Welcome to February in the toddler room.  The children have been working well together.  The new children are settling in nicely. The older children have been showing the new ones how to put jackets away and how to put materials back on the shelf.  All of the children have really enjoyed working with water.  I thought I’d take the time to share with all of you what type of water activities we have in the toddler room. One of the first activities the children find to do is pouring.  Children love to pour water back and forth into cups.  The children also have access to watering the plants, washing the windows with a squeegee, and sink scrubbing.  This work may also include mopping afterward which the children enjoy as well.  When everything in the room is appropriate in size mopping and sweeping become fun activities.

Washing dishes, napkin washing, and table scrubbing are activities that toddlers will learn but they have a few more steps. For instance, napkin washing involves the following:

• Put on an apron.
• Take a small basket and get napkins from the laundry basket.
• Bring napkins back to the washing basin.
• Fill small pitcher with water and pour in the basin.
• Open the soapy bottle of water and pour in the first basin.
• Fill small pitcher with water and pour in the second basin for rinse water.
• Once all those steps are done it’s time to scrub the napkins on the washboard that has been placed in the soapy water.
• Once the napkins have been scrubbed, the water is squeezed out of the napkin and placed in the rinse water.
• The napkins get squeezed one more time and placed on a small clothes line to dry.
• Small clothes pins can be used to keep napkins on the line.
• Hang the apron back up on the peg.

As you can see napkin washing is a little more involved than watering the plants. A child needs a little more focus. He/ she should be able to follow more than a one or two step direction.  With a wide variety of water activities to do your child is learning how to take care of the classroom, use small motors skills, and learn how much or how little water they need for an activity. It is interesting to observe and see the progress over a period of time as to how much a child can learn if we give them the opportunity to work.

Just a reminder: Hats, mittens, snow pants, and boots should come to school every day along with a warm winter jacket. We take the opportunity to go outside whenever the weather permits.

Sincerely,

Ms. Kristy