ELC Infants

Jingle Bells

2011-12-15T13:33:00.000-05:00

Fine Motor Skills

2011-12-15T11:16:00.000-05:00

Learning to feed yourself requires the use of fine motor skills.
Allowing your child to practice using a small spoon or fork is a great time to work on those fine motor skills.

She worked a long time to get her spoon balanced on the edge of her bowl.

Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere...

2011-12-15T10:59:00.002-05:00

The kids love to help Ms. Penny around the classroom! She let them wipe off the table just like she does. They had a wonderful time :) But the best part was shredding the towel when they were finished!

Ready, Set...Crawl!

2011-12-15T10:48:00.003-05:00

She is trying so hard to pull up...

...in position...

And she's off! :)

2011-12-15T10:34:00.000-05:00

Look how proud he is of his little fancy shirt :)

All blue and cozy!

Fun Times!

2011-12-15T10:26:00.000-05:00

Climbing

2011-12-15T10:09:00.003-05:00

A great place to work on balance!

Made it to the top of the climbing mats...yay!

Costume Party

2011-11-10T14:29:00.001-05:00

Visit our facebook page to see more pictures.

Sensory Activity: The Great Pumpkin

2011-10-25T11:46:00.000-04:00

Ms. Penny brought in a HUGE pumpkin to share with the class. The kids have been observing it for a few days...they touched it, patted it, tried to sit on it and roll it. Everyone was very curious about the big pumpkin when Ms. Penny opened it up!

She wanted to get her hands in it right way. Her friend isn't so sure...

Tasting the pumpkin!

This little one was also very interested in touching the inside of the pumpkin.

Practicing her pincer grasp to pick up the seeds.

Taking a closer look at the stringy parts of the pumpkin.

This sensory activity allowed the babies to use all of their senses:

Touch - feeling the outside and inside of the pumpkin; using the pincer grasp to pick up the seeds
Taste - tasting by putting pumpkin on their tongue or licking their fingers (older children could taste the seeds)
Sight - looking at the outside and inside of the pumpkin
Smell - smelling the inside of the pumpkin
Hearing - tapping on the outer shell of the pumpkin; dropping the seeds on various surfaces and listening to the different sounds

What's new in the infant room?

2011-10-19T11:37:00.005-04:00

Playing on the soft mats.


Lunch is yummy!

Testing out the drum...

Checking out the view from his Boppy.

Teeth! :)

Moo!

She loves to play with the stacking cups.

Ms. Penny loves to make the babies giggle :)

Two Peas in a Pod!

2011-10-11T11:25:00.002-04:00

The girls are close in age. They developed a sweet little friendship with each other!

Rolling Over

2011-10-11T10:36:00.000-04:00

This little one is showing us how much she wants to roll over...you can do it!

2011-07-17T15:47:00.000-04:00

Enjoying the great outdoors!

2011-06-07T13:51:00.000-04:00

Checking out a mud puddle together in their new little rain boots!

There are plenty of fun activities to do in the infant play yard. The walkers explore the yard, dig in the mulch, swing on the big swing with Penny, run on the grass, and "paint" the sidewalk with watery paintbrushes.

Yum!

2011-06-06T12:39:00.000-04:00

The older babies sit together at the table and enjoy feeding themselves. Soup day can be a bit on the messy side!

Little Drummer Boy

2011-06-06T12:36:00.000-04:00

Every kid loves to drum. These little drums are perfect to bring out the budding musician in little ones :)

Arrowhead Reptile Rescue

2011-03-25T13:46:00.000-04:00

In honor of National Wildlife Week one of our favorite special guests, Arrowhead Reptile Rescue, stopped by last week with many of their very interesting friends!

Two volunteers from Arrowhead show off a Burmese Python, "Big Al."

They brought some of their rescued turtles, lizards and snakes. Members of the nonprofit reptile rescue rehabilitate and “foster” displaced and unwanted reptiles and promote herpetological education in local schools and educational centers. The kids are always eager to get a close-up and hands-on look at these creatures, even "Big Al."

The infants were extremely curious about all of the reptiles. They did a wonderful job of gently touching the snakes and lizards.

Ready for March 17th!

2011-03-17T13:09:00.001-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Peek-a-boo! Who's under that hat?

