A team of Blossom teachers role model circle time practices.
Thank you so much for finding alternative childcare for President’s Day! We value this time for teacher training and work hard to make the most of it. We opened the day with a focus on music. Teachers were challenged with creating a song using a familiar tune (e.g. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star) for a transition during the day (e.g. washing hands). You’ll find a few samples below to try at home. Afterwards, our Music Enrichment teacher, Joe, presented on how rhythm and movement are beneficial to the developing mind, and we discussed how to use a new planning form to help teachers incorporate what he does into their own practices with the children. Our focus turned to Intentional Teaching; this included team study groups and presentations. The second half of the day included a Love & Logic workshop with a trainer, as well as time to meet, reflect and set goals for more intentional teaching.
Using the same approach at home and school has the potential for powerful results. To facilitate this, we are brainstorming ways to introduce Love & Logic techniques for parents to try at home with a platform for program supervisors and other parents to give feedback. Our intention is to ask the teachers to favor that particular technique during that period of time. We’re thinking about beginning with “How to say ‘Yes’ with freedom phrases”. We’d love to hear if this is something you’d be interested in AND if you have ideas on a platform for this idea.
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A few samples of our transition songs:
To the tune of “Row, Row, Row, Your Boat” – Handwashing
Wash, wash, wash, your hands,
Wash them ‘til they’re clean.
Tops and bottoms, all around, even in between.
Wash, wash, wash your hands.
Wash them ‘til they’re clean
Wet, then soap, scrub, and rinse,
Dry and then you’re clean.
To the tune of “Itsy-bitsy Spider” – Meals
Take an itsy-bitsy try bite,
Put it in your mouth,
See how you feel about it
And you might find out,
That you really like it and even if you don’t
You took an itsy bitsy try bite
And you should feel proud.