Welcome to the Toddler 2 Classroom

The Toddler staff members strive to provide the tools needed to promote independence for each child so that they realize their full potential.

You can contact me at EKorcek@brookviewschool.org

An update from Ms. Ellen...

May 8, 2012

It is hard to believe we are nearing the end of this school year!  Our friends that have recently turned 3 have begun visiting the primary classrooms they will move into in the fall, and preparing for the summer program transition.  We have also have welcomed a new friend, Daniel, into our room, which brings us to our capacity of 12.

Popular new works include a tube in a bottle for stacking marbles, as well as farm animal and African animal matching works.  A hummingbird picture matching work introduces the concept of order and the language of first, second and third, as well match the pictures from left to right.  This movement from left to right is repeated in many classroom materials, training the eye for future reading.  A bear work on the math shelf can be used for color matching for the younger child, but is also used to introduce language like small, smaller, smallest and small, medium and large as we work with the older children.

Just a reminder that the book order last sent will be the last of this school year.  Take advantage of this opportunity.  Also, we had a great time at the Brookview Auction this past Saturday.  Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen.

March 13, 2012

Spring is on its way.  We have been talking a lot about the change in the temperature and looking for the changes in nature happening outside our window and on our walks.

New math works, one focused on 1 to 5 and the other from 1 to 10 have been very popular this week.  We also added new board containing magnetic and non-magnetic items to try to lift with a moveable wand.

Language building can be seen in our new matching opposites work, describing useful words like on/off, up/down, over/under and near/far.  We also have many sea creatures for matching and scrubbing, as well as the newest addition of bird matching on the wall.  This improves their sense of detail, as well as hand-eye coordination.

 February 13, 2012

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.  We will be decorating heart shaped cookies tomorrow with squeezable frosting and sprinkles to celebrate!  Our art shelf now includes heart stickers and stamps as well as red and white paint we can mix to make pink in keeping with the holiday as well.

As the winter weather continues, we have been reading and working with many polar animals, especially penguins and polar bears.  We've enjoyed the song "A Penguin's Lament" as we waddled like penguins at the line, and many books such as "This Bird Can't Fly", "Polar Animials", "Knut the Baby Polar Bear", and "Penguins, Penguins Everywhere".

Parent Education Night was a success last week, focusing on math.  Our math shelf has been refilled with work focusing on numeral recognition for the younger friends as well as items to work on quantifying each numeral.  10 frogs sitting on a log has been popular with everyone.  If you missed it, I have some hand outs available of some ideas to use at home. 

January 12, 2012

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a wonderful break and enjoyed the holidays.  Our classroom has settled back into a nice hum of activity.  As "Baby New Year" brought in 2012, we have brought in pictures of baby wild animals on the wall for matching.  Our friends have enjoyed painting at the easel and tearing long strips of the newspaper comic strips.  Practical life skills being practiced include hanging felt "clothing" with clothespins and various tonging works.  A special tong that you have to squeeze to open and pick up large poms has been especially popular.  These works are particularily suited for strengthening the hand and fine tuning these motor skills for future writing.

Language and math is all around us.  We have a basket of items beginning with the letter "F", a variety of "breads" (from bagels to tortillas) for matching, and a new selection of pegs and colorful tongue depressors for counting works.  New geometric solids are on the shelves - can you find cones, cubes, cylinders, ellipses, and triangular prisms?  We have also begun measuring our heights and comparing them.  A measuring tape will be available for the children to measure the tables, chairs, and whatever else stands to be measured.  I'm looking forward to all that is ahead in our new year!

November 28, 2011

Wow, another month has come and gone!  We've enjoyed some great fall weather, noting the changes we see in the trees and ground outside the window in our classroom.  We've been using new language to describe the weather, hot or cold, sunny or cloudy, calm or windy.  

A new favorite work this past month has been spooning the kernals of indian corn they had plucked from the cob into a vessel with a funnel on top.  Scissors have also been added to the art shelf and some friends are beginning to find success in their use.  Around the classroom we've also added work with many forms of transportation and a matching work of famous sites around the world has been on the wall. 

We are also preparing for the winter celebration - it will be here before we know it!  Our classroom will be representing Thailand - you will not want to miss it!

October 21, 2011

October is flying by - I can't believe the Trunk-or-Treat night is already upon us.  We're looking forward to a great time tonight! 

Two new friends have joined our classroom this month; welcome Anna and A.J.  Max will be joining us from the infant room this month as well.  That brings our class 1 away from capacity.

