Our Joy Through Music event has been scheduled for Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 4:00PM in the Big Room.
Our Learning Community will use this opportunity to share our perceptions and understandings of light and stars, a current topic Home Sweet Home has undertaken in our Project Work. Children's beliefs may reflect cultural symbols and/or a strong curiousity about our solar system. It will be interesting to access their big ideas!
Children's dispositions to be interested, engaged, absorbed, and involved in intellectual effort are strengthened when they have ample opportunity to work on a topic or investigation over extended periods of time -Lilian Katz
After observing this emerging interest in stars and light over the past few months, Home Sweet Home educators have collaborated to further engage children with this topic. In addition to books and other resources and activities, teachers hold space for deep discussions. It is not the teacherly act of passing the accurate information of Science facts, it is the continuity of listening deeply to the children describe their perceptions, and acknowledging their process toward understanding. "How big IS the moon? It is very small, I can cover it with my thumb." Rather than seek refuge in our adult role to contradict and correct children's beliefs, adults acknowledge their ideas and structure provocations that will invite children to continue their explorations. Is our playground big enough to draw a chalk solar system? How can we know? Let's look at some stars tonight. How big do they get? How can we understand something that much bigger than ourselves? Where can we go to get more information? (Chabot Science Center on December 15th!)
What is Project Work?
A common dictionary definition of the word project reads: "an individual or collaborative enterprise that is carefully planned and designed to achieve a particular aim." Project Work at Home Sweet Home is in-depth investigation that is worthy of children's engagement, time, and energy because there is a high level of interest, and an opportunity for discovery and experience. The investigation can be long or short. A study will involve discussion, fieldwork, representation, lots and lots of questions, and can culminate in the form of a presentation or celebration of what has been learned.
In the early years, adults can be intentional and deliberate about strengthening children's intellectual and social aptitudes by providing children with a foundation of lifelong love of learning and desire to know more. Project work often engenders positive feelings about school experiences, feelings of belonging, sense of competency and self-confidence among children. Project work and investigative study is aligned to how children naturally learn. Children are born investigators and observers of their natural world. Through a process of collaboration and inquiry between children and their teachers pursuing deep understanding of a particular concept or idea, children develop skills of cooperation, investigation; theories develop, as well as a deeper understanding of our world.
With much gratitude to the parents who embrace these opportunities and hold this time for the children.
Showing posts with label events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label events. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Winter Celebrations
The Home Sweet Home community will be celebrating the winter holidays and honoring family traditions throughout the month of December. Parents are encouraged to share family holiday/seasonal traditions with the children by bringing in books or orchestrating cooking or craft projects that reflect cultural holiday traditions important to their families. This could be as simple as reading a story to the group at circle time or as elaborate as baking Challah. Grandparents and extended family are invited to participate as well. Please communicate your availability to teachers so that your share can go on the calendar.
On Friday, December 17th at 10:00am the Home Sweet Home community is invited to the “Joy Through Music” holiday party. This will be a joint effort between the Special Events committee and parent musicians. The theme is “Stars: a Light in the Darkness”. The teachers will be exploring the concept of stars in Nature during the month of December and the children will be performing some star related songs as a group at the party. We will be treated to performances from our talented parent musicians and interested children are encouraged to choose and practice at home, a star-themed piece such as a song or a poem to perform solo or with friends or family . For example, Jasper wants to sing a song with his Grandma (perhaps the stage fright will settle in and we will be treated to just Grandma). Parents are invited to help their children create a star/light costume for to wear on this day. This could be a costume that represents light within their holiday tradition or, for the aspiring astrophysicist, a solar system headpiece. There will be a potluck immediately following the performances. We will post a food sign-up sheet in the next few weeks. The Big Friends will be creating an Evite for all current families and alumni. Extended family members are encouraged to attend as well.
On a personal note, I wanted to acknowledge that December can be a really busy month for working parents. I had to miss the last two years of special events at Home Sweet Home because of work commitments and I always felt pretty bummed out that I couldn’t be there. If you can’t make it it’s not the end of the world. We are going to tape it so that all parents can share in what will probably be a very sweet party. If you don’t have time to make a costume, please let me know and I can help you out. If you don’t have time to do a parent share, no big deal. If you want to become more involved with this event, we will be having a Special Events committee meeting on Wednesday December 1st at 5pm.
Cheers!