Are you ready for some football?

2011-02-02T13:40:00.000-05:00

The babies are ready!

Ms. Penny brought in a few different footballs for the kids to play with. The boys rolled the footballs around, chased after them, ran with them, tasted them, and threw them...they are ready for those Superbowl parties!

A Friendly Ball Game

2011-01-24T15:07:00.000-05:00

Last week the boys were having an absolute blast playing with the little soccer ball together. They were laughing as they tried to grab the ball from one another and chasing after it (one quickly crawling and one trying to run for it!). You can see how much fun they were having in the sequence of pictures below...

Mirror Activities

2011-01-21T13:39:00.001-05:00

Babies enjoy watching what they see in a mirror. Do they know if they are seeing their own reflections? Here are some fun suggestions from parenting.com to try in front of a mirror with your baby:

Hold your baby in front of a mirror and drop a scarf over his head. When he tugs it off, he'll be staring at his face. Peekaboo!
Make faces with your 6-month-old in front of a mirror. He may mimic your expressions--then mimic his own.
Dab a spot of lipstick on your 11-month-old's cheek. If he rubs his cheek in front of the mirror, he knows exactly who's looking back at him.

Happy New Year from the Infants

2011-01-11T20:31:00.000-05:00

2011 is off to a terrific start. Just look at these happy faces!

Ready for Winter

2011-01-11T19:59:00.000-05:00

These little ones will be toasty this winter!

Using a spoon

2010-12-20T13:29:00.000-05:00

It is always an exciting time when a child reaches a new milestone, like using a spoon to self-feed!

This little guy is feeding himself mashed potatoes and eating like a champ. Way to go!

November News and Updates

2010-11-11T14:24:00.001-05:00

The oldest infant has successfully transitioned to the Toddler Room and is now officially a toddler! She is very much missed by Ms. Penny and her little friends but she is doing well in her new room. Her friends in the Toddler Room have been very welcoming.

There are always new milestones being reached in the infant room. All of the babies are very verbal. Don't be surprised to hear "HI!" when you walk in to visit this crew :) Other new developments include clapping, crawling, climbing, and scooting backward!

He can sit up now when he is supported by the soft mats behind him. Yay! It is fun to see your friends from a new perspective and he is definitely enjoying watching everything that is going on around him.

Working on tummy time.

Now the oldest one in the class, she loves to watch over her little friends and try to help out. She gives them kisses and hugs.

Enjoying the unseasonably warm November weather.

Costume Party 10/28/2010

2010-11-03T14:02:00.001-04:00

The infants were able to participate in the costume party fun last week too! After they were dressed in their outfits they went out into the Big Room with Ms. Penny to watch the older kids march in the costume parade. It was all very interesting to the babies...they liked listening to the music and they certainly had a lot to look at :)

There were plenty of special visitors. Moms, dads, grandparents, cousins, and big brothers and sisters stopped by to see the little ones in their costumes.

The little mouse joined the older kids outside to hunt for a special treat bag!

As you can see, the party was exhausting!

Music

2010-10-13T13:39:00.001-04:00

Babies love music. They are natural dancers and musicians. Ms. Penny is always playing different types of music for the infants...soft music for napping, upbeat silly songs for dancing, and other songs that are just fun to sing.

Just about everything in the infant room can double as an instrument...buckets filled with smaller toys, two toys banging together, rattles, and even your own hands!

Drums are especially useful because as you can see, when you get tired of drumming you can go straight to teething on the drumsticks :)

September

2010-09-16T13:32:00.001-04:00

The weather isn't the only thing that is changing this month. Ms. Penny welcomed a new little friend to the infant class this week. The babies are very curious about him and have been very welcoming :)

Enjoying the cooler weather

2010-09-16T13:15:00.001-04:00

A blanket, a beach ball, and some beautiful babies...

...a lovely afternoon outside!

August pictures

2010-09-07T13:50:00.001-04:00

A visit from big sister!

A visit from the toddlers...

2010-08-09T16:09:00.001-04:00

Two of the toddlers stopped by the infant room for a fun visit! The toddlers "read" to the babies and had a wonderful time being silly and making the babies giggle :)

Lunch!

2010-08-09T15:48:00.000-04:00

Looks like they are having a serious discussion about something!

