February’s themes are all about heart shapes (and other shapes). We have hearts to glue, post, transfer, paint, hold, and sing about. Mid-February, the theme will change to everything ladybug.
Eggs and tangerines
We also have been peeling eggs and tangerines as a daily work choice. Those two activities are in almost perpetual use. If you would be able to bring in a dozen organic hard-boiled eggs (or a bag of tangerines) one week, please let me know. I’ll create a sign-up sheet for the weeks to come.
Conferences
We will have parent/teacher conferences March 6, and childcare will be available. I will create a schedule in the coming weeks, and I intend to have all progress reports written and sent out by Monday of that week. The time slots will be 20 minutes each. If this day doesn’t work for you, or we know we need a more flexible ending time, we can schedule a meeting on a school day, after 2 p.m.
Accepting the whole process
As always, the work is something to draw the child’s attention, give them something to focus on, build the ability to concentrate, and build stamina and perseverance, allowing them to do something from beginning to end. This includes putting work away, and sometimes a little cleanup, such as drying the bowl or wiping the tray. When we introduce a new activity and show the whole process, the children accept all of it. They are process-oriented and don’t reject the “cleaning up” as much when they experience it as part of the whole process that you show/introduce.
Follow-up
When follow-up from us is (still) needed to put things back the way they were, timing is of the essence. We can relate. Who wants to “finish” something when you have already started a new activity? The new activity has the momentum. Your energies are focused on it, and you’re starting to (be in) flow.
To use momentum in your favor, you must look for what I call the opportune moment to follow- up, and that moment is as essential as the timing of playing your instrument in the symphony. Too late is off, and too early is off. For the child, the perfect timing to remind him to put work away is right when he is finished with the activity and is about to leave the chair. If he has already begun motion to do something else, your momentum is off, and your energies are poured into backtracking and persuasion. It takes more effort. Sometimes a lot more effort.
In part, it is because they are so eager for what they have in mind to do next! And that’s so great! You want them to be hungry for, and interested in, all that there is to do.
February songs
Love is something, and you give it away,
you give it away, you give it away.
Love is something, and you give it away,
you end up having more!
(To the tune of “Do You Know the Muffin Man”)
Will you be my valentine, my valentine, my valentine?
Will you be my valentine, and hold my big red heart.
(We pass out vinyl cut hearts.)
I will be your valentine, your valentine, your valentine.
I will be your valentine, and hold your big red heart!
(To the tune of “This Old Man”)
Valentines, valentines, send them out to everyone.
When you do, it’s always lots of fun.
Valentines for everyone.
Love somebody… Yes I do!
Love somebody… Yes I do!
Love somebody… Yes I do!
Love somebody… But I won’t say who.
Love somebody… Yes I do!
Love somebody… Yes I do!
Love somebody… Yes I do!
Love somebody… I love you, you, you!
Skidamarink kadink kadink, skidamarink adoo…. I love you.
Skidamarink kadink kadink, skidamarink adoo…. I love you.
I love you in the morning and in the afternoon.
I love you in the evening, and underneath the moon!
Skidamarink kadink kadink, skidamarink adoo…. I love you.
And a ladybug song:
Ladybug, ladybug,
Landed on my thumb,
Crawled onto my palm, and onto my wrist.
Ladybug, ladybug,
Crawled up my arm…. And then it flew away!
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