Welcome, Spring!  Welcome sunshine and flowers!  Welcome, early summer days!  We're glad to have you back!

The months have flown by as we watched the days grow longer and warmer.  The flowering shrubs of Hazel Drive Early Childhood Center have bloomed and are filled with the buzzing of busy bumblebees.  Our beautiful children are blooming, and our school is abuzz with the happy sounds of childhood!  Time to get you up-to-date on the goings-on as we motored our way through the late spring, celebrated the end of the school year, and launched into summer camp!

After the long winter, the children were delighted to shed their winter gear and head out to the into the sunshine first with just a light jacket, and then - short sleeves!  Our playground offers many opportunities for growing the bonds of friendship, and for growing those big muscles.  The climbing wall is a popular site.  Sometimes there is a gathering on the deck to play and pretend before shooting down the big green slide - - Bumpity-bump, whee!  Riding a tricycle with a buddy, kicking a ball, or simply running from one end of the playground to the other as fast as you can all help our bodies and minds to grow.  

The sandbox is a beehive of activity.  There is a lot of imagination at work as the children build castles, bake pies and play "Patty Cake," and even make a big pot of bubbling tomato sauce loaded up with meatballs!  There are roads to be constructed and foundations to be dug.  The dump trucks are getting filled with their loads to carry.  Sometimes it's just fun to experiment with scooping, pouring and molding the sand, and when you're finished doing all that, just giving it a good stomp!

All the children of Hazel Drive continued their learning from the winter months as we worked through the end of our school year.  

The Little Bunnies and Cottontails were masters of Circle Time.  They could recite the Pledge of Allegiance beautifully, sing "You're a Grand Old Flag" and "God Bless America" with gusto! They know the colors of the flag and even know how many stars are on the American flag!  When asked, "Why are there fifty stars?" they shout out, "Because there are fifty states!"  They know the names of some states like New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Florida, California and even New York, because sometimes Miss Laura goes there!  They are champs at counting the numbers on the calendar and figuring out which comes next.  They could also determine the pattern of the numbers on the calendar to determine what color comes next.

Our littlest children ended the school year with a sing-along celebration.  We set up chairs in a big, big round circle in our big red, white and blue room.  It was soon filled with moms and dads, grandparents, aunties and uncles, brothers and sisters and even some cousins!  We sang a whole bunch of our favorite songs while our invited guests joined in or just had a blast watching!  What a joyful combination of singing, movement and laughter!  There were smiles EVERYWHERE!

The Big Hoppers continued their learning of letters, numbers, writing and drawing as they hopped through spring! From the beginning to the end of the school year, every month each child drew a self-potrait in pencil.  It is fascinating to observe the increase in details in their drawings as the children grew more proficient.  These drawings were collected in colorful books bound by Miss Gloria that made beautiful keepsakes for their parents. 

Miss Gloria planned lots of science lessons.  All year long, the Big Hoppers used beans for counting and classifying.  One day they each put a bean or two in a transparent plastic cup with a dampened paper towel on the bottom.  Imagine their surprise and delight when a beautiful bean plant grew from that seemingly inanimate object!  They studied and drew the parts of the plant, and every child in the room could say "germination" and tell you what that big word means!

When the world outside began to green up, the Big Hoppers learned more about plants.  The little guy pictured here is painting his leaf with nature's green paint, chlorophyll.  His "Helping Hand" is holding the paper while the fingers of his writing hand gain strength, dexterity and accuracy.  All the while, he is learning the wonder of the nature that surrounds us!  

Big Hoppers and our oldest group, the Wascally Wabbits, used their imaginations and some great props to enhance their make-believe play and learning. The grocery store was open for business, and as the clerk extolled the benefits of healthy foods, the customers made their choices and money was exchanged.  The veterinarian was "IN" at the Hazel Drive Animal Hospital, complete with a waiting room and receptionist taking calls and checking in visitors.  The big kids brought their stuffed pets from home, and gave a description of the patient's symptoms.  Our young vets took their jobs very seriously, and happily, all pets were restored to health!