Lunch time can get very messy :)

Tummy Time

2010-08-09T15:25:00.000-04:00

Pictures (June)

2010-07-07T13:49:00.001-04:00

She fell asleep sitting up!

Finger food - yum!

Walking :)

Pictures (April-May)

2010-07-07T13:19:00.000-04:00

The girls have been playing together so well! They love to surprise one another and initiate their own little games of pee-a-boo. The olders girls have enjoyed doing some pretend play together...pretending to wash their hands and dishes in the toy sink and even feeding the baby dolls!

<--Happy Birthday! She wore her #1 onesie :)

In April and May we very happily welcomed a few new additions to the class. They quickly became pals. What a terrific spring in the infant room!

Look At Me!

2010-07-02T13:45:00.000-04:00

Snoopy's Visit

2010-06-10T15:20:00.001-04:00

Snoopy came to visit our school this morning as part of the Snoopy's Million Fans program from Kings Island.

This baby watched with delight while Snoopy's friend read two books but she shook her head "no" when Snoopy approached her for a hug.

It was a fun time with Snoopy!

Touching Frogs and Toads

2010-05-05T10:46:00.000-04:00

During one of our museum visits an infant took an interest petting the frogs and toads. How brave he was!

February pictures

2010-03-26T16:13:00.000-04:00

January Pictures

2010-01-25T14:30:00.000-05:00

The girls are having a mid-afternoon chat. There was a lot of smiling, talking, and cooing!

Lesson Plan (January 2010)

2010-01-25T14:17:00.000-05:00

The theme for January is "All About Me!" The infants love to look at their own reflections in the mirror and at pictures of other babies.

Blocks - examining blocks of various sizes; building with blocks
Dramatic Play - crawling, pulling up, walking (pushing the grocery cart)
Manipulatives - using spoons and forks; practice holding spoons/forks while eating
Library/Literacy - nursery rhymes
Science/Nature - facial features (eyes, nose, mouth, ears); identifying "cold" things (snow!)
Sensory - touching cold objects
Music and Movement - lullabies
Outdoors - looking for snow and ice, watching the snow, collecting snow/ice from outside

January delivered! We were able to play with some real snow!

December pictures

2009-12-22T13:36:00.000-05:00

Lesson Plan (December 2009)

2009-12-10T13:48:00.000-05:00

The infants will be enjoying the sights and sounds of the holidays this month.

Blocks - stacking blocks and knocking them down
Dramatic Play - saying "Ho! Ho! Ho!"
Manipulatives - "In & Out"; shape sorting toys and stacking cups
Creative Art - tearing wrapping paper (Surprise!)
Library/Literacy - holiday books
Science/Nature - touching ice and maybe snow!
Sensory - ribbon, tissue paper, wrapping paper
Music and Movement - holiday music, bells
Outdoors - looking for snow and ice, watching the snow, collecting snow/ice from outside

November Pictures

2009-11-24T13:37:00.001-05:00

Lesson Plan (November 2009)

2009-11-10T13:20:00.000-05:00

Many families went to visit some of the local pumpkin patches last month. For the babies it may have been the first time they have ever been to a farm! The theme in the infant room for the month will be "Down on the Farm."

Blocks - stacking blocks and knocking them down
Dramatic Play - pretending to be different farm animals...Moo! Neigh! Oink-oink!
Manipulatives - puzzles with farm animals; matching
Creative Art - tearing paper
Library/Literacy - nursery rhymes about farm animals
Science/Nature - examining leaves from outside and playing in them!
Sensory - sensory tub filled with straw, cotton, flannel
Music and Movement - "Old MacDonald had a Farm"
Outdoors - walks on the nature trail

Some pictures from the Costume Party:

Lesson Plan (October 2009)

2009-10-09T13:45:00.000-04:00

"Our 5 Senses" (continued from September)

Blocks - listening -- loud, quiet; touching -- hard, soft
Dramatic Play - playing with baby dolls (with a focus on being gentle and using soft touches)
Manipulatives - painting with pudding!
Creative Art - coloring with crayons; the color orange
Library/Literacy - books about Autumn; "Boo" and other Halloween words
Science/Nature - smelling different scents associated with the season
Sensory - the sense of touch; touching various textures
Music and Movement - Halloween music
Outdoors - listening for different bird calls

2009-09-28T12:53:00.000-04:00

Another fashion statement is being made by one of our infants.

