Dear Little Stars Families,
Spring is finally here, and the Little Stars are busy observing and discussing the new season. The walks to and from the playground have been a wonderful opportunity to observe the seasonal changes – the flowering trees, the budding leaves, the daffodils and tulips, the singing birds, and the warmer days. The Little Stars teachers point out these spring developments to the children and ask them to share what they are noticing as well. A special neighborhood walk is planned for the near future – stay tuned!
With the advent of spring and new growth, the Little Stars have been focusing on seeds, fruits, vegetables, and beans. A recent cooking activity was making a salad with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, and raisins. The Little Stars ate the salad for snack, discussed their favorite parts, and later made a torn-paper salad collage. Check out the wall by the dramatic play area to view these salads. They also made a bean salad another day, first tasting individual pinto, lima, and garbanzo beans, then mixing them together, and finally eating the salad. The Little Stars have also been busy sprouting lima beans and planting them in their individually-decorated yogurt cups. More planting is promised. And for Earth Day this past Monday, the Little Stars sang “Mr. Golden Sun” in celebration of the outdoors, and several shared their ideas for helping the Earth, including “Throw things away in the garbage, not on the sidewalk.”
Some recent art activities stemming from the focus on the five senses include a cotton ball collage, a sand art project in which the children spread colored sand across clear contact paper, and a puff paint project in which the children “painted” with a mixture of flour, water, baking soda, salt, and food coloring then watched how the “paint” puffed up in the microwave oven. The children have really enjoyed exploring the senses these past weeks, and the teachers will continue to encourage these explorations as we move into different curriculum areas.
Enjoy these beautiful spring days!
Martha