 The Wascally Wabbits continued to build their bodies and minds as they grew throughout the spring.  Under the guidance of Miss Missy, they learned to be good citizens of Hazel Drive and the bigger social world that they will join as they move on to big schools.  The important social skills of following rules, cooperating, sharing and negotiating, and being a good friend were practiced. 

The big boys and girls completed their ABC Books and Number Books as they completed their year of learning.  Their work was collected into spiral-bound volumes that are keepsakes as well as learning tools.  Every letter of the alphabet was made into a clever picture of an object beginning with that sound! For example, little cars drove on a road shaped like the letter "C!"  They sharpened their intellects and well as their social skills by playing games like "Uno," "Lucky Catch" and "Connect Four," to name a few.  Lots of laughter could be heard, too, as the big kids sat around the game table! 

There are happy faces on display as we SWING INTO SUMMER!  The seasons roll by, and the years start to pile up, and we realize that we are starting our sixth year!  Our school is populated by lively, loving children and loving, hard-working teachers who make it look easy!  Our school is a little corner of the universe that is abundantly blessed with joy and fulfillment.  We are endlessly grateful!

We send our best wishes your way!  Have a beautiful summer!

Love,The Hazel Drive Staff

The winter of 2015 is one to remember...fondly!  We spent a few cozy months in our birght and cheerful rooms, playing with friends, learning and having lots of fun!  Here are three happy faces to illustrate!

We were only able to get outside a handful of times this winter in spite of the efforts of Miss Laura and Mr. Snow Shovel!  But the children enjoyed making their way through the shoveled-out paths, climbing the snowy mountains and sliding down the little slides! The views out our windows were enhanced by our snowy friends who were superimposed on the frosty landscape, and the kids got a lot of joy from Frosty the Snowman greeting us at the door, and Mr. Ice Cubes adding a warm glow to our front entry all winter long.  

We hope that you enjoy reading about our happy times at Hazel Drive!  We send you bundles of springtime warmth!

Love, Miss Laura, Miss Gloria, Miss Missy, Miss Linda, Miss Sam, Miss Janet and Miss Lori 

LITTLE BUNNIES AND COTTONTAILS:

The Little Bunnies and the Cottontails have had a marvelous winter of growing.  Unlike the tulip bulbs which had been hidden under the snow while they grow, these little wonders have been growing right before our very eyes! 

Playing together, being kind, and using words are some of the many ways in which our little ones have grown socially.  "Please" and "Thank you" are the Magic Words, but we discover that there are many more "magic" words that make ourselves and others happy while getting us the things we need or want.  Our play times offer many opportunities to practice sharing and taking turns.  It's a beautiful thing to hear this exchange between two little children:  "May I please have a turn?" ... "In a few minutes..." and then see them follow through, too!  As they grow, the children's play is more and more interactive, and it is such a joy to see them running, shouting and laughing together!

Using their hands and little fingers in many ways have enabled out littlest children to grow in their fine motor skills.  Snipping with scissors, tearing paper, crumpling squares of tissue paper, coloring with crayons or markers, brushing on glue and placing everything just so has given the children lots of practice! We're having lots of fun with play dough, too, squishing, pounding, rolling, poking, tearing, cutting with sticks, cookie-cutting shapes, adding feathers just for fun!  Every child has his own homemade dough and was able to choose the color to mix in. 

Using our big indoor recess room has been such fun for the Little Bunnies and Cottontails this winter.  Our ride-on and pushing toys are a great source of fun and exercise for them.  Whether riding on a cute caterpillar, driving a little school bus, pushing a dump truck, mowing the lawn, riding a horse, crawling through the tunnel or just having a great game of Chase, the children enjoy the "Running Room" as they call it.  We've also used that great space for organized games.  We have running races (for example, go under the rainbow, run around the hoops, go back through the rainbow the other way and find your spot!) while everyone cheers the runner on!  We're doing great things with the parachute and learning the very important skills of COOPERATION and FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS! Our little guys have learned to make the parachute "blow" in a light breeze, steady wind, and ...HURRICANE!  We can lift it up on the count of three and say a big "HELLO!" to our friends on the other side.  We can make it go around and around like a merry-go-round.  The boys and girls can take turns alternately holding up the parachute and going under! It's amazing how far they've come.

