Dramatic Play
We continued to be fascinated with the fire station, so this theme stayed for further exploration. We loved acting out play scenarios in the fire truck and using all of the different tools and hoses. The boots are still the favorite dress up item, with many of us wearing them all day long! The new puppet theater was an exciting addition! Everyone enjoyed putting the animals on and making sounds. Joe and Alex had long conversations with the different animals talking about what they were doing. Reza noticed the clock on the theater was just like the one on the wall!
Block Area
The new slide builders have been lots of fun to try to put together. We have been very creative coming up with new ways to use them and imagining lots of different ideas of what they are. The new fire trucks have been a great extension from the dramatic play area as we use our imaginations driving them around. Joe discovered that the little ladders fit into the big ladder and made the "people" climb on and balance. Bo and Finn discovered that the shells fit in the same way! The planes continue to be used and Zachary loaded them up with all of the people and told a story about who they all were. Joe Alex and Aria found the sea animals and projected a story line onto them, acting it out throughout the different areas of the room.
Quiet Area
We have been reading books to each other, and especially enjoy pointing out which characters we are. We continue to use our family pictures both when we are feeling sad and when we just want to talk about them!
Art/Literacy
We had lots of fun exploring the water balls in our sensory table! They started out really small and we watched them grow in the water! They got squishy and were so much fun to hold and squish in our hands. We used spoons and cups to sort and count, as well and fill and pour. We used lots of stickers on our art and spent some time molding clay. It was fun to add little bits of water and see how it changed the clay- making it softer!
Gross Motor
We made a new ladder inspired by the fire station and our interest in ladders! It was a lot of fun to walk and jump through as well as pretend to "climb" on our hands and knees. We practiced coordination trying to avoid the rungs.
Music Area
The drums have come back out after our desire to use other things (blocks, sticks etc.) as drum sticks on various pieces of furniture! We have loved making music with them and finding ways to make different sounds.
Cognitive Area
We have been really enjoying the light table with the cube blocks! We have been stacking them, sorting the colors and sizes, and lining them up in different groups. We also continue to enjoy building with the stretch builder, especially vehicles!
Outside
In the breaks from the rain, we went on three different adventures! We went into Golden Gate Park to see the ducks and find different nature materials. We found lots of acorns, pine cones, and tree bark that was fun to touch! We went on a walk to test out our new walking rope and to find fire hydrants. Everyone loved holding on and playing follow the leader as we walked. There were lots of giggles! Finally, we tried to go on a trip to the fire station, but they must have been out helping people. Instead we got to see the big construction vehicles getting ready to work on the road, and lots of pipes that will be going under it!
In the backyard, the sandpit continues to be one of our favorite places to play. We love pretending to make food and building castles and roads. Joe and Alex were battling a dragon and had to block it from crossing into their house. The slide was often wet, but we had fun climbing up the wall and finding things to slide down the slide.