2009-09-21T13:46:00.000-04:00

Fashionably wearing a scarf while reading a book in the sun. Got to love it!

Lesson Plan (September 2009)

2009-09-11T09:57:00.000-04:00

"Our 5 Senses"

Blocks - listening -- loud, quiet; touching -- hard, soft
Dramatic Play - playing with baby dolls (with a focus on being gentle and using soft touches)
Manipulatives - painting with pudding!
Creative Art - coloring with crayons and chalk
Library/Literacy - Touch & Feel books; books with various materials in them to touch
Science/Nature - smelling different scents and herbs from the gardens
Sensory - the sense of touch; touching various textures
Music and Movement - sounds of nature
Outdoors - listening for different bird calls and bug sounds

This has been a month with many changes! Two of the older infants have completed their transition to the toddler room, two new friends have joined us in the infant class, and one old friend came to visit. The transitions have gone smoothly :)

Lesson Plan (August 2009)

2009-08-10T13:42:00.000-04:00

The babies love animals and since they have been experimenting with growling noises lately Penny is going with a Lions, Tigers, and Bears theme this month.

Blocks - stacking various sizes of cups
Dramatic Play - growling likes lions, tigers, and bears; animal masks
Manipulatives - "Going on a Bear Hunt"
Creative Art - coloring with crayons and chalk
Library/Literacy - "Louis Lion"
Science/Nature - footprints; comparing sizes of feet using waterprints
Sensory - Touch and Feel books; fur, fuzzy cloth
Music and Movement - jazz ("Louis Lion")
Outdoors - infant playground; *tracking wild animals

*The barn swallows have been tending to a nest right next to the infant playground. Last week we finally saw the baby birds in the nest! The infants will continue to keep on eye on the barn swallows. Bright yellow finches have also been hanging out around the infant playground. They are attracted to the sunflowers near the swing.

Water Day July 10th

2009-07-14T13:49:00.001-04:00

The infants had water day with the toddlers last Friday. Alex spent a lot of time in the sensory table splashing around and pouring water out of cups. Leah was being fashionable with her pink inner-tube and she also felt shaving cream on her fingertips.

Welcome!

2009-07-14T10:51:00.000-04:00

The infant class welcomed a new friend last week! She is doing great and we are all so happy to have her join us.

Lesson Plan (July 2009)

2009-07-14T10:37:00.000-04:00

We are having some beautiful weather this summer! Ms. Penny normally takes the infants out for a walk in the morning and out again for playtime in the afternoon. They love being outside! This month they will be spending plenty of time exploring outside as well as in the classroom. Some of the planned activities are below:

Blocks - building with blocks of various sizes
Dramatic Play - "swimming" like fish! "Glub, glub!"
Manipulatives - fingerplays with stories and songs ("Five Busy Honey Bees")
Creative Art - Play-Doh
Library/Literacy - "Rainbow Fish" and "Under the Sea" touch and feel book
Science/Nature - bubbles and wind
Sensory - Touch and Feel books
Music and Movement - adding new moves to the infant class dance routine! (kick, spin, clap, etc.)
Outdoors - infant playground; kicking balls outside; water play/sensory table

Smile!

2009-07-04T16:40:00.000-04:00

Leah shows off her pretty smile while visiting the toddlers. Alex shows off his artistic skills painting outside. He started off using one brush, but then advanced to using two!

Spaghetti Lunch

2009-06-23T13:45:00.000-04:00

Enjoy this fun lunch time video of Alex and Leah!

Lesson Plan (June 2009)

2009-06-02T13:48:00.000-04:00

The babies will be busy little bees in June!

Blocks - stacking and building with blocks of various sizes
Dramatic Play - pretending to be bees; making buzzing sounds
Manipulatives - fingerplays with stories and songs; Five Busy Honey Bees
Creative Art - fingerprint bees
Library/Literacy - Ben the Bee
Science/Nature - bees; different types/sizes of bees; black and yellow
Sensory - touching and comparing different materials
Music and Movement - Laurie Berkner Band's "Bumblebee (Buzz Buzz)"
Outdoors - look for bees (but no touching!); examine a bee up close in the bug jar

A turtle! (video)

2009-06-01T13:27:00.000-04:00

Ms. Penny brought in a turtle to show the children. Alex was saying turtle very clearly and this video is us trying to catch it on tape. We are not sure if we got it or not, but we did capture his excitement!

