The children of Hazel Drive Early Childhood Center continue to learn, grow and have fun as we make our way through the winter months.  Our days are filled with precious moments as sparkling as the icicles and as glittery as the snow!

The children have been enjoying our snowy yard!  Miss Laura has been busy with the snow shovel, cutting trails in the deep snow.  A line of "penguins" in brightly colored snow suits can often be seen waddling and winding their way along the snowy corridors!  Now and then they'll stop to watch Miss Gloria create a face in the snow by placing colorful paper shapes to be the ojos (eyes), nariz (nose) and boca (mouth).  Buttons, scarves and hats complete the little frosty amigos, and crowds of  cute little snow people are popping up.  Sometimes the penguins reach a "room" at the end of a trail, complete with snowy benches carved into the snow!

Some of our artistic endeavors have been a reflection of the season as well.  They  learned about circles and squares in the making of paper and glue versions of snowmen and of our friend Mr. Ice Cubes who lights up our cubby room. The children assembled  paper snow people on the rug using many shapes and colors.  They learned the parts of the cara (face) in Spanish, and these snowmen had brazos (arms) resembling tree limbs!  Our other art activities have included various media: chalk on black paper, crayons, markers, painting (and mixing) with two colors of tempera paint, and colorful collages of paper and glue.

Music is an important component of each day.  A CD playing provides opportunities for spontaneous singing or dancing, and a wonderful backdrop for activities such as play dough, water table and art.  The children are encouraged to sit at the Rainbow Piano and play nicely with their fingers.  Ludwig, the music-loving sock puppet, asks the children to find the colors on the piano keyboard.  Songs accompanied by Miss Laura on piano or guitar have everyone exercising, singing, dancing and laughing!  Some of our favorites are "The Train is A-Coming" (complete with tickets getting punched), "Teddy Bear" (they love to walk the dog, cat, mouse and...elephant!) , and "Bingo" with the woofing dogs!  Music is also a wonderful teaching tool, as the children learn their colors in English and Spanish with the " Spanish Colors Song."

May you find joy in the shining gifts of the winter season!  Keep warm!

Miss Laura and Miss Gloria 

Have you ever looked in on a piano lesson and seen color, movement and big, happy smiles?  Have you ever listened in on a Spanish language class and heard singing and peals of laughter?  That is exactly what you will see and hear at Hazel Drive Early Childhood Center workshops!  Taught by Miss Laura and Miss Gloria, children (and their parents, too) learn and have fun, and it comes with a low price tag!  An enriching after-school learning experience and ideal for home schooled children! 

Piano Workshop:  Children learn piano playing basics of rhythm, tempo, pitch, melody, dynamics, fingering, musical notation and reading music aided by the use of colors and the Hazel Drive Rainbow Piano.  Fun and effective!  Half-hour group lessons for one to four children ages 4-7.  $30 per four-week session.

Spanish Language Workshop:  Learn Spanish the fun way!  Students learn social phrases, colors, numbers, animals, foods, parts of the body, and much, much more.  The use of engaging props, puppets, play dough, songs, games and rhymes is paired with children's natural ability for language aquisition for successful learning.  Half-hour group lessons for ages 3 and up. $30 per four-week session.

December 2010

We have had a wonderful start in the life of our beautiful school!  Many, many thanks to our charter families!  We love your children and appreciate your confidence in entrusting them to our care.  We already have seen the children grow as we have gotten to know each other and we have launched our lively curriculum.

Every day we follow a schedule, and the children are accustomed to the routine.  Within that routine there are so many fun, engaging and educational activities.  The children are very relaxed and comfortable, and also enthusiastic about the goings-on!  If you read the whiteboard each day, you will get some highlights of the day's events.  What may not be captured in those few words are the many smiles, the laughter, the singing, the music playing, the chatter, the busy-ness, and the beautiful sounds that happy children make!  Our school is full of warmth and joy!

The children are enjoying a very full program.  Each day's play time may include a Lotto or Memory game, puzzles, building and pretending (our train sets and Tinker Toys are kept busy), housekeeping in the play kitchen and imagination at the water table.  We work those small muscles and learn many concepts through the use of play dough and art materials.  The children create beautiful art as they tear colorful bits of paper and carefully choose where to place them.  In addition to being beautiful souvenirs to be treasured, the ornaments they made are part of a carefully designed program of fine motor work - and the children LOVED making them!

We enjoy music in many forms.  We sing, dance and pretend (working those large muscles), accompanied by Miss Laura on piano or guitar, play instruments, and ride our pretend horses to a variety of musical styles.  We like to have music playing as we go through the day.  It keeps us humming in more ways than one and provides a way to learn about music and appreciate it.

Miss Gloria's Spanish lessons are always so much fun!  We often have a visit from "Lombri," the Spanish-speaking worm!  He is so cute, and likes to count fingers!  The children are learning a rhyme with Spanish and English words, and sing songs and play games to learn the colors.  One of our favorite and funniest games is "Pollito, Pollito, Pick a Color."  Our little chicken is wound up and placed in a circle of pom-poms.  What color will he choose?  We can guess, but Pollito may surprise us!

We send our warmest wishes to you!  A very Merry Christmas, and love and joy in the New Year.  We are looking forward to many wonderful days ahead!

Miss Laura and Miss Gloria

"WOW!"  That's what visitors to Hazel Drive Early Childhood Center say when they walk into our building! They like the bright cheery colors, the newness and the cleanliness.  They like our safety features.  And they like the "Good Energy" they receive on the Hazel Drive campus!

It has been a busy road to opening day.  The contractor had the vision to see what the building could become, and the skill to make it happen. From mid-July until Labor Day, 35 Hazel Drive was efficiently transformed into the beautiful children's  play and learning environment that it now is. With assistance from a variety of subcontractors and a lot of creative energy, Hazel Drive Early Childhood Center was born.

When you turn down Hazel Drive, the commercial zoning of the area is apparent.  But down at the end of the cul-de-sac it is peaceful and woodsy.  The shrubs and trees are alive with birds and their birdsong.  The "Hazel Drive Kids" on our sign smile as you arrive, and you can't help but notice "Hazel," the big friendly rabbit on the front of our building, waving a greeting of welcome!  While still outside the building you see a new playground play structure inviting children to climb and pretend, and a big expanse of lawn for running and games.

As you walk in the front door, your eyes are treated to a feast of blues and purples.  An entire wall has a beautiful mural of happy children and, of course, happy bunnies! There is a big chalkboard on one wall, and toys, puzzles and games filling the shelves. If you look up, you will notice the sprinkler heads of our fire protection system, and on the wall, our state-of-the-art alarm panel. Hazel Drive has three new bathrooms, one of which is accessible for disabled children. 'Round the corner into our big back room is another display of resplendent color!  There are large carpeted areas for music activities (with the Hazel Drive Rainbow Piano as its centerpiece), circle time, and imaginative housekeeping and dress-up play, brightly tiled areas for art activities, table toy play, water table, and for eating lunch and snack. There is a cozy carpeted library with lots of books and colorful seating.  And we have a brand-new kitchenette and a brand-new changing room for our little guys.

Hazel Drive Early Childhood Center is, and will be, a place of many blessings!  Please come and visit!