Seedlings Language Explosion!
We are now entering February and are five months into our school year! Our Seedlings have changed and grown so much since September when we all embarked on the school year together. These days our classroom is a bustling and busy place, full of conversation and laughter. Our Seedlings are learning so many new words and ways to express themselves. It is clear that the children are in the midst of an explosive period of language development. We are observing a blossoming social ecosystem with many new friendships sparked!
Recently we introduced new works into the classroom that encourage conversation and collaborative play. One of these is the doctor work, a basket full of tools that one might find at the doctors office. Together these two friends decide who will be the doctor and who will be the patient. Next the doctor chooses a tool and asks, "Can I take your temperature?" and then waits very patiently for a reply from her patient, who enthusiastically replies, "Yes!".
This work is a beautiful segue into conversations around consent. We talk about how it's the doctors job to listen to and take such gentle care of their patients bodies. We model and talk about how we always ask, "Can I touch your body?"/"Can I use this on you?" and then wait and listen for our friend's response.
The sound tubs are another exciting work in the classroom. Teacher Nicole demonstrates to the class how to use the "N" sound tub. One by one she holds up each object, waits for the class to call out what it is and then repeats it back to them, enunciating the beginning of the word. At the end she says, "All these objects start with the sound N!". Here she is holding up a picture of a classmate who’s name begins with “N”! In each sound tub that we rotate on our shelf, a photo of each child with their name sound can be found.
As we rotate the materials on our shelves, we have been scaffolding language to help the Seedlings navigate complex play situations. We are seeing the Seedlings navigate these situations with increased language and patience. Children ask each other, "Can I use that when you're finished?" or "I want to use that next!" Here, two friends work side by side, and when they finish they make a trade by saying "I'm finished, you can use it" and "your turn".
Our object cards broaden the children's vocabulary and start exciting and new conversations. This friend and teacher Mary are identifying the fruits and then sorting them to match their colors. Mary asks, "What's this?" then he replies and they talk about colors, tastes, and textures. They then sort the fruits by color.
Art can serve as an amazing invitation into conversation and collaboration. This friend is checking out what her classmate is drawing with the quik stiks. She might ask next, "Can I draw with you?" and then later on she may ask, "Can I have the purple quik stik?". Our Seedlings report that they are drawing a variety of imagery these days. We have seen drawings of "a big, big dinosaur", "a ghost with a bus" and many more. When molding with play dough and clay we ask many questions and hear back about trains, pancakes, spaghetti and cookies being made. Sometimes our Seedlings are cutting slices of pizza or bread!
Moving Forwards
Over the next few weeks we will be talking about Valentines day and what it means. We will discuss the many ways we can feel and express love to all the people we care about! We are excited to decorate our "mailboxes" and make cards for our families, friends, and teachers!
A song we have been singing a lot this week is An Orca Whale. Here are the words (with some suggestions for how we sing it):
An orca whale, an orca whale (jump one hand from left to right)
Little sea scallops (open and close your fingers) and an orca whale (repeat above)
An orca whale, an orca whale
Little sea scallops and an orca whale
Sea otter, sea otter (pound on your chest with two fists vibrating the voice)
Little sea scallops and an orca whale
Sea otter, sea otter (repeat movements)
Little sea scallops and an orca whale