We also have been busy with new work.  Little fingers and hands exercise control while scrubbing miniature pumpkins and plucking kernals of indian corn from the cob.  Our art shelf has new fall themes, including corn, football, leaves, and, of course, pumpkins and black cats for Halloween.  New language opportunities are found in works involving items beginning with the letter "s", foods we see at lunch, and an autumn matching work with beautiful pictures from apples to scarecrows. 

Thank you to all the parents who placed orders from the Small Hands catalog.  The infant / toddler rooms will earn around $90 in free materials through this group order campaign.  Remember, individual orders can still be placed online any time by the end of the year.  Just use the Brookview ID 102239 to ensure we receive credit which will be added to our current total.

September 15, 2011

Welcome back everyone! We are off to a wonderful start of the 2011-12 school year in the Toddler 2 classroom.  Two new friends, Teague and Renata, have joined our familiar faces that spent the summer in our room.  More new friends will be transitioning soon from the infant room and we look forward to meeting them.

Our classroom is alive with activity as practical life skills are being developed:  spooning pasta, pouring water, straining lima beans from rice, and scrubbing a wagon tire and garden gnome are all being performed with concentration and joy.  Our room is also full of language learning opportunities as we match and sort many African and Asian animals (our continents of interest this year), as well as cats and dogs, breakfast foods, numbers 1-9, and items that begin with the letter "b".

Summer is rapidly going by and our classroom is busy as can be.  Pouring water works have been very popular.  The matching materials of birds and summer items have also been enjoyed.  Three new friends have joined our classroom this summer - a warm welcome to Ezra, Darsh and Riya.  Speaking of warm, our class very much enjoyed "sprinkler day" to beat the heat.  We will schedule another one soon.

Thank you to all the parents who donated to our classroom wishing tree, brought in classroom snacks or other treats this summer.  It is very much appreciated.  I hope you all are enjoying your summer!

May 2, 2011

Spring has arrived in our classroom!  Works involving arctic animals and sea creatures have been replaced with work about flowers, insects, and warmer weather.  Boots and snowpants have finally been sent home after a seemingly long winter.  It is wonderful to see so many of my friends now able to put on their own shoes and light jackets.

Over the next 2 weeks, we will be completing our classroom project for the upcoming Brookview auction fundraiser.  I am sure our creation will not disappoint - come and bid to win!  Also check out our wishing tree with many items I'd love to be able to use with your children in our classroom.

Have a happy Mothers Day!

February 3, 2011

Winter continues and so does the wonder and growth in the toddler room!  We have been going outdoors to enjoy the snow as the weather allows.  In the classroom, we have been enjoying new work, including using the eyedropper and sponge, matching inside to outside of vegetables, and matching pictures of forest animals.   We have just added an easel to our classroom and painting has been widely enjoyed.  Our art table is now full of items like mittens, snowmen, and now lots of hearts for upcoming Valentine’s Day. 

Our classroom is off to a great start in 2011.  We have had 2 friends move on to Primary, and one new friend join us.  Others will soon follow and we look forward to watching our classroom grow and meeting new friends. 

I have been pleased to watch the children take real responsibility for the care and keeping of our classroom.  They are eager to water the plants and refill the bird feeder.  They assist in folding our placemats and napkins, serve themselves snack and pour their own water from small pitchers.  I also enjoy the unity and camaraderie I see developing in our classroom.  The children are truly learning from each other, working together with respect for others and themselves.

I have introduced work that involves the clock and puzzles with modes of transportation, which are popular.  I have also begun to introduce the brown stair and knobbed cylinders to children individually.  I am delighted they have taken to these Montessori classroom essentials so well.  It warms my heart to see them exploring these as they are a building block for what lies ahead in the future of their Montessori education.

October 18, 2010

Wow!  I can't believe it's already mid-October!  We are off to a great start in our new classroom.  The children are already attuned to our daily routines and are discovering the many learning opportunities on our shelves.  Pouring, spooning, and using the tongs are popular work choices in our practical life area.

The children also enjoy watching for wildlife out the window with the binoculars.  We have husked corn for them and left out soybeans and bread as well to attract a wealth of birds and squirrels.  During line time, we've done several songs and movement using different body parts.  I'm also introducing new types of music on the line.  We have especially enjoyed the sound of the Caribbean steel drum band.

We will be adding some more fall themed work and a pumpkin to scrub in the coming weeks.  Halloween and Thanksgiving are just around the corner.  I am looking forward to seeing all my friends on the evening of Thursday, October 28, for the Trunk-or-Treat!