This week we continued with all things winter holidays.

The kids had fun this week finger painting holiday trees. Finger painting seems very basic, but there's a lot going on. Finger paint is an open ended process where they are using their own imagination and senses to create something; in this case a tree. They are using developing their coordination to move both hands on the paper while strengthening the smaller muscles in their hands. After they painted, the kids pinched and dipped poms poms into glue to decorate their “tree.” The kids also worked on ‘stained glass’ trees. The kids used a hole punch to make circles on a precut tree and then applied glue and tissue paper on the back. When they are held up to the window the lights ‘turn on.’

We continued to practice our bow poem and went over the gingerbread man poem. A couple of kids used bows to paint on the easel, it was messy but silly. We also had a lot of fun with a new gingerbread poem that reinforced color recognition and rhyming. I would say, ‘Hello I am a gingerbread man, I say borange, my color is (hold up orange gingerbread man)’, and the kids shout, ORANGE! ‘Hello I am a gingerbread man and I like to slurple, my color is…’ (PURPLE!) 

The fairy did visit, but alas I do not have a picture to show you. She hadn't made an appearance in quite some time, so the kids thought we needed to get her attention. We decided to pep up her garden for the holidays; the kids fun taking turns sprinkling glitter and sequins all over the garden to make it more festive(this is an example of what happens when it's too cold or rainy to go out). Her garden now resembles a New Years Eve after party. Guess what?!? It got her attention and she put out a little wreath on the tree.

I will send home a copy of the gingerbread rhyming and color poem, maybe we can have some clever families over break come up with some rhythms for green and black? 

Have a good week,

Ms. Rappaport