 They are growing in knowledge and thinking skills as well.  They are champs at the calendar, counting, figuring out the pattern, singing the days of the week, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and identifying the weather.  And have you heard the Color Song at home?  Just start singing to the tune of "Frere Jaques" these words: "Red is rojo (pronounced "RO-ho"), and you will no doubt hear the whole song!  We play games like "Who Has My Bone?" and "Concentration" with objects that all begin with the same letter sound.  Lots and lots of brain-building going on!

BIG HOPPERS:

Check out those cute little bears!  Looks like they're getting ready for hibernation!  There are big boulders around their cave, snow on the roof, and happily there is a pond full of good things to eat which will keep them through the long winter!  There is even a honeycomb nearby loaded up with their favorite treat!  The Big Hoppers use dramatic play to learn about their world, and the bigger world around them.  While learning about fire safety, the children were treated to a campfire complete with toasted marshmallows.  The fire and the marshmallows were pretend, but the fun and learning were REAL!

The Big Hoppers learned about ALL the seasons this winter through the use of props created by Miss Gloria.  They played a game of riddles to guess the season.  They marked the passage of time through the holidays of winter and early spring: Ground Hog Day, Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day.  There was quite a parade of leprechauns hopping around Hazel Drive in March - a jolly-looking bunch! 

The Big Hoppers kept busy with their academic lessons this winter.  They could be seen coloring by the numbers, decorating letters, drawing self-portraits, playing rhyming games, counting, adding and sorting, writing their names, and practicing writing their numerals, to name a few!  There is always something to exercise young minds going on in the Big Hopper room!  All the while, the children are learning a larger range of social skills.  Kindness, responsibility, helping one another, working together are among the concepts that are encouraged and taught daily.  Our Hazel Drive song speaks of the Golden Rule, and the children recite "The Pledge to Myself" along with the Pledge of Allegiance every day.

I pledge to myself every day,

To try to be kind in every way

To every person, big or small

I will help them if they fall,

When I love myself, and others, too,

That is the best that I can do.          

WASCALLY WABBITS:

The Wascally Wabbits are growing every day in every way.  We have been very busy during the past few months.  We are practicing writing our names using both upper and lower case letters.  We are also using the letter sounds to spell or sound out words.  We can even pick out the sound that is in the beginning, middle or end of a word.  Our math skills are improving as well.  We are very good at recognizing patterns, shapes, colors and numbers up to ten or more.  We can add or subtract with the help of pictures or manipulatives.

Our fine motor skills are awesome!  We have all showed much improvement with cutting, tracing, coloring, drawing, and printing letters and numbers.  Our grossmotor skills are strengthening, too.  We have been working on balancing on one foot, skipping, hopping, jumping and walking backwards.  We have all mastered RUNNING!

We finally said "Goodbye" to winter and "HELLO SPRING!"  We are using some of our five senses to find the many signs of spring all around us.  We can SEE flowers popping up in front of Hazel's cottage, and there are pussy willows growing behind the school.  We can HEAR birds singing happily on bright mornings.  Everything around us SMELLS fresh and new.  We can FEEL the warmth of the sun when we go out to play and it is super fun to squish our boots in the mud left from the melted snow.

Wow, we are busy bunnies!

Happy Spring!

Miss Missy

Happy New Year! Hope you had a jolly holiday!  We were busy little elves at Hazel Drive, making, doing, building!  All the while singing and . . . smiling like our friends pictured here!  Our busy fall quickly led into the holiday season!

With the Grand Opening of our BIG ROOM, we were able to happily and comfortably host several special events. 

 In October we had the first of this year's Family Nights. Children and their families gathered together for a little play time, a lot of getting-to-know-you conversation, and a fun music time.  We formed a very long train as we moved from the classrooms to the BIG ROOM singing "All Aboard the Line-Up Train! Toot! Toot!"

In November we had our annual visit from the Hampstead Fire Department.  Firefighter Chris and Firefighter John spent lots of time with us, patiently giving each of our groups a tour of the truck and answering everyone's questions.  They asked us quite a few questions, too, and the children were eager to respond!  The truck was really big!  Did you see the size of those wheels?

