AFC PINE AM

  Yesterday we were able to enjoy the snow as it fell ever so softly onto the ground as we walked up and down the streets of Webster. It was towards the end of the day so we didn't spend much time playing in it. This morning, however, we decided to bring some of that snow in our classroom to get a better look at it!  At first the boys were digging in with their hands. B would exclaim how cold it was while J & L pressed their hands in it to make prints. After a few minutes it was evident that it was too cold to touch, so we got out the paintbrushes and began to draw around in the snow with both ends. I am happy it was cold enough for the snow to stick around so we could play with it today. These kinds of sensory experiences can be so enriching! 

  Forgive me as I only have one picture from today, it was busy this morning 😅 It was a great morning though! Ms. Kari brought in a toy that ended up being a big hit with all of the boys. Not only did they enjoy the "moo" sound that they heard when the barn door opened (full on belly laughs!), they also passed toys to one another, laughed and smiled, and took turns putting animals in and out of the barn. We would all make the animal noises together and take them in and out of the barn. The play was simple and repetitive to help us all really nail down some good play skills.  It has been very encouraging to play with the boys for longer periods of time. They have grown so much this school year and it's been evident over the last week.  We ended our day out in the snow with a nice leisurely walk around the neighborhood. 

  We welcomed back most of our class today so as you can imagine, it was a really great Monday! The boys had a great time navigating the classroom again and getting back into a routine. Every week we try and switch up the different materials they have access to unless they show interest in something in particular. Lately, the boys have really been interested in playing with all kinds of balls. They have been featured a lot on the blog, but that's because their interest and play with them is ever evolving. It will probably always be an option, but we also want to expand their play and social skills.  While using the balls on a ramp was still an choice this morning, some of the boys were very curious about the office supplies lying across a table. J was the first to notice one machine with just numbers. If you guessed adding machine, you are right! J began pressing each number as he said them outloud. He continued to scan the machine and pressing each button getting a kick out o...

  And just like that, our 3 day week is over! This week J got to spend a lot of time with our friends over in Dogwood. It was great! We were finally able to enjoy some of this warmer winter weather and spend time outside on the playscape. We haven't been to the top by the instruments since before winter break so the kids were anxious to get to play with some of their favorite toys out there. J immediately gravitated towards the xylophone! With a ball in hand and a tune already in mind, J began bouncing the ball across each bar and sang the "ABC" song to himself.  I love that J finds such joy in singing familiar songs and playing along with them on just about anything he can turn into an instrument. He will be quite the musician one day!  Have a great weekend and we will see you all next week! 

  Today J joined the Dogwood class for some fun in the collaboratory! He had a great time playing with the others and testing out all kinds of different sensory based bouncing balls. Not only did J roll them down the ramp, but threw some of the sticky ones against the window and used the light up balls to guide his way through a small tunnel. J's ability to entertain and sustain play with just a ball or two is great! He is so innovative with how he wants to play with them and often uses his problem solving skills to meet his play needs. We ended our time today with a walk to get some fresh crisp air.  Happy Wednesday! 

  The Pine AM class has been all about experimenting with sounds. Whether it's with instruments, vocalizations, or just random objects around the room these boys like to make noise! Earlier this year J demonstrated his ability to keep a beat and show some understanding of rhythm. He really blew us away while he kept the same rhythm to songs we would play throughout the morning. Since then, J has continued to experiment with all kinds of objects around the room to see what kinds of noises they make.  J discovered that he likes to drop items, like marbles, from a high point and hear them crash into whatever lies beneath. He erupts in giggles and laughter when he hears a particular sound he likes and then continues to practice until something else catches his attention.  Today J explored sounds with the drum, some cookie sheets, marbles, and a marble tower. He was fascinated with hearing the marbles hit different surfaces and interested in creating a whole new set of sounds....

Happy Thursday! What a week full of playing in the gym and collaboratory; taking long walks; and enjoying a little bit of outside time on the warmer days. We sure will miss those warm days as we look ahead to the colder weather next week, bummer!  You may remember the slime the boys played in at the beginning of the week and as fun as that was, it quickly became quite a mess!    Exhibit A So! We needed to change up our game plan a little bit because the play was no longer purposeful and just kind of ended in a screaming helplessness of sticky hands. Ah!   Over the last few days we began switching up the different sensory experiences. Unfortunately floam wasn't really contributing to our play much either and didn't last long. In fact, it was going into mouths rather than being squished between hands and fingers. Today we decided that some playdoh might be the way to go.  Turns out, playdoh was the best fit! You can see below how B was able to focus on his pl...

