Happy Holidays to all of you in P3!

As this year comes to a close, it’s a natural time to reflect on a busy fall and all the children have learned.  We have enjoyed watching the older children concentrate on number chain counting and maps of the world, while many of our younger children are learning those letter sounds and starting to put words together with our movable alphabet letters.

A popular work to choose these days is the counting chain.  There is a rhythm to counting – we do it each day, and it starts when children are young, when they recite their ages or when they are able to count objects as they touch them.  With continued counting and practice, numbers begin to have a concrete meaning – “This is one bead.  If we add a bead, there are two beads.”

It is in this way that children start to appreciate counting chains.  In our classroom, we have both short and long chains from which to choose. For example, the short 5 chain has 25 beads on it, with a number ticket being placed every 5 beads.  That represents the number squared.

The long 5 chain is the cubed amount – with beads ascending to 125.  It’s a work that the children work toward, and typically they begin with the 1 bead chain.  Children begin counting one at a time, and before long they are “skip” counting, or counting by 5s or by 10s.

So, count along with your children – and show them the importance of numbers in our daily life. Continue to build that lifetime of memories and learning.

Winter Fun

One thing to remember as we come back together in January, that it will likely be colder and may even (hopefully) be snowy.  We go outside each day we can.  Send snow pants and mittens and boots each day.  It is also helpful if articles of clothing are labeled, as we have a few identical pairs of boots (same size, color and style) and we would like for each family to get their clothing back each day.

We received many thoughtful gifts for our classroom from the wishing board, and we thank you for helping us provide additional materials for our classroom.

May this December break be restful and restorative for you and your family.  A true joy of the season is being able to relax and enjoy the wonder of the winter with your children.

See you in 2018 –

Ms. Trish