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January | 2009 NEWSLETTER |
 Brandy's Corner:
Snow days, holidays and fun days. The kids have been busy during the month of January. After a nice long winter break we came back to school and saw a fabulous play called The Mirrorman, conducted fun experiments with our 5 Senses and got some time off to play in the inches upon inches of white fluffy snow!
2009 - 2010 Enrollment:
We want to extend the opportunity enroll to current enrolled students and their siblings. This will secure their places for our 2009 - 2010 school year before we officially open up enrollment to the public. This "Early Enrollment" period will end Friday February 13, 2009. Each classroom will also have printed applications available. Please ask your classroom teacher for a copy.
In order to secure your spot, fill out and turn in the forms with the registration fee by Friday, February 13. Forms can be dropped in the tuition drop box.
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 Cooper's Corner:
January has been a sensational month as the students explored their 5 senses.
We started with the sense of sight. The children interacted with many activities using blindfolds. Some favorites were "Find Me" and "What's Missing." In the "Find Me" game one child was blindfolded and was sent out into the classroom to look for the child who was clapping. Next the blindfolded child tried to guess who the clapper was by touching their face. The students were taught that if we did not possess the sense of sight that we would depend on our other senses such as hearing and touch.
In the "What's Missing" game a line of objects were spread out on the carpet. While a child was blindfolded one object was taken out of sight. When the child removed the blindfold, he was asked to determine which object was being hidden.
Next came hearing. The students were supplied with pictures of many familiar sounds such as birds, instruments, pouring water, a vacuum, etc. When the sounds were heard on their headphones they followed by matching the sound picture. Another favorite activity for the children was using body language. The children were taught how they would have to use their bodies and facial expressions if they could not speak or could not hear. The students were paired up to figure out what the other was saying without speaking.
Next we explored touch. The students were introduced to the Fabric Box. This work consists of pairs of fabric squares to match textures such as furry, smooth, rough, prickly, soft, lacy, etc. The student is blindfolded and asked to touch a specific fabric. They then go on to describe the texture of the fabric. When they remove the blindfold they are asked to review the description of the fabric and then search for the correct cloth from the others.
Lastly, we explored smell and taste. The students were introduced to the smelling jars. Two sets of jars were differentiated by color and filled with substances of distinct aromas. Students were asked to sample each jar with their nose and go on to identify the similar substances.
The students thoroughly enjoyed the "Taste Test" which was included in our lesson about taste. First, the four fundamental tastes were introduced and described. Next the children sat in a circle and were told they would participate in a "taste test." The children would be given four different foods that contain the four specific tastes. Using glass bowls and mini-tongs, the children were given the opportunity to pass each food and serve themselves. This was a hit with the children and provided them a sense of self-esteem, discipline and practice in fine motor skills! After each of the foods were tasted and described the students matched each of the foods with one of the four fundamental tastes. Sugar cubes were used for sweet, pickles for bitter, pretzels for salty, and Sour Patch Kids for sour.
As we move into February, the students will focus on four compartments of the United States government. This will include:
1.) American symbols and monuments
2.) Washington D.C.
