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December | 2008 NEWSLETTER |
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 Brandy's Corner:
Happy New Year! We are excited to get back to work with your little ones. Mr. John, Mrs. Cooper, Ms. Brown, and Ms. Brandy have been planning many fun activities for the next several months. On January 14th we have The Illusion Factory coming to Absorbent Minds to perform in our gym. They will be performing a play called The Mirrorman by Brian Way. It is an audience participation show designed especially for young children as their first theater experience at Absorbent Minds.
We will be talking about the 5 Senses leading up to our annual Sensory Fair on Friday, January 30th. This is a wonderful way for parents to experience first hand what the children are learning. Parents are invited to join their child in experiments with the senses in a open house format. Please watch for more details about this fun event.
 I hope that you agree with me when I say our Winter Wonderland program was too cute for words! After many hours of practicing singing and signing, our adorable little snowflakes sprinkled holiday cheer on each member of our audience.
Don't expect Blue Ray quality, but you will be able to watch this memorable event on DVD for years to come. DVD copies of the program are available for $10.00 each. Just click here to fill out the order form and turn it in the tuition drop box with your check.
Looking forward to a wonderful 2009!
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 Cooper's Corner:
The children cruised right through December as they learned all about transportation. First, we focused on the history of the automobile. The children were amazed to discover that the very first cars looked like bicycles! The students were supplied with a diagram of a car and guided in naming its parts. Children enjoyed observing various photos of past and present cars and learning how the automobile has changed throughout the years. Many of the children were quite captivated by the "old fashioned cars." We also spoke of Henry Ford's contribution to the auto industry. The students learned the purpose of Ford's assembly line and his hopes to industrialize a faster, more affordable car for Americans.
Next we studied planes and flying machines. We introduced the story of the Wright brothers and their determination to fly. We spoke of Amelia Earhart and her adventures as a pilot. We also touched on zeppelins, hot air balloons, blimps, kites, jets and rockets.
Lastly we covered trains. We started by studying the steam locomotives and how they worked. Students learned why trains were so important to early America and how they are used today. They learned about many goods and materials that can be transported by trains today. Lastly, we looked at train parts and the different jobs people have on a train. The children really enjoyed using their imagination in making a conductor's hat, tickets, and boarding their very own trains!
In January we will be studying the five senses. We will cover each sense; its purpose, how it works, and how we use it. The children will partake in basic experiments to gain a better understanding of each sense. At the end of the month the students will be able to put their knowledge to work at their very own Sensory Fair!
~Mrs. Cooper |
Mr.  John's Corner:
Animals are a popular topic with young children and we always enjoy teaching about them. This past month Ms. Brandy and Mr. John continued lessons on different classes of animals. We began our slimy discussion with amphibians. The children were amazed to learn they have the ability to live both in water and on land. They learned new vocabulary when talking about how amphibians look and feel. Students can describe amphibians as having smooth, moist skin, being cold blooded, and having vertebrae.
Next we crawled into reptiles. From crocodiles and lizards, to snakes and turtles, we learned that reptiles live on land and that most of them lay eggs. Students identified them as vertebrates, and learned that unlike any other type of animal, they are covered in scales. We even got to feel a real snake skin brought in by one of our students! We compared reptiles to amphibians and found out reptiles are cold-blooded too. They
regulate their body temperature by seeking or avoiding the sun's heat.
Lastly, we had fun stirring up trouble with insects, arachnids, and crustaceans. These creepy-crawlies may make some of us "grown-ups" cringe, but they are some of the most interesting creatures to our students.
In Super Hero news, we started to collect the "2 cents a meal" contributions. We will still be looking for the rest of the donations to be turned in within the first two weeks of January. Look for the total amount collected in our next newsletter.
To continue raising up new Super Heroes, we will be discussing how giving is an act everyone can do all year round, and different ways the children can give to others. We want to encourage families to talk about helping those in need. A great family project would be to find a charity organization you can contribute or volunteer together.
The next Super Hero projects we have planned are to write messages and send artwork to troops overseas, and to sponsor a food drive. Be proud of your Super Heroes!
~Mr. John |
Other Topics:
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star shined in a new light as our students learned new words to this classic tune. By changing the words to this song our kids have been practicing the names of all the shapes in Spanish. Ask them to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Estrella" and visit our Spanish bulletin board in the hallway to help them practice.
Sign Language:
Sesame Street made a debut appearance in Sign Language this month. The students watched Linda Bove sign on Sesame Street. If you don't remember Linda, she is the Deaf resident on Sesame Street. Everyone really loved her and the kids wanted to figure out what she was signing. They learned the phrase, "I-Want-Buy-Hat" and spent some of the lesson telling other students what they would want to buy. In the next few months, we are looking forward to learning several more advanced sign language activities. We are going to start describing spatial areas and what belongs in a room. Not only does this develop the students' use of the language, but the recognition and describing of an environment will encourage more awareness of our students' surroundings.
~Miss Brown
Cookie Baking Who knew the kids were such pros in the kitchen? Our students were able to take part in the annual cookie baking extravaganza. On Monday, students entered the gym and learned the process of rolling dough and using the cookie cutters to cut out the cookies. Parents helped some kids roll and shape the dough, while some children cut out seven or eight cookies without any assistance. The smell of baking cookies filled the school and made all of us anticipate the next day. Tuesday was the messy but exciting day of frosting the baked cookies. Students used many colors to create unique designs on the cookies. Each and every child did a wonderful job, but once again, we could not have made this amazing project possible without the help of our parents. A special thank you to Claire Pyke for organizing this event and to all the parents who participated! |
Montessori Tidbits:
I'm sure many of you have heard your child talk about "The Pink Tower and The Brown Stair," and thought, "Oh, that must be his favorite blocks at school." Well, almost. These two works are not only the most popular, but are also an essential part of the sensorial foundation a Montessori education strives to create.
Through the five senses we receive information from the outside world. It is during the "sensitive period" that the complexity of the child's brain is created from sensory perception. The aim of the Montessori Sensorial area is to educate the child's senses. The sensorial materials are designed as tools to develop the young child's concentration, order, coordination, independence and the ability to make finer and finer distinctions in observing the world.
This curriculum area contains specific Montessori materials and activities that can help the child refine his or her experience of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. As students use the sensorial materials they are enhancing their senses to distinguish visual cues of size, shape and color; tactile cues of texture, weight and temperature, and auditory, olfactory and gustatory cues. Maria Montessori once said, "Senses are explorers of the world, opening the way to knowledge."
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Themes of the Week
Franks / Kotradi Class:
1/5: Seasons
1/12: Civil Rights
1/19: The 5 Senses &
Sense Experiments
1/26: The 5 Senses &
How they Work
Cooper / Brown Class
1/5: The 5 Senses
1/12: How the Senses Work
1/19: Experiments with Senses
1/26: The Sensory Fair
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Upcoming Events in January:
5: School Resumes
14: The Illusion Factory Play
19: No School
(Martin Luther King Day)
30: Sensory Fair
6:30pm - 7:30pm Cooper / Brown Class
30: Sensory Fair
8:00pm- 9:00pm
Franks / Kotradi Class
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Stay tuned to next months newsletter as we will have information on Summer camps that we will be offering at Absorbent Minds.
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