Our long-awaited spring finally did arrive, as it always does.  And with it came the many childhood pleasures of the season:  The wonder of tulips emerging from the ground and blooming;  the arrival of spring birds with their cheerful songs;  the springing up of dandelions, buttercups and other little blossoms to collect for a bouquet or "bake" into a pie; the shedding of coats when the brilliant, abundant sunshine warms us through and through!

And how our little guys and gals have grown throughout the long winter, emerging, seemingly suddenly, and blooming before our eyes!

The children of Hazel Drive have been busy doing all the things to help them grow:  Learning skills and concepts, working all those muscles, big and small, learning good manners and how to get along with others, and playing, playing, playing!  Some examples:

                                                          Learning skills:

All the children from the smallest Cottontail to the Biggest Hopper work on learning and mastering skills.  Self-help skills such as putting on socks and shoes or folding nap blankets; manipulative skills such as putting together a Tinker Toy swing set or building a tall block tower; cognitive skills such as doing a puzzle, whether an 8-piece wooden form board or a 100-piece jigsaw.   Opportunites abound for children to practice their skill-building!     

Learning Concepts:

Patterns are created and indentified on the calendar numbers each month. The little kids became champs at figuring out what comes next.  April's numbers were on rabbit shapes in a purple/purple/pink-purple/purple/pink pattern.  But wait!  The purple ones are facing to the right, and the pink ones to the left!  Can we hop and change the way we are facing?  Right/right/left!  Right/right/left!  May filled up quickly with tulips in red/yellow/pink-red/yellow/pink.  June started with and little egg on a leaf, followed by a cute caterpillar on the 2nd, a cocoon on the 3rd and a butterfly on the 4th.  Can you guess what comes next?  Yes! An egg on a leaf because the butterfly lays her eggs and the cycle begins again!

 

Big Kids played math games with number cards, little colored counting bears and other props.  They learned the concepts and terminology of addition and subtraction! It's amazing what they were able to accomplish!  They learned "top, middle and bottom"  even as they learned to write their letters.  They learned to recognize, identify and write the letters of the alphabet.  

                                                                                                                   

 

 The children learned the cycles of nature through observations of the seasons and nature. Lessons about the water cycle came to life as Miss Gloria worked away with paper and scissors. They learned about another cycle by watching our own five little caterpillars eat, grow, form cocoons and . . . wait . . . no, not yet . . . maybe tomorrow . . . Yes! . . . turn into beautiful butterflies!  They were released so the cycle may continue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Working Those Big Muscles:

Somehow children don't require instruction in this area when they've got a big expanse of grass, a bunch of bouncy balls, a climbing wall, a big slide (and a small one!), a couple of swings and a sunny day!  Sometimes the stick horses come out of the corral and we have a gallop around the yard.  We have to remember to stop so they can eat a little grass and drink some water!  We've been having a fantastic time building bodies and having fun!  Plenty of energy and imagination in the mix, too! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Galloping Song (from the "Romper Room" TV show adapted for Hazel Drive)

Oh, come with us and gallop,

And gallop, and gallop,

Oh, come with us and gallop at Hazel Drive today!

Our animal friends will take us,

Will take us, will take us,

Our animal friends will take us,

                                              To places far away!

 

Working Those Small Muscles:

Opportunities for fine motor work are abundant as the buds on the trees!  In fact, we practiced our fine motor skills by making buds on trees!  One by one (or two by two), we put a pair of scissors in the hand of each Little Bunny and Cottontail.  With teacher and child working closely together, they opened and closed the scissors, snip, snip, snip, to create little bits of green paper. These were carefully picked up and placed on the wet glue.  Lots of good work for little fingers and hands!  Fingerpainting is enjoyed by all!  It's a wonderful, fun, squishy way to work the little muscles that will soon be used for holding a pencil and writing!  Writing, drawing and scribbling with markers and crayons is a frequent activity as well.

