The Art Cart

Offering the art cart outdoors has been a great success. This gives the children an opportunity to explore the arts in a different perspective as well as with different mediums.

This week the art cart has featured washable markers along with bingo dobbers and paper.

“It will dry and then you put it my cubbie.” -Sovie

“I want to make fireworks.” -Katherine

Michigan Standards of Quality
Teaching Practices, Program Standard 2: Activities are designed to help children learn concepts and skills through active manipulation of a wide variety of materials and equipment.

Monica Scudder, 409 Student Teacher

The Importance of Reading!

Through out the day, the Child Development Learning Lab gives many opportunities for the children to expand their learning through reading books. Whether it is a book being read to the students or the students exploring by themselves. Books are a wonderful learning tool that help expand a child's vocabulary and allows new ways of using these new words. 

Below is a picture of Graeme and Favour both retelling the story that was shared at their large group. During large group we introduced a new friend, Marty the Monster and he helped tell the story. Both of them attempted to explain the story in their own way. 

Graeme stated, "Some monsters like baths." Then he asked Marty the Monster is he liked baths. 

Favour explained, "All monsters are different too." 

The children have multiple opportunities to read books. Some students like to read a book during center time, rest, and even outside. In the picture below we have Zoey H enjoying a book being read to her during rest time. 

During the end of the day, the children had the opportunity to listen to Ms. Sinclair read books outside on the tree stumps. This allows the children to calm down and enjoy reading in a new location that isn't just in the CDLL classrooms. 

Michigan Standard of Quality: 

Language and Early Literacy Development

-Children begin to understand written language read to them from a variety of meaningful materials, use reading-like behaviors, and make progress towards becoming conventional readers. 

HDF 409 

Jasmine Palenske 

Activities with Friends!

During morning center time Divine and Victoria were playing a game at the game table in the Oak Room. They each took turns rolling a die and then moving their game piece however many spots they counted on the die. By the end of the game they were rolling a die with letters on it, and reading off the letters to each other.

"Your turn. You move 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 spaces."

James and Jace were playing with the ball ramps in the Oak Room during morning center time. They each had a ramp to use so Jace said to James, "Let's race!"

Stephen also came up while they were playing with the ramp and said, "I'm gonna be a bridge."

Michigan Standard of Quality

Social and Emotional Development

Early Learning Expectation 3: Children develop healthy relationships with other children and adults

Children  increase their ability to initiate and sustain age-appropriate interactions with peers and adults

Reina Kehoe 409

Working Together

"Here Graeme. Can you use this piece?" Liam asked.

During morning center time Liam and Graeme put together a road for trucks to drive on. Together they lined up each piece and connected them. They overcame problems by trying other road pieces in different places. This week the road pieces and trucks were put into the Pine Room for the children to engage with. 

Michigan Standards of Quality

Social, Emotional and Physical Health and Development (SEP)

3. Early Learning Expectation: Relationships with Others. Children develop healthy relationships with other children and adults.

Emily Walsh 

Team Work

Throughout the day, children were working together to empower each other. During AM group Daley, Mathias, Jace and James were working together to create a bridge. They were working all morning on the bridge and when the edge of the bridge collapsed, they worked together to repair it.

During outside play, Gavin and Stephen were at the art table. The teacher asked everyone to write their names so that their work can be identified. Gavin did not know how to write his name so Stephen found Gavins name tag and showed him how to create the letters for his name. 

Michigan Standard of Quality

4. Early Learning Expectation: Resilience-Optimism-Confidence. Children demonstrate the capacity to cope with change, persist, move ahead with spirit, vitality and a growing belief in one’s ability to realize a goal. 

Emotions

During small group time, we (Ms. Goodman's group) have been talking about emotions. Today, we looked through magazines to find faces to cut out. After cutting the faces out, we talked about what emotions we found. That conversation made us question what things make us happy, sad, mad and silly.

  I asked a few children-"What makes you happy?"

Liam- "When my mom is here."

Lilly- "Muffins"

Livy- "Faces"

Ariona- "My birthday"

Dakota- "Feathers"

Farrah- "Cupcakes"

Early Childhood Standards of Quality

Children develop and exhibit a healthy sense of self. Ex: Children can identify a variety of feelings and moods in themselves and others.

Children develop healthy relationships with other children and adults. Ex: Participate successfully as a group member and initiates interactions with peers and adults.