Heather (Jasper’s Mom)
On Friday, December 17th at 10:00am the Home Sweet Home community is invited to the “Joy Through Music” holiday party. This will be a joint effort between the Special Events committee and parent musicians. The theme is “Stars: a Light in the Darkness”. The teachers will be exploring the concept of stars in Nature during the month of December and the children will be performing some star related songs as a group at the party. We will be treated to performances from our talented parent musicians and interested children are encouraged to choose and practice at home, a star-themed piece such as a song or a poem to perform solo or with friends or family . For example, Jasper wants to sing a song with his Grandma (perhaps the stage fright will settle in and we will be treated to just Grandma). Parents are invited to help their children create a star/light costume for to wear on this day. This could be a costume that represents light within their holiday tradition or, for the aspiring astrophysicist, a solar system headpiece. There will be a potluck immediately following the performances. We will post a food sign-up sheet in the next few weeks. The Big Friends will be creating an Evite for all current families and alumni. Extended family members are encouraged to attend as well.
On a personal note, I wanted to acknowledge that December can be a really busy month for working parents. I had to miss the last two years of special events at Home Sweet Home because of work commitments and I always felt pretty bummed out that I couldn’t be there. If you can’t make it it’s not the end of the world. We are going to tape it so that all parents can share in what will probably be a very sweet party. If you don’t have time to make a costume, please let me know and I can help you out. If you don’t have time to do a parent share, no big deal. If you want to become more involved with this event, we will be having a Special Events committee meeting on Wednesday December 1st at 5pm.
Cheers!
Heather (Jasper’s Mom)
Monday, November 1, 2010
Special Days in November
Thursday, November 18, 2010 - Parent Education Night
Kathleen provides information on how Home Sweet Home seeks to deliver the concept of Children's 100 Languages from Reggio Emilia through our environment, flow of the day, and relationship with families. 6:00PM-8:00PM
Big Friend Feast on Friday, November 19, 2010!
Please feel free to come and banquet with our BASE high school and Home Sweet Home children from 12:00-1:00. No need to send lunch this day - children will eat with their Big Friends! Banquet contribution sign-up sheet will be posted November 12th.
Birthday Celebrations for our Home Sweet Home Children!
Sing it out for:
Dashiell Von Stroheim = 11/5
Giuliana Means = 11/9
Cash Davidson = 11/10
Ziggy Mintz = 11/19
Gabriel Speed = 11/25
Violet Sorenson = 11/29
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to fearless leader Dorinda Von Stroheim (Dashiell's mom) and all of our dedicated parents who delivered such a wonderful Halloween Carnival. It was truly a spooktacular event that thrilled the children and impressed the staff. We are very grateful!
Thank you to all the parents who participated in our Parent Teacher Conference Day! We appreciate the time honored to discuss your unique and wonderful child. The Omnibus Work Sampling System is designed to enhance the process of teacher observation. By providing a developmental context through identifying a specific skill, behavior or accomplishment, teachers can use Omnibus as a tool to reflect on their observation of individual children in the classroom and share this perception with team members and families. The most valuable opportunity that Parent-Teacher conference provides is the exchange of information between home and school. Because children often highlight a different set of skills at home, parents who share their view of their child provide teachers with a strong understanding of the Whole Child. This insight profoundly supports the activities and design of learning environment.
Kathleen provides information on how Home Sweet Home seeks to deliver the concept of Children's 100 Languages from Reggio Emilia through our environment, flow of the day, and relationship with families. 6:00PM-8:00PM
Big Friend Feast on Friday, November 19, 2010!
Please feel free to come and banquet with our BASE high school and Home Sweet Home children from 12:00-1:00. No need to send lunch this day - children will eat with their Big Friends! Banquet contribution sign-up sheet will be posted November 12th.
Birthday Celebrations for our Home Sweet Home Children!
Sing it out for:
Dashiell Von Stroheim = 11/5
Giuliana Means = 11/9
Cash Davidson = 11/10
Ziggy Mintz = 11/19
Gabriel Speed = 11/25
Violet Sorenson = 11/29
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to fearless leader Dorinda Von Stroheim (Dashiell's mom) and all of our dedicated parents who delivered such a wonderful Halloween Carnival. It was truly a spooktacular event that thrilled the children and impressed the staff. We are very grateful!
Thank you to all the parents who participated in our Parent Teacher Conference Day! We appreciate the time honored to discuss your unique and wonderful child. The Omnibus Work Sampling System is designed to enhance the process of teacher observation. By providing a developmental context through identifying a specific skill, behavior or accomplishment, teachers can use Omnibus as a tool to reflect on their observation of individual children in the classroom and share this perception with team members and families. The most valuable opportunity that Parent-Teacher conference provides is the exchange of information between home and school. Because children often highlight a different set of skills at home, parents who share their view of their child provide teachers with a strong understanding of the Whole Child. This insight profoundly supports the activities and design of learning environment.
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