September 2023: Make New Friends!
Welcome!
The SimpleLife Way!
"Play is the work of children."
-Jean Piaget
Mindful Focus: Friendship and Kindness
Explorations: School, Harvest, Fruit, and Vegetables
We had such a great first month at SimpleLife! We are so grateful for our new families and returning, you all have been so great! So much learning happened this month. Paths to positive learning and approaches to living a mindful and fulfilling life were encouraged each day. At SimpleLife, we plan and teach with great intention. Every song, book, and activity is implemented with purpose and love. This newsletter will go into depth about all the explorations, life skills, and fun we had each day at school.
"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning." -Fred Rogers
Books read to enhance learning experiences:
Teachers Rock! by Todd Parr
Waiting is Not Easy by Mo Willems
Share and Take Turns by Cheri J. Meiners
The School Book by Todd Parr
This is the Farmer by Nancy Tafuri
The Vegetables We Eat by Gail Gibbons
The Fruits We Eat by Gail Gibbons
Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert
Eating the Alphabet Stew by Lois Ehlert
The Enormous Carrot by Vladimir Vagin
The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall illustrated by Shari Halpern
Boo Who? by Ben Clanton
My Friend is Sad by Mo Willems
Can I Play Too? by Mo Willems
The Bear Who Shared by Katherine Raynor
The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright and Jim Feild
New songs we sang this month:
The Wheels on the Bus
Apples and Bananas
Way Up High in the Apple Tree
Make New Friends
Learning About School:
A first school experience for many. Instilling a lasting love for learning.
It may seem obvious to us what school is, but preschool is the child’s very first experience to the concept of school. We explored why we go to school, safety rules, expectations, routines, and how to be a kind friend and curious learner. We got to know our teachers, learn peoples names, begin recognizing and writing our own name, and most importantly… learning to love school! The first impression of school is crucial. This experience can determine a person’s outlook on education for the rest of their life. Let’s make sure that these children feel safe, loved, excited, included, and genuinely interested in going to school.
Friendship and Kindness:
How can you be a kind friend?
We helped the children focus on how they can be a kind friend and notice the kind people around them. We learned how to ask someone their name and if they want to play or be friends. Taking turns, sharing, and including everyone in play is important. How would you feel if someone didn’t help you when you needed help? How do you feel when a friend takes their time to include you?
The most important thing we can teach children is how to be a kind and loving human.
On top of continual guidance during play, children looked at photos of children being kind and had a class discussion about the acts in the photos. We play a board game, First Orchard, where the children got to experience being patience while they waited their turn, cheering on their friends, and having a positive attitude when our team didn’t win.
Harvest:
Learning about The SimpleLife Gardens
Children learn through their life experiences and what is relevant to them. We follow the seasons and learn about what is happening around us. Harvest season is exciting at SimpleLife because we pride the gardens we tend to! We learned about what kind of plant a food grows on, and which foods don’t grow. We considered where food is before it is at the grocery store and how people collect these foods and what they do with them.
After our initial Harvest Walk, we also harvested sunflower seeds! Children got to see all the different ways we can harvest and the process to get to the food. Children will also get to see how else we can use our harvest. Our Mammoth Sunflower Seeds, a SimpleLife symbol, will be used at the seed exchange after the new year and in October we will harvest nuts to be incorporated with our baking activity for our Fall Celebration.
Thank you families for being part of the Community Harvest Table! We love sharing and are thrilled to see others bringing their harvest to share.
Fruit and Vegetables:
Varieties, comparing, predicting, and tasting!
Within our harvesting exploration we discovered everything about fruits and vegetables! Children showed great responsibility using the child-safe knives and following the safety rules while using them. They got to cut open different fruits and veggies and see what is inside! We learned that some seeds you can eat and others you cannot. We tried different varieties of apples and took votes on which was our favorite. We used our senses to compare taste, looks, feeling, and smell of different fruits and vegetables.
After harvesting our grapes we made grape juice and raisins. This was so engaging and the children loved what they made! During snack, we compared our homemade raisins to the store bought. Ours tasted like candy in comparison! Completely natural and organic!
Clay Exploration:
Art medium and sensory observation.
SimpleLife is home to something very special, a kiln! Miss Jenny is a skilled ceramics artist and enjoys sharing her love and knowledge with the children and teachers.
First we let the children explore the clay with the clay tools in a way they know best, however they want! Manipulating the clay is a great way to strengthen a child’s hands.
In a bin outside, we added water to clay and let the kids play in the muddy creation! We observed what happened to the clay as it dried out.
The children were ready to make a project. The children helped roll out clay, cut out a circle, and then they independently used the tools to decorate their slab. Clay projects take a long time until finish. The clay must dry before it is fired. After it is fired the children will get to glaze their project, then it must be fired in the kiln a second time. This meaningful piece of artwork will be given as a gift in the upcoming months.
Art Explorations:
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up”
-Pablo Picasso
The Clay Slab Project wasn’t the only art medium the children got to use!
Fruit and Vegetable Still Life: Children used a real life example (a plate of fruits and veggies) to draw then paint what they see. We noticed different shapes, sizes, and colors. The children were mindfully working and able to connect their art experience to their learning.
Self Portrait: Drawing a person represents important developmental milestones. Using their sense of “self”, children very carefully created a self portrait.
Large Easel Paintings: There’s something special about making a big painting! Children explored different colors and methods of painting to create their masterpiece! We also include children in the clean up of our art projects. It’s okay to make a mess, we just need to clean up after. They helped us wash the brushes and wipe up any spilled paint on the ground.
Stickies Project: This project taught us how we can stick something onto a paper. We used a stapler, glue, and tape. We discovered which sticking method worked best with different types of objects.
Children have daily opportunities to use the provided art materials during table time to create independently.