Musselman HDF 409

 

 "The Monkey Game"

 

During AM Center Time in the Walnut Room, the children were thinking of all the fun ways to engage with resources around them. Aliana and Roman decided to create a game called "The Monkey Game"

 

 

 

They explained to me how the game was supposed to be played. "First you start at the beginning. Then, you roll the die and then you make your way to the end" explained Aliana.

 

It is always great seeing the children come together and come up with some amazing ideas.

 

Michigan Standards of Quality:

 

1. Early Learning Expectation: Children show increasing initiative and curiosity about their work and play in all areas of the curriculum

 

Tiara Lawrence, HDF 409

Missing Summer!

Today in the Oak Room,  we were missing the hot summer weather! Livy, Harper and Mathias thought it would be a good idea to build a beach with water out of the building blocks to remind them of how the summer air feels.

Livy was helping Harper and Mathias collect rocks. Harper said, "Livy! We need more blue blocks for the water, and more green blocks for some seaweed."

Mathis followed with, "You guys! Do we have orange rocks? Maybe those could be the fish at the beach."

Here, Livy was looking at what blocks or other materials she could gather next, to make sure the water would stay in the beach and if they needed more barriers to keep it in. 

Mathias started a separate barrier for his starfish, rocks, and tiles that he called shells. Livy said, "Mathias, we could add actual seashells that we have in a basket over there!" 

It was a chilly, but great Monday at the CDLL!

Michigan Standards of Quality:

4. Early Learning Expectation: Children show how they feel, what they think, and what they are learning through dramatic play. 

Rachel Dombrowski, HDF 409

First Day of Fall!

Today marked the first day of fall! The children were busy being active and exploring the outdoors!

During outside time, the children ran around the tree while Mr. Jonaitis shook off some of the leaves!

Sage was jumping from one tree stump to the other during outside time. He said, "It's hard work to stay balanced!"

During outside time, Muadh ran into the house and said, "I come in here for shelter!"

John and Mathias were riding bikes during outside time. John said, "I can go fast like lightening!" Mathias said, "I can go as fast as a cheetah!"

During outside time, the children were able to use paint dabbers to create art!


Michigan Standard of Quality:
Physical Development and Health
Early Learning Expectation: Children experience growth in gross motor development and use large muscles to improve a variety of gross motor skills in both structured and unstructured settings
Children Typically:
1.) Begin or continue to develop traveling movements such as walking, climbing, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, marching, or galloping.
2.) Show their ability to use different body parts in a rhythmic pattern.
3.) Show increasing abilities to coordinate movements such as throwing, catching, kicking, bouncing balls, or using the slide and swing in order to build strength, flexibility, balance, and stamina.

Kristen Nagl HDF 409

The Tallest Tower

While in the Walnut room during Thursday morning center time, Michael began to build a tower of magnet pieces. Soon after, Stephen joined in. The two continued stacking pieces together until the tower grew taller and taller. Mathias walked over and began assisting in the building process. The three students worked together to find spaces for the new magnet pieces to fit. They continued to communicate with one another on how to make the tower taller.

"Lets see how tall we can make it"- Stephen

"I'm going to put this one on"-Michael

Michigan Standard of Quality

6. Early learning expectation: participation- cooperation- play- networking- contribution. Demonstrate increasing ability to be together with others, in play or intellectual learning opportunities and/ or making positive efforts for the good of all; join a community of learners in person and digitally as appropriate.

- learn from and through relationships and interactions

-begin to develop and practice the use of problem-solving and conflict 

Emily Sinclair 

HDF 409

Hallway Adventure!

During AM center time, few children were interested in the magnetic wood blocks and the writing center. 

Kayden was building a robot with many different features. He explained how the robot needed 5 batteries and antennas. 

"This is the robot's house" explained Kayden as he placed more wood blocks. 

"Look I'm building this" Asher said. 

Asher decided to stack all the cubes together and look at the reflection it created in the mirrors. 

After they were done with the blocks, Kayden joined Ella and Aubree at the writing center. Kayden chose to draw the robot he built while Aubree made a letter for a teacher. Ella was working on a book about ducks and later placed in an envelope. Kayden, Ella, and Aubree created pieces of mail and place it in their mailboxes.

Kayden asked for help with writing his name but Aubree stepped in and said "I'll help you Kayden!"