Big Hoppers and Kindergartners do lots of writing and drawing!  They use multiple fine motor skills to create their beautiful artwork.  Green paper is made into thin strips by cutting on the lines.  The strips are rubbed with a glue stick and layed in a row.  Little bits of tissue in lots of colors are pinched and sqeezed into little balls.  These are glued onto the green strips.  Voila!  Spring flowers to delight your eyes!

The older children are taught by Miss Gloria how to draw a self-portrait.  They start in September and make a new self-portrait every month, applying what they've learned.  Each portrait is completed by the artist signing his or her name at the bottom.  At the end of the year, you can clearly see the progress that has been made, through the natural maturing of the child and through gentle instruction.  These pictures are a demonstration of individuality and creativity.  They're as beautiful and unique as the artists who create them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Learning Good Manners and Getting Along:

"Little birds in the nest agree..."

That little phrase has been used thousands of times through the generations of Miss Laura's family, and the"little birds" at Hazel Drive enjoy hearing it and learning it's meaning.  We should do our best to get along with one another since we all share our little space here!  How do we do that?  By speaking to each other, using kind words, and treating others the way we'd like to be treated.  We sing a little song, simple, and for that reason quite memorable:

Be good, be nice, be kind to your friends,

Be good, be nice, be kind to your friends,

Be good, be nice be kind to your frineds,

Be good, be nice be kind to your friends.

The tune will be familiar to some; If you ask your child, you may get a fair rendition of it!

In the little kid classes we do a lot of supplying of appropriate tone and language.  We teach them that LOTS of words are "magic," because words get you what you desire most of the time, but fighting - not so much!  They are quite satisfied with the results because words DO work, and it's wonderful to hear them handle it themselves:  "Could I please have that?"  "You can have it when I'm finished." - and they follow through!  Beautiful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The older children learn through empathy and explanation.  How would you feel?  Can you think of a better way?  Wth a few reminders they can do a really good job on their social skills.  The teachers provide opportunities for teamwork and cheering each other on.  A little competition is good, too.  Who can clean up from beginning to end?  Who can be the quietest, the girls or the boys? (They love that!!) 

 

Playing, Playing, Playing:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has been said that the work of children is play.  It has also been said that children learn through play.  Can there be any doubt?  Basic children's toys provide all the tools they need for their work:  Balls, blocks, dolls, puzzles, building toys, art materials, dress-up clothes, books, stuffed animals, trucks and cars, sand and sand toys, dominoes, checkers and a checker board, a deck of cards... Do you notice that none of these things require batteries?  Children are little learning machines and do very well when they are the "hard drives" for their learning! 

Enjoy the long days!

Love,

Miss Laura, Miss Gloria, Mrs. Stacy, Mrs. Shirley, Miss Cathy, Miss Donna, Miss Linda and Miss Janet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a winter!  We found many creative ways to enjoy "The Great Indoors" when the weather was too blustery for outside play!  You can see a happy family here enjoying dress up as they learned about the members of la familia from Miss Gloria. There were caves for hibernating, dog houses for Mama Dog and her puppies, blanket tents, tunnels to crawl through, and lots of other inventive play spaces to keep the children of Hazel Drive happy, safe, loved and COZY!  Come and visit with our little kids and our big kids and see how we spent the Never-Ending Winter of Early 2014!

Little Bunnies and Cottontails:

For our younger children the days and weeks flew by during our Endless Winter.  They had a happy time learning, playing and pretending with friends and teachers. 

Building blocks, cars and roads, trains and tracks, stuffed animals and dress-up clothes have provided hours of fun for the little guys and gals.  Add puzzles and games and the water table to the mix, and there is plenty to keep everyone busy.

The ABC box has made several appearances this winter!  When the box comes out, we sing the ABC song.  Then...we take a look inside.  There is a letter in there, and then many items that begin with that sound.  We sing about each item: "P is for pizza, that's good enough for me..." Then, we play "Concentration." Look at all the objects. Concentrate!  Close your eyes and cover them up, something has disappeared - can you guess what it is?  The children were VERY good at this game, and also at waiting to be called on and not shouting out!  Some even remembered what was in the box days later.  How neat is that? 

