What a busy and exciting week we’ve had together!  Our toddlers explored so many new sights, sounds, textures, and tastes as we continued learning about fall and the world around us.

We spent some time experimenting with colors.  Using red and yellow paint, we mixed them together to see what would happen and discovered the beautiful fall color orange!  They loved watching the colors swirl and change right before their eyes.

We took a closer look at the inside of a pumpkin as well. The children used their hands to feel the squishy insides and find the seeds hiding inside. It was a great sensory experience to connect with the season.

This week’s food tasting included pomegranate seeds as well as raw and cooked broccoli. The children explored the textures and tastes and loved the pomegranate seeds!  Most of the children preferred the cooked broccoli over the raw.

We also had the opportunity to learn a little about Diwali, the Festival of Lights.  We watched a traditional dance, looked at bright and colorful decorations, and even tried a special rice dish.

To end the week, we had a special visit from the fire department! The children got to see a fire truck up close, go inside, and even take home their own firefighter hats.  It was such an exciting morning!

Reminders:

• Check backpacks for notes letting you know if your children need more diapers or extra clothes.
• The classroom door opens at 8:30, unless you have an older sibling (8:20) or have paid for early drop-off. Please adhere to that time, as we need time to prepare the classroom and for the children. We had a lot of children dropping off before 8:30 this week.

Enjoy all the pictures!

This week has been pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins!

It was so sweet to watch the older kids pull the toddlers around in the wagon, talking to them, as they made their journeys to the pumpkin patch! Once there, each child chose a pumpkin, and we even got to decorate them with finger paint.

New work in the room included pumpkin drawing and washing. We used markers to draw on the pumpkins and wet cloths to wash them clean. We also worked on pounding golf tees into a pumpkin to work on fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination.

Everyone enjoyed the special pumpkin doughnut and apple cider snack that we shared as a snack.

Reminders:

• Please remember weather appropriate outerwear each day (sweatshirt, light jacket, heavy jacket).
• Please keep children home when they are not feeling well. The germs spread very quickly in a toddler classroom.

Enjoy all the pictures!

This week, we have been talking about and noticing the changing of the seasons.  We have been Weather Watchers and observing what the sky looks like and how the air feels.  We also watched the big tree by the playground each day turn from red, yellow, and orange leaves to almost all yellow, then fall from the tree with the big gusts of wind!

Inside the classroom, the students have taken an interest in water lately, so we opened up a water play area and  pumpkin washing work.  We also added new artwork: Paint sticks!  These are much smoother to draw with and add a different sensory experience than using crayons.

For food tasting this week, we tried radishes.  Almost everyone wanted to take a bite! (Swallowing was a harder sell.)

I have enjoyed watching some of the older children helping their younger classmates and showing them how to do work and follow directions.  We had some time in the gym this week riding on the scooter cars and gathering bean bags to drop into a bucket.

Enjoy the pictures!

Reminders:

• No school next Friday, the 31st (Halloween)
• We will be going through the children’s bins and sending home summer clothes.  Please replace these with long-sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, and pants.
• Pumpkin Patch Wednesday the 29th. Lots of pictures will be taken, so dress in fall attire!