a joy to see the diverse costumes pass by while we cheered and waved. Additionally, we savored a delightful Halloween cookie courtesy of one of our friends.

Moreover, we engaged the children in a creative activity where they crafted jack-o’-lanterns using various cookie-cutter shapes and mallets. Each child participated in hammering out the shapes. The moment of wonder arrived when we turned off the lights and placed a “candle” inside, leaving the children amazed by the glowing results.

We are thrilled to introduce a new member of our community, Ellie. Welcome, Ellie!

Food Tasting: This week, we explored the flavors of a delicious roasted sugar pumpkin. The children had a chance to examine the weight, texture, and scent of the pumpkin while learning about its different parts.

Have a lovely weekend,

Cynthia and Sara