Ending January in the 3's!

Good afternoon families! There was lots of messy art and cooperative-playing going on this week at school. The children are starting to move away from parallel play (playing with the same toy alongside each other) and are starting to display interaction and cooperation with their play. They are sharing ideas and working on turn-taking. It is amazing to see how far they have come since the beginning of the school year.

This week at MORNING MEETING we listened to another musical book, The Magic Train Ride by Sally Crabtree. In this story, children take a train ride through several different magical lands. The books we have read this month are part of the Barefoot Book series which are beautifully illustrated and set to music. The books also have animated versions which can be found on the Barefoot Books channel on YouTube. The children really enjoy them when we occasionally watch and dance along during indoor recess.

Here's what's NEW at CENTERS:

Art Table: On Thursday we painted snowflakes with blue, purple and silver glitter paint. We used smaller paint brushes which are tricky, but it gives the children an opportunity to work on strengthening the muscles in their hands and fingers. They did a wonderful job! On Friday, we used glue bottles, cotton balls, paper coal pieces, and paper carrot noses to make snowmen. We will hang them up on the bulletin board in the hallway, so you can check them out next week.

NOTE: Some of you may be wondering why your child doesn’t come home with art projects. Most of the art activities we do in class are optional. On rare occasions we have “have-to” projects. If your child is not one that gravitates toward art materials, that’s okay! They are busy working on their fine moto