Dear Families,
What are your earliest memories of childhood and of playing? Did you have a favorite toy, a favorite game, or perhaps a favorite place that you liked to play? I often ask this question when I present workshops in the early childhood community. I would guess that at least 80% of the answers involve some type of play that took place outdoors. If I asked this question in 20 years, I suspect that the percentage will decrease dramatically, and this makes me very sad.
Now that the cold, dark, dreary, gray days of winter are hopefully coming to an end, it's time to think about spring in Pittsburgh and all of the wonderful things that happen during this lovely season.
Recently, I spent time accessing resources on nature, the outdoors, gardening, and outdoor play. I quickly found this to be a very interesting topic in terms of how the value of outdoor play has changed. Today, children have fewer opportunities to take risks and be exposed to the wonder of nature and all that it has to offer. I encourage each of you to take the time to provide opportunities for your children to explore, touch, smell, climb, jump, run, dig, gather, collect, spin, roll down hills, get dirty, play in water, and investigate. Unstructured, unplanned opportunities typically provide the greatest joy and fulfill the need for children to learn in the purest way possible. There are many ways that you can provide specific opportunities like gardening, composting, hiking, camping, or visiting nature reserves or nature programs. Online resources and books offer a wide variety of ideas. Providing time and opportunities for children to have unplanned experiences is also important. Stopping to listen to a bird chirping, looking at bugs with magnifying glasses, making mud pies, touching soft leaves, climbing on rocks and jumping in puddles are great experiences that provide hands-on learning and opportunities to have very special moments with your child.
So, as spring approaches, take time to look for buds on trees, birds making nests, robins hunting for worms, spring bulbs poking up, and frog eggs in ponds. Enjoy the wonder of renewal and rebirth with your child and create lasting memories.
Warmly,
Mary Beth
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Curriculum in the Classroom: Preschool Three
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No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing - Julia Child
In Preschool Three, we love to cook. Whether it is the birthday cakes that we lovingly create for our classmates and teachers, or the snacks that we prepare for a special treat, cooking is an activity that is always met with enthusiasm.
There are so many way that cooking benefits our preschool friends. It encourages working together and taking turns. Cooking provides an endless amount of opportunities for touching, smelling, and tasting new smells and flavors. It allows preschoolers the opportunity to experiment with measuring, counting, and one to one correspondence. Children are free to predict, explore, ask questions, and make observations while cooking. Learning new vocabulary is an added bonus while doing a cooking activity with the class.
Recently, in Preschool Three, we decided to do two different cooking activities. Both of the cooking activities were a result of books that we read in group time. The first book was titled “Cake For Me." The book was about friends baking a cake together. After reading the story a few times, one of the children asked if we could make the polka dot cake like in the story. The answer was yes, and immediately we had to problem solve as a group. In the story, the ingredient that makes the cake polka dotted are chocolate chips. We, as a group, brainstormed about what other food could make a cake polka dotted. After talking, and thinking, together we came up with raisins. The children seemed very proud of our ability to work as a group to find a polka dotted solution.
Our second cooking activity was brought on by the book “Pizza Party." It was because of this story that we decided to have a pizza party of our own. We measured the flour, added the yeast, waited for the dough to “grow.” We then used our super strong finger muscles to press our dough in the pan. We added sauce and cheese. Baked it in the oven, and a beautiful pizza was ours for snack. Delicious!
Cooking is interactive. It gives the children an opportunity to work together while creating something that is a product of their own work. Cooking is always a big hit in Preschool Three.
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FYI
- Dr. Jennifer Ganger's Experimental Child Psychology class will be visiting the toddler and young preschool classrooms in March to study language acquisition and comprehension.
- Speech and Language screenings will be held for preschool-aged children in March.
- The Pitt Police will visit UCDC with the K9 unit to teach the preschoolers bike and dog safety in March.
- UCDC will have TWO Professional Development Days during the week of spring break. We will be closed on Wednesday, March 11th and Thursday, March 12th for in-service days. We will also be closed on Friday, March 13th along with the rest of the University for Pitt's spring holiday.
- The Dental Hygiene students will visit the preschool classrooms in March to teach the children proper oral hygiene, healthy foods for your teeth and what to expect at a dental visit.
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Preschool Wisdoms
Yoga is a great way to get children moving because it it relaxing and non-competitive. It also teaches calming techniques and-self awareness as well as supporting positive mental health in children. Yoga is a popular activity in Preschool Three - read on to learn more about the children's favorite poses!
- Stretch - Cordelia and Daniel
- The Bridge - Harper
- A Bow and Arrow - Ravi
- Swan - Wolf
- Thomas Rex - Otto
- Waterfall - Fiona
- Unicorn - Maia
- Queen - Norah
- Lion and Otter - Luca
- Butterfly - Maddie
- Frog - Joey
- Namaste - Charlie
- Peacock - Scout
- Tree - Lennox and Sydney
- Volcano - Calvin
- The Turkey Pose - Harriet
- Downward Facing Dog with Leg Up - Amelia
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The Gardening Committee is working on spring planting plans already! The classrooms will start planting indoors in March so our plants will be ready to brave the outdoors in mid-May! We have plans for mini-pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers, herbs and more! We are looking forward to a great growing season!
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UCDC utilizes a child centered, extended family approach that is fostered by supporting the developmental needs of all children. We foster children's self esteem, creative abilities, sense of belonging and success by implementing a developmentally appropriate curriculum based on NAEYC and Keystone STARS standards, through a play-based approach to learning. We support families and partner with them to provide an environment that welcomes their collaboration and supports both cultural and family preferences.
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