Winter Fun

Here are some ideas to make the snow and ice fun. Outside time is very important for preschoolers. We know that it is a lot of work this time of year, so we have included some suggestions on how to make it a fun learning experience for everyone.

First, make a game out of finding appropriate winter clothes. Make a list of things that you need to stay warm on a cold day, and then find the appropriate items. For example, your list could look like this:
Hat
Scarf
Snow pants
Winter jacket
Boots

If you want to be really creative you can go into google images and cut and paste appropriate pictures to go along with the list. Put your child on your lap while you do this and have them help you find pictures that best represent the items that they wear.


After you have gathered all of the items, have your child dress themselves for the weather. They will require some instruction on how to do this. Use positional words such as first put your snow pants on, put one leg in at a time, etc. Having your child dress themselves will not only promote independence, but all of the pulling, tugging, zipping and buttoning will help to foster fine motor development and body awareness. Wait your child out a little bit and have them try to do this as independently as possible. Some of the things will be a struggle and you will have to help them out, but see what they can do on their own.

Once everyone is dressed for the weather it’s time to go outside and play! Here are some fun winter and snow activities that you can participate in with your child.

Experiment with Snow
1. Do various experiments with snow, simply to see what happens.
2. Watch snow melt when table salt is added.
3. See how long it takes for different sized snowballs to melt in the sun.
4. Put snow inside different sized plastic pails and metal pots to see which container holds more.
5. Find surfaces that snow will stick to.
6. Discover which toys sit on top of the snow and which ones are heavy enough to sink down.

Paint the Snow and Ice
Using food coloring added to water let children paint the snow and ice with brushes or spray bottles. Let them see what happens when two different colors are mixed on the snow’s surface and how the color blends when ice melts. Teach them to paint their name on the snow bank in front of the house.

Look for Animal Tracks
While on a walk in the woods, show children how to spot animal tracks and talk about what the animals might be doing. Ask the children to make their own tracks in the snow using their footprints, sticks or their fingers. Let them look at the tracks with a magnifying glass.

Create Snow Drawings
Using sticks, pine cones, or even their fingers, have children draw pictures on a canvas of freshly fallen snow. Look for tree stumps, railings, fences, and benches as ready surfaces for children to show their creativity. Take pictures of their drawings to be used for the front of next year’s homemade greeting cards.

Make Slush Sculptures
On a relatively warm day, add water to the snow to create slush. Let the kids get wet and make slush creations, much like ice sculptures. Encourage them to use sticks, stones and other materials to add details to their artwork. Challenge the kids to co-operate on creating a slush wall, which can be used as part of an outside obstacle course
Snow is the perfect learning tool for science and creativity. Show preschoolers how to explore the wonders of winter and let their imaginations do the rest.

Snow ideas from:

http://kidsoutdooractivities.suite101.com/article.cfm/exploring_snow_with_preschoolers

Reading at Home

I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some ideas and techniques when reading at home to your child. Children whose families read to them when they are young do better in school. They know about books and words and letters and sounds. They have experiences following a story and they enjoy reading. Early experience with books makes it easier for children to learn to read themselves.

Plan to read to your child the same time each day. Make it part of your family’s routine. Many families read a book at bedtime. If that is not a good time for you, find another time that works.

Sit side-by-side on your child’s bed, a couch, or the floor. Look at the pictures together and let your child help turn the pages. Pack a book for reading on car rides, trips to Grandma’s or in the doctor’s waiting office.

There are so many great books for children. The local library has a great selection and a wonderful children’s department. Try different kinds of books. Read stories, rhymes and information books. Notice which kinds of books your child enjoys most and ask your librarian to help you find more.

What to do During a Read-Aloud

As you read, talk to your child about the book. Answer questions and ask question of your own. This is how your child will learn.

* Name anything your child points to in the pictures.

• Point to pictures yourself and explain things as your read.

• Run your finger under some words as you read them, especially if the are in big, bold print or fun to say.

• Explain any words your child may not understand.

• Encourage questions and comments-get a conversation going!


The most important thing when reading aloud to your child is to have a good time. Make it a special time with your child and take the time to enjoy each other’s company.