3.) Famous Presidents
4.) All About the American Flag
~Mrs. Cooper |
Mr.  John's Corner:
In January, the class learned about the different seasons and how each season is different. We learned what the weather is like in each season. It was discovered that the change in seasons is caused by the Earth orbiting the sun making the Earth closer (warmer) or farther (colder) away from the sun. Since spring is a rainy season we read "Why Does it Rain?" and found out that this is the season when plants start to bloom. We read "Why is it Hot?" for the summer. Summer was the class favorite because the children love to swim and go on vacations. We learned that the leaves only fall off the tree in the autumn and that the true color of the leaves are really red, orange, or yellow. They are green during the other months because of chlorophyll. We finally capped off the seasons by exploring the icy cold of winter and learned how snow is formed and falls to the ground. The children had fun making four trees each representing each season. The students delved into our differences and learned about diversity. We discovered we are a diverse group of girls, boys, children with light skin, dark skin, blue eyes, brown eyes and even green eyes. We learned not only the differences in physical appearance, but in the food we eat, what music we listen to and how we dress. The children learned about segregation and how some laws were unfair. We looked at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and his dream of all men being treated equally. The children had fun re-enacting the Rosa Parks' brave and peaceful stand on the bus. The students played the roles of Rosa Parks, other bus passengers, the bus driver, the "mean" guy telling Rosa to give up her seat, a police officer and a judge. The students learned that because of the peaceful stands such as this, the unfair laws were changed. Our class prepared for the Sensory Fair by learning about the 5 senses. We learned that the sense of sight is used by the eye. The students learned that light passes through the pupil and then the brain interprets what we are seeing. We found out there are tiny hairs in our noses called cilia that capture odors. Then the brain tells us if the odor is a bad smell like garbage or a nice smell like cookies baking. We discovered the reasons our ears stick out from our head is to catch sound better. We learned that sound travels though our eardrum and through 3 bones (stirrup, anvil, and hammer) making vibrations and the brain tells us what the vibrations are. Touch is a sense that can feel not only with our fingers but also with out feet, face, and the rest of our skin. And of course the brain tells us if we feel pain or something that feels good. Lastly, we talked about taste and introduced the 5 taste sensations. The children were given sugar water (sweet), salt water (salty), green olives (bitter), and lemon juice (sour). There were quite a bit of different faces after each taste test. All the children enjoyed the sugar water. Many lips scrunched when the pure lemon juice was tasted. Many students spit out the bitter olives and the salt water.  This term we started separate lessons for kindergarten students. The kindergarteners got a hefty dose of Math this month. They conquered the decimal system and had a blast stacking ten bead bars, one hundred squares and thousand cubes with the 45 layout. We introduced the 45 layout with columns of number cards from 1-9, 10-90, 100-900 and 1000-9000. Beside the number cards were the corresponding number of beads and cubes. The children were amazed to see 9-1000 cubes were almost taller than they were. The picture above is the 45 layout. Science got an enthusiastic response. The children learned about water tension by frightening pepper with their soap soaked fingers, and learned more about buoyancy when they created a ketchup submarine. The 2 cent a meal program was a success. The kids collected 7,576 coins. Totaling $ 188.73. Thank you for your generosity!
~Mr. John |
Other Topics:
During the month of January our students began learning a new Hello song to the tune of "Frere Jacques," called "Buenos Dias" which means "Good Morning." Students have been practicing how to ask for things in Spanish like milk (leche), juice (juego), water (agua), many fruits and vegetables and desserts! The children sang the "Apples and Bananas" song in Spanish and loved it! You can practice these new words at the dinner table. Senora Lisa has also been exercising with the children as she teaches them new words for jump, walk, freeze turn around and tip-toe. Ask your little ones to demonstrate; I'm sure you'll enjoy it!
Sign Language:
 While the youngest students were learning to identify their fingers and forming different hand shapes, the Kindergartners were giving us all a tour of an imaginary house. If they did their homework, then you might have learned a few signs about furniture and rooms in the house.
Our goal for the younger kids is to perfect the alphabet signs, color signs, animals, and shapes. This is key to developing their fine motor skills. I have to point out, these youngins are demonstrating more conversational understanding in the classroom than I have instructed in sign language class. They absorb the day-to-day signing I use during work and circle time and have really come to have an understanding of basic sign language. If you see your child attempting a sign but can't figure out what they mean, ask me! I love to hear about what the kids are attempting on their own and want to be able to focus in on what is really sticking with them.
When the older kids described a room, they learned to first identify the room, be that the kitchen or the bedroom. They learned the reasoning behind certain signs (bed+room=bedroom; eat+room=dining room) and are now able to describe different arrangements of furniture in a room of their creation. By the end of February I hope students will be able to describe patterns and designs in these rooms. The color signs we learned will now be put to use. Wall color, wall paper, bed spreads, and couch colors are all things the kids can apply their past knowledge to in their imaginary homes. Throughout March, we plan to describe our own houses as well as objects outside and around the community.
