At our texture table we added white rice and placed little green trees, ornaments, tinsel, and holiday themed trinkets for the kids to decorate with. They used their hands to sprinkle rice over the trees like snow. :)
We debuted a car wash at our water table and the kids LOVED washing our toy cars with giant sponges and enjoyed the bubbles we added to the water.
We set out gingerbread and other holiday themed cookie cutters at the play dough table and had a blast making all kinds of "cookies". The kids also loved pushing festive light shaped decorations into the play dough and having friends "open" the play dough like a present.
We added candy builders to our building table! These inspired all kinds of building and creative play all around the room.
The kids always love reading and relaxing in the book nook. They're still having a lot of fun with their pictures on the flannel board, too! This week we added a Nutcracker inspired scene to the flannel board.
At the creation station we had bags to decorate for gifts and stickers, snowflakes, stars and other wintery decorations. They loved decorating their bags and paper ornaments!
At our puzzle and fine motor table we added a Candy Land shape sorting game that was a huge hit! We also played a holiday matching game and added nesting dolls to the station. The kids also loved playing a fishing game and had a blast trying to "catch"the fish!
On Monday we decorated Christmas trees using a fun rope printing technique. The kids used silver, gold, and white metallic paint to make patterns on their trees and then decorated them with stickers and other fun sparkly bobbles. These are displayed in the hall for everyone to enjoy!
On Monday we also added to our memory boxes! The kids added leaves and stickers and our wonderful parent wrote down their favorite memory from the fall.
On Wednesday we made jingle bell bracelets! This was a great fine motor skill activity and each bracelet turned out beautifully. We will be using these bracelets to sing Jingle Bells. :)
On Wednesday the kids had fun predicting the weight of various gifts. They used one side of the gifts and added little bears to the other side until it balanced out. Then, they counted out how many bears it took to equal the weight of the gift!
On Friday we started a very special lantern making project. The kids painted jars with sparkly glue and then chose a variety of colors of tissue paper to decorate the jar. Next week, we will finish the jars by adding a handle with beads. Then, we will ask the kids to tell us how they can shine their light in the world by using acts of kindness. The lanterns will come home this week and are so beautiful with a small tea light.
This group is incredibly busy and creative in their dramatic play! One very popular game they like to play is "family". They also love to cook in the pretend kitchen and make delicious feasts to share. They build with blocks together and play with the animals all the time. It's delightful to watch these collaborations take shape. It's a great way to work on problem solving, sharing, and team work!
Baby Mabel got lots of snuggles this week. :)
This week at circle time we started reviewing songs and finger plays that we have enjoyed this fall in preparation for our Winter Program. We have a great list of songs to share with our families and the kids are getting excited!
We also introduced "Jingle Bells" and "This Little Light of Mine". We had a blast dancing to music from around the world and learning our new "Christmas Yoga." We also read lots of books such as Little Oink, Snow, The Feelings Book, and a sweet little picture book called Wave.
Recess is always adventurous and busy! The kids have adapted so well to the change in weather and are always eager to run out the door to continue their collaborations on the play structure or in the always popular games of hide and seek and chase the teacher! :)
We are so excited to see everyone next week! We will be making holiday cards, finishing up our winter lanterns, and having all kinds of wintery fun.
Warmly,
Christine and Meghan
We are so excited to see everyone next week! We will be making holiday cards, finishing up our winter lanterns, and having all kinds of wintery fun.
Warmly,
Christine and Meghan
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