Kindergarten Celebration

On Thursday morning at 11:20 am on June 24th, we are having a celebration lunch for children who in September will be going to Kindergarten. We will have it in June because there are changes in several kids lives and they may not be at school at the end of summer. Also it will make more sense to do it before a number of new, young kids start.

Summer Break

Summer break will begin on Friday, June 25th and we will return to school on Tuesday, July 6th. Monday the 5th is a legal holiday. During that time, the temple will be fixing the temple roof and the ceiling and carpet in my about- to be office. My office in part will be in the room at the end of the hallway, just around the corner from the jog to the right. It will be great for parent talks, a teacher’s lounge, and  place for parents to hang out during the separation process.

Warm Weather Curriculum

Warm weather has encouraged lots of water play. Please send changes of clothes and check boxes regularly. We have also been exploring water in the classroom; we have watched eye droppers drop color make their way down clear bottles of water, then added other colors to see the change. We have out pouring trays with many tall, short, fat, flat, and varied  containers. Through experimentation and guided discussion with us, children  continue to learn the concepts of size, capacity, volume.  They learn to estimate amounts and predict what will happen as they pour from one container to another. This skill is one of the many aspects of children that develops over time. In a mixed age group. children play side by side and learn at their own pace and level; they also learn from each other as the experimentation goes on.  We will create tubes with bubbles to play with and the water table will have tubes, funnels, bottles, and turkey basters to experiment with. We have a rainbow of bottles out with our beautiful rainbow book, Hawaii is a Rainbow by Stephanie Feeney. We are also exploring different weights and heights by sorting bottles filled to different levels. We will repeat these concepts with other materials such as cornmeal  and wet sand. Over time, children start to grasp how different variables affect the materials. These are very important math concepts.

Yard Additions

If you have not been out in the yard recently, please have your child give you a tour. We have added several new things. There is a new play structure, currently being called the down house because the platform above the slide and rock wall is called  the tree house or the up house. We have added two different kinds of building blocks that can be put together to create many kinds of structures. There is a red wagon with sides and a new “big wheel”, for lack of a more accurate term. The garden has plants growing; we currently have green beans, cucumbers, french beans, basil, an Italian round squash, a tomato, and sunflowers that are just finishing up and are about to become bird food,. The big sandbox now has a river running through it on days that are warm enough for the hose.

New Families Joining us in July

We will be having a number of new families join us after the summer break/ 4th of July holiday, most starting July 6th and one on the 13th.  I will send a complete list when I know everyone’s schedule.  We will be having a parents/child get together lunch in July for everyone to meet one another. I will announce the date when schedules are settled.

Gate Safety

A reminder about the front gate and the yard gate. Both gates must be closed at all times. The front gate leading to the street must be locked at all times and opened only by an adult.  Some of the older kids are interested in doing it because they love mastering new skills but it is vital that they are clear that only adults may do that.  Thank you for your help in keeping it locked.

Thank you for sharing your children with us. We look forward to a great summer together.Tweet