Camping Week 07.27-31.09

This week went by really quick despite the horrific weather we had! I mean triple digit weather! But we had lots of fun and made a neat little project! The children brought tents, flashlights, camping dishes, a sleeping bag and one even brought a snake! LOL Due to the heat, we did lots of water play outside. We also strapped a huge colorful parachute over our kiddy slide to make one large outdoor tent. For our project, we made pine cone bird feeders :D Jen brought in some pine cones from her yard and brought out all the ingredients. The children were hooked! We usually let them take turns mixing, pouring and getting their little hands dirty :p However, because of one of the ingredients, we thought it better to not get their hands dirty by using spoons to fill the pine cones with the bird feed mixture they helped to make. The feeders turned out cute. Next week, we will see if they attract any birds!

Next week, DINOSAURS!!!!! :D

Fire Drill!!!

                

I usually hate when we have fire drill practice! one-year olds usually don't co-operate  since they have no clue why there is a loud sound pounding in their ear or why teachers are rushing around, why their toys are taken from them and then they are herded out the door or playground. The rush of it all really confuses them and as everyone knows, one-year olds do not like to be confused! Well, today we had a fire drill just as we were heading out the door to go to the playground. At first the noise startled them, but then they looked at me and my co-teacher and followed us out the door. Even going down the stairs to the front entrance of our center went smooth. I have to say, I was very impressed with my little ones! Of course, there were only six of them in class today and we had an extra teacher helping with the exit (LOL) I know we got lucky this time, next time, I will have new students in the classroom who may not be so co-operative and calm!

Hot Babies!!!

                                                      

Today got really hot!!!! 93 degrees! and maybe even hotter since our rooftop playground surrounded by concrete and hot air does rise! Along with sunscreen to keep them from burning, we hosed down the playground, the sunshades and even our little ones to cool things off. Needless to say, we did not stay outside very long. We came in and did some sensory fun with water and cute little clown fish (toys :D) According to the Seattle anchors, it is only going to get hotter! Wednesday they predict 90+ so I'm really considering skipping the outdoor play and maybe do some high energy activity indoors. I will see how it goes. Usually, the children don't exert as much energy indoor as they do outdoors but I have no intention in sending overheated or heat-exhausted babies home!

Friday Quote of the Day

A child miseducated is a child lost.
~John F. Kennedy~

Thursday Quote of the Day

Challenge of the day : Find something good in everyone.  ~Unknown~

A box city success!

So our box city and maze was a total success! We used recycled boxes from our center's kitchen and from boxes donated by parents. We chose this theme and project because we noticed a high interest in boxes from our toddlers. Every time we got a new box in the classroom or on the playground, they would come up with creative ways to play with it. there is almost always never enough boxes to go around. Not this week; this week is nothing but boxes, in the classroom and on the playground. After watching them the first day, I along with the other toddler teachers, decided to do something creative and fun. Our kids love to build (and destroy) things and they love tunnels. So we thought, why not build a city out of all the boxes with lots of tunnels?

It took us a while to get it together, it was really hot but with the help and excitement of the toddlers, our city grew. We had two tunnels, a pavillion, a sky light, and a couple of "escape" exits if the tunnels got a little too congested! We could barley get it finished before the little ones started making their tour of "Box City." I must say, this was an excellent project to do with the little ones.

Book Review: Puff the Magic Dragon

Doing storytime with 7 toddlers and "Puff the Magic Dragon" made me remember just how much I liked the story and song growing up! This a wonderful tale filled with youthful imagination, amazing imagery, colorful illustration and a soothing melody. I borrowed this story from the 2 year-old classroom since we had the song on our computer. I played the song while showing the pages to my one year-olds. They were mesmerized as the music and song played. The illustrations captured them and kept them glued to the pages as I turned them and sang along (I have found, my toddler students prefer hearing teacher's voice along with the recorded voice when listening to musical stories.) They even requested the book and song "again!" They loved the dragon and they recognized the "boat". I will definitely invest in having a copy for my room.

Today was a good day!

Masha Allah! What a great day! The boxes were a hit. At first the children were a tad bit reserved about playing with the boxes. they are so used to us having only a few boxes to play with that they did not know to make of all the extras! It was only after I had sat in one of the larger boxes that they decided it was safe to play. They loved it!!! One of the toddlers decided my box was better than the others and jumped in with me. We banged on them like drums, we sat on them like chairs, we crawled through them like tunnels, we rode them like horses, we sat in them and just giggled back and forth with each other. One of the children played a cute game of Box-etball (throwing balls in the box) before realizing it would be fun to sit IN the box WITH his collection of balls! Later after nap and snack, the children painted boxes for a building project to be completed by the end of Box Week.  After work, I went to the library to look for some books that are about boxes and different creative uses for a box. I finally found the book "Not a Box" after searching for 35 minutes! I hope the children like the story.

Monday Quote of the Day

“Children are like wet

 

cement. Whatever falls on 

them makes an impression.” 

