Dear Honeybee Familes,
So lovely to start off our new month with snow, and there is more expected on Wednesday this week.
Our author of the month is Jan Brett, and we may continue with her in January because there are so many wonderful books. The Honeybees have figured out that the side panels of an illustration can predict the next page. We read and watched Jan’s new book “Cozy.” These Honeybees love learning about new animals.
We also read Jan’s book The Snowy Nap and talked about what animals do in the winter. We compared animals who hibernate and animals who stay with us in the winter. Our sensory bins in December have had polar animals, backyard birds of winter, and a snowscape with trees, icy jewels, reindeer, and Inuit sleds.
At circle time we read a book about Antarctica and have been talking about the poles. We’ve talked about who lives at the North Pole and who lives at the south pole. We looked at pictures of animals that live at each pole, and saw photos of scientific expeditions to the South Pole.
This past week I brought out a giant mitten I sewed from a thrifted white sweater and we played out the story of The Mitten. Did you see the Instagram pictures of the Honeybees running the circle by themselves and retelling the story?
I’d like to do a simple mitten sewing project with the Honeybees this week as well.
In December we are also focusing on “Our Buckets.” Have you heard about this at home? We’ve been working on identifying emotions in ourselves and in other people.
This has opened the doorway to many wonderful conversations about the way we take care of each other and love each other in our classroom… and at home. We don’t have to be happy all the time, but we can talk about how to fill up our own buckets and recognize when our friend needs a helping hand, a kind word, or a pat on the back. The Honeybees like to dance to this one while we clean up.
This song has been on our class playlist too, and I’m going to keep it there. I think it’s a little long for us to sing in circle, but I believe in the power of the songs we listen to while we are playing. Maybe this is a song you could put on your playlist in your car….and maybe it’s my gift for you parents as well.
Here’s a simple game we have been playing to practice taking turns in a line. Some of us didn’t even know that we go to the back of the line. I call it the caboose position.
Art November is done, but really we never stop. I love this project so much, and it is always beautiful. All it takes is eight rolls with the rolling pin. The magic is that you stop after eight, so we talk about it and then count together. I also wanted to make a note about kids who aren’t bringing home a ton of art. I don’t make every child complete every project that we offer. Of course, I try to make the invitation enticing, but sometimes they are immersed in trains or other play.
We read The Snowy Day by Jack Ezra Keats over and over again. It’s always a magical book for this age group. It’s always soothing and inspires conversation about children’s own experiences with snow. It also inspires wonderful art experiences.
If we are in school tomorrow we are going to talk about winter holidays around the world. We are also going to make salt dough diyas, the candle holders used in Diwali celebrations across India and around the world. We’ll talk about Hannukuh, Solstice, and of course many of our friends are talking about Christmas. We’ll read Jan Brett’s Book Who’s That Knocking on Christmas Eve. I hear many of you are having monkeys visit your houses for the holidays. Maybe this story will welcome in Trolls and an Ice Bear.