Pictures and Videos (May 2009)

2009-05-18T15:08:00.000-04:00

Ms. Penny has been talking about shapes with the infant class. They love to put the different shapes into the shape bucket and pour them out or shake up the bucket to hear the shapes rattle inside.

The older infants have been doing a lot of dancing lately. Ms. Penny is teaching them some fun moves. They clap, swing their arms and twist, and even kick their legs!

Dancing around the room...really fast!

Getting ready for a nap...

Time for a quick hug!

Video from April 2009

2009-05-08T09:09:00.000-04:00

Crawling and exploring. 4/15/2009

Moving and grooving! 4/16/2009

Lesson Plan (May 2009)

2009-05-04T10:02:00.000-04:00

Many of the planned activities for May can be done inside or outside. Ms. Penny will be taking the kids out often. Please be sure to bring a hat for your child.

Blocks - stacking 4-5 blocks at a time
Dramatic Play - riding toys
Manipulatives - fingerplays with stories and songs
Creative Art - colored ice cubes on coffee filters
Library/Literacy - shapes books (circles, rectangles, squares)
Science/Nature - water play and investigation
Sensory - feeling cotton, playing with cotton balls, touching/examing Jell-O
Music and Movement - "Stop & Go" dance
Outdoors - infant playground; kicking balls outside

Enjoying the outdoors!

2009-04-22T13:52:00.001-04:00

Lesson Plan (April 2009)

2009-04-03T11:46:00.000-04:00

The babies are hop, hop, hopping into April with lots of fun activities and books about springtime, bunnies, birds, and insects!

Blocks - making roads (using blocks) for the toy cars
Dramatic Play - "tweeting" like birds, pretending to fly by flapping our arms like birds, hopping like bunnies
Manipulatives - rolling and throwing balls of various sizes
Creative Art - using brightly colored stickers to make art; comparing the feel of the sticky side of the sticker to the non-sticky side
Library/Literacy - signing "thank you"
Science/Nature - insects: bug books, examining real insects in the bug box with magnifying glass
Sensory - feeling cotton, playing with cotton balls, touching/examing Jell-O
Music and Movement - "Here Comes Peter Cottontail"
Outdoors - infant playground; kicking balls outside

A visit from the Mason firefighters

2009-03-30T11:59:00.000-04:00

A few firefighters from the city of Mason stopped by on March 27, 2009 to visit the kids at ELC.

Video from 3/27/2009

2009-03-27T21:25:00.000-04:00

Welcome!

2009-03-25T14:37:00.000-04:00

The infants happily welcomed a new friend into their class today. He has had a wonderful first day...plenty of smiling and laughing (and even some clapping!).

National Wildlife Week

2009-03-20T13:48:00.000-04:00

On March 19th, Susan from Raptor, Inc. came to visit the children at Endeavor Learning Center. Raptor, Inc. is the association for the protection and treatment of raptors/birds of prey in southwest Ohio. Susan brought 3 special birds: a screech owl (Angel), a peregrine falcon (Lucy), and a great horned owl (Sylvester).

The babies joined the older children in the big room to watch the birds. They were very curious (and very vocal!) about the owls and falcon.

Susan brought the great horned owl over to the infants so they could have a closer look, shown in the video below:

More pictures and videos of the visit from Raptor, Inc. can be viewed on the other ELC blogs (listed in the margin to the right).

Video from 3/2/2009

2009-03-10T13:15:00.000-04:00

Lesson Plan (March 2009)

2009-02-26T11:56:00.000-05:00

During the month of March Ms. Penny will be sharing books about St. Patrick's Day and doing some activities with the color green.

