April Newsletter and Spring Weather Lesson Plan

It takes me most of the day to write my newsletters, but in the end I enjoy doing it and printing them off to inform all of you what I do in my toddler classroom. 

Dear Families,

April is here, and along with it comes spring and April showers. Showers lead to beautiful flowers and green grass – fun colors, textures, and scents for our toddlers to experience. Spring provides us with lots of opportunities to explore, observe and talk. Our themes for this month include Eric Carle, Spring Weather, Baby Animals, Colors, and Bugs.  April 8^th is Miss Becky’s birthday, and I will be bringing in ice cream for our toddlers to enjoy for their afternoon snack. We will be saying goodbye to Miss Lisa as she is leaving us in a couple of weeks; we wish her many blessings as she embarks on her new life!

When the weather changes from the cold, blustery days of winter to the wild, unpredictable days of spring, the storms also begin to brew in our Toddler Room! Every child, from the youngest to the oldest begins to feel stronger and more confident in the spring of the year. They have all developed an amazing sense of awareness, aware of themselves and their world. Their development takes off with a bang! Most of our older toddlers have begun to use their language to express their social needs. We have heard our toddlers say “I don’t like that”. Our youngest toddlers are saying “No!” as well. Sometimes their emotions are so powerful that our toddlers still bite, slap, hit, or pinch. Although our toddlers are now responding by saying “No Hitting!” and “No biting!” etc. it is important to remember that using language to negotiate in a social situation is a sophisticated skill. The children are just now beginning to take their first steps. However, we have been very impressed with just how quickly our toddlers are learning social words or phrases to problem-solve.

Some new books we will be reading this month include “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle. The children will be exposed to colors and what different foods taste like. We will also be reading “Bees like Flowers” by Rebecca Bielawski and many baby animal books. Some finger plays we will do this month include 10 Little Bumblebees with finger puppets, I’m Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee, and Jesus Loves Me, with actions.

 Our activities this month will be exploring cold, wet, colored spaghetti noodles in the sensory tub during kitchen play and making contact paper butterflies and contact paper flowers. Both of these activities expose the children to decision making by allowing them to choose how many pieces of paper and what color flowers they want to add to their pictures. It also gives the teachers a chance to talk to the children about color recognition and counting skills as they watch the children create their art work. We will also be marble painting. This activity helps children develop their upper body strength and allows them to be independent. They will also be making glitter rain drops and finger paint umbrellas, as well as some cute hand and footprint art crafts!

Check out our blog for lots of fun pictures and activities! http://cookingandcuddling.blogspot.com

This week's lesson plan for April 4th through April 8th

Music & Movement (Self-Expression, Songs, Instruments-rattles & shakers)	Bible Songs with Miss Beth	I’m bringing home a baby bumble bee	Rain and Thunder White Noise Music	Mr. Sun Finger Play	Christian Radio playing
Literacy & Language (Book titles or language activities)	Reading: Bunny Eats Lunch	Reading: Jamberry!	Reading: Goodnight Moon	Reading: Duck and Goose	Reading: You are my Cupcake!
Gross Motor Indoor & Outdoor (Toddler Games, Physical Coordination)	Playing in the gym Playing outside	Kicking Soccer Balls	Duck Pond Water play with blue foam circles	Parachute goes up and down!	Building with magnet Shapes
Fine Motor (Manipulatives)	Pop Beads	Scribbling with chalk outside	Foam Shapes on the windows	Painting with a yellow using a paint brush	Scribbling with Markers and Crayons
Creative Experiences (Art and Sensory experiences)	Teacher’s Choice	Handprint Kite	Blue Paint and Cotton Balls	Tracing Hands	Bingo Dabbing a Flower Coloring Sheet