April 2023
Peek Inside our Children’s House Community
Hello Bobcat families,
We have had so much fun this last month! During winter season, we planted some carrots, radishes, tomato, bell pepper and broccoli seeds in our outdoor beds. Since then, children have been taking care of them by watering the seeds and pulling out some weeds. Last week, we finally harvested our carrots. The children were amused to discover what was growing under the soil. The whole atmosphere was filled with pride, happiness, enthusiasm, and a sense of achievement. During circle time, we observed all the carrots. We noticed that some carrots were big, some were small, some were thick, and some were thin. Our carrots had different shades of orange and yellow color as well as different shapes. We counted all the carrots and found out that we had a total of 155. We compared our 155 carrots with our Decimal System material. 155 is 100 square, 5 ten bars and 5 units beads. Learning through concrete experience J During our second work cycle, a couple of children cut the leaves, wash the carrots, and dry them. At the end of the day, the children were excited to bring a couple of carrots home. On Monday, two children baked some carrot cake for everybody to have after lunch time J here is our recipe:
Ingredients
-1 1⁄4 cup & 1 Tbsp of All Purpose Flour
-1⁄2 cup of Sugar
-1⁄4 cup of Brown Sugar
-1 tsp of Baking Soda
-2 tsp of Cinnamon __1⁄2 tsp of Salt
-3⁄4 cup of Vegetable Oil __2 Eggs
-1 Tbsp of Vanilla Extract
-1 tsp of Grated Orange Zest __1 1⁄2 cups of Shredded Carrots __1⁄2 cup of Raisins
1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2) Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Lay the bottom with parchment paper and set aside.
3) In a bowl toss together the carrots, raisins and the 1 Tbsp of flour until all of the carrots and raisins are coated with the flour.
4) In a large bowl mix together all of the ingredients until well combined. Add the carrots and raisins and mix until they are well incorporated through the batter.
5) Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6) When the cake is ready, let it cool in the pan for a few minutes but then take it out and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
Last month we also observed every fascinating stage of ladybug metamorphosis from eggs to adult ladybugs. After a couple of weeks, we released the ladybugs in our garden. We would like to thank Lilly’s mom for donating a couple of cups full of live ladybugs to our classroom. Before recess time, every child had the opportunity to hold a couple of ladybugs, observed them and released them J
A few reminders, as the weather is getting warm, please send your child with sunblock on. Also drop off time is at 8:15 am unless your child is enrolled in the before care program.
Thank you, as always, for all your support!
Ms. Hany and Ms. Joselyne
CACTUS WREN
Dear Cactus Wren Families,
It has been an exciting month, and it is hard to believe May is just around the corner! The children have been hard at work this past month, exploring the world of language and math and all the senses. Our writers in class have been creating stories and sharing with the class during morning circle. The younger students have been learning about living and non living things in the world. We have also been excited to learn about the life phases of butterflies and ladybugs this month!
The children have observed changes from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly in class this past month and we recently released our butterflies out into the world. The children enjoyed observing them and encouraging their first flight outside. We have also had a large amount of ladybug larvae in the garden, as well as other insects. The children have been using a local insect guide to study them, learning and writing about them, and exploring how they interact and live in the garden. Ms. Annette has also been singing with the children a song about butterflies.
With the changing weather and the season of spring, the children have been exploring the world of color with art. This month we have been learning about Impressionism and focusing on Claude Monet. Learning about his art studio built on a boat was a favorite fact for the children. a link to the song for you family to sing along together! We have also been practicing jokes in class, particular insect-themed. Below are a few of the favorites in class for you to enjoy!
How do you start a firefly race? On your mark, get set, glow!
What do you get when you cross a bee with a burger? A humburger!
What do you call nervous insects? Jitterbugs!
Knock, Knock.
Who’s there?
Weevil.
Weevil who?
Weevil see you real soon!
This past month has seen changes in the weather and the children, and we are so excited for the month to come. It has been amazing to see all of their growth and progress these past months and thank you for sharing your children with us!
Warmly,
Ms. Laura and Ms. Annette
Hello Gray Fox families,
Hello Gray Fox families,
What an exciting month it’s been for us! This month, for the first time in Gray Fox history, we decided to expand our yearly dive into exploration of life cycles to now include praying mantises! Several weeks ago, we received an egg case that we carefully placed inside of our habitat. The case took several weeks to hatch, but when it did, boy were we amazed! Dozens, if not hundreds, of baby praying mantis’, also known as nymphs, emerged from the case. Over the next couple of days we got to take a closer look and watch in amazement as they engaged in a natural game of “survival of the fittest”. Later, we took the strongest mantis’ and released them into our outdoor environment, where they are hopefully now thriving in nature.
Additionally, we dove more in depth to the concept of conservation, sustainability and taking care of our Earth. Earth day has just passed on April 22nd, but why not make every day Earth day?! We are raising the peacemakers, future lawmakers and citizens of the world. My hope is that these conversations resonate and continue to nurture natural curiosity, motivation and importance of taking care of the planet we call home. We have also discussed the issue of water waste and how to use only what we need. Here is a song about reduce, reuse, recycle that the children enjoy to hum.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOvcW8l3RzE
It was so nice to see all of your faces and smiles at the Creo Carnival! We had so much fun and it was great to let loose and catch up outside of the classroom. Thank you for all you do!
Kindly,
Ms. Kayla and Ms. Edna
JACKRABBIT
Hello Jackrabbit Families!
The weather has been so beautiful this month! The children have been enjoying working in the outdoor environment. The plat beds, which the children have been taking care of daily, look beautiful. So far, we have harvested carrots and strawberries. The children are using the mint for refreshing the lemonade they make which we get to enjoy during lunch time. They are so excited about the tomato plants which they grew fast!
This month the children explored the life cycle, not only by reading and having conversation, but we had the opportunity to have some caterpillars in the classroom. We observed the entire cycle and once they became beautiful butterflies, we released them into nature. It was such a wonderful experience.
As the months go by, the children have fully become acclimated to their school routine. It’s so beautiful to witness the sense of ownership and belonging that each of them has developed. They get easily oriented in the classroom and on the campus, built friendships, received countless lessons, and spend endless hours of practicing to be able to master concepts. Our older children don’t stop amazing us each day with their leadership and kindness towards younger friends. We continue to talk and read about kindness daily, and it always warms our hearts to witness all the love and kind gestures that the children have to one another.
This month, the children have been baking as part of their snack “Cinnamon Raisin Bread”, which they enjoyed. Here is the recipe if you would like to bake at home with your child.
Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cups sugar, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup raisins
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine flour, ¾ cup sugar, soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk buttermilk and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in raisins. Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar; set aside.
Spoon half the batter into a greased 8x4-in. loaf pan. Sprinkle with half of the reserved cinnamon sugar; repeat layers. Cut through batter with a knife to swirl.
Bake 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
Freeze option: Wrap cooled bread in foil and freeze for up to 3 months. To use, thaw at room temperature.
Thank you for your trust and support,
Ms. Yadira and Ms. Karen
