Sunnybrook Montessori School

Montessori preschool & kindergarten in New Hampshire's North Country

Jingle All the Way

pull!Things were buzzing this week inside and out.  Running, running, running was the name of the game.  As soon as we got in the fence everyone was off and away, expending all of that excited energy.   We even took some extra trips outside in the mornings when it was just too much to contain.  The children once again enjoyed wrestling with Sue outside, and Friday afternoon we absolutely had to have a tickle battle.  The children also made up a game they called “bumper cars,” where they would push on each other with their hands.  They really loved this rough and tumble game, which we supervised closely to provide safety guidance. Research has demonstrated how valuable this type of play is for building self-regulation, social skills, empathy, physical control, self-confidence, and for overall physical and mental health. bumper cars"He likes me!"diggingMonday morning the children were excited to visit the library with Tammy while we had our monthly play date.  They had fun with all of the big vehicles, legos, train table, etc. For Monday art we painted “white” pictures on gray paper, inspired by the gorgeous frosty mornings that left the trees white and sparkling. frosty white on a gray day paintingThe art table was very busy throughout the week as children painted with Q-tips, made their jingle bell shakers and Peace Round pictures for the winter performance, and wrote thank you notes to Officer Lyon (finally!) and Dr. Tarkleson.  They also continued tracing pictures at the light table and many children have been creating books, adding illustrations and stories. jingle bellsart workmaking bellsmaking booksIMG_4184 (2)Once again our circle times were dedicated to practicing for the winter performance and reading stories. beadingsnack time!signing his artpotting an amarylisfarmers farmingclock work intropuzzlingclock workmore clock workafternoon constructionfine motor transfer workthe body bookpainting with a friendafternoon work timeafternoon writingcars in the garageplant careword buildingdrawingn and zmorning work timememory & wooden word cardsteen board, blocks & vehiclesFor Friday science we once again explored water, this time as a solid.  Everyone was excited to feel the cold ice and make some observations about melting.  We found that salt melted holes in a chunk of ice and that ice cubes float in water, with only a little sticking out above the surface.  We also compared which melted faster – an ice cube surrounded by water or an ice cube surrounded by air.   The ice in the water melted a lot faster! Cold!ice in water melts faster!salt on icepracticing "The Mitten"At the end of recess we decided to take a walk across the meadow behind school, as we had noticed a large orange “thing” across the field.  We guessed that it was either a big pumpkin or a ball, so we went to check it out.  It was indeed a pumpkin and we wondered how it got there.  Did it grow?  Did someone bring it?  We noticed that it had no stem, and it was still solid, so it seemed likely that it did not grow there. going to check out the orange "thing"It's a PUMPKIN!such a warm December day!How does the manure spreader spread the poop?Some stories your children may have heard this week:

If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don’t! by Elise Parsley

Trouble with Trolls by Jan Brett

D’Aulaires’ Book of Animals

Outside by Deirdre Gill

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost, Illustrated by Susan Jeffers

Jingle Bells Illustrated by Darcy May

When Winter Comes by Nancy Van Laan

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Forgive and Let Go by Cheri Meiners

The Nutcracker by Susan Jeffers

Who’s That Knocking on Christmas Eve by Jan Brett

The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde, Illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger

 

 

 

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