Chickadees Handbook

WELCOME to the CHICKADEES CLASSROOM

We would like to welcome your child and family to the Chickadees Classroom.  We are excited to have you in our classroom and are looking forward to the following year.  We have listed the guidelines and procedures of the Chickadees room.  Our activities will help to develop your child’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development.  Our curriculum will include self-help skills, fine/gross motor skill, self-esteem building, listening skills, music, art, language, problem solving, along with math and science concepts.  Each child will have the opportunity to interact with others and receive individual attention.  If we have forgotten anything, or if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to speak with either one of the teachers in the class.

 

Open-door Policy:  We welcome all parents to stop by anytime and join us in our day.  Please feel free to express any concerns or questions at anytime to either one of the teachers about the classroom.

 

Potty Training:  Part of being a two year old is accomplishing potty training and here in the Chickadees room, we strive to help them continue meeting this goal.  If your child is working towards this accomplishment, please supply them with a full set of clothes, which contains:

·            5 pairs of underwear, pants, shirts, & socks

·            1 pair of shoes

 

Classroom Setup:  Please label the items you bring in for your child to insure their return.

  • Hooks: Each child has a bin and a hook with their name on it. Each child keeps his or her items separate from other children’s personal belongings. In order to do this, we are asking you to provide two reusable shopping bags (similar to the green bags you can buy at the grocery store) for your child to keep at school. One bag will be used for your child’s jacket and backpack or diaper bag, the other bag will be used to hold your child’s nap time sheet, blanket, and pillow.
  • Bins: Each child has a labeled bin. Please check your child’s bin daily for reports and items that should go home. Please be sure to provide a complete extra set of season appropriate clothes for your child (shirts, pants, socks, etc.).
  • Parent Information Board: This is the area where parents can gather all the information for our classroom. Our daily activities will be posted along with a breakfast, lunch and pm snack menu.
  • Nap Time:  Naps are taken between 12:30 and 2:30 daily.
    • We provide the sheet and cot.
    • Each child will be on his or her cot for naptime 2 hours each day.
    • Your child may bring one small pillow, one small blanket, and one soft toy to sleep with.
    • On Friday’s, you will need to take them home to be washed.
  • Circle Time:  During this time we will talk about our calendar (days of the week, seasons, months), counting, and the day’s weather.  We will work on fine and gross motor skills.  We will read stories, sing songs, and play games that support our unit of study.

Absences:  If you know your child will not be attending a day of school or will be coming in late, please call the Children’s House office (523-0122) by 9:00 so we are able to have a lunch count for that day. This will help us plan our day’s activities.

 

Medicine Policy:  When your child requires medication, please sign it in on the medicine form at the Parent Information Center. Please be sure to write the time and dosage. We do have a locked medicine box in our cabinet, which all medicine must be stored. When your child is finished with their medicine, the medicine must go home.

 

Classroom Parties (Birthdays/Holidays): Before holiday parties, there will be a sign-up sheet posted for those who would like to help with the classroom holiday party. We also encourage all children to celebrate their birthday with their friends. Due to D.C.F.S. regulations, all treats must be store bought. In addition, Children’s House is a peanut free center.  Please check with one of the teachers about allergies in the classroom before treats are brought in. Thank you!

 

Dress Code:  Please dress your children in play clothes. Children dress themselves. Therefore, only dress your child in clothes they can manipulate i.e. – no belts, button pants etc. Girls must wear shorts under their dresses. Please make sure your child has appropriate footwear, as we take many walks and play outside. Our center does not allow flip-flops or dress shoes that have slick bottoms. Closed toe shoes are always preferred.

 

Summer Time:  Morning Playground/Playroom 10:10-10:45

·            Sunblock – We ask parents to apply the first application of sunblock each morning, and to bring a bottle of sunblock for us to reapply as needed during the day.

·            Water bottles – Each child is encouraged to bring a water bottle that has a lid so they are able to have drinks of water when it is hot outside.

·            Swim Days – Every Tuesday morning we have water play with a sprinkler and wading pool outside on the playground (weather permitting.) On those mornings, each child should arrive to school wearing their swimsuit and water-shoes. A towel and a complete set of dry clothes (shirt, underpants, shorts, and shoes) will also be needed for each child on those days.

 

 

Skills-Concepts for the Two’s to Three’s Room

Children between the ages of 24 to 36 months, tend to develop skills rapidly, expand his/her cognitive, affective, and physical growth.  The crafts and activities in our classroom are focused to help your child meet these goals.  The following is a list of the concepts and goals for a child turning three.

COGNITIVE

Personal Curiosity/Autonomy

  1. Shows  curiosity and the need to investigate/explore anything new
  2. Imitates the actions of adults
  3. Imitates play of other children
  4. Finds own play area or activity
  5. Enjoys looking at books
  6. Begins to notice differences between safe and unsafe environments
  7. Asks questions (Who?, What?, When?, Where?, or Why?)

