February 2013
We’ve been lucky enough to have some great snow already this winter. Please continue to send in all the winter clothing. The children are working hard on figuring out how to dress themselves – practice makes perfect! Remember, we go outside as much as possible. Not only does outdoor play provide important opportunities for gross motor development, the cold temperatures are very helpful in killing germs and reducing illness.
February is a very busy month. We have a lot going on – starting with Pajama Day on February 7th and 8th. Save time in the morning — children (and parent helpers) are invited to come to school in their pajamas. It’s a lot of fun and we put our snow pants on right over our pajamas when we go outside!
Valentine’s Day: We’ll be making tons of valentines this month! The children really enjoy making valentines for family, friends and neighbors and we use a LOT of glitter! We will also set up a post office so children can send letters to each other. To keep things simple in the classroom, we’re asking each child to make one special valentine to share at school. We put them all into a box and the children will each pick one out to take home. They really enjoy seeing who gets the valentine they made. If your child prefers to bring a valentine for everyone that’s okay, but we will emphasize the one special valentine.
This month we’ll be starting to do assessments with the children in preparation for parent-teacher conferences next month. We will spend time with each child playing “games” to help get a sense of their comfort with different tasks. The children really enjoy the one-on-one time and often ask if they can have another turn. If you have any questions about this process, please don’t hesitate to ask.
There will be no school on Friday, February 15th and February 18th, 19th and 20th for winter break.
Upcoming: I will be sending out a link for our parent survey this month also. Please take the time to give us your input. We really appreciate any feedback – it helps improve our program for your children and future families
February Activities: We’ll start the month celebrating Chinese New Year by reading Seven Chinese Sisters by Kathy Tucker. The children love this story! We’ll practice using chopsticks and make Chinese lanterns and dragons. Our next book will be The Snowy Surprise by Amy Hest. We’ll cut and glitter valentines all week and bake surprise muffins. We will then read the classic A Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats and make a snowy day collage. The final week of the month we’ll start talking about arctic animals and read Cuddly Duddley by Jez Alborough. This is a silly story about a penguin and we’ll make a paper penguin and arctic scene.
Terrific Twos: In February our Terrific Twos will continue with winter themed books by reading Slippidy Seal by Betty Preston, Skidamarink, a read and sing book, and A Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. Slippidy Seal is a book that will introduce our class to how seals eat, sleep and play just like we do every day. The book has color photographs that will enable our class to see seals in their natural setting. We will explore with sizes, sorting and matching in our classroom activities. Skidamarink is a wonderful book for valentines day to show all the love we have for each other. We will be baking a surprise to bring home for a family valentine. A Snowy Day is a classic that always is a favorite with the class. We will follow Peter in his adventures on a snowy day. Our children will find connections in is outside adventure with our outside play. We will explore with snow and frozen water in our classroom. Stay warm!
Five little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off and bumped his head,
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
(repeat) Four little monkeys … Three little monkeys… Two little monkeys…
One little monkey jumping on the bed, he fell off and bumped his head,
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, “Put those monkeys back to bed!”
Trumansburg Community Nursery School 