Making Time for Breakfast

As we wrap up our 9^th week of school it is a good time to talk about the most important meal of the day – BREAKFAST!! Everyone, especially our little folks, need a good breakfast to start off the day. Think PROTEIN when deciding breakfast menus! Good examples include: beef; chicken; eggs; sausage; bacon; ham; tofu; peanut butter; cheese; yogurt; cottage cheese; flavored cream cheese spreads; and beans. A breakfast high in protein and low in carbohydrates and sugars will get your child's day off to a great start and they will be ready to learn when they get to school.

No time to fix breakfast in the morning? We all lead busy lives, but breakfast should not be skipped to save on time! If you find yourself in a time crunch, there are several good breakfast choices that can be taken in the car on the way to school: Pancake & Sausage on a Stick; yogurt; scrambled eggs in a cup; string cheese; toast with cheese or peanut butter; biscuit sandwiches with sausage/bacon, egg & cheese; bagels/English muffins with flavored cream cheese; fruit cups; French toast sticks; and any kind of fresh fruit (its already packaged & ready to go!); and the list goes on! If your child arrives at school by 8:15 am, they can eat their breakfast in the classroom!

Now that you have an idea for some good, nutritious breakfast items, here are some definite “no-no's”: any sugary cereal; doughnuts; juice (unless freshly squeezed); gummy/fruit snacks; soda pop; and coffee. Please remember that any kind of bread item is a carbohydrate, and during digestion, eventually turns to sugar. A breakfast full of sugar may get your child going in the morning, but there is always the “crash” a few hours later which leaves the child feeling grouchy, tired and unable to concentrate on school tasks.

If you would like further information on breakfast nutrition, please do not hesitate to speak with us. A great website to visit is: www.mypyramid.gov. This is the USDA's website which includes nutrition information, meal planning, etc. for pre-school aged children.

Thank You!
Mrs. Coker & Mrs. Otterness

Family Time

We have had fun discovering about our senses the past two weeks. Most of the children have a good grasp of the five senses and how they help us learn about the world around us.

Next week, we will broaden our focus from ourselves to our families. Please look in your child's Friday folder for a “family survey”. Please fill out and return the survey by Monday. We will be discussing our families during line time all week. We will also use the information on the survey to do several projects. We would also like each child to bring a photo of their family for our bulletin board. The photos will be returned to you.

Thanks,
Mrs. Coker
Mrs. Otterness

Room 6 - Week of September 22

We had a really great week, last week, getting to see everyone's stars and hearing the children tell about themselves through their stars.However, we would like to take a minute to address a couple of things. Our Super Stars are the first of many take home projects we will do this year. While we appreciate the time each of you spent working on the stars, it was quite disappointing to hear from several children that they were not included in the project. We know that some three year olds would need help cutting and some guidance arranging things, but the majority of the work should have been the child's. All three year olds can glue and stick down stickers. The children who are four or five should have been able to do the project themselves - after the parents helped gather materials. We must remember that a child can only learn by doing. It may take more time but the end result will be worth it. Speaking of end results, our goal is for the end result to always be something the child is proud of. It isn't ever about perfection or even about an adult's idea of beautiful. A child will find beauty simply because he has done it himself. We want to nurture this feeling of accomplishment not squash it by taking over the work. It seems that, in an effort, to make the stars elaborate and exciting and what an adult would call attractive - some lost sight of the objective. The objective was for the children to get to work on a creative project about themselves to share with their friends. It was really sad when some of them couldn't really tell us much about their stars because they hadn't gotten to contribute to it. Please let your child grow by letting them be independent.And remember, that a child's best is always good enough!!
This week, we have been learning about our Five Senses. The children are really getting into the Montessori Sensorial works. We will continue our five senses work next week with some fun tasting and smelling activites.

Room 6 Super Stars

We have had a lot of fun making new friends and getting to know each other. Now, we would like to know even more about each child. The week of September 15th - 19th we will begin our unit on OURSELVES!!! Over the weekend, take some time to help your child decorate their star. Beginning Monday, we will use our stars during line time to tell all about ourselves. Decorate the star to tell about YOU (the child). Tell us about your family, what you like to do, activities you participate in, vacations, and anything else you'd like us to know. You could also include some of your favorite things: movie; book; food; color; toy; tv show, etc. You can type, write, draw pictures, use photos, stickers, magazine pictures. Let your imagination go wild!! You can bring the finished stars to school beginning Monday, September 15th. (Please send no later than Wednesday, the 17th, so we can see everyone by the end of the week.)
We can't wait to get to know our Super Stars!!

Mrs. Coker and Mrs. Otterness

Celebrating Maria Montessori

We have had an awesome two weeks. Everyone is settling in, making friends and learning about our classroom. Each day seems to go a little smoother and the children are, hopefully, enjoying school.
The week of September 8-12, Mrs. Otterness will be presenting a unit on the life of Maria Montessori. She will tell a little bit about Maria's amazing life each day. The children love hearing this story and will surely come home and tell you parts of it, too. Please take a couple of minutes each day and ask your child what they learned about Montessori that day. At the end of the week, we will send home the complete story, as well as the activities the children have done during the week. I hope each of you will take the time to read the story of Maria Montessori - I know that some of it will certainly surprise you. It will also reinforce the reasons that you chose a Montessori school and remind us how lucky we are to have the choice of Montessori for our children and in our case, as a career. Thank you so much for sharing them with us!
Mrs. Coker & Mrs. Otterness