Welcome to the Toddler 1 Room!

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

Contact me at kims@brookviewschool.org

An update from Ms. Kim...

May 3, 2012

In the past two weeks I have introduced some birds.  These birds each have their own song when you squeeze them.  We are talking about how the birds look and sound differently.  There is a robin, red-winged blackbird, blue jay, and cardinal.

In Spanish, Ms. Cecelia is teaching the toddlers the parts of the body, animals in the zoo, colors, and counting 1-10.

On the fine motor shelf the children have enjoyed spooning pasta.  This material develops hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

I have put on the math shelf a primary spindle box that I have modified for toddlers.

This work introduces zero and shows that numerals represent a collection of objects. 

The last few weeks have flown by!  The toddlers have enjoyed baby washing.  There is a sponge, bar of soap, and a towel for drying.  The children give the baby a bath, using the sponge, dry the baby with a towel then put her in her bed.  They enjoy getting their hands wet and it is practice on completing a multi-step process.

I introduced pouring water using a funnel.  Taking a pitcher to the sink, walking slowly to the water jug, and pouring the water into the jug using a funnel allows and encourages repetition.  This repetition could be seen by the children as they engaged in this work.

On the sensorial shelf I have put a color matching work.  The children match colored "shirts" to a bear wearing the same colored shorts.  This work helps develop visual discretion of color.

During circle time we have been using different movements to move to different music.  We have marched, stepped softly like a kitten, and galloped like a horse!  Different tempos and beats are used with each movement. 

March 30, 2012

Over the last couple of weeks, the children have been enjoying exploring their classroom.  I have introduced the sandpaper numerals, 0-5.  The children love feeling the texture of the numeral and are beginning to associate the numeral to their names.  This work is an indirect preparation for mathematics and introduces symbols for quantities.

On the sensorial shelf, I have put out nesting cups.  These cups help develop visual discrimination of size and the children enjoy seeing the smaller objects disappear as they are nested and unnested.

Mr. Larry comes for music twice a week.  This week he worked on tempo and keeping the beat.  As Mr. Larry played music the children kept beat while clapping their hands and tapping their knees. 

Labeling objects in the room with sticky notes has been an exciting work.  The name of an object is written on a sticky note and handed to the child.  The teacher tells them what is written on their note, and then they take it to that object.  They are seeing the written word as they match their note to the object.  The children are eager to come back for another note!

March 14, 2012 

The children in our classroom have been busy over the last couple of weeks and have been engaged in some very meaningful work.  I introduced the handwashing work, which consists of a bowl and pitcher situated at a table with a bar of soap, bucket, and towel for clean up.  This work has been very popular and while the children enjoy the experience of putting their hands into the water, they are also building concentration, practicing on completing a multi-step process, and learning self-care skills. 

Plant watering and washing the tables, chairs, and shelves with soap and water are activities that the children have continued to enjoy.  By taking an active role in the care of the environment, they are gaining a sense of empowerment, independence, and ownership of the classroom.

I also presented water transferring using a baster, which encourages fine motor development, as well as trains the eyes to move from left to right which is an important pre-writing skill.

On the language shelf, I set out some labeled pictures of farm animals with corresponding animal figures.  The children have quickly mastered this work, not only matching the figures to the cards, but naming the animals as well. 

Some popular sensorial works have been the large dinosaur puzzle and flower matching, which involves matching large pictures of various flower species to the corresponding smaller pictures.  Both of these activities help train the children's eyes to notice differences and help them acquire organizational skills.

February 28, 2012

February was a busy month!  Valentine's day themed works were on the shelves.  The children enjoyed nesting hearts, matching erasers, and finding mini hearts in a bowl of pasta.  Matching dinosaurs and farm animals to their pictures have been a big hit! 

The children have been drawing with markers and crayons on our easel and stamping with the dinosaur stamp. I started presenting the solar system.  We are learning the names of each planet and their order from the sun. 

Using a spray bottle with soap and water to clean cots after nap, and tables, chairs, and shelves has a popular work for the toddlers.  It is great to see them taking care of their environment! 

We celebrated 3 birthdays this month.  Happy Birthday to Sophia, Noah, and Carter! Thank you to the Hall, Burton, and Peace families for donating tissues and to the Knecht-Prange family for the large potted plant! 