Dr. Haim Ginott

When you can't find the right story.

What do you do when you can't find the right book or story for circle time and getting to the library is a tab bit out of the way? This is what I did, I made my own. Out theme next week is all about boxes. So, I wrote a short little something about boxes and found pictures on the web for each concept. I will next make a short little booklet and some picture cards for our story felt board. With picture cards, the children get to hold the picture when they look at it; they also get to help place the pictures on the felt board as we tell the story. Participation actually helps keep them engaged in circle time and not wandering off in the room (although, at one years old, they tend to do that any way LOL). 

Boxes, Boxes, Boxes

Boxes are fun.

They come in all shapes and sizes.

Big boxes, little boxes, tiny boxes too.

You can stack them high or sit inside.

You can crawl through it like a tunnel or

stand real tall.

You can ride it like a horse, 

tap it like a drum.

Boxes can be lots of fun.

Shoe boxes, hat boxes, cereal boxes too.

A box for your toys, a box for girls and boys.

A house in a box, a box in a house.

Boxes to move things, boxes to push things,

boxes to hide in, boxes to share with a friend.

Boxes are lots of fun.

Saturday Quote of the Day

Honesty is always the best Policy!

Friday Quote of the Day

He who dares to teach must never cease to learn. - ~Anonymous~

My first on-the-job injury.

*groan* I got my first on-the-job injury last Tuesday!! took a header from one of the little ones running up to me. Hit me so hard, I think he may have actually knocked some sense out of me! *groan*

So here is what happened. We were on the playground, both toddlers classes in fact. It was a really nice morning, the kids were all running around and playing. A couple of times, a child would run up to me and jump in my lap. It is a game they have become fond of. Well, I was sitting down on the ground talking to another toddler teacher and playing with one of the toddlers next to me. Suddenly, from the corner of my eye, I could see another child coming at me really fast. Just as I turned towards him, he came crashing down on me. His head hit me like a ton of bricks. It stunned us both. My first response was "ooww," then I looked down and was in my lap touching his head. I hugged him and asked him if he was okay, his response was, "Hi Saba." Then he said, "I need ice." So, we got ice for him, after sitting in my lap for 15 minutes icing his bump, he got up and played as if nothing happened. As for me, my head throbbed the rest of the day. I felt slow but not really dizzy or anything like that. I don't have a mark, neither does he, but the spot is still tender. Today, he was his normal self, as if nothing had happened, he doesn't sport his mark where he rammed me with his head and he still likes to play the hazardous came of 'ram a teacher' but now, I'm ready for him! :)

Friday Quote of the Day

"They may forget what you said, But they will never forget how you made them feel."

Thursday Quote of the Day

"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove . . . . but the world maybe different because I was important in the life of a child." - Kathy Davis

The Best Toys........

Sometimes the best toys are the boxes they came in!!  I watched a few of my little ones spend over 40 minutes playing with boxes instead of the toys, balls and push cars on the playground. They used the boxes for all sorts of games, they used it as a tunnel, as a boat, just a place to kick back in with a friend and hide 'n' seek. It was fun to watch and see just how many ways they used the boxes.

Stages of jumping.

Today was wonderfully cool with a gentle breeze on our rooftop playground. Sitting under the shade of the Sunsails on an overcast day, I watched two little boys from my classroom M and G jumping and hopping around me. They looked so cute doing it together. Then I noticed just how good at jumping they had become. I remember the first time either one attempted to jump, their feet couldn't come off the ground! They'd bend their knees, shout jump, and straighten their knees. That was it. Then, slowly, one foot would come off the ground as they jumped while the other stayed planted on the ground to keep their balance. After some time, they progressed to doing something like a gallop for jumping, their feet would take turns leaping and landing. But today!!!! they jumped!!! both feet leaving the ground and landing without falling!!!! Yipeee!! So, naturally, I'm cheering them on and they are loving every bit of it show off their new skill for me. Awww, the joys of seeing the development of my sweet little ones, it is every teacher's dream!

Tuesday Quote of the Day

Give me a fish and I eat for a day. Teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime. Chinese Proverb

'Tis the season....

'Tis the season to stay healthy,

falalalala lala la la.

All my kiddies coughing and sneezing,

falalalala lala la la

Still I love them, and adore them,

falalalala lala la la.

'Tis the season to stay healthy

falalalala lala la la

:D

I'm trying to stay healthy as my little ones are battling runny noses, coughing and sneezing, which by the way they still have not learned the concept of "germ catcher!" I'll be happy when they are healthy and happy little jumpers :D until then.....lots of hugs, cuddles and tissues!

Friday Quote of the Day

"To teach is to touch lives forever." - Anonymous

Nature video: The Blue Whale

These are truly majestic creatures!!

Wednesday Quote of the Day

"Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths pure theatre." 

Gail Godwin

hehehe, I like this one because it is sooooooooo true!! especially with one-year olds!!