A happy rite of passage to age three is the privelege of being "The Helper." Not a day goes by when we don't hear the question, "Who is the Helper today?"  Among other jobs, the Helper acts as the line leader.  We usually use music to get from "here" to "there" (although sometimes we tiptoe and whisper "Don't wake up the bear!").  It might be marching along to the "Mickey Mouse Club" song, boarding the "Line-Up Train," or weaving around to Miss Laura's cousin Jeff's caterpillar song:

Weave around, weave around like a big caterpillar does,

Weave around, weave around like a big caterpillar does,

Hold together, that's how it's done,

From the very first child to the very last one,

A caterpillar has lots of fun, weavin' around, whoa - oh -oh....

There are more happy verses to the song, and the children enjoy the skill of holding the line together as they move about.  We have learned and applied this skill to other games and songs as the children grow.  We began with our Circle Time song to learn the concept of holding hands to form a circle, and being able to do the cooperative task of moving the circle as one - and then - changing direction!  We have since played games like "Ring Around the Rosie" and "Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush" to practice and have fun moving in a circle.  Our most recent circle games are "Going to Kentucky" and "Bluebird."   The "windows" are formed by our arms when our joined hands are raised, and the bluebird flies in and out while we sing:

Bluebird, bluebird, in and out my window,

Bluebird, bluebird, in and out my window,

Bluebird, bluebird, in and out my window,

Oh! Johnny I am tired!

The bluebird stops at the end of the chorus and positions himself behind a child as we sing:

Take a little girl and tap her on the shoulders

Take a little girl and tap her on the shoulders,

Take a little girl and tap her on the shoulders,

Oh! Johnny I am tired!

The first bluebird holds on the the shoulders of the new leader, and the two birds fly in and out of the windows.  Play continues as bluebirds are added to the line one by one.  When there are three bluebirds, the smiles begin, and the children are so delighted as the line of bluebirds grows and grows! It takes a lot of cooperation to make it work, and what an accomplishment when only the teachers are left to be the windows, and all the bluebirds are holding on to one anothers' shoulders in a long line!!

Our little ones love art time, and they have plenty of opportunities to paint at the easel with brushes and tempera, or on the table using theri hands and fingerpaint. It's a beautiful exercise in cause and effect as they watch the dripping paint and mix the colors, and practice in both gross and fine motor skills.  There is a wonderful sensory experience as well.  The children clamour for a turn to dip their hands in the slippery paint!  Crayons and markers are provided for coloring fun, and there are regular opportunites to snip with scissors, a developing skill.  Small cups of glue and brushes are a staple at the art table.

During the early months of 2014, the weather and some special days provided themes for our art work and activities.

Children used their little fingers to make tiny tissue balls to glue onto the bare paper trees.  

We have a little furry friend who decided to use Miss Laura's apron pocket as his burrow.  Mr. Groundhog hibernated there all winter!  Every day the children would wake him up with their loud singing of "You're a Grand Old Flag."  He didn't mind because he liked the singing.  We talked with him about the weather, and looked for signs of spring!  Sometimes they were hard to find, especially during the snow storms!  Over at the art table, white paint and pre-cut "hills" made a nice landscape for a cute groundhog puppet made out of paper.   

We sang a song about Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Washington, and the boys and girls knew their faces well - we even found them on money!  They made their own "money" using plenty of artistic license!  Have you ever seen a 437-dollar bill?  With Nanny's picture in the middle - or maybe the family dog??  You have to be really special to have your picture on money! 

Valentine's Day boxes were decorated, and we had fun and excitement all week long giving and receiving Valentines from our classmates.  The children sat in a circle with their boxes and took turns delivering their Valentines.  They were champs at this, and the happiness generated by this simple exchange was priceless!