Blocks - large cardboard blocks; stacking, drumming, picking up
Dramatic Play - learning about gentle touches and sharing
Manipulatives - rolling balls and cars
Creative Art - shamrock art
Library/Literacy - signing "thank you"
Science/Nature - blowing bubbles inside and outside; looking for birds
Sensory/Gross Motor - blowing kisses, clapping, and waving "hello" and "goodbye"
Music and Movement - Celtic music
Outdoors - infant playground; climbing, swinging, sensory activities

Sign for "thank you"

Video from 2/26/2009

2009-02-26T10:24:00.000-05:00

Video from 2/26/2009

2009-02-26T09:33:00.000-05:00

Pictures (February 2009)

2009-02-25T13:06:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day 2009

2009-02-13T12:49:00.000-05:00

Video from 1/15/2009

2009-02-06T10:20:00.000-05:00

Lesson Plan (February 2009)

2009-02-04T13:17:00.000-05:00

The babies are picking up new signs such as "more" and "eat/food." Ms. Penny will be encouraging use of the sign for "please" this month. Parents, please continue to use these signs at home, especially during meal times.

_________"Please"______________ "Eat/Hungry"_______________ "More"_________

Everyday seems like Valentine's Day in the infant room...the babies love to hug and kiss all the time! This month Ms. Penny will be sharing books about Valentine's Day and doing some activities with the color red.

Blocks - stacking Legos and taking them apart
Dramatic Play - learning about gentle touches and sharing
Manipulatives/Math - tearing red paper
Creative Art - heart-shaped sponge painting with red paint
Library/Literacy - signing "please" and the book, Animal Kisses
Science/Nature - playing with cups of snow and watching it melt
Sensory - blowing kisses
Music and Movement - classical and piano
Outdoors - stroller rides, weather permitting

A Message for New Parents

2009-01-29T12:51:00.000-05:00

Trusting someone else to care for your child is one of the most difficult decisions that working parents face. We understand how difficult this choice is, especially for new parents. One of our primary goals at Endeavor Learning Center is to ease parents’ stress when leaving their child with us and to provide peace of mind for them throughout the day, knowing that their child is being well cared for and loved.

An important aspect of our infant program is to allow parents access to the classroom prior to their child’s first day. Parents may visit as early as one month before their child is slated to start at Endeavor Learning Center to have the chance to get to know Penny and the other children in the class. This extra time also provides the parents with the opportunity to see a typical day in the infant room and to ask questions about our program. Parents are invited to leave their child with us for an hour or two in order to take those first steps toward being away from their child for a full work day. We will do all that we can in order to make the transition from home to school a smooth one for children and their parents.

Month of January 2009

2009-01-14T13:49:00.000-05:00

The Infants will be WILD this month! They will hear about all kinds of animals and learn about the different sounds they make.

Blocks - stacking cups, putting one cup inside another
Dramatic Play - pretending to be different animals
Manipulatives/Math - counting stuffed animals
Creative Art - paintbrushes with water
Library/Literacy - nursery rhymes
Science/Nature - fur ("touch & feel" books), animals sounds
Sensory Table - soft vs. rough; feel of fur , sandpaper (cat's tongue)
Music and Movement - Philadelphia Chickens CD
Outdoors - stroller outside (weather permitting)

Welcome!

2009-01-09T13:34:00.000-05:00

The infants gladly welcomed a new friend to their class this week. He had a great first week :)

Month of December 2008

2008-12-12T10:33:00.001-05:00

Blocks - stacking cups, placing small cups inside larger cups
Dramatic Play - Ho! Ho! Ho! seasonal toys and sounds
Manipulatives/Math - counting 1,2,3, blocks, counting snowflakes
Creative Art - sponge painting with red and green
Library/Literacy - Holiday touch and feel books
Science/Nature - cold, ice, snow
Sensory Table - smelling peppermint and vanilla
Music and Movement - holiday songs, bells
Outdoors - touch some snow!

Week of November 17, 2008

2008-11-18T13:44:00.000-05:00

November has been a fun month so far in the infant room! We are very excited that a new friend will be joining us in a few weeks. She stopped by today for a visit.