  Over the last few days we have been focusing on "I Love You" Rituals with the boys at the very end of the day. If you are unfamiliar with this practice, I highly encourage you to look into Dr. Becky Bailey's book "I Love You Rituals." These are quick activities designed to "send the message of unconditional acceptance. Unconditional acceptance is love (Bailey, p.3)."  Through these quick melodic finger play games we are continuing our class mission to seek a deeper connection to one another and make everyone feel the unconditional love. Our classroom is full of a range of abilities and through our use of Conscious Discipline and the I Love You Rituals we are hoping to create a comfortable space that all our children feel loved and accepted.  Unfortunately, my camera work wasn't great this morning, BUT you can at least get a small glimpse into what this ritual may look like. Beneath the video you can find the preparation and instructions for you...

This morning the boys took to the carpet and started building small towers together! It isn't every day that the three of them want to play the same thing, but today they all seemed to gravitate towards the large blue blocks and the cardboard bricks strewn across the floor. With a little bit of help stabilize the base, the boys were taking turns stacking different pieces on top of one another and then ultimately knocking them down. It was fun to watch the boys get excited for one another when they took turns to push over each structure. As they continue to grow closer as a class they have been showing more care for one another and genuinely want each other to succeed.  I think we all seek this kind of connection with people- surrounding ourselves with people that lift you up (maybe quite literally!) and provide space for you to grow! I love that we get to start that kind of teaching at such a young age with these sweet boys. Cheers to caring for one another! 

  Hello & happy Monday! I hope everyone was able to enjoy their weekend through rest and play!  Today was like any other Monday, full of playing, extra classroom visitors, and familiarizing ourselves with school routines. That being said, Mondays can be quite busy! I don't have much to say today as it was pretty typical and that's okay 😊 It wasn't until the very end of our day that the boys got to relax a little bit and slow down from all of the hard work they put in from meeting with Kari and gross motor play in the gym with Mary. The boys settled into the book area and grabbed some of their favorites to read and look at independently. I love when the kids naturally find a place to slow down and rest. It's such an important self regulation skill they are learning at a young age and will hopefully continue to benefit them in the future. I hope it is something you can all do as a family at some point in your day!  Enjoy this video of B reading through "Go, Go, ...

Does anyone else feel like this week has flown by!? I can't believe it's already Thursday. To wrap up our busy week, we ended our day of play in the gym. The gym is a large space with a LOT of different choices to make. This can sometimes make things more challenging when it comes time for a child to make a decision on what he or she would like to do. One strategy we use in the Pine room is to limit the amount of choices in order for the kids to come to a decision on what they would like to play.  Both L & A have shown a lot of interest in playing with all kinds of different balls. Thankfully, we are fully prepared with just about any kind you can think of-inflatable, noisy, big, small, sticky, light up, you name it and we have it. So today it was easy for both of them to make a decision on what they wanted to do- the ball wall!    As the boys have now spent several months in the Pine room and have shown a lot of developmental growth, we are seeing much more purposefu...

  Nothing says "welcome back to preschool" like a nice long walk around the neighborhood! I know I have said it a million times over the course of this year, but we are offered so many learning experiences by being able to explore our neighborhood and check out the community. Today, we took a nice long walk over to one of the biggest trees in the area! Not only did the boys show great determination climbing the hill to the tree, but also had some of the best walking stamina we've seen all year!  Once we arrived, both boys immediately approached the tree and stared in awe. This tree made these two boys look so tiny! They rubbed their fingers and hands along the bark  and explored the grooves by taking very close looks.  It's so great to be back and see how much the boys have grown over the last couple of weeks.   

  Happy Monday & welcome back! We are easing into the new year with getting familiar with old routines as well as getting to meet a new friend in Dogwood!  L took some time today to show the new friend in Dogwood, R, some different ways to play in the collaboratory. L is a pro when it comes to building towers and knocking them over as well as playing pass with the giggle ball! Such a great start to the new year