Everyone enjoyed meeting Mr. Leprechuan. He showed up in Miss Laura's apron pocket and was surprised to find Mr. Groundhog still hibernating in there. What was it he called Mr. Groundhog?. . . Oh, yes, a "big, hairy beast!"  He's so little, and yet he can be very grumpy!  He told us all about his gold, and wouldn't you know, he said we couldn't have any of it!  We sang a song and there was a lot of laughter as we ran and ran in place, trying to catch the leprechaun:

 

I'm a little leprechaun

No one can catch me woman or man,

I won't let them 'cause I've been told,

All they want is me pot of gold!

I'll run and run, but they'll never catch me....... 

 

 

 

 

Big Hoppers and Kindergartners:

 

 

 

   WOW!  The Big Hoppers did a lot of maturing and growing this winter!  Their classroom was a winter beehive buzzing with pre-reading, pre-writing, pre-math and motor skill sharpening activities!  Whether stting at the tables with their papers and pencils in hand, looking at the chalkboard, or sitting on the floor playing an engaging game, these children were learning, learning, learning!

The winter provided lots of time for ongoing learning about shapes.  Shapes can be found everywhere!  When they are put together, they can form pictures.  Miss Gloria incorporates the learning of shapes into her drawing lessons.  When broken down into step-by-step instructions on the chalkboard, the children are able to draw amazing pictures! The Big Hoppers continue to hone their fine motor skills as they control their pencils and crayons, trace shapes and color them in.  Art projects like the happy leprechaun and merry snowman seen here utilize many developing skills as the children cut, draw, paint with brushes or their fingertips and glue everything into its place.  Each child follows the same steps, and each has a unique result.  And each is just beautiful!

The Big Hoppers play many games that have helped them learn about numbers.  Numeral recognition, counting, addition and subtraction are all taught with games!  The teachers create materials that are just right for this particular group of children.  They also learn mathematical concepts such as size (big and little) and length (long and short) through games.

They continue to learn how to write their names and other letters as they cruise through the alphabet with songs, games and art.  Alphabet puzzle letters are placed in order on the floor, an object is placed above each letter to represent the sound of the letter.  Letters are colored, cut and decorated.  Names, days of the week, months of the year, signs around town all are more easily recognized with lots of practice!  Quality time with books, whether during read-aloud time or on their own, fosters a love of books that we hope will never be replaced by things with screens!

The children also have the mind-developing experience of learning another language!  They count easily now in Spanish to 31 (Why 31? Think calendar!) They know the names of fruits, animals, weather words, parts of the body, family members and much more that is learned through rhymes, games and Circle Time activities.

And of course, the children learn, learn, learn every day through their play with classic toys like Duplo and Lincoln Logs, puzzles, dolls, trains, animals, and dressing up. 

 

 Running throughout this enriching curriculum were the themes of good listening, cooperation, helping others and working together.

 

 Our group of Kindergartners love to color, cut and create!  One of their favorite activites is making books to read to the younger children when they wake up from their naps.  From the quiet inside the nap room they can be heard asking Miss Gloria, "How do you spell _______?" and Miss Gloria patiently reciting each letter.  Pictures are drawn and pages stapled together.  Then the author/illustrator proudly sits in a rocking chair to read aloud in the story corner.  Well done!

Kindergartners worked with a real needle and thread to create their own stuffed animals.  They decide what kind of critter it would be (a bear? a bat?) and drew the outline on fabric.  Two of the shapes were cut out, and then were sewn together in an overhand stitch.  After stuffing them with fluff,the hole was sewn shut and the coloring began. Details were added with markers, and the animals got their personalities!  The children were very pleased with their handiwork!

We join you in eagerly anticipating the sunny days ahead and the scents and sounds of the awakening earth!

Happy Spring!

