Have
you made snow appear inside a tray, followed by a delicious snack of
hot chocolate or celebrated the Winter Solstice by making beautiful
handmade candles?
Have you
ever made your very own exploding “Crackers” with a secret prize inside
or made a monster snow globe from baby food jars and sparkling glitter?
We have done all that and much much more here at Brooklyn Friends Preschool.
The whole
second floor has been in a pre-winter celebratory mode. So many parents visited us and shared their family traditions and holiday
celebrations. Their kaleidoscope of sounds,
smells, sights and textures of the holiday's have enriched our children's school experiences.
Along
with the festivities and the special visits from families, the “usual”
activities continued in full force. The children were nourished
daily through storytelling, cooking, singing, and movement and
painting. They entered the warm and aesthetic environment of their
classrooms, which have now “gelled” into their own little communities.
It is in this environment and under the continued guidance of their
teachers that learning, imagination and creativity continue to flourish.
The “Specials” have come together too!
By now, the children have favorite dances that Helen and Margaret have taught them. When
asked what she loves most about teaching dance to our children Helen
answered, “What I love most about teaching dance to Preschoolers is
experiencing how their faces and bodies come alive as we get into the
magic of a story we are creating together. Their excitement and
imaginative flair take me along with them as we truly BECOME jumping
jellybeans or mischievous elves or dancing cats or spaghetti monsters. I
have the best job in the world!”
Margaret tells us that she loves our preschoolers' “joyful spirit as they gallop like ponies, scamper like squirrels and fly like birds.”
Children are at home in the new PS Library and love to hear stories from Kathy and Melissa.
Kathy tells us what she loves most about having the children come to
the library is seeing “ their curiosity and unique way of seeing the
world. It is inspirational and reminds me everyday about why I became a
teacher.”
Nancy
reports that the children are becoming very familiar with the songs in
her Music class. Nancy visits all of our classrooms each week bringing
an array of songs, finger plays and movement. One of the things she gets
joy from is, “watching their sweet faces when they realize they’ve
remembered the words to a song - - heaven.”
Tony
continues to grace us with his presence each week. “Sing” is a happy
and often giggle filled time for the larger groups. Sometimes, “Sing
with Tony" includes all of the Threes children, sometimes just the Fours
and at other times the whole Preschool
sings together! Tony shares that he loves coming to the Preschool. No
matter what kind of day he has been having it never fails to lift his
spirits. “Whenever I sing with the Preschool, it makes me feel really,
really, really good and I really, really, really mean it!”
On the last day before winter break the Preschool took its place in the Lower Gym to sing
with the entire student body of Brooklyn Friends. I looked around to see our children growing and blossoming into the wonderful young people they are. It was a reminder to treasure all the moments, as they pass so very
quickly. This year has already flown by.
This article was excerpted from the BFS Preschool Parent Portal. Brooklyn Friends parents may access the portal with a unique username and password. The Preschool and Lower School Parent Portals feature classroom blogs from every grade.