Harvest Walk

Our Harvest Walk was a big success this year! Here are some pictures of children in their costumes, trick-or-treating around the building, and listening to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra play in the lobby. Thank you to everyone that donated and came to participate!

A letter from Ms. Hallani (Our Classroom Intern)

Dear Parents,

 We have had a wonderful 8 weeks of school. For the past few weeks, we have been working on many different lessons and we have engaged in amusing activities. My first couple of weeks, in the classroom I mainly observed the students and took notes of their interests and the activities that seemed to be most engaging to them. I found that the students really enjoyed painting as well as activities that deal with motion.

The following is more about some of the lessons that I have been teaching. In my very first lessons, I introduced the students to small brushes and large brushes and I had them explore the different strokes each brush made. The students seemed to really like this activity and they enjoyed talking about their artwork as they were painting. In this lesson, the students practiced using their fine motor skills, their social skills and they explored the visual arts. In the future, I plan to have more painting lessons in our classroom, and I plan to add different painting materials; such as painting with leaves, pinecones and toothbrushes. The second lesson I have been working on is based on the student’s interest in the motion. As a class we have been exploring different objects and how they slide down the ramp at different angles. We started with rolling down different balls, then, we had plastic boats and wooden cars. We observed what happened to each object as it rolled down at different ramp angles. As the students were engaged in the lesson they were thinking of cause and effect, as well as practicing social skills and problem solving. In the future, I plan to add different textures to the ramp and have the children observe what will happen to the object rolling down the ramp. We are looking for donations of any unused fabric, sand paper, or bubble wrap you may have at home which we can use on the ramp.

 

 

 

Last but not least, I would like to invite you to one of the most exciting events we have at the center, the EC Curriculum Night. This event will be on November 15, 2017, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. You will have an opportunity to investigate some of the explorations that your children have been working on. I really look forward to seeing you.

Thank you,

Ms. Hallani

Welcome to our Classroom Blog!

Welcome to our classroom blog! Our year has gotten off to a great start. We invite you to take a look at some of the things we have been working on so far.

We incorporate literacy into the classroom everyday in a variety of ways. Here they are searching for different letters in the sand table. 

We attached several mirrors to the wall and offered children small flashlights. They all smiled big as they explored light and reflections. They watched the light bounce around and experimented by shining the lights in different ways.

Collaborative building opportunities are available everyday. This encourages children to work together, strengthens their communication skills, and fosters problem solving. We have seen some great structures already!

After visiting the Cider Mill with the school, children noticed some of the gourds we brought in. They were especially interested in the unique characteristics such as bumps, stripes, or the different colors. We invited them to represent this through painting.

 Each child has the opportunity to create their own "Masterpiece" by collaging with beautiful things for our classroom Identity Board. 

 We are always reading! The children often enjoy looking through books on their own or asking a teacher to share a story with them.

We explore dramatic play in a variety of ways including working in a restaurant. Children act out different roles and incorporate their prior knowledge of how a restaurant works. 

After visiting our school's garden, children explore different materials using all of their senses. They find different colors, textures, scents, and even tastes!