Welcome to the The Ball House Report. You can expect the Report twice monthly on Fridays. It will update you as to the goings on in our classroom, and give you full picture of our Brown Room community!
And now, for this week’s Report:
What’s New in the Brown Room
As we return from Winter Break, we work to strike a balance between the familiar, and the newness that comes with the return to the classroom. Here’s a look at some of the new in our classroom.
Towards the end of December, we heard many questions of “What’s happening today?” “How many days until home days?” “How many days until the birthday?” In response to this, we have begun to use a small weekly calendar. As time is still amorphous at this age, we focus on discussing the day of the week, looking at weeks in a linear fashion. Adding in the date and month in a skill that children will continue to develop as they build upon these initial calendar skills.
The kids were very excited to have our first neighborhood walk this week! We practiced our walking rules ( We always hold hands, We listen for teachers, We look ahead with our eyes, Our voices are OFF to cross the street) before heading out on our first trip. We saw ice cream shops, Pottery Dave’s studio at Greenwich House Pottery, and a giant Santa wearing a hamburger hat through a shop window. We are excited to have more adventures as we continue into spring.
Coming up next week, children will begin regularly writing their names by ‘checking out’ a book from the classroom library before independent reading time. We seek to meet children where they are at in this process. For some, this will look like focusing on tracing their name and develop deeper understanding of letter shapes such as curves and lines. For those who have begun the process, they will begin to focus on size and scope of their writing.
Questions to Ask Your Ball House Kid
1. Where did you go on a walking trip?
2. What day starts the week at school? (As this is a new concept for some, they may need some extra help remembering!)
