Friday, January 30, 2015
Spring Fever... In January!
What a wonderful taste of spring we just had! It was so nice to get outside and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air (without snowboots and jackets)!
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Wrapping up Space
Our kids had so much fun learning about space! They were so into it, we thought we would let you know about the Fiske Planetarium. This is CU's planetarium and it is free for the lobby exhibits. They also have regular family friendly shows in the evenings! Check it out, we would love to hear from you if you do go!
Grace Courtesy And Friendship
We started a new theme this week! We are talking about Grace, Courtesy, and Friendship. The students are having so much fun with our new work and in their small groups. Here is a sneak peek at our fun so far:
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Martin Luther King Jr
Last week we learned about Martin Luther King Jr. We talked about how important it is that everyone have equal treatment and opportunities and the power of talking and marching (as opposed to violence). Then, each child was able to make a crayon to contribute to our whole school "crayon box". The display is beautiful and hanging in the front room. Some of our older students also were asked to think about if they had a dream for the world, what that might be. Their dreams are connected to their crayon on the display.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Moon Sand
One of our favorite sensory activities during our space theme has been making moon sand! This is so easy to do and is made with common household ingredients.
We make our moon sand with flour and baby oil. The basic proportions are 4 parts flour to 1 part oil, but it is fun to play with it until it is a consistency that you like. We also frequently add glitter, small rocks, colored sand, or little astronauts to enhance the experience.
Here are a couple cupcakes playing together in a small container of moon sand with some colorful sand and little rocks added in!
We make our moon sand with flour and baby oil. The basic proportions are 4 parts flour to 1 part oil, but it is fun to play with it until it is a consistency that you like. We also frequently add glitter, small rocks, colored sand, or little astronauts to enhance the experience.
Friday, January 9, 2015
Space Theme
Our school was transformed over winter break! We have new work out and we are learning all about Space! We will be blasting off rockets, creating planet artwork, discovering the sun, moon, and stars, and making funny aliens to hang on the walls. Here is some of the fun we had the first few days of discovering our new environment:
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Back into the routine...
Wow! It is January, we had so much fun over winter break, and our mornings have to get back in shape! If you are having a bummer of a time getting your little people out the door in the morning, here are a couple things that might help!
Visual Schedule
something like this can be a helpful tool to put your child in charge of the morning routine. It helps the child feel secure by knowing what they are doing, how they know they are done, and what comes next. This is also a great way to add a little literacy (beginning reading) into the routine. We use a visual schedule in my house for our morning routine that is interchangeable. My oldest daughter arranges the schedule how she wants and then follows it in the morning with her sister. It takes the "fight" out of the morning because I don't have to nag or argue or ask a million times to get shoes on or teeth brushed. Both of my girls know that as soon as the schedule is done whatever time is left before we need to leave gets to be spent reading books together, watching a favorite show, or even going to get a special treat in the morning (like a drink at a coffee house, a bagel, or even a donut!).
Asking Once
Children/People will require as many requests as you give them. Love and Logic says to ask one time and to give enough wait time for their brains to process the face to face kind request (up to a minute). If the request is not fulfilled, a consequence is issued (like time after school being spent practicing putting shoes on, needing help brushing teeth for a few days until trust is back that they can do it on their own, or even a payment for the time wasted while you had to wait for them to listen). Here is a good article about asking one time.
Jobs
Giving children jobs to do that they can enjoy finishing and feel good about themselves for accomplishing them (like feeding pets, making beds, emptying the dishwasher, putting out outgoing mail, etc) are so helpful for their development. If they have a job to do that cannot be started until they are ready for school, they may be more motivated to complete their routine tasks to get to their jobs. Here is some great information on chores/jobs for little people.
Get Your Teachers In On It
Come in and brag loudly about your child in front of them to their teachers! We love to hear how awesome these kids are and we will be on board to pour on the praise for how great they are doing. On the other side of the coin, if this is something that you are struggling with, please let us know (preferably when your child is not in ear shot). Jennae is a Love and Logic facilitator and is happy to help in any way she can. Your Harmony Teachers are all trained teachers and amazing resources for you to help you AND your children!
Visual Schedule
something like this can be a helpful tool to put your child in charge of the morning routine. It helps the child feel secure by knowing what they are doing, how they know they are done, and what comes next. This is also a great way to add a little literacy (beginning reading) into the routine. We use a visual schedule in my house for our morning routine that is interchangeable. My oldest daughter arranges the schedule how she wants and then follows it in the morning with her sister. It takes the "fight" out of the morning because I don't have to nag or argue or ask a million times to get shoes on or teeth brushed. Both of my girls know that as soon as the schedule is done whatever time is left before we need to leave gets to be spent reading books together, watching a favorite show, or even going to get a special treat in the morning (like a drink at a coffee house, a bagel, or even a donut!).
Asking Once
Children/People will require as many requests as you give them. Love and Logic says to ask one time and to give enough wait time for their brains to process the face to face kind request (up to a minute). If the request is not fulfilled, a consequence is issued (like time after school being spent practicing putting shoes on, needing help brushing teeth for a few days until trust is back that they can do it on their own, or even a payment for the time wasted while you had to wait for them to listen). Here is a good article about asking one time.
Jobs
Giving children jobs to do that they can enjoy finishing and feel good about themselves for accomplishing them (like feeding pets, making beds, emptying the dishwasher, putting out outgoing mail, etc) are so helpful for their development. If they have a job to do that cannot be started until they are ready for school, they may be more motivated to complete their routine tasks to get to their jobs. Here is some great information on chores/jobs for little people.
Get Your Teachers In On It
Come in and brag loudly about your child in front of them to their teachers! We love to hear how awesome these kids are and we will be on board to pour on the praise for how great they are doing. On the other side of the coin, if this is something that you are struggling with, please let us know (preferably when your child is not in ear shot). Jennae is a Love and Logic facilitator and is happy to help in any way she can. Your Harmony Teachers are all trained teachers and amazing resources for you to help you AND your children!
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