YOUNG INFANTS:
Dear Parents,
Wow! It really is spring. We’ve noticed cherry blossoms and pear trees in bloom. Birds are very busy this time of year, and we see a variety of birds at our classroom feeder. Leaves are appearing. Children are naturally interested in nature, so it’s fun to point out what we see outside.
Pesach (Passover) starts April 12, so we will be reading books, singing songs and doing crafts in honor of the holiday. Favorite songs are “Frogs Are Jumping Everywhere” and “Dayyenu,” a song from the Haggadah about gratitude to Hashem.
We have several Pesach board books from the library. These books introduce the various ritual items used on Pesach. We use both Hebrew and English words for the items. For example, here is a list of items on a seder plate:
Zeroa – Shankbone
Maror and Chazeret – Bitter herbs
Beitzah – egg
Charoset – a pastelike combination of apples, nuts and wine
Karpas – vegetable
Chabad.org is an excellent source for information about the Seder Plate and Pesach in general.
We are also getting ready for the Art Show. The children will continue to do arts and crafts activities based on the theme of color.
Thank you for sharing your children with us.
Morahs Sarah, Marla and Leslie
OLDER INFANTS:
Dear Parents,
Have you heard the birds chirping outside lately? Have you heard your little ones chirping inside? They are finding their voices! At school we observe they like to chirp in chorus sometimes. One child makes a high pitched screech, and others mimic. It becomes too loud, so we intervene. Do we use an even louder voice so they can hear us? No, we use a lower pitched voice. In this way we lead by example. Whispering, “Let’s use a quiet voice inside.”
This week we will focus on grace and courtesy lessons. Grace and courtesy is a component of the Montessori curriculum that focuses on how to be a good citizen. Skills we will encourage and model this week include:
Using a quiet voice indoors
Saying “please” and “thank you”
Greeting others and saying goodbye
Offering others a turn when you’re done playing
Modeling by example is the best way for older infants and young toddlers to learn. As Morahs, we say please and thank you to each other and to the children in a deliberate manner knowing the children are always closely watching. Many of our young friends are now saying “please” and “thank you,” while others use sign language (please = rubbing a flat hand in circular motion on chest, thank you = flat hand touches chin and extends outward).
These lessons are informal and usually done in the moment in the infant community: frequent and repetitive mini-lessons, with minimal words and more showing versus saying. Having patience as we wait for a turn with a work/ material/ toy is a learned skill. We acknowledge their desire, “ I understand you want a turn. Soon,” and “That’s Robert’s work.” We guide the waiting child to a different work until it is his/ her turn. Slowly, but surely, our little ones’ capacity to wait grows longer!
During the week of April 7th, we will have an observer present for a couple of days. Morah Kathy is completing her Montesori infant-toddler student teaching, and her instructor will be here during that week.
We are grateful to you for sharing your baby birds with us as they find their voices, patience, and independence each day!
Have a great week!
Morahs Rachael, Kathy, and Pallavi