Penguins

The children seem very happy to be back in school. Even though they were at home for a month, everyone came in as if they had never been gone and immediately resumed the classroom activities. We’ve done a lot with penguins this week, with one more day of penguin activities tomorrow. It’s been very nice to be able to go to the playground without having to get all the children into snow pants and boots, but it’s also strange to go so long without snow. I told the children we need to read the “Snow on the…..” poem every day so it will snow. Some have told me that they have read it at home; I encourage you to have your child read the monthly poems often. They are very proud of themselves when they demonstrate what they learn.

This week our penguin family of friends have joined us for Meeting Time. The children know which one is Daddy Penguin, Mommy Penguin, Big Brother and Big Sister. Can you tell the difference?

I continue to be amazed at how easy it is to entertain the children during Meeting Time. I find little props (often on clearance) that I can use and the children never tire of them. Day after day, they want to see the same things. This penguin, whose ‘bubbles’ squeeze out is an example of this. The laughing keeps me coming back to school year after year.

A variety of penguin toys are out on the tables for play, and my hand puppet helps when reciting a poem.

I always enjoy seeing how the children create their art projects. Some follow the sample exactly, some have creative interpretations, some articulate that their’s is going to be silly. The children are at different developmental stages, and many are still learning to use and manipulate the materials. When children are in my class for 2 years in a row, I look forward to seeing their developmental growth the 2nd year when creating the same projects.