January 2016
It’s hard to believe it’s the start of another new year. I hope everyone had a relaxing holiday break. We’re all excited to get back to school! January is usually one of our favorite months at TCNS – the children are settled into the routine and we have a good stretch time to explore our classroom interests. We’ll continue to go outside everyday – it’s rarely too cold to get outside! Lets hope for a winter full of good snow and comfortable temperatures!
Winter has finally arrived so make sure to send warm outdoor clothing for your child. In the classroom we use outdoor play as an opportunity to practice self-management skills. Independent dressing is an important skill for all our children. It’s a big step for them to identify and begin to manage their own belongings and you can make this easier by labeling.
Fundraising: we’ll continue to collect fall and winter clothing for our Gemm Shop account. We’re also continuing to collect donations for our February 28th silent auction. We’ll have an updated donation list ready by mid-month. If you were not able to get business donations before the holidays please let me know.
Sock Collection: we’ll be collecting new and gently-used socks for Catholic Charities this month. This is a great time to pass on those socks your children don’t like (itchy, bunchy, or wrong colors) and help others at the same time.
TCNS parent survey: Later this month we’ll be sending a link to our annual parent survey. Please take the time to share your thoughts so we can continue to improve our program.
Dates to remember: Monday January 18th no school – Martin Luther King Jr Day. Scholastic orders will be due January 25th. This will be the only order for January and February and should be back before winter break. Toddler Story Time will be the 6th and 20th this month at 10:30.
Preschool Activities: Our books and projects this month will be full of preparing for winter, winter weather, and snow people. We’ll start off with The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch, followed by A Hat for Minerva Louise by Janet Morgan Stoeke, You Make Me Smile by Layn Marlow, The Snowy Day by Anna Milbourne and Snowballs by Lois Ehlert. We’ll be making different snowflakes, snow kids paper dolls, winter collages, and snow people out of many different things. We’ll also experiment with snow and ice in the sensory table.
Two’s Class: The Twos will start the month with Here Are My Hands by Bill Martin and John Archambault. We will identify and move our body along with the book at circle time. We will move onto Under My Hood I Have A Hat by Karla Kuskin and The First Snowfall by Anne Rockwell and end with a book about arctic animals. We will explore with sand in our sensory table and add glitter to our playdoh. We will decorate snowflakes, make a winter tree with our arms, trace our bodies and dress a snow person. We will be matching shapes and colors. Yes, we are busy! Each day we will continue to work towards independence in the bathroom with using the potty and hand washing. Please remember that pull ups and comfortable clothes are important tools for this process
Play “Hot or Cold” with your child this month. This is a fun way to practice following directions and a quieter alternative to hide and seek. Children also enjoy giving directions to help other find something hidden. Other classic games you can share with your child are “I Spy” and “Mother May I”.
Winter is a cold, cold season
Winter is a cold, cold season
Winter is cold, cold season
When the snow falls down.
Trumansburg Community Nursery School 