Happy Holidays! December Update

December 5, 2019

Hello Families,

Happy December!  Can you believe that the Winter Break is just a few weeks away?  The fall has just flown by.

I want to thank all the families for coming to Parent-Teacher Conferences in November.   The important conversations about your child’s progress and development help us to further understand them as a learner.   In January, we will be updating the Individual Program Plan (IPP) to represent their progress over the last several months.   The IPPs will be sent home at the end of January for you to review, sign and return to school.  More information on this will be sent home in the new year.

There are some exciting activities happening in EDC for the month of December.  First, we have started learning about the story The Gingerbread Man.  The students have been learning the phrase “Run, run as fast as you can!  You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man”.   There are so many fun activities connected with this story, like making Gingerbread Play Dough, Gingerbread Man obstacle course, crafts and games such as Gingerbread Man Musical Chairs.   Take a look below to see a great recipe for Gingerbread Play Dough.   Next Tuesday, we will be having a Gingerbread Man scavenger hunt.  The class will visit familiar places throughout the school (i.e. the gym, Learning Commons, office, etc.) where the will find some SURPRISES!  When we return to the classroom, the children will use the surprises to decorate a gingerbread man cookie.  Yum, yum!  The cookies will be sent home so that parents can see them before they get eaten. 

Check out these great photos of EDC enjoying the snow – inside and outside!

Playing with Shaving foam snow!

Do you want to build a snowman?

Playing in the real snow!  So much fun.

We are also exploring some fun holiday activities.  We have a small Christmas tree in the class that the children are invited to decorate (again and again).  We are “writing” special cards using old holiday cards.  This is a great Early Literacy activity that supports their developing creativity, fine motor skills and communication with their peers.   The kids are enjoying “mailing” their cards in our classroom post box.  

Later, we will be looking at books, songs and games about Santa and his reindeer.  The children love to sing along to favourite holiday songs like Jingle Bells, especially when they get to try a new instrument.   As a school, we will be participating some fun activities.  Check out these fun days:

Monday, December 16

Crazy Hair Day

Tuesday, December 17

Blue Shirt Day

Wednesday, December 18

Pajama Day

Thursday, December 19

Holiday/Festive Wear

Singing Carols

It's going to be so much fun!

If anyone has questions about the activities for the rest of December, please contact me at alklassen@cbe.ab.ca or 403-777-6279.

Have a great week!

October EDC Update

EDC Update

October 22, 2019

We Made Pumpkin Spice Playdough!

EDC had so much fun making special playdough today.  We used our senses when we mixed the ingredients – we smelled the spices, felt the flour and salt, listened to the oil pouring out and some of even tried to taste the playdough (even though it was really salty!).  But it was all part of the learning experience. 

Our focus this year is developing executive functioning.

“Although we aren’t born with executive function skills, we are born with the potential to develop them. The process is a slow one that begins in infancy, continues into early adulthood, and is shaped by our experiences. Children build their skills through engagement in meaningful social interactions and enjoyable activities that draw on self-regulatory skills at increasingly demanding levels.

In infancy, interactions with adults help babies focus attention, build working memory, and manage reactions to stimulating experiences. Through creative play, games, and schoolwork, children practice integrating their attention, working memory, and self-control to support planning, flexible problem-solving, and sustained engagement.”

         From the article Enhancing and Practicing Executive Function Skills with Children from Infancy to Adolescence by the Centre on the Developing Child at Harvard University

This article was sent to all parents by our principal, Gordon Hamby, in early October.  It has many great activities to support the development of Executive Functioning at home.  For more resources on executive function from the Center on the Developing Child, please go to: developingchild.harvard.edu   

By engaging the children in pretend play, we are helping them to develop their understanding of how the world works, and in turn their executive functioning.  Today, the kids pretended to pour the ingredients into their own bowl, stir and mix the playdough.  The more imaginary play we can model for them, the more successful they will be in integrating these skills into their daily play.

Pumpkin Spice Playdough Recipe

Ingredients:   

1 cup flour

1 cup water

1/4 cup salt

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp cream of tarter

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

food colouring (enough to get it to the colour you would like)

Directions:

·      Toss all the ingredients into a saucepan and stir until everything is combined and there are no lumps.

·      Turn the stove on to medium heat and continuously stir until it starts to clump… Then keep stirring until it is all one big clump!

·      Remove from heat and knead by hand.

·      Don’t overcook because then it dries out. If you do accidentally overcook the playdough, just spray some cooking oil on your hands and knead it into the dough.

*If it is too sticky, sprinkle a little flour on the table while your kneading and it will stop sticking!

*Store in an airtight container and it will last a long time!

Try making some yourself!

 

Monsters Have Invaded EDC!!!

We have been making great monsters from playdough and felt friends.  Check out some of our creations!

 Have a great week!