 Michigan Standard of Quality:
Social and Emotional Development
 3. Early Learning Expectation: Children develop healthy relationships with other children and adults. Examples include: asking for help, engaging in more peer interactions.

Lithuania Parra HDF 409

Morning Yoga

Lila Beau, Sarah A., and other children were doing yoga in the indoor movement room. The children followed along to a video that was playing yoga. Each child had a yoga mat. The children were balancing on one foot. 

They touched their toes and stretched as high as they could.

Ella and Audrey followed along to the video.

Michigan Standard of Quality: 
4. Early Learning Expectation: Body Control and Activity. Children increase their ability to understand and control their bodies and learn that regular physical activity can enhance their overall physical, social, and mental health.


Elise Jelonek, HDF 409

Bingo Dauber Fun!

Today outside we got to utilize the art cart with the children because it was a gorgeous day outside!  The cart was stocked with markers, bingo daubers and tons of the paper. The children had so much fun creating their own work.

Evie, Sovie, and Stephen worked hard to create their own pictures with lots of colors!

Katherine and Evie worked hard to create fireworks!

Leila was so excited to use the bingo daubers!

Michigan Standards of Quality

Creative Arts:
1. Children show how they feel, what they think, and what they are learning through experiences in the visual arts.

Social, Emotional, and Physical Heath Development:

2. Children experience growth in fine motor development and use small muscles to improve a variety of fine motor skills both in structured and unstructured settings.

Skyla Babbitt, HDF 409

Planning for the day!

Every morning in the children's large group room they plan where they would like to start playing for  center time. They are not limited to this room for the whole day, and are free to roam from room to room as long as they stay engaged in an activity.

Here is Lily PJ putting her name under the Walnut room, I asked Lily what she was going to do in the Walnut room and she said, "I am going to ride the roller coaster!"

Here is Andre and Jace deciding where they would like to play. They planned for the same room because they wanted to play together.

Here is Lily PJ following through with her plan she made in the morning of riding the roller coaster in the Walnut room!

Brody, Ryan, and Audrey decided to come to the Walnut room and play with the water table instead spending their whole time in the room they planned for.

Overall, it was a great day at the CDLL!

Sarah Cramer. HDF 409

Michigan Standards of Quality

4. Early Learning Expectation: Children participate in activities that encourage self-motivation, emphasize cooperation, and minimize competition.

3. Early Learning Expectation: Children begin to develop the ability to seek out and to recognize patterns in everyday life.

Together We Can Build Great Things

Today in the Walnut room James, Stephen, and Jace worked together to make the longest path for the ball to travel down. The wall started off with no pipes, and the three boys worked together to make various trails for the ball to travel down into a basket. 

They had to move pipes and manipulate them to stay close enough to each other so that the ball will not go off track, as well as raised above one another. 

"Teacher watch what happens to the ball" -James

Jace picked up the final pipe as the ball went down the path and it successfully made it to the end and then across the Walnut room floor.

Michigan Standard of Quality:

The Learning Environment- (8) Program Standard: The curriculum is designed to promote individualized teaching and learning rather then requiring children to move in a group from one learning activity to the next. 

Approaches to Learning- (2) Early Learning Expectation: Children show increasing engagement and persistence in their work and play in all areas of the curriculum.

Intellectual Development-  Early Learning Expectation: Children move from solving problems through trial and error to beginning to use varied strategies, resources, and techniques to test out possibilities and find solutions.

Kalyn Berinti, 409

Sandbox Fun in the Sun

This afternoon, the sandbox was a huge hit among numerous children! Several children teamed up to create a bakery shop where they put their clever ideas and recipes together.

Ericka and Aaliyah worked together to bake raspberry cupcakes. Once the cupcakes were complete, Ericka said, "take one and pass!"

It wasn't long until J.J. asked to join in. He said he would help by making a cake. 

Once the bakery shop was a huge hit, Favour and Victoria joined in as well. They both baked multiple cakes to add to the collection at the bakery. Victoria said, "This cake is strawberry!"

Next came Rohan. He hopped out of a wagon ride after finding a pipe cleaner. He ran over to the group and said, "Here is a birthday candle for the cake you're making!"

Michigan Standard of Quality:

Approaches to Learning

          1. Early Learning Expectation: Creativity-Imagination-Visualization. Children demonstrate a growing ability to use originality or vision when approaching learning; use imagination, show ability to visualize a solution or new concept.

Holly Ritter, HDF 409