Our current theme is "Underwater and Underground." This week we are focusing on water. Some activities we have done in the classroom include:
- Splashing around in the water sensory table
- Singing "Slippery Fish"
- Making paper plate fish and octopi with bubble wrap
For snack tomorrow we will be making and eating jello "aquariums" with gram cracker crust sea floors, blue jello water and Swedish fish. The children are enjoying this theme!
Next week we will focus on underground by digging in dirt, burying and finding things under ground, talking about worms and plants, and eating a snack with gummy worms in "dirt" (oreo cookie crumbs).
Here are some activities that would help reinforce the language/concepts at home:
1. Play with water and water toys in the sink or bathtub. You may want to use a small amount of water and beware of hearing aids and cochlear implants falling in the water!
2. Ask your child to help you dig in the garden. Plant flowers together and talk about the things that you see in the dirt.
3. Sing "slippery fish" with your kids. This is one of their favorites. You can find the lyrics on this website: http://bussongs.com/songs/slippery_fish.php
4. When you go to the grocery store, stop by the fish/lobster tank (if there is one) and talk about all of the fish!
Remember.... If you're a toddler parent and you read this blog, write us a quick comment so that your name can be entered into a drawing for a prize! We will be pulling a name for the prize (a Target gift certificate) the first week of May.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Tools and Construction
Welcome back from Spring Break! We're excited to see how much the toddlers have grown and are looking forward to a great rest of the school year. By the way, we found this great resource for parents of young children with hearing loss, and wanted to share it with you... http://www.babyhearing.org/LanguageLearning/
The current theme i
n the Toddler Classroom is Tools and Construction. Your kids will be using paint brushes to paint outside, making a hard hat out of a plastic bowl and making tool belts in the big classroom with Susan and Dani. In the pull-out room, Jackie and Erika will be focusing on theme related vocabulary and word combinations during hands-on language activities.
We invite you to focus on Tools and Construction in the home environment too! Here are some fun ideas to try with your toddlers at home or around the community:
1. Scoop dirt into a bucket and hide objects in the dirt. Your toddler will love to dig the dirt with a shovel and find the objects. Model vocabulary and simple sentences for your little one during this activity.
2. Find old paint brushes for your toddler to paint with water. Use big paint brushes and little ones... Talk about how they are different sizes and shapes. Your little one will love dipping the paint brush in the water and "painting" the side walk or house with water.
3. Organize your tool box. Take out all of the different tools and line them up on a table out of reach from your child. Be careful of the sharp and pointy tools! Practice say the names of the different tools and talking about what they're used for as you return them to the tool box.
4. When your driving around, point out the construction sites and different construction vehicles that you see. Maybe there is a big tall crane lifting things way up in the sky, maybe there's a bulldozer pushing the dirt, or maybe there's a dump truck dumping the dirt out. Engage your child in the activities and language around him or her by showing your excitement and modeling the words that you use to talk about these things.
Have fun playing and learning with your toddler! We look forward to seeing you soon!
~ The Toddler Team
The current theme i
n the Toddler Classroom is Tools and Construction. Your kids will be using paint brushes to paint outside, making a hard hat out of a plastic bowl and making tool belts in the big classroom with Susan and Dani. In the pull-out room, Jackie and Erika will be focusing on theme related vocabulary and word combinations during hands-on language activities. We invite you to focus on Tools and Construction in the home environment too! Here are some fun ideas to try with your toddlers at home or around the community:
1. Scoop dirt into a bucket and hide objects in the dirt. Your toddler will love to dig the dirt with a shovel and find the objects. Model vocabulary and simple sentences for your little one during this activity.
2. Find old paint brushes for your toddler to paint with water. Use big paint brushes and little ones... Talk about how they are different sizes and shapes. Your little one will love dipping the paint brush in the water and "painting" the side walk or house with water.
3. Organize your tool box. Take out all of the different tools and line them up on a table out of reach from your child. Be careful of the sharp and pointy tools! Practice say the names of the different tools and talking about what they're used for as you return them to the tool box.
4. When your driving around, point out the construction sites and different construction vehicles that you see. Maybe there is a big tall crane lifting things way up in the sky, maybe there's a bulldozer pushing the dirt, or maybe there's a dump truck dumping the dirt out. Engage your child in the activities and language around him or her by showing your excitement and modeling the words that you use to talk about these things.
Have fun playing and learning with your toddler! We look forward to seeing you soon!
~ The Toddler Team
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