~Miss Brown
The Mirrorman - The Illusion Factory:
The students were captivated as they watched the story of a toymaker, and his doll unfold. Students sat in a large circle around the "stage" listening to the toymaker talk to his doll, Beauty. Beauty could not move or talk with the help of our students. They helped the doll move by clapping their hands and reciting a rhyme. They also brought the toymaker's mirror image to life by stomping their feet.
The play centered around the toymaker's magic book that told him what to do to make his doll move. A mean witch wanted the magic book for herself and was trying to take it from the toymaker. The toymaker was talking to himself, so he thought, as he looked in the mirror. But then the Mirrorman began talking back. He was telling the toymaker how to scare the witch so she wouldn't take his magic book. The Mirrorman came out of the mirror to help the toymaker.
As the children watched the scary green witch come in and out of the toy shop they jumped in their seats. The Mirrorman asked the children to help him scare away the witch and save the magic book. They had to say a magic rhyme 3 times. The children were excited to be part of the play. After the students said the rhyme, the Mirrorman returned to the mirror, but he left a gift for the toymaker; a magic rhyme to turn the doll into a real girl. The students were called on once again to help the Mirrorman with his magic. They said the magic rhyme and Beauty became a real girl. The kids did not have to clap for her to move any more. The toymaker was so happy; he thanked the children and the Mirrorman for their help.
Sensory Fair:
We ended our exploration of the five senses by inviting families to join us at our annual Sensory Fair. Classrooms were transformed into stations and our students became tour guides as they taught their families all about the 5 senses. We used our ears to identify familiar sounds and music. The "smelling jars" were a big hit as we watched noses wrinkle with bad scents and smiles come across faces as a pleasant sent was sniffed. The power of "touch" was used to solve the mystery of what was hidden in brown bags. We learned to appreciate our eyesight as we attempted to build the Pink Tower blindfolded. The hustle and bustle of activity was exciting as we watched parents, grandparents and siblings enjoy experimenting with the senses. Thank you to all our families who attended our Sensory Fair! |
Montessori Tidbits:
A Love for Literacy
 It has been said that "A mind once stretched with a new idea, is forever enriched." That is the foundation of our literacy philosophy at Absorbent Minds. We want to stretch the minds of each student, allowing them to grow and develop their literacy skills to span a lifetime.
Children absorb everything around them. They are always observing and imitating what they see. A researcher once used the term emergent literacy to describe the behaviors she saw in young children as they used books and imitated writing. These children could not read or write letters correctly, yet they insisted on "reading" a story aloud and "writing" their own story.
Literacy development is nourished by social interactions with caring adults and supported by access to a wide range of reading and writing materials. From a very early age children's experiences with spoken language begin to build a foundation for later reading success. Around two to three years of age children begin to pronounce clear words in response to books and the written marks they create. Rapid literacy growth occurs around three to four years of age. Children begin to "read" their favorite books by themselves, and often experiment with writing by forming scribbles, letter-like forms and random strings of letters.
Our goal at Absorbent Minds is to expose our students to a wide range of literacy concepts through books, stories, poetry, writing, picture books, public speaking, singing, rhyming, etc. Reading is a wonderful way to learn and explore the world. During the first six years of life children are developing literacy skills that will last their lifetime. We desire to further that development to its fullest.
I think Dr. Seuss said it best in his book I Can Read With My Eyes Shut; "The more that you read, the more things you will know; the more that you learn, the more places you'll go." | |
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Themes of the Week
Franks / Kotradi Class:
2/2 - The Skeletal System
2/9 - The Human Organs
2/16 - Famous Presidents
2/23 - "The Cycle of Life" How beans and butterflies grow.
Cooper / Brown Class 2/2 - American Symbols & Monuments
2/9 - Washington D.C.
2/16 - Famous Presidents
2/23 - The American Flag
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Upcoming Events in February:
13 - Valentine's Day Party
16 - No School
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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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