Happy new year to everyone and I hope that everyone enjoyed and rested in the holiday season. We are so excited for 2016!
I love the following quote. We try to tell our kids this and it is great for us to follow these ideas too:
I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing something.
By Neil Gaiman
2016 is off to a wonderful start for us, including some exciting changes. As most of you know, we have been interviewing for a while in our quest to find the right people to join our team. We were looking for a full-time person for Purple Room because Teacher Rosemary needed to reduce her hours, and for one teacher each for Rose Room and Green Room as their enrollments have grown.
We deeply appreciate your patience during the hiring process, and especially those of you who helped refer candidates to us. We are very happy to announce that we are now fully staffed (yay!!!!) and ask you to join us in welcoming our new teachers to the team!
Welcome to Teacher Vianna in Purple Room
Teacher Vianna started substituting for us the last week of December and is now officially the co-teacher with Teacher Rashida in Purple Room. Her hours are 9:30-6:00 daily, so those of you with later pick-ups will get to consistently see her in the evenings. Vianna has a degree in ECE and several years of teaching experience. We are excited to welcome her to the preschool team!
But what about Teacher Rosemary?
Teacher Rosemary has begun phasing out of Purple Room as Vianna phases in, but rest assured, she will still be with us every day. Starting February 1, Teacher Rosemary will become our "Art & Science Teacher in Residence," meaning that she will be rotating through each classroom (probably one day/week in each room) to work on special art and science projects with all of the children. This has always been one of her greatest strengths, so now all the rooms will get to benefit from her curriculum talent!
Welcome to Teacher Kayleigh in Rose Room (and helping preschool and Green Room)
Teacher Kayleigh joined us full-time in mid-October. She is the assistant teacher in Rose Room in the mornings, helps Green Room with their lunches, and then supports preschool in the afternoons. Talk about multi-tasking! We appreciate her flexibility and willingness to serve as the "bridge" or familiar face for children who are transitioning between classrooms. Kayleigh is new to this field professionally but grew up with younger siblings and has worked with young children for a long time in other settings. She is Teacher Ramona's daughter and Teacher Julia's big sister. Welcome, Kayleigh!
Welcome to Teacher Katie (Green Room)
Teacher Katie joined Green Room in mid-November. Her hours are 9:00-3:00 Monday through Friday. Katie has a degree in music and is currently a part-time student working toward her Master's in clinical psychology. She has experience working with toddlers in a summer program and is continuing to take classes in child development as well. She has a specific interest in (and talent for!) working with young children. We are so glad she joined our team!
Referrals are still welcome.
We don't have any more full-time or part-time regular staff openings, but we are always open to substitutes, student teachers, or volunteers. If you know anyone who needs or wants experience with young children, we are always happy to share what we do with the next generation of teachers.
I am very excited to welcome Teachers Vianna, Kayleigh, and Katie to our Creative Minds family!
Richa Kapur
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Texture!
We love to explore different textures and materials...
And who doesn't love to be tickled?
We have so much fun in Green Room every day!
Big pom poms and strips of paper are so fun!
D is focusing on running the strip of paper through his fingers while E feels the soft pom poms.
Of course, dumping is half the fun!
This next scene happened after nap. We were exploring textured strips of paper and artificial flowers. Toddlers always enjoy taking things out of the bag and (sometimes) putting them back.
Our newest member, E, exploring carpets and balls:
We all love to read!
We have so much fun in Green Room every day!
Friday, November 6, 2015
Exploring Paint with Hands and Brushes
Fingerpaint is a delightful multi-sensory experience for all ages. It's a tactile (touch) sensation that's very appealing. It's colorful and makes visually interesting patterns on the paper, the table, and our bodies. It smells nice, it tastes interesting (mmmm!), and it even makes a sound when it squelches through my fingers. How delightful!
It's smooth and squishy...
It feels colder than most of us expected at first!
Why does my hand look different?
Our hands make excellent natural built-in paint brushes!
Tearing the paper makes a fun sound too!
Sometimes two hands are better than one...
Painting works our fine motor muscles when we control our fingers in the paint or hold a small paintbrush. We also work on our gross motor skills when we stretch our arms to paint big marks!
Painting together makes this a fun social time too. Look what we made!
Even the smallest details are interesting at this age. After exploring the paint, R became fixated on the tape holding the paper to the table. She ran her fingertips over its edges and its texture, maybe noticing that its bright blue color didn't move under her touch like the bright blue paint did. Where adults see tape, babies see something new to explore. We are so lucky to spend our days with these amazing babies!
It's smooth and squishy...
It feels colder than most of us expected at first!
Why does my hand look different?
Our hands make excellent natural built-in paint brushes!
Tearing the paper makes a fun sound too!
Sometimes two hands are better than one...
Painting works our fine motor muscles when we control our fingers in the paint or hold a small paintbrush. We also work on our gross motor skills when we stretch our arms to paint big marks!