Miss Laura, Miss Gloria, Mrs. Stacy, Mrs. Shirley, Miss Donna, Miss Linda, Miss Cathy and Miss Janet

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE!      The Holiday Season came upon us so quickly this year with a snowless November, a late Thanksgiving and a sprint to Christmas vacation. We easily packed the usual amount of excitement into those two months with our anticipation and celebration of the holidays!

Fire Department Visit

We began our November with a visit from the Hampstead Fire Department.  The little guy pictured is seated in the big fire truck and was given a turn with the firemen's big flashlight. First, the children gathered together to learn about fire safety.  Then we watched our firefighter friend get completely dressed, piece by piece, in his turnout gear, right down to the mask and air tank! Would we be afraid of a guy who looks like him? Of course not!  The fireman is our friend! When we see him, we jump up and say, "Here I am!!"  Everyone was allowed to try on the helmet, the big coat and the mask.  Wow, are they heavy!  The big ladder truck was parked out in our driveway, so next we put on our coats and out we went!  The children had a great time climbing up, inspecting the equipment and pretending to be firefighters!  Every child went home with a fire hat and coloring book.  Thank you, Firefighters Chris Dane and Jon Houde for sharing you knowledge and for being so kind! And remember, friends, to do fire drills at home, too, as we do at school.

"Thanksgiving is Coming..."

November is of course associated with a favorite fun family foodie holiday, Thanksgiving.  The children learned about the first Thanksgiving through books, stories and songs. We spoke about thankfulness. And we had a lot of fun making turkeys and singing turkey songs! One especially nice counting book, The First Thanksgiving Day, depicted scenes of the pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians, adults and children, at work and at play, culminating with twelve tables filled with the new friends feasting together. We sang about many of the foods that are served for Thanksgiving in our funny song, "Thanksgiving is Coming," (a Miss Laura adaptation of "Going on a Picnic.")  Miss Laura knows that we roast something big to feed our extended family - but not and elephant or a dinosaur, Miss Laura! There were a lot of smiles as the boys and girls anticipated what would be the next thing in the BIG roasting pan - and then a lot of laughs, too - NO, Miss Laura! Not a hippopotomus!!!  

Here is a simple, yet beloved song:

The turkey is a funny bird,

His head goes bobble, bobble,

And all he knows is just one word,

"Gobble, gobble, gobble!"

The children took turns asking the turkey (el pavo) questions.  "What do you like to eat?"  "How old are you?"  "What's your favorite color?"  To every question he answered, "Gobble, gobble, gobble!"  The more questions that were asked, the funnier the game became!

 

Story Time

(A gathering song by Miss Laura)

Where do you sit for story time?

Where do you sit for story time ?

You sit on the floor near the rocking chair at story time.                                                        

Where can you go at story time?  . . .

You can fly to the moon in a red balloon,                                                                       

You can sail the ocean in a pirate ship, etc.

Who can you be at story time? . . .

(The children love to supply answers to this from Ninja Turtles to Rapunzel!) 

 

Hazel Drive children just love their story books!  We enjoyed some that tied the fall and winter seasons together, just as they are in nature. 

The Lonely Scarecrow longed to have friends out there in the field, but all the little creatures were afraid of him.  When he was covered with snow, he looked just like a friendly snowman, and the creatures flocked to him.  He was so happy!  What would happen in the spring when the snow melted?  Can you guess?

Mousekin's Golden House is an intriguing and beautifully written story that was particulary enjoyed by our littlest children.  A leftover jack-o'lantern became winter quarters for a hibernating whitefoot mouse.  Our own jack-o'lantern was placed outside, and as it got soft and closed its eyes and mouth against the chilly winds, we wondered if Mousekin had taken up residence there.

A Season for Giving

December is the season of giving!  As excited as the children were about Santa coming to their homes with his magic sack with wonderful toys and presents for them, they were very happy, too, to make beautiful gifts for their families. Let me tell you about them!