After everyone had a turn to climb aboard the fire truck, we trooped inside to our new BIG ROOM where the firefighters taught us about fire safety.  The children already knew many things that they'd learned during Fire Safety Month in October.  The little lass on the right, below, even knew about having a family meeting spot outside her house! Good job, Little Lass!  Firefighter John put on the pieces of his turnout gear one by one.  When he was all dressed for a fire, we still knew that it was our friend the fireman, even with his air mask and helmet on.   

As the days edged up near Christmas, we decided to give the parents a chance to do some gift wrapping, last-minute shopping or have a dinner out.  At Hazel Drive we had even more fun than that at our Pajama Night!  The children came in their pajamas, brought their pillows and blankets or sleeping bags, and were treated to a few cozy hours of togetherness in the BIG ROOM with their teachers and friends.  We traced the children's hands and cut them out to be the antlers on Rudolph hats.  We ate delicious pizza before settling in to watch Rudolph and Hermie's adventures with Yukon Cornelius and the Abominable! (A television was brought in for the occasion.)  We had a lot of laughs! (I hope he doesn't eat t-t-t-teachers!)  Then we had musical fun as we sang Christmas songs and played the "Reindeer Dash" to the sound of jingle bells and guitar! After that it was time to cozy up again to watch the Grinch.  Next, the boys and girls gathered "stones" (made from brown lunch bags - Wow, they were heavy judging by all the grunting!) and "sticks" (wooden rulers) and our realistic-looking electric campfire was lit!  It was so cozy with all the lights out except for those on the Christmas tree.  After pretending to roast marshmallows and listening to a read-aloud Christmas story, we sang quiet songs by the "fire" as the moms and dads started to return to pick up their happy, tired and relaxed little ones.

All throughout the month of December, we practiced singing a special song for a special visitor: Santa Claus!  The children mastered all the movements for the song "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and were very dramatic in acting it out, especially those "naughty" and "nice" expressions!  There was a high level of excitement in the BIG ROOM as the children awaited the arrival of Santa.  Even so, they listened attentively as Miss Laura read a very old book from her childhood: The Night Before Christmas.  It described Santa perfectly.  After the story, we sang "Jingle Bells," pausing now and then in the music to listen for the sound of Santa's sleigh bells....Listen...No, not yet..."Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way"...Shhh...No, not yet..."Oh, what fun it is to ride...."  Finally, the big, jolly man DID arrive!  He was just as merry as the book said he was!  He got out his book that has the list in it.  He helped us to remember what good behavior is.  And he opened his sack and had a nice present for everyone!  Thanks, Santa!

We enjoyed a beautiful and joyful few months as we started our school year!  As we begin 2015, we wish you all the beauty and joy that a year can hold!

Love,

Miss Laura, Miss Gloria, Miss Missy, Miss Donna, Miss Cathy, Miss Linda and Miss Sam

 In the photo you can see the gold medals earned by the 2013 - 2014 teaching staff of Hazel Drive Early Childhood Center!  All share the qualities of hard work, comraderie, cheerfulness, patience, kindness, joyfulness, diligence and teamwork. In addition, special recognition went to each teacher in the following categories:  

Creativity   Gloria

Generosity   Janet

Thoughtfulness  Donna

Efficiency   Stacy

Sweetness  Linda

Warmth   Shirley

Encouragement   Cathy

It is my wish to publicly thank the teachers of Hazel Drive for the superb job they do EVERY DAY caring for your children!  Here is a copy of the letter I wrote to them at the close of the school year:

July 5, 2014

Dear Teachers,

I always tell new parents who visit the school that all the teachers love to come to work here. They know, as I do, how important that is.

What our families see are happy, well cared-for children at pick-up time. What they don’t see is the hustle, the hard work, the good cheer, the helpfulness and the camaraderie to which I am a witness every day.

How blessed I am to have each of you and all of you here with me making Hazel Drive a great school!

Thank you for your individual and collective contributions to the great year we had at Hazel Drive. I eagerly look forward to the future with all of you in the important work that we’re doing!

Love,

Laura