January 2023

Peek Inside our Children’s House Community

Hello Bobcat families,

Happy 2023! I hope you had a wonderful winter break full of laugh and love! 😊 We would like to thank all of you for your generosity over the holidays

to the Bobcat Children’s House!

These last few weeks, Ms. Joselyne and I have been enjoying watching the children grow day by day. Learning new abilities as well as continue working to master others…always helping each other.

They truly grow so fast. Growing and growing more and more. Remember, “Childhood memories are timeless treasures of the heart.”

Here is the link to a new “Abre y Cierra” song that we have been singing during circle time.

Abre Cierra #2 | Canciones Infantiles

https://youtu.be/0ZDIQKTFYdk

I invite you to make some time to read an article about Montessori and Screens.

https://www.themontessorinotebook.com/montessori-and-screens/

With love,

Ms. Hany and Ms. Joselyne

CACTUS WREN

Dear Cactus Wren Families,

It has been an amazing start to the Spring Semester, and we are looking forward to where the next several months lead us! The children have been learning about Oceania this January; the different nations, people, animals, and plants that call this part of our world home. We have been singing about the Kookaburra during morning circles, and often see small groups singing together in class too!

The children continue to enjoy the outdoor environment and exploring the natural world. We have been learning about the parts of the frog and seashells in class. Painting outside has also become a favorite of the class, using green, brown, and yellow to connect to the colors we see in nature. For snacks, the children have been preparing egg salad and toast. Below is the recipe we have been using in class for you to enjoy at home!

Egg Salad with Celery

6 hardboiled eggs

1/2 cup of mayonnaise

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1/8 teaspoon of salt

Peel hardboiled eggs and chop both ways in an egg slicer.

Finely chop celery stalks. Add eggs, celery, and salt into a bowl, mix, and enjoy!

Thank you, families, for your support and we are excited about what the next months will bring!

Warmly,

Ms. Laura and Ms. Annette

Hello Gray Fox families,

Hello Gray Fox families and Happy New Year!

What a busy and productive month it has been in the Gray Fox classroom! This month, we welcomed two new friends to our tribe, Evelyn and Noelle. If you see them around, please give them a warm welcome and smile! As we turned the page to a new year, we thought it would be a great time to give our outdoor environment a much needed love and revamping. Thank you to the Morrison family for donating some strawberry plants to help us get started before the Spring. As of right now, it is very chilly and we are starting our seedlings indoors to be transferred outside when it begins to warm up. The children did a wonderful job helping to assist with de weeding, clearing soil beds of dead foliage and leaves, as well as scrubbing down and washing the entire outdoor environment. Go team! We are looking forward to seeing what seeds take and flourish in our garden this year.

Additionally, we began another mushroom farm. This month we started Pink Oyster mushrooms, which are very aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It has been so fun to watch them grow right before our eyes! We have also enjoyed exploring some new instruments this year, such as the “kalimba” and a “djembe drum”, both native to Africa. This year seems to be a peak year in musical interest for Gray Fox and these two instruments are perfect for beginner music reading and rhythm building, skills that are essential to play. There are 17 key, as well as 8 key kalimba’s. If your child is interested in continuing their exploration of this at home, or even learning to play basic songs, I am adding the link to a beginner one below.

https://www.amazon.com/Kalimba-exquisite-Marimba-Musical-accessory/dp/B07ZYZS9QW/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2RAW2PIRHUSES&keywords=8+key+kalimba&qid=1674599686&sprefix=8+key+kali%2Caps%2C633&sr=8-5

Lastly, we have been learning some new songs to sing in group time and the children seem to be really enjoying them. You can often hear them humming these tunes throughout work time and they’re fun rhymes that are hard to forget. I will list these songs below.

1. Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK8cj1uWhoo&t=1s
Note - This is the lyrical version we sing
2. She’ll Be Comin’ Around the Mountain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeXXT2MRlv8
3. I’ve been Workin’ On the Railroad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90x5AH4vOPo
4. Gum Drops

“If all the raindrops were candy drops and gumdrops

Oh what a rain that would be

Standing outside with my mouth open wide

Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah

If all the snowflakes were candy bars and milkshakes

Oh what a snow that would be

Standing outside with my mouth open wide

Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah”

With love,

Ms. Kayla and Ms. Edna

JACKRABBIT

Hello Dear Jackrabbit Families,

We hope everyone had a happy and restful winter break. The children came back eager to work and to practice and receive new lessons. It is so beautiful to witness an explosion of works in the environment. The ‘leaders” of the classroom take the new children under their wings. We often see a 5 or 6 year old preparing snack or giving a lesson to a 3 or 4 year old. The way they guide them is truly a pleasure to observe. This month we welcomed a new friend, Vera. The children have been so kind and welcoming.

Before lunch, we say a poem in Spanish and in English. Here is the poem if you would like to say it at home before dinner:

Gracias por los árboles,

Gracias por el sol,

Gracias por mi comida,

Gracias por mi.

Buen provecho pueden comer.

Thank you for the trees,

Thank you for the sun,

Thank you for my food,

Thank you for me.

The children have been baking Cheese Cream Drop Biscuits, which they love. Here is the recipe in case you would like to bake at home:

Cheese Cream Drop Biscuits