Little Bunnies and Cottontails:

Every day the Little Bunnies and the Cottontails have Circle Time. During Circle Time, among other things, we always put a number on the calendar. They are learning about the months of the year, the days of the week, and we count all the days in each month.  They are familiar with the concepts and the appearance of a calendar.  So, each of our little ones made a keepsake calendar for you!  First, one hand was painted pink, turquoise or yellow.  Many handprints were made on a big sheet of contruction paper.  Then the other hand was painted in a different color.  Again, handprints were made on the paper.  Next, some more paint was dabbed on each hand, then . . . rub, rub, rub your hands together, and . . .  Amazing! How did you do that?  There is no orange/purple/green paint on the table! More handprints were made in the third color!  The next step was to add some sparkle by brushing on some glitter glue.  Beautiful!  After they were dry, the teachers covered the art with clear contact.  Then the calendar pages were fastened, and the children wrapped up their presents in the gift wrap paper they'd decorated.  It's a gift that was made with love, and we hope that you'll treasure all through the year!

 

Big Hoppers, Super Hoppers and Kindergartners:

With her imagination and a few simple materials, Miss Gloria designed a lovely gift for our big kids to make:  Angels!  The boys and girls got busy with scissors, markers, a bit of paint, glitter and glue and created beautiful ornaments.  They carefully cut circles from yellow tag board and decorated them with markers and glitter.  The wings were cut from tissue paper, and the faces painted and the features drawn in.  It was all assembled with sparkling garland for a halo, and wrapped in clear cellophane.  We know it will make you smile at least once a year!     

 

             

                                    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mat Man Santa

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Visit From Santa Claus

One chilly December morning, we had a special visitor:  Santa Claus!  We had just finished reading "The Night Before Christmas" when we heard the sound of jingle bells outside.  The door was opened, and in he came!  The children were cheering and jumping up and down when they saw him.  He was exactly as the book had described him, especially the part about being jolly!  We sang a song for him that we'd been practicing all month:  "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."  We did a lot of hand and body motions as we acted out the song.  It was so adorable, and Santa loved it!  Santa opened up his big sack, and there was a wrapped gift for every child!  The children waited until everyone was holding a package.  Then we counted to three, and there was wrapping paper and big smiles everywhere!  Santa had given everyone a pillow animal!  After all the high fives, hugs, thank yous and good-byes, we sorted all the pillows (and their people).  Pigs into the pig pen, horses in the corral and sheep out in the meadow.  Then we had a fun game of "Old MacDonald."   The pillows were very cozy, so we turned down the lights and had a few lullabyes.  It was very soothing!  Thank you, Santa, for coming to see us during the busy time!  We love you!

From all of us at Hazel Drive Early Childhood Center, A very HAPPY and HEALTHY New Year!

Miss Laura, Miss Gloria, Mrs. Stacy, Miss Linda, Mrs, Shirley, and Miss Janet

What a beautiful season!  When the blustery breezes blow, making the leaves swirl and dance and flutter to the ground, we all cheer!  Our songs and lessons come to life in the nature all around us.  It truly gives meaning to the word "awesome!" 

We had a summery start to the school year, a brilliant and mild October and a few visits from Jack Frost to start November.  The children of Hazel Drive have been very busy in their new groups. The Big Hopper room is filled with children whom we've watched grow before our eyes!  Here are some highlights of our fall fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Kindergarten      

The Kindergartners love to create!  Every day they clamor to Miss Gloria for projects to do.  They draw pictures, work with stencils, cut and glue, write and ask how to spell things.  They create books and read them to the younger children.  They make play dough creations, string beads and make up clever games. There is a lot of harmony and comraderie in the room as they play and pretend.  After the younger children wake up from their nap time, we all join together for story time and music. 

 

 

 

 

Big Hoppers

When Big Hoppers arrive, before long someone will ask, "What are we learning today?"  Miss Gloria, Mrs. Stacy and Miss Janet create and provide a multitude of valuable learning experiences and the children are eager to learn and always have fun doing so! 