Painting together makes this a fun social time too. Look what we made!
Even the smallest details are interesting at this age. After exploring the paint, R became fixated on the tape holding the paper to the table. She ran her fingertips over its edges and its texture, maybe noticing that its bright blue color didn't move under her touch like the bright blue paint did. Where adults see tape, babies see something new to explore. We are so lucky to spend our days with these amazing babies!
Exploring Ice
Teacher Richa brought ice cubes into the classroom today as a sensory activity. Naturally this requires close supervision, but the children had a wonderful time exploring this new material!
Ice feels cold and hard, yet watery at the same time...
Ice is slippery and hard to hold!
Ooh, it feels so nice and cold in my mouth!
As with any sensory activity, some children jump right in while others like to observe for a while first.
Even our youngest friends were curious about this natural sensory experience.
Ice feels cold and hard, yet watery at the same time...
Ice is slippery and hard to hold!
Ooh, it feels so nice and cold in my mouth!
As with any sensory activity, some children jump right in while others like to observe for a while first.
Even our youngest friends were curious about this natural sensory experience.
Monday, May 18, 2015
Observing and Enjoying Infants
One of my favorite quotes comes from Magda Gerber. In working with young children, her advice is to "do less, observe more, enjoy most." When I take the time to really observe, I am reminded of how amazing, capable, and competent young children are.
It's fascinating to watch our younger babies play and discover on their own when we give them the time, space, and freedom of movement to do so. Floor time allows even our youngest babies a chance for some independence. By providing children with opportunities for uninterrupted, child-led play, we send the message that we value the child and their choices.
As they get older and become mobile, it's just as fascinating watching them interact with each other, the environment, and their teachers. Our crawlers have discovered they can chase each other and play peek-a-boo around the play structure. They have been enjoying exploring shredded paper and sheets of tissue paper. Mostly, our crawlers have enjoyed taking toys from each other, passing toys back and forth, and exploring each other's faces.
Sometimes these interactions may make parents and caregivers nervous. A child taking a toy that another was using or touching another child's face often sets off alarms for us as adults. But when we put our fears aside and trust in our children, we see that in most cases, there is not much cause for concern. In fact, if these interactions are allowed with minimal adult intervention, children learn to solve conflicts in appropriate ways.
Of course safety is a priority, so these interactions are carefully guided while teachers pay close attention to cues from both children. We "sportscast" what is happening and model gentle touches. We help them learn to recognize nonverbal cues. A teacher might say, "He's moving his body away from you. It looks like he doesn't want to be touched," while gently blocking the child's hand.
We empower children by giving them ways to tell others what is okay, even before they have the language to do so. If a child is showing stress or discomfort, we might say, "If she's too close, you can move your body away." By doing so, we give even young children the opportunity to solve their own problems.
Stepping back and observing allows me to be able to enjoy moments like these...
It's fascinating to watch our younger babies play and discover on their own when we give them the time, space, and freedom of movement to do so. Floor time allows even our youngest babies a chance for some independence. By providing children with opportunities for uninterrupted, child-led play, we send the message that we value the child and their choices.
As they get older and become mobile, it's just as fascinating watching them interact with each other, the environment, and their teachers. Our crawlers have discovered they can chase each other and play peek-a-boo around the play structure. They have been enjoying exploring shredded paper and sheets of tissue paper. Mostly, our crawlers have enjoyed taking toys from each other, passing toys back and forth, and exploring each other's faces.
Sometimes these interactions may make parents and caregivers nervous. A child taking a toy that another was using or touching another child's face often sets off alarms for us as adults. But when we put our fears aside and trust in our children, we see that in most cases, there is not much cause for concern. In fact, if these interactions are allowed with minimal adult intervention, children learn to solve conflicts in appropriate ways.
Of course safety is a priority, so these interactions are carefully guided while teachers pay close attention to cues from both children. We "sportscast" what is happening and model gentle touches. We help them learn to recognize nonverbal cues. A teacher might say, "He's moving his body away from you. It looks like he doesn't want to be touched," while gently blocking the child's hand.
We empower children by giving them ways to tell others what is okay, even before they have the language to do so. If a child is showing stress or discomfort, we might say, "If she's too close, you can move your body away." By doing so, we give even young children the opportunity to solve their own problems.
Stepping back and observing allows me to be able to enjoy moments like these...
Friday, February 6, 2015
The great outdoors
Lately, we have been enjoying a lot of time outside. We recently traded yards and the children are really loving the "new" space. Here are some of the activities that have been happening outside:
Playing in the fire truck...
Walking on stepping stones...
Playing basketball...
Playing in the playhouse...
Exploring the grass...
Playing in the fire truck...
Walking on stepping stones...
Playing basketball...
Playing in the playhouse...
Exploring the grass...
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