YOGA IS FOR EVERYONE!!

Here's our friend Raggedy Ann showing us how to do the "Wheel Barrow" on one of our new yoga mats! Yoga is for everyone!!

When doing a position for the first time, Teacher BJ is right there to help the kids make sure their bodies are in the right position!

Here Teacher BJ shows Raggedy Ann how to do another Children's School favorite -- The Turtle!!

Teacher BJ often takes as many as 7 children at a time to go into yoga class. Each child has their own designated space using these brightly colored yoga mats, purchased at Target.

Don't forget that you can get your own copy of The Children's School Family Yoga Book, available now in the hallway, right next to the tuition basket. These would make fabulous gifts for family members, or how about as a stocking stuffer for your child who will recognize this resource and possibly start their own yoga class at home!! Any donation you can make toward this very popular program at the school would be very much appreciated. (For example, printing costs for books was $2.00/book.)

Let's Paint!!

Pre-K Lunch Bunch Paints with Watercolors

This is another example of the "magic" of our school! These are 2x3 business cards with a blank side that have been donated to the school for the purpose of doing watercolor painting on. The children are given selected colors to work with, and then asked to paint whatever strikes their fancy. The small space encourages "careful" work with a small brush! It's exciting, and as you can see, very beautiful.

TA-DA!!!!

The Pre-K Class had some real fun today!! Look at these creations! Are they not edible art?!

DOESN'T THIS LOOK LIKE FUN?? Want to try this at home? Look below at the Nov. 30th Pre-K entry for the recipe for the "frosting cement," and ask your children to show you how this is done!

MWF Learns by Leaps and Bounds

We learn through ritual!
Our rituals in November have included "Jack be Nimble" movement during music, chants about puppies, aliens and turkeys, "Going on a Turkey Hunt" during our gathering time before going outside, learning the "preschool flip" for putting on our coats, table setting, recipe writing, and practicing our good table communication - "Please pass the basket."

We learn through Montessori opportunty and tools!
Our new Montessori tools in November have included the number board, insets, and the spindle box. This is added to our continued work with water pouring and bread cutting.

We learn with the opportunity of new experiences!
New experiences in November have included learning to glue with small Elmer's glue bottles, painting with water colors, scissor work, working in teams to do sorting work and giant floor puzzles.

What will we learn in December?
We will learn the story and some of the music from The Nutcracker.
We will have the opportunity to learn the game of Dreidel.
We will make holiday gifts and explore gingerbread houses!

FAMILIES GIVING TO FAMILIES!! (A Holiday Project)

The Children's School has a long tradition of participating in the greater community at this time of year by supporting one or more families in need during the holidays. The program is called "Christmas Families." This year the School will sponsor 2 families, each with nine children or more. Each of these children has submitted a wish or a need (and sometimes both) for the holiday season. We can help out by choosing a child, and helping to fill that need or meet that wish.

There will be informatioin about the families and the children in the Hallway of our school starting the week of Dec. 5th. Once you've had a chance to look over what's there, feel free to ask your teacher any additional questions you may have. Judith Knowles has lovingly volunteered to coordinate this project for us again this year and she would also be happy to answer any questions you may have. She can be reached at jlknowles2@comcast.net.

Your gifts for these children need to be returned to the Children's School by Friday, Dec. 15th. We hope you and your families will enjoy this wonderful experience of sharing.
Happy Holidays, Everyone!

YOGA TO SHARE!

The Children's School presents The Family Yoga Book: simple yoga, breathing exercises and relaxation techniques, which can be taught by your child. This is for the whole family. This fun book would make a great gift for grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles, cousins, mom or dad.
Available in the hallway starting the week of Dec. 5th.
Donations to offset printing costs are welcome!

NEW YEAR BRINGS BIG THINGS FOR THE PRE K

January 8th: more wonderful woodworking with teacher BJ!

January Project: The class will create individual telephone books. Answering the telephone will be included along with permission from mom or dad. We will also use the keyboard. Does anyone know how to do VOIP?

PRE K- JOKE BOOK- Mrs. Jaques has assured me that she will make a Joke Book with this year's group of JOKESTERS. Start saving jokes with your child.

THE NORTHWEST PUPPET CENTER
9123 15th Ave. NE This theater is one of Seattle's finest, and we do so enjoy visiting regularly with your children. Our next couple of visits will be on:

January 25, 2007. " Crane and Turtle: Images of China" performed by Dragon Arts Studio.
12:15pm show time.
The Pre K class will enjoy drawing a series of events in the play and describing their pictures.

March 15, 2007 "Puss in Boots" performed by Oregon Puppet Theater
12:15 show time.

March 2007 also brings a project on behalf of Heifer International. We will be collecting quarters to buy a Goat or Water Buffalo. We read books and play games to share a little of the Heifer Project experience with the children. The next time you're at your local library, see if you can check out one of the books we'll be using entitled Beatrice's Goat.

March Hands-on Project: The "Take-Apart Experience." Our wood projects provide terrific creative "construction" experiences, but "Take-Apart" provides the equally important opposite side of that coin by giving our children a safe "deconstruction" experience. We need things to take apart. Small household appliances such as rice cookers, old telephones and answering machines make excellent "subjects."

April will bring our ever-popular Robot Construction Project. These fabulous creations are made out of recycled things. You can help by saving small things; they help add personality!