The children work each day on letters, numbers and shapes. They learn social phrases and vocabulary in Spanish.  Their fine motor skills are developed through a sequence of exercises. Children cut, trace, use stencils, do puzzles and build with manipulative toys. The "Handwriting Without Tears" program used by Hampstead Central School is being introduced at the preschool level in our Big Hopper room.  The children love it!

 

 

The Big Hoppers learned about Christopher Columbus and his long, long journey across the ocean.  They learned about our five senses through lessons and games.  The life cycle of a pumpkin was illustrated with props, and the carving of a real pumpkin on Halloween.  The seeds are preserved for planting in the spring, and the continuation of the cycle.  They are learning about left and right, and practice remembering that right hand as they recite the Pledge of Allegiance each day!

Every day social skills are practiced as the Big Hoppers learn to be good citizens of Hazel Drive!  Manners, respect for others and helping were emphasized as we began the school year.

 

 

Little Bunnies and Cottontails

We have a lively, happy crop of little ones this year, and they are having a lot of fun with Miss Laura, Mrs. Shirley and Miss Linda!  When they come in, their room is always ready with toys and games to play, and looks so inviting!  The circle table is covered with a table cloth, and the art supplies are ready for the day's project. These children love to use art materials! 

A favorite activity is finger painting.  We put the paint right on the table.  After lots of experimenting, swirling the paint around and making lines and shapes with their fingers, the designs are ready to be picked up on paper.  Rub, rub, rub, lift up the paper, and there is the design! 

Using a small brush to apply glue, picking up little shapes and placing them on the paper all help develop the small muscles in those fingers and hands.  Many of our art projects reinforce the themes and concepts:  apples and pumpkins, counting, circles and triangles, sail boats, Ten Apples Up On Top, My Little Face, Mother Goose rhymes, and fall colors to name a few!

The Little Bunnies and Cottontails enjoy the song we use to gather into a circle:

Come on everybody, let's hold hands,

Hold hands, hold hands,

Come on everybody, let's hold hands,

It's Circle Time!

In a circle we swing our arms, bend our knees, stamp our feet, and - our favorite - make the circle go around!  When Miss Laura is wearing her red polka dot apron, the children know there is going to be something interesting in the pocket. Perhaps a little friend like Gray Squirrel, sometimes things to show the Shape-osaurus, maybe a musical instrument.  The children are very good listeners and love to hear story books, too.

The Little Bunnies and Cottontails play games to develop their gross motor skills, teach concepts and increase their ability to take turns and to wait.  They roll balls, crawl through a tunnel, throw a ball into a basket, walk a balance beam, jump off a step stool onto a big yellow circle ("One, two, three, JUMP!") They love these types of games and learn to cheer for others while they are waiting.

Music is ever-present throughout the day, and one of our favorites of the season was the autum leaf song made up years ago by Miss Laura:

Falling, falling, falling,

Autumn leaves are falling,

Falling, falling, falling,

Fall-ing - to - the - ground...

The children act out the song and climb back up into their make-believe tree for the next verse.  They choose how the leaves should move and the language becomes rich and colorful: swirling, fluttering, running, jumping, dancing, twirling, floating!  Imagine our delight when the real leaves danced about in the treetops surrounding our playground, fluttered down (try to catch one!) and swirled around on the grass. The children colected them in pails and dump trucks, gathered them up in their arms and threw them up in the air...Whee! 

 

 

 

November 8 marked the third anniversary of the day when Hazel opened her front door for the first time and three little children entered. Every day has been filled with adventure, learning, laughter, singing, lots of noise and lots of love!  From the beginning Hazel Drive has been dubbed "A Place of Many Blessings."  How true that is!  Many thanks to all of our Hazel Drive families, recent past and present.  We love you!

Miss Laura, Miss Gloria, Mrs. Shirley, Mrs. Stacy, Miss Linda, and Miss Janet