Senses

  1. Demonstrates accurate sense of touch, smell, taste, and hearing
  2. Identifies common sounds
  3. Places objects on their outlines
  4. Observes objects closely

Memory

  1. Refers to self by name
  2. Points to common objects on command
  3. Associates use with common objects
  4. Stacks three rings by size
  5. Recalls three objects that are visually presented
  6. Identifies what’s missing from a picture
  7. Acts out simple everyday activities
  8. Knows different activities go on at different times of the day (2 ½  to 3 years of

age.)

  1. Understands the idea of waiting for someone else to go first (2 ½ to 3 years of age.)

Creativity

  1. Acts out a simple story (2 ½ to 3 years of age)
  2. Draws a face (no arms or legs) (2 ½ to 3 years of age)
  3. Uses animistic thinking (stuffed animals have human characteristics)
  4. Plays using symbols (objects stand for real objects)

Language

  1. Describes what happened in two or three words
  2. Verbalizes want (“want water”)
  3. Repeats parts of songs, rhymes, and finger plays
  4. Gives first and last names when asked (2 ½ to 3 years of age)
  5. Uses short sentences to convey simple ideas (2 ½ to 3 years of age)
  6. Engages in simple conversation
  7. Understands sentences and questions as indicated by a relevant response
  8. Names plural form to refer to more than one
  9. Describes action in pictures

Listening

  1. Listens to simple stories and songs
  2. Follows simple directions
  3. Places objects in, on, beside, or under
  4. Identifies loud and soft

Labeling

  1. Identifies own gender
  2. Identifies boy or girl
  3. Identifies self in mirror
  4. Names common objects in pictures

Self

  1. Points to six body parts when named
  2. Puts on and removes coat unassisted
  3. Lifts and drinks from cup and replaces on table
  4. Spoon feeds without spilling
  5. Begins to understand cleanliness
  6. Helps put things away

Social Studies/Interpersonal

  1. Identifies self from a snapshot
  2. Shows pleasure in dealing with people and things
  3. Values own property and names personal belongings (2 ½ to 3 years of age)
  4. Follows simple rules in a game run by an adult (2 ½ to 3 years of age)
  5. Enjoys being with other children
  6. Begins learning the give and take of play
  7. Begins participation in a group

Math (Counting)

  1. Understands the concept of “one”
  2. Counts two (repeats two digits)
  3. Indicates awareness of more than two (2 ½ to 3 years of age)

Classifying

  1. Groups things together by size (one category)

Size Differences

  1. Points to big and little objects

Shapes

  1. Differentiates circle and square

 

Science Concepts

  1. Know the names of three animals
  2. Can associate the words grass, plants, and trees with correct objects
  3. Identifies rain clouds and sun
  4. Begins to understand hard and soft
  5. Begins to understand hot and cold
  6. Begins to understand wet and dry
  7. Matches two color samples

Gross Motor

Hand-Eye Coordination

  1. Throws a small object two feet
  2. Catches a rolled ball and rolls it forward

Body Coordination

  1. Jump with two feet
  2. Claps with music
  3. Walk on tip toe
  4. Walks upstairs alone (both feet on each step)
  5. Walks downstairs alone (both feet on each step)
  6. Hops on one foot

Fine Motor

Finger Strength and Dexterity

  1. Fills and dumps containers with sand
  2. Turns single pages

Hand-Eye Coordination

  1. Applies glue and paste collage pieces
  2. Paints with a large brush
  3.  Tears paper
  4. Strings five large beads
  5. Colors with a large crayon
  6. Rolls, pounds, and squeezes clay
  7. Draws a horizontal line
  8. Builds a six block tower
  9. uses scissors with one hand to cut paper

The Skills/Concept exert is taken from “Year ‘Round Activities for Two-Year-Old Children” and “Year ‘Round Activities for Three-Year-Old Children”, written by Anthony J. Coletta, Ph.D. & Kathleen Coletta.

 

 

The Chickadees Room Schedule

7:30-8:30               Hands wash upon Arrival/Free Play

8:30-9:00               Diapers/Potty Time/Clean- up Time/ Morning Movement

Wash Hands- Get ready for Breakfast

9:00-9:30               Breakfast

9:30-10:10             Circle Time/Art/Learning Centers

10:10-10:45           Playground/Playroom

10:45-11:30           Diapers/Potty Time/Wash Hands- get ready for Lunch

11:30-12:00           Lunch Time

12:00-12:30           Potty Time/ Wash Hands & Faces/Clean-up/Cots out/Read Stories

12:30-2:30             Nap/Quiet Time

2:30-3:00               Cots Away/Diapers/Potty /Wash Hands

3:00-3:20               Afternoon Snack

3:20-4:00               Wash Hands/Clean- up/Learning Centers/Finish Any Art

4:00-4:30               Playground/Playroom

4:30-5:30               Wash Hands/Diapers/Potty /Free Play in Learning Centers

Table Toys/Books/Circle Time

 

 

  • Potty Time will be done on an as needed basis as well. Those who are potty training

will be taken every hour to insure success!

  • Learning Centers will be available all day, excluding snack/meal times and nap.

Those centers include kitchen, dramatic play, cars/trucks, quiet/reading, science, blocks and art.

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