Little Explorers

• Friday, November 14th- normal sessions at Northern
• Friday, November 21st- sessions will be on campus in the Preschool classroom

Dear Little Explorer Families,

There was a beautiful calmness this morning as the students quietly explored all of the provocations. The play dough was adorned with colorful acrylic leaves and pumpkins making for some interesting imprints. The students even more so enjoyed filling the clear pumpkins with the loose parts and shake, shake, shaking them, marveling in the fun sound. All kinds of wooden blocks were gathered on the rug and manipulated into different structures and designs. Pumpkins were cut open to reveal lots and lots of seeds on the inside that were scooped and dumped. Trays of natural treasures including buckeyes, acorns, walnuts, and spiky gum balls invited students to grab with tongs and fill egg cartons. The tongs were definitely the hit of the day! Our Light area wall was covered in multiple shapes of mirrors as rope lighting covered the floors and flashlight beams bounced around the room. Lastly, the Art center provided us with the opportunity for printing using cut vegetables and sponges.

We finished our time together with the story Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert and a few favorite songs.

I hope you all have a great weekend and see you next week!

Miss Claire

• Friday, October 31st- No sessions- Halloween

• Friday, November 7th- normal session at Northern

• Snack List

Dear Little Explorer Families,

Trick-or-Treat! What a sweet session we had today as we made our way around campus gathering all kinds of goodies. The older students always love seeing our youngest learners all dressed up and boy, their costumes did not disappoint. When we weren’t filling our bags with treats, the kiddos were full on in their explorations in the classroom. Our sensory bin was scooped and swirled again, even making its way into the kitchen as some yummy food. The light table became a potion-making laboratory as bottles were filled with glass gems and drink stirrers mixed it all up. Orange and purple playdough quickly turned into monsters, sporting multiple eyeballs, bony hands, and sharp teeth. Our hollow blocks, color-changing lights and lots of pumpkins dotted the block area and made for some interesting building. Lastly, our large pumpkins quickly turned into magnificent disco balls as glitter and gems were intentionally placed all over.

We finished with a pumpkin story and some skeleton dancing! I will miss you all next week but I hope you have a great holiday!

Love,

Miss Claire

• Friday, October 24th- PLAYgroups Trick-or-Treat on main campus. Little Explorers will meet from 9-10:15 am in the Preschool room. Kiddos are invited to dress-up in their favorite costume. We will play for a bit, travel around to some of the other classrooms to grab some special goodies, and finish with a story, snack, and songs.

• Friday, October 31st– No sessions

• Some families were asking about my playdough recipe. This is one of my favorites! You can substitute any spice in it!

Dear Little Explorer Families,

Fall was upon us this week as the kiddos got right down to exploring all of the Fall-inspired provocations. Our apple pie playdough filled the room with a delicious smell as we rolled, smooshed, and adorned our creations with spooky spiders and strands of pumpkin beads. The block area was covered with tree slices, larger planks, cans, and Magna tiles. A pumpkin washing station brought out sweet little giggles as tiny hands squeezed sponges and scrubbed the pumpkins until they gleamed. Our sensory bin this week was filled with orange rice, various beans, and pumpkin seeds. The students are getting more and more proficient in scooping and transferring from container to container. There were even some creepy spiders in there! When we weren’t cleaning pumpkins, we were painting them with bright neon colors. They definitely need a splash of something else…glitter perhaps? Our light table offered students the chance to fill different potion bottles and acrylic pumpkins with all kinds of loose parts, all while a projection of falling leaves gave it a magical feel. We were brave together as we read our story, Going on a Pumpkin Hunt, making our way through cats, bats, and sticky spiderwebs.

I cannot wait to see the kiddos all dressed-up next week. It is one of my favorite sessions of the year! Have a great weekend!

Miss Claire

• Friday, October 3– This will be a combined session with the We Two students. We will meet together from 9:00-10:15 am at the Northern classroom.

• Friday, October 10– No sessions

• Friday, October 24– PLAYgroups Trick-or-Treat/Halloween on main campus

Dear Little Explorer families,

It was so special for me to have you all in my other classroom today. The kiddos brought a wonderfully fresh energy to the space, filling it with their curiosity and wonder. Our sensory bin filled with dried chick peas and pine cones kicked off our Fall explorations. There was so much scooping, filling, pouring, and dumping happening! The tray of rocks, logs, and a pieces of slate made for some interesting discoveries with spray bottles, brushes, and water. A new kind of modeling clay was open for exploration with combs, potato mashers, and other marking tools. The puck lights and flashlights brought out some dance party vibes as the students worked on simple Magna tile buildings, while paint bags on the light table allowed for some fun swirling and mixing.

I hoped you enjoyed being on campus today and getting a glimpse into life on campus. Enjoy your weekend and see you next week!

Miss Claire

• Friday, September 26th- We will meet together at our normal time (9:00-10:15 am) on our main campus at 8 Park Road. Please park by the colored shelter, walk up the colored stairs, turn left and follow the path to the Preschool room. There will be an administrator there to help guide you. I look forward to having you in my other classroom space!

• Friday, October 3rd- We will have combined class with the We Two kiddos from 9:00-10:15 am at our Northern classroom.

Dear Little Explorer families,

The sensory bin exploded this week and the floor became a sounding board of amazing crunchiness! The kiddos again enjoyed scooping, pouring, and flinging the fun mixture. Some even made sure that it tasted just right! The light table was adorned with our colorful Magna Tiles and roaring dinosaurs, as well as puck tap lights that easily changed color with a gentle push. Some of the students tried their hand at spraying liquid watercolors at white paper lanterns, giving them a much needed splash of color. The play dough was rolled and cut out with some fun cookie cutters and a table of fairy garden pieces brought on some quiet playtime. A new material was introduced with our ramps and balls…giant slinkies and a long piece of air duct tubing. The kiddos reached and reached to drop a ball down the tube, amazed when it came out at the end. We ended our time together with a fun story and some great singing!

Enjoy your weekend!

Sincerely,

Miss Claire

Dear Little Explorer families,

The beautiful sunlight streaming in the windows this morning as your children played was something quite magical! Even with it only being our second session together, these little learners came in more at ease and eager to explore. There were more interactions with each other as balls were shared, cones were stacked together, and flashlights glistened around the space. The students took time to make marks in the playdough using stone rollers and popsicle sticks as the colors were swirled and mixed into a marbleized masterpiece. Our sensory bin filled with rice krispie cereal was scooped and poured into ice cube trays and cups. A variety of balls were rolled and thrown down ramps and at our stacking cones, resulting in joyful squeals of delight. Don’t forget about the cars making their appearance down the big ramp! The light table was covered with all things shiny again, including tap lantern lights and a sunset lamp that the children could control on their own.

Thank you for another great week and see you next Friday!

Sincerely,

Miss Claire

What a wonderful first session we had of Little Explorers! I can already tell that this group is going to grow and learn so much this year. The amount of curiosity and exploring that was happening from these tiny learners was amazing and I cannot wait to be a part of it all. I saw experimenting with sound and light at the Light table, the squishing of play dough with fingers and palms, squiggles and zigzags made at the Art center, and dramatic play at our dollhouse. I am already inspired for next week!

Below you will find the snack sign-up sheet, the yearly calendar, and some fabulous photos of your little ones.

Have a lovely weekend and see you next Friday!

Miss Claire

• Snack Sign-Up

• Yearly Calendar