Blocks - working with textured blocks; touching, building, and knocking them down
Dramatic Play - gobbling like turkeys, making turkey sounds
Manipulatives/Math - counting 1,2,3, blocks
Creative Art - painting with feathers
Library/Literacy - peek-a-boo, working on the signs for "more" and "bye"
Science/Nature - feeling feathers, watching the birds at the birdfeeder, throwing bread outside for the birds
Sensory Table - smelling cinnamon
Music and Movement - "Over the River", chicken dance, "Turkey in the Straw", "pat-a-cake"
Outdoors - crunching through the leaves, stroller rides

Week of October 27, 2008

2008-11-11T08:56:00.001-05:00

This week was all about Halloween fun! We dressed up in silly outfits and joined the rest of the school for a big costume party, complete with singing and dancing! The stars of the party were the little dancing ghost and that very cute lion.

Week of October 20, 2008

2008-10-21T10:11:00.000-04:00

Below are a few of the activities that are planned for this week:

Art/Sensorial - water play (splashing toys in a shallow tub of water), investigating pumpkins
Music - bird noises CD
Literacy - "Who Lives in the Pond?"
Science/Nature - creating and chasing shadows from the sun
Imaginative Play - look at animal pictures and make animal noises
Fine Gross Motor - puzzle with large easy-grip pieces
Large Gross Motor - climbing on soft blocks/mats

Week of October 13, 2008

2008-10-15T14:38:00.000-04:00

Here are some of the activities that Ms. Julie has scheduled for this week:

Art/Sensorial - exploring leaves/grass and other interesting textures (like pine cones) outside, finger-painting
Music - using rice to make shakers and shaking them to our favorite songs!
Literacy - "Old MacDonald" book with finger puppets
Science/Nature - investigating sun catchers and talking about the different colors
Imaginative Play - peek-a-boo
Fine Gross Motor - working on picking up new finger foods (diced apples and carrots, peas)
Large Gross Motor - peek-a-boo block with animals, climbing on the large soft mats

Week of October 6, 2008

2008-10-03T16:02:00.000-04:00

Ms. Julie has prepared some fun activities for next week. She is planning on getting outside quite a bit to enjoy the fall weather with her class. Here are just a few of the things she has planned:

Art/Sensorial - Tearing/playing with paper, exploring leaves/grass and other interesting textures outside
Music - The Wheels on the Bus, banging toys together to hear the different sounds they make
Literacy - looking at and listening to our favorite classroom books
Science/Nature - picking grass outside and crunching the leaves with our hands and feet
Imaginative Play - peek-a-boo
Fine Gross Motor - working on picking up new finger foods (apple pieces)
Large Gross Motor - rolling the balls on the floor, building towers of toys and knocking them over

A great first day!

2008-10-01T13:46:00.000-04:00

Here is what our newest infant has to "say" about his first week at Endeavor Learning Center...

I am very excited to be starting in the infant room this week. There are so many new toys and faces to explore. One of my favorite toys is a Look, See soft book. I looked at it for about 3 minutes and then decided to talk to it! I also liked when Ms. Julie sat on the floor with me and rolled a ball at me. I even rolled it back a few times! I'm trying to get the hang of this "sippy cup," and it might take me a few days, but it's really fun! The weather has been so nice that I get to sleep with the windows open and it is so breezy that I take really good naps. I can't wait to see what the rest of the week brings!

Playground pictures

2008-09-11T16:21:00.000-04:00

The equipment for the infant/toddler playground arrived and we are thrilled with the various pieces. All the materials are made of 100% recycled plastic which means no splinters to worry about. The older infants and toddlers will enjoy the activity center and sensory/water table. For our little climbers we have the yellow climbing mountain...a safe space for children to climb and slide. Eventually we will add more infant equipment to their playground but until then there is plenty to keep them busy outside!

The Big Room

2008-09-02T10:42:00.000-04:00

One of the unique features of our school is "The Big Room." As the name suggests, it is a big room in the heart of the school. All of the classrooms have direct access to this multi-purpose area. The Big Room is the ideal space for a rainy day or when the children simply need a change of scenery. The children can choose from several different large gross motor activities such as ride-on toys, yoga, or playing duck-duck-goose with their friends. For the younger children, it is simply a large space to explore and practice crawling or toddling. The stage, complete with theatrical lighting, appeals to the entertainer in every child!

Pictures of the Infant Classroom

2008-08-28T15:57:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the Infant Room!

2008-08-18T15:18:00.000-04:00

The infant room is currently enrolling ages 6 weeks to 16 months. Enroll now...spaces are limited.