Fall 2013 Newsletter 11What a beautiful season!  When the blustery breezes blow, making the leaves swirl and dance and flutter to the ground, we all cheer!  Our songs and lessons come to life in the nature all around us.  It truly gives meaning to the word "awesome!" 

We had a summery start to the school year, a brilliant and mild October and a few visits from Jack Frost to start November.  The children of Hazel Drive have been very busy in their new groups. The Big Hopper room is filled with children whom we've watched grow before our eyes!  Here are some highlights of our fall fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall 2013 Newsletter 2 2

 Kindergarten       Fall 2013 Newsletter 1

The Kindergartners love to create!  Every day they clamor to Miss Gloria for projects to do.  They draw pictures, work with stencils, cut and glue, write and ask how to spell things.  They create books and read them to the younger children.  They make play dough creations, string beads and make up clever games. There is a lot of harmony and comraderie in the room as they play and pretend.  After the younger children wake up from their nap time, we all join together for story time and music. Fall 2013 Newsletter 4

 

 

 

 

Big Hoppers

Fall 2013 Newsletter 9When Big Hoppers arrive, before long someone will ask, "What are we learning today?"  Miss Gloria, Mrs. Stacy and Miss Janet create and provide a multitude of valuable learning experiences and the children are eager to learn and always have fun doing so! 

The children work each day on letters, numbers and shapes. They learn social phrases and vocabulary in Spanish.  Their fine motor skills are developed through a sequence of exercises. Children cut, trace, use stencils, do puzzles and build with manipulative toys. The "Handwriting Without Tears" program used by Hampstead Central School is being introduced at the preschool level in our Big Hopper room.  The children love it!

 

 

Fall 2013 Newsletter 7The Big Hoppers learned about Christopher Columbus and his long, long journey across the ocean.  They learned about our five senses through lessons and games.  The life cycle of a pumpkin was illustrated with props, and the carving of a real pumpkin on Halloween. Fall 2013 Newsletter 10 The seeds are preserved for planting in the spring, and the continuation of the cycle.  They are learning about left and right, and practice remembering that right hand as they recite the Pledge of Allegiance each day!

Every day social skills are practiced as the Big Hoppers learn to be good citizens of Hazel Drive!  Manners, respect for others and helping were emphasized as we began the school year.

 

 

Little Bunnies and Cottontails

We have a lively, happy crop of little ones this year, and they are having a lot of fun with Miss Laura, Mrs. Shirley and Miss Linda!  When they come in, their room is always ready with toys and games to play, and looks so inviting!  The circle table is covered with a table cloth, and the art supplies are ready for the day's project. These children love to use art materials! Fall 2013 Newsletter 12

A favorite activity is finger painting.  We put the paint right on the table.  After lots of experimenting, swirling the paint around and making lines and shapes with their fingers, the designs are ready to be picked up on paper.  Rub, rub, rub, lift up the paper, and there is the design! 

Using a small brush to apply glue, picking up little shapes and placing them on the paper all help develop the small muscles in those fingers and hands.  Many of our art projects reinforce the themes and concepts:  apples and pumpkins, counting, circles and triangles, sail boats, Ten Apples Up On Top, My Little Face, Mother Goose rhymes, and fall colors to name a few!

The Little Bunnies and Cottontails enjoy the song we use to gather into a circle:

Come on everybody, let's hold hands,

Hold hands, hold hands,

Come on everybody, let's hold hands,

It's Circle Time!

In a circle we swing our arms, bend our knees, stamp our feet, and - our favorite - make the circle go around!  When Miss Laura is wearing her red polka dot apron, the children know there is going to be something interesting in the pocket. Perhaps a little friend like Gray Squirrel, sometimes things to show the Shape-osaurus, maybe a musical instrument.  The children are very good listeners and love to hear story books, too.

The Little Bunnies and Cottontails play games to develop their gross motor skills, teach concepts and increase their ability to take turns and to wait.  They roll balls, crawl through a tunnel, throw a ball into a basket, walk a balance beam, jump off a step stool onto a big yellow circle ("One, two, three, JUMP!") They love these types of games and learn to cheer for others while they are waiting.Fall 2013 Newsletter 13

Music is ever-present throughout the day, and one of our favorites of the season was the autum leaf song made up years ago by Miss Laura:

Falling, falling, falling,

Autumn leaves are falling,

Falling, falling, falling,

Fall-ing - to - the - ground...

The children act out the song and climb back up into their make-believe tree for the next verse.  They choose how the leaves should move and the language becomes rich and colorful: swirling, fluttering, running, jumping, dancing, twirling, floating!  Imagine our delight when the real leaves danced about in the treetops surrounding our playground, fluttered down (try to catch one!) and swirled around on the grass. The children colected them in pails and dump trucks, gathered them up in their arms and threw them up in the air...Whee! 

Fall 2013 Newsletter 8

 

 

 

November 8 marked the third anniversary of the day when Hazel opened her front door for the first time and three little children entered. Every day has been filled with adventure, learning, laughter, singing, lots of noise and lots of love!  From the beginning Hazel Drive has been dubbed "A Place of Many Blessings."  How true that is!  Many thanks to all of our Hazel Drive families, recent past and present.  We love you!

Miss Laura, Miss Gloria, Mrs. Shirley, Mrs. Stacy, Miss Linda, and Miss Janet