We made lemonade out of lemons.......

We have been introducing more cooking-related projects during activity time. We find the children love to help in the process of making something and getting to drink or eat the end result. We will be doing more cooking projects in the coming months as the holidays approach.

Below was a day we made lemonade. The children were amazed how the juice drained into the pitcher when they squeezed the lemon. They helped stir it up and we had them practice pouring into their own cups before they tasted it. We heard many of the children tell their parents that day how much fun it was and how yummy it tasted. It was great to see how proud they were of themselves!

Watch our garden grow.....

In the past few weeks we have been observing and exploring various plants and flowers that are growing in our outside play area, so we decided to add to it. Two of the things we planted were sunflowers (dwarf and regular sized) and grass. All of the children helped scoop the soil and sprinkle the seeds . They also love helping to water each area where they are planted and are excited to observe the difference each day we check on them. Below are some of our sunflowers that have begun to sprout after only just one week! We will continue to post the progression as they grow.














The Fabulous Red Room

What's been happening in our room....

Our sensory area and the various materials that have been put out and explored over the past months have been a favorite for all the children. Some of their favorites have been gak, water beads , and colored dried rice. In the coming months we will be adding and exploring new and more sensory activities.

Music is also something the children and teachers love and do daily, either during circle time or free choice play. We dance a lot and use musical instruments as seen below.

Earthquake Safety

The recent Napa Valley earthquake is a good reminder to talk about safety. Your child's safety is very important to us! Rest assured, we have a full emergency plan and keep supplies stocked at all times here at school.

Every month we practice a fire drill. The children know how to quickly line up and walk safely with teachers to the front of the school. Periodically we also add a "duck, cover, and hold" earthquake drill. Today was an earthquake drill day.

Earthquake & Fire Drills
We started by showing the children a short video clip about being "Turtle Safe" during an earthquake. (Here is the link if you want to watch it and practice at home too.) Later we did the earthquake drill, then lined up and went outside like a fire drill, just as we would do after a real earthquake while the building gets inspected for possible damage.

These drills happen at various times of the morning each month so that everyone will know what to do if they are inside or playing outside during a real emergency. (We usually do drills in the morning so that our half-day children will be included.) Infants in Green Room are obviously not ready to "duck, cover, and hold" in the traditional way, but their teachers do have an age-appropriate plan in place.

Contact Information
Has your phone number, email address, or home address changed in the past year? Is there anyone you would like to add to or subtract from your child's emergency pick-up list? In the event of a natural disaster, realize that traffic and road obstructions may make it hard for you to get here quickly, so the more people you have listed, the better. Anytime your contact information changes, please let us know right away so we can keep current records. That way we can be sure to get in touch with you in case of an emergency.

School is prepared.
In addition to stocking emergency supplies and practicing our emergency drills, we subscribe to a system called SchoolReach that lets us call and text every parent's home, cell, and work phone numbers simultaneously if needed. We would use this system to keep you updated in case of a school-wide emergency or natural disaster. In any type of emergency, teachers would stay with your children until every child has been safely picked up by an authorized adult.

Are you ready?
We encourage every family to make and practice an emergency plan at home. Do you and your children know how to duck, cover, and hold at home? Do you know two ways to get out of your room and out of your house? Do you have a meeting place outside of your house (such as a neighbor's front lawn) in case you all have to evacuate quickly? Do you have supplies on hand in case you have to shelter in place for a few days? Do you have enough medications or supplies for anyone in your family who has special needs? We encourage you to talk about these plans and practice them periodically so everyone knows how to be safe in an emergency at home. Here is the video link again if you want to practice being "Turtle Safe" together. 

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to talk to Jennifer or your child's teachers. Thank you!

- Teacher Jennifer