Wind and Water (home ideas)

Dear Preschool Families,
We're reading books and talking about wind and water at school. We hope that you will take some time to talk about wind and water (and weather!) at home, too.
The following is a list of books that children will be exposed to over the next month:

Gilberto and the Wind by Marie Halls Ets

A Hat for Minerva Louise by Janet M. Stoeke

The Snowy Day By Ezra Jack Keats

One Dark Night by Hazel Hutchins

Rabbits and Raindrops by Jim Arnosky

The Very Noisy Night by Diana Hendry

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema

See How They Grow: Kitten by Jane Burton

Here are some fun activities you can do at home to help carryover the concept of Wind and Water into the home:

At bath time, add toys and plastic cups to the tub. Notice which things sink, float squirt or soak up water.

During a thunderstorm, watch the sky through a window. Talk about what you see. Count slowly between the lightning and the thunder.

Watch the weather forecast, Explain words such as windy, gusts or humidity. The next day, discuss whether the forecast was correct.

Play a rhyming game: "I see something wet and it rhymes with lane. It's ____ (rain)! Make the clues easy so the game is fun.

Let your child blow through a straw. See if he or she can find three things that can be moved easily that way.

Visit a playground. As you child plays on the equipment describe the actions: over, under, around and through.

In the tub float plastic lids. Blow on them and give the little plastic animals boat rides. Talk about the wind.

Go outside on a windy day. Notice all the ways you can tell the wind is blowing and talk about them.

Let you child help load and unload the dryer. Talk about how the clothes feel and look when going in and coming out.

These are just suggestions of fun things to do that will enhance what you child is learning about in school. Take some time to enjoy your child and observe wind and water.

Beautiful Junk

When the children return from the holidays on January 4th we will begin our first unit on Wind and Water. While exploring the topic the students will participate in lots of fun lessons. We could use your help collecting the following items from the "beautiful junk" list:
Balloons (latex free if you can find them)
golf balls
table top fan (make sure your name is on it and we will return it at the end of the month)
aluminum pans
fabric scraps
medicine cups
outdoor thermometer (make sure it is labeled so we can return it)
felt
pincer clothespins
long drinking straws
plastic tubing
large buckets
dowel rods
small yogurt containers
aprons (make sure your name is on it)

If you have any of the following items around the house we would love to borrow them. Please don't feel the need to go out and purchase any of the items. Anything that you send in and want returned at the end of the month please make sure you label them and let the classroom teacher know. We appreciate your help and support.

Welcome

Dear Preschool Families,

The purpose of this letter is to inform you of two new and exciting initiatives that will take place when classes resume in January. The first is called Opening the World of Learning. The second is a program blog that will help keep you informed of happenings in the preschool.

Opening the World to Learning (OWL) is a research based and field-tested integrated Pre-K curriculum. It is designed to develop language and early literacy skills in the context of rich content – primarily in the areas of mathematics, science and social studies. The program has 6 units and the topics include: Family, Friends, Wind and Water, World of Color, Shadows and Reflections and Things That Grow. When the children return in January we will begin with Wind and Water. One of the exciting pieces of the OWL is that it has home carryover for each unit. We will use our new blog to share with you ideas and activities that you can do with your children that will help reinforce concepts that are being taught in school. We will need support with developing our units and we will ask for weekly supplies for the activities. The supplies that we will need we refer to as “beautiful junk.” Many of the items are things that can be recycled or items that you currently put in the trash. You know that saying “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” In the preschool one person’s trash is a wonderful hands on activity that will help your child to acquire new skills and concepts. We will post our junk lists on the blog.

We are going to attempt to go green in the preschool and cut back on the enormous amount of paper we go through on a weekly basis. All of the teachers will be posting their weekly newsletters on the blog. The blog will also provide the staff the opportunity to share videos and pictures of your children participating in curriculum activities. We are excited to use the blog as yet another form of communication to keep families informed about what is happening in the integrated preschool.

We are excited about all of our new initiatives for 2010 and feel confident that they will enhance the quality of programming that is provided for your children on a daily basis. To find us on the web go to the Burlington Public Schools web site at www.burlington.mec.edu click on the link for the integrated preschool and you will see the link for the preschool blog. Our goal will be to update it several times a week

We wish you and your family a very happy and healthy holiday season. We are looking forward to 2010 being a fun and exciting year of learning in the integrated preschool.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns feel free to contact Louise at 781-273-7632 or @ D’amato@burlington.mec.edu


Thank You,

The staff of the Burlington Integrated Preschool