January 23, 2012

The New Year has started out great in the toddler room!  The children have been enjoying the practical life area; scooping water into the water wheel, tonging small puff balls into an ice cube tray, stringing large beads, plant washing and table scrubbing. 

We have started to look at dinosaurs.  We will be learning which dinosaurs are herbivores (plant eating) and which are carnivores (meat eating).  The large dinosaurs have been a big hit in our classroom!  Weather has been a big topic.  The children have been looking at the weather cards and are determining what the weather is like outside.  Is it sunny, cloudy, partly cloudy, rainy, snowy, or stormy?

Riley and Leonardo have transitioned from the infant room!  We are excited to have them join us!

December 12, 2011

The snow has arrived!  Your children have enjoyed playing in it!  We like to see our footprints in the snow.

The toddlers have been busy pouring pine cones, scrubbing a stone fish with a brush, stamping and hole punching.  Holiday themed works are on the shelves.  Matching colored ornaments and holiday erasers are some favorites. 

At circle time, we are learning new songs and finger plays that involve using different parts of our bodies.  We are also learning new movements to songs that we are already singing. 

We enjoy watching the squirrels and birds outside our window.  The children watch them eat bread and bird seed.

Join us for the Winter Celebration on Tuesday, December 13th.  Our class will be representing Ethiopia!  Come enjoy an Ethiopian treat! 

November 6, 2011

Where did October go?  The toddlers have been scrubbing pumpkins, pounding tees into a pumpkin, matching spiders, building towers, and much more. 

Coloring with crayons and chalk, and placing stickers on paper (or shirts) have been favorites in our art area.  We are learning the names of shapes and new songs at circle time. 

Mr. Larry and Ms. Cecilia have been joining us each week.  Mr. Larry has brought several instruments, including a log drum, mandolin, and his guitar.  Ms. Cecilia has been teaching us the names of shapes, numbers, fruit and so much more in Spanish.

The fall weather has been great!  We love to listen to the leaves crunch under our feet as we walk to the playground. 

We welcomed Connor, Elyse, and Samuel to our room this month.  We are so excited to have them join us.

September 16, 2011

Welcome to the 2011/12 School Year!  We have had a great start!  During the break, the room received a facelift.  Karen, Kim, and I painted the walls and added artwork. 

Karen Trama has joined us in the toddler program in June.  She has worked with Brookview for 10 years as a Primary assistant.  We are excited to have her with us.

Kim Sesson returned from her Infant/Toddler training in Chicago at Seton Montessori Institute.  She is excited to share her ideas and learning experiences in the toddler program. 

We welcome three new toddlers this fall, two who have transitioned from our infant program.  We look forward to getting to know Sophia, Noah, and William! 

The toddlers have been enjoying handwashing, pushing the cart, and pushing the wooden trucks.  They have been very busy!  A fire truck came to Brookview on Friday, the 16^th.  They enjoyed looking at the "big truck."  They have been climbing and running on the "little playground" and digging in the sandbox.

We look forward to working with you in the upcoming school year.

August 1, 2011

What an exciting summer we have been having!  We have been enjoying the sprinkler on hot days.  The toddlers have been putting puzzles together, scrubbing rocks, and pouring rice.  We picked some white flowers, put them into some purple water and discovered that the flowers turned purple!  We talked about how plants drink water as opposed to how we drink water.  The toddlers were excited to see the transformation!

Kim Sesson has returned from Montessori Infant/Toddler training.  We are so excited to have her back!

I hope everyone is having a great summer!

May 10, 2011

The Toddlers have been busy sifting flour, pouring salt, tonging Easter eggs, using the United States puzzle, and much more!

With the warmer weather, we have been spending more time outside.  We explored the new works in the "little" playground!  We have had so much fun digging in our new sandbox and climbing on a cut up tree trunk!  Thanks to all that helped on Beatify Brookview Day to add to our playground!

I am introducing bugs.  How much fun we are going to have looking for them as we go outside!

We have almost finished our auction project!  Come join us at the Auction and place a bid to get this priceless item!!

