My classroom enrollment has been very low the last two weeks since a lot of families are taking time off to visit family or just spend time with kids at home. I have had 4 or 5 of my normal 12 students everyday. It gets boring but I am loving the one on one time I get to spend with them while the numbers are low in the classroom. They really love it and their behavior reflects that.
We are trying to keep the routines as normal as possible even though we have more flexibility with the schedule during this time of year. I did some holiday stuff last week, wreathes from paper plates (circle cut out of middle), star of david for hannukah and we did the christmas tree dot worksheet I had shared a couple weeks back. The kids loved the fake presents I wrapped and put in the dramatic play area too. The wrapping paper lasted all of one day as they sat on the boxes, threw them and passed them around. I try to incorporate curriculum into the centers as much as possible to enhance whatever we are trying to focus on that week. Some of my favorites were:
-Putting wrapped "presents" (empty boxes) in the dramatic play area with the kitchen and dress up clothes.
-Shredded paper in my science/sensory table for "snow." They had measuring cups, spoons, etc to scoop and play with the paper. It does go everywhere but the goal is for it to stay in the confines of the table.
-Snowmen cut outs that I laminated to use during circle time when we count. They would much rather count fun pictures than the manipulatives we always use for math.
-Christmas and winter theme books in the library. Our favorite is Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep! which tells of a bear that can't hear too well and doesn't understand that old man winter is telling him it is time to hibernate. He mixes up the word sleep for jeep, sweep, deep, etc. Fun rhyming words for the kids to try and guess throughout the book.
Can't wait to post pictures of our New Year's banner we are making and some other New Year's themed projects :)
