We have had a very busy couple of weeks! The weather hasn't been great so we've been playing inside a lot, both in the classroom and in the small gym. Whenever we can we go outside, even if it's only a short time. I would have liked to have the children notice how the days are getting longer but it's been so cloudy most of the time, there's not a lot to notice. We do watch the thermometer go up and down as we move it outside and inside. This is a good time to talk about changes in temperature and how we can tell how cold it is. For example, this weekend as we feel the temperatures plummet, we might notice that steam from buildings doesn't go up but stays low. We might also notice when we look out the window how people are dressed, if they're bundled up or wearing their coats open. Are there other ways you can tell temperature changes?

We've been having a great time exploring the story "The Gingerbread Man." We are turning it into a math story by doing lots of counting (how many buttons on your gingerbread man puppet?), measuring as we make ginger playdough and gingerbread cookies, and learning about ordinal numbers as we make up our own gingerbread man story. In our story, we have a gingerbread girl who is made by a boy. So first the boy chases the cookie, 2nd a cow, 3rd a horse, etc. We'll let you know when it's done so you can come and see for yourselves.

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We have been exploring the properties of light. We looked at candles and talked about fire which gives us both heat and light. We saw that the heat from candles on Christmas chimes causes the top to spin and we talked about how the heat warms up the atoms in the air causing them to move upward. This is of course way advanced for preschoolers, but they were interested in the concept of atoms and we use this concept when we're trying to keep warm on the playground ("Run around like atoms and you'll stay warm!"). So if you get some interesting physics questions, you'll know why.
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We've also been learning that you need light to be able to see. One day we did an experiment where we looked at each other, noting eye color, clothing, etc. Then we put down the shades one at a time and noticed that we could see less and less. In the dark we could see very little. When I used a flashlight on each of the children, we saw things in the light we couldn't see in the dark (reflectors, glitter, colors, etc.). We'll continue experimenting with our own flashlights.

Today we had a visit from our Parker Buddies (6th-8th graders from Francis Parker School) who shared music class with us, played with us, and helped us eat our gingerbread cookies.  They'll be back again next month.

<em><strong>What's Coming</strong></em>

1) Parent Conferences Jan 30. Please sign up for a time at the back door.

2) Jim Gill, children's music performer and one of my favorites! We have a number of his cd's here. He'll be at KAM Isaiah Israel on Sunday, Jan. 20. KAM is at 5039 S. Greenwood. The concert is from 2-3pm and tickets at the door are $12.00 ($10.00 in advance). This is a wonderful opportunity for your child to see a real artist who also happens to be trained in Early Childhood education!

3) February is Black History Month. In the past we've learned about jazz and I believe we will continue this tradition since we are also starting our study of cities. If you have a particular contribution you'd like to make to our study (live music, special recordings, etc.) please let me know.

4) Lunar New Year Feb. 7

<em><strong>HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT</strong></em>

Today we read "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble." We passed around a special pebble putting all of our magic in it. Then each of us held the pebble and made a wish.

We would like to share our wishes with you and invite you to make your own wishes to share with us. Our back bulletin board will be our "Magic Pebble Board." Please help your child draw a picture of their wish and write down what it is. Please draw a picture of your wish and write down what it is. We'll start talking about these wishes on Monday.

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<em><strong>REMINDER</strong></em>

Please check your child's cubby box for extra clothing! We have run out of all extra pants so if your child has an accident and no extra clothing we're stuck. If your child comes home with clothing that doesn't belong to them, please launder it and return it the next day.

We don't go out when it's very cold or wet but we do try to get outside whenever we can. Please make sure your child has outdoor clothing EVERY DAY! You are welcome to leave extra clothing in the cubbies. If your child's name is on the tag there's a greater likelihood it won't get lost.