March 18, 2011

Spring seems to be here!  Your children have been enjoying playing outside on the big climber.  They have mastered the "rock climbing" wall.  They enjoy sliding down the slide, then doing it all over again.  We are all enjoying the warmer weather.  We plan to start taking walks in the woods and down to the prairie.

I have introduced two new dinosaurs over the last month; the brachiosaurus and the stegosaurus.  They are both herbivores. 

Your children are still cleaning their lunch dishes.  They use a spatula to scrape the uneaten food into the trash and put their dishes into the dirty dish bin.  They also put their placemat and napkins into the dirty laundry. Cleaning the tables and chairs with a spray bottle and towel is also another favorite. 

Circle time has been filled with new songs and books.  I have introduced a rainbow color work, which the children really seem to enjoy. 

Thanks to all the parents that met with me for a parent-teacher conference.  It is always great to sit down with you and discuss how your child is doing.  If you didn't meet with me and would like to, contact me and we can schedule a time to sit and chat.

Please join Brookview on April 16^th for the Brookview 5K and 1K Kid's Fun Run.  For more info go to Brookview's homepage and click on the 5K icon.

February 11, 2011

What a wonderful start to 2011!  The children enjoy initiating circle time!  They have circle time with their friends and enjoy showing each other how a work is done.  It's nice to sit and participate in circle time while having one of your children lead.  They do such a wonderful job, that I am starting to think I am not needed! :)

We are beginning to learn about dinosaurs.  We are learning their names and if they are herbivores or carnivores.  We have begun with the Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus Rex.  The Triceratops is an herbivore and the T-Rex is a carnivore. 

Mr. Larry has brought in several instruments over the past weeks.  Your children enjoy singing along while he plays his keyboard.  We also enjoyed listening to him play his piano in the Great Room!

Ms. Cecelia is teaching us the different names of animals in Spanish.  We continue to count and revisit our colors in Spanish, as well.

January 5, 2011

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  Your children learned the names of five birds: robin, cardinal, red-winged blackbird, black-capped chickadee, and blue jay.  They can identify them by only hearing the song they sing!  We are enjoying watching the different types of birds that visit the feeder every day.

Your children are spooning objects from one container of water to another and walking across the room with a pitcher of water.  We walk slowly so the water does not get spilled.  It is great to watch the children master this activity.

Working with the alphabet puzzle, pouring nuts, and tonging pom-poms are some favorite works.

I hope that everyone has had a great start to 2011!

December 1, 2010

Where did November go?  The children enjoyed pounding golf tees into the pumpkin, working with the musical instrument puzzle, and pouring water into the water wheel! 

We have a new bird feeder that we fill with bird seed every day.  The children enjoy watching the different types of birds that visit the feeder.  At circle time, we are learning the names of birds and what their songs are.  Counting, naming colors, and reading books are some favorites at circle time. 

Washing the tables and chairs, and putting sheets on the cots are some of the things your children enjoy helping with.  Children enjoy taking care of their environment!

Winter Celebration is Tuesday, December 7^th at 5:45pm.  Please come and explore countries of North and South America! 

October 27, 2010

Life in the toddler room has been busy this past month.  The children have been pouring, spooning, cutting, scrubbing the big pumpkin, and much more.  I brought out our farm animals and we enjoy singing "Old MacDonald."

Other songs we love to sing are "Where is Thumbkin", "ABC's", and "Ten Little Leaves." 

Trunk or Treat is coming up on October 28, 2010 at 6:30 in Brookview's parking lot.  Hope to see you there! 

September 27, 2010

What a beginning to the school year!  The children have been busy washing their dishes, stringing beads, ironing their placemats and napkins, and so much more.  The toddlers were able to see a fire truck, thanks to the Benton Harbor Fire Department.  We also participated in singing "Light a Candle for Peace" with children from Montessori schools around the world on the International Day of Peace.  The entire school gathered in the great room for this event!

Miss Cecelia, our Spanish teacher, is teaching the children their colors, farm animals, and hello and goodbye songs in Spanish.  They are enjoying her so much.

Mr. Larry has brought his guitar and many shakers to show us.  We sing so many songs with him!

The Toddler staff has been busy setting up the room for the beginning of the school year.  We are excited to see the children explore their changed environment and discover their new works!

 I hope that everyone had a wonderful summer and I look forward to continue working with your children as the school year begins.