Over Thanksgiving break, our room transformed into a winter candy land! There is candy hanging from the ceiling and . We have lots of new centers for the boys and girls to explore. The children enjoyed building towers with big blocks, baking cookies in the kitchen, and pushing new trucks all over the room.
Today the Toddlers worked on the cognitive development skill of matching. Matching is the ability to perceive that two items are identical. It hones in the concept of sameness and differences. During group time we read the book “Animal Babies on the Farm”. The boys and girls did a great job matching the animals based on the sound the animal makes! Next we dug through the sensory tub and tried to find matching mom and baby farm animals. Look around your house and see if your child can find things that match!
The Toddler room has be transformed into a farmer’s paradise. The play house is now a big red barn, there is a farmers market full of fruits and veggies, and tractors galore at the transportation center. The boys and girls have had a field day exploring with farm animals in the sensory tub full of chicken feed!
Despite the dreary rainy day yesterday, the Toddler room was still buzzing with fun and excitement! The children had a blast exploring at the sand/water table. They used their fine motor skills to dig deep to find treasures underneath the styrofoam peanuts. The also socialized and practiced sharing, as they took turns using the table. The boys and girls also had a blast practicing their gross motor skills to jump and skip on bubble wrap. The popping sounds caused lots of giggles in our room!
We had a great first week of school in the Toddler Room! We were so excited to explore all of the fun new toys and centers throughout the room. The boys and girls spent part of their day practicing sitting for group time and listening to a story! They loved the book 10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle. The children enjoyed pushing the “quack” button at the end of the story! The Toddlers had a great start to the week and are already transitioning smoothly into their new environment!
Did you know that the rainforest is comprised of four separate layers? Each layer plays an important role and is home to specific animals. The boys and girls learned about the rainforest floor, understory, canopy and emergent layer. The children built a model demonstrating each layer, along with the animals that live there.
The children were at it again as we poured and stirred our way into salad dressing! This easy recipe makes a yummy dip for veggies or can be used for salad. Creamy Feta Dressing & Dip (yields 1.5 cups):
–5 oz. feta cheese
-1/4 cup milk or buttermilk
-1/2 cup sour cream
-1/2 cup mayonaise
-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
-1 teaspoon of chopped, fresh dill (1/4 tsp. dried)
-1 teaspoon dried oregano
-salt and pepper to taste
Mash the feta and milk together until you get the consistency of cottage cheese. Next, add the remaining ingredients and blend well. Let sit, covered, in the refrigerator to blend flavors.
Our little scientists discovered what happens when when you try to mix oil and water. Using scientific predictions, the boys and girls made a tally chart of who thought the two would mix, and who thought it wouldn’t mix. We first poured in our water, ten food coloring, glitter and oil. While the children were shaking the bottles, they thought it was mixing, but found that once it settled, they separated. To best describe how oil and water separate, we used magnets and their poles (ie, north repels north, south repels south). Feeling the force field between the two poles gave a more hands on, concrete explanation as to why oil and water don’t mix. We then went back to our predictions and found that most of the children predicted that the oil and water would not mix.
How do you create a memorable experience? By writing letters and numbers using shaving cream! The boys and girls had an ooey gooey time using their pre-writing skills to create the letters Y, Z and T, along with numbers 2, 3 and 4.
Today, the children got in touch with their creative sides using a cob of corn to roll out some art! Using different textures sparked curiosity and interest. The children had the opportunity to explore the corn a little more in our sensory tub. The corn can be manipulated and plucked off of the cob to follow up this creative art activity. The United States is, by far, the largest corn producer in the world. Here’s to home grown food made in the USA!
Creative Tots has specialized in the private education of both toddlers and preschool age children for over 15 years. We began in the heart of Madeira and now also have a new Mason location. We are specifically designed to focus on early childhood development for children ages 18 months to 5 years.
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