Relationship has a tremendous role in literacy. The first words children recognize are the names of family and friends and we support this by having the child’s image with their name placed throughout the classroom. At the West Wing Communication Center, the children have been using their roster photos to address and sign messages and…
[Show slideshow] 1 2 ►
“When we play, we are engaged in the purest expression of our humanity, the truest expression of our individuality.” – Stuart Brown Mila and Ozzie transport to the place of their imagination as they follow their building plan for the morning, which was a face and snowplow train and a jet plane with a propeller.…
“Communication is much more than understanding language, speaking, reading, and writing. It is the skill of determining what one wants to communicate and realizing how our communications will be understood by others.” -Ellen Gallinsky In the Building Space, we start with discussion and creating a blueprint. This group’s plans included: A castle for cats,…
Juliette observed India and Roen engaged in dramatic play in the building space for their afternoon appointment. The ‘animal game’ offered Juliette an opening to connect herself to the duo who often play exclusively together. Roen: This horse is a little sick. India: Let’s take care of it. Juliette: I was sick and my mom…
[Show slideshow] REFLECTIONS: Margaret (August) I think getting requested for an appointment is just as exciting as getting to choose a space–even if at the moment it wasn’t what they wanted to do. One morning Amy requested my son to do painting, and she said that he didn’t want to. But later when I came…
Halloween provides us with a unique opportunity to look into the emotions surrounding fear and into the children’s understanding of what is real and what is fantasy. In preparation for our Halloween parade, the children explore the neighborhood in small groups. These walks provide us with opportunities to practice safely navigating sidewalks and roads as…
[Show slideshow]
Annie Tlusty (Lucy, EW) came to cook with the children today. She gathered NUT FREE ingredients for ‘no bake pumpkin cookies’. It was a hands on, ooey gooey, perfectly pumpkin’y’ delight. Georgios: Smell this! Lucy: Smells like vanilla. Philippos: Smells like chocolate. Jillian: Smells like pumpkin! The pumpkin balls were done in no time. The…
The West Wing has started to introduce American Sign Language to the children. At first it was used as a tool to support the meetings; teachers would sign to children little reminders like “sit down” and “listen”. But as we noticed the children sign these same ‘reminders’ to their peers, we realized there was a…