Klahanie Nursery School Openings for 2011!

Greetings and Happy New Year!

I am thrilled to share that Klahanie Nursery School has openings beginning January 2011!

Please call or email if interested in observing and exploring the classroom with your baby or toddler as well as ask any questions you may have about our nursery school!

Looking forward to speaking with you soon,

Emily (Emmy) Graham
Klahanie Nursery School
http://www.klahanieschool.org
http://klahanienurseryschool.blogspot.com
info@klahanieschool.org
206-491-9465

December 2010 Newsletter

December 2010 Klahanie Nursery School Newsletter

November Reflection

The demands of winter weather have surely approached us and the holiday season is near at hand.  What remains magical and fresh is the feeling each child offers Monday through Thursday here at Klahanie! I feel centered, grateful, humbled and full of love with this little group.  This month sincerely felt like an expression of giving thanks.

Ady, Fin, Charlie, Kai and Gregory offered numerous signs of enjoyment exploring the themes presented in the class space.  As we continued to practice different body motions (handshakes, hugs, smiles, bows and back-pats/rubs) and languages for “please” and “thank you”—emphasizing the connection of giving thanks to one-another—I observed a deeper bond forming between the children and greater degrees of patience.  During the years here at Klahanie, a continued introduction and practice of “grace and courtesy” language and interactions will be requested of the children.  Modeling caring and respectful language and action is key to nurturing children’s development of empathy.  Daily I am observing more and more depths of empathy growing from each child as we practice our grace and courtesy!  

The life cycle of the salmon books were also a huge hit with all four children.  As we talked about the different body parts (singing the salmon parts w/ the “Head Shoulder, Knees and Toes” tune) all four would eagerly hop or sway to the song/finger-plays.  Dramatic story telling of the salmon life cycle and migration became a very fun experience for us all.    

December Topics

Here at Klahanie, December is the month celebrating the festivals of lights!  Weaving the holidays of Christmas, Hanukah, Divali and Winter Solstice I will emphasize the celebration of lights and nature changes. This will be age appropriate and centered around songs, poems and enjoyment of the classroom decorations.  For house/classroom decorations I will try to offer symbols from each holiday tradition for the children to enjoy. 

One of my favorite holiday songs we will sing numerous times is “Douglas Mountain” by Raffi. This is a beautiful song celebrating the beauty of our biome during winter.  I will sing along with sign language.  If you want to sing it at home, the lyrics are as follows (and if you need the tune, I’d be happy to share it with you):

Snow is falling on Douglas Mountain

Snow is falling so deep.

Snow is falling on Douglas Mountain

Putting the bears to sleep;

Putting the bears to sleep.

Trimming the wicks on Douglas Mountain

Shining the chimneys so bright.

Trimming the wicks on Douglas Mountain

So earth can bring the night;

So earth can bring the night.

May we all experience December to be filled with a re-awakening of excitement and glee as we observe our children’s wild wonder of the town lights, holiday songs and beautiful foods shared with family and friends! Cheers to each of their beautiful souls! 

 

Reminders

• NO SCHOOL Monday December 20-Thursday December 31.
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• Please review the school bulletin board for the winter quarter snack schedule. Thank you!

Hoping you all have a wonderful Holiday shared with loved ones!  See you in January 2011!

Much love,

Emmy

November 2010 Newsletter

November 2010 Klahanie Nursery School Newsletter

October Reflection

During our time together Ady, Charlie, Fin, Gregory and Kai found great joy in the October songs and dances.  Daily I have recited the “Five Little Pumpkins” poem and felt sincere excitement as I watched all their little bodies engaged in the telling. We also continued to sing seasonal songs such as “Deciduous Trees Loose Their Leaves,” “In the Autumn Time,” “Rain, Rain Go Away” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider.” 

Music time is an important time of the day for us.  For me, it is a time to connect the themes represented through the work on the shelves and featured books in a way that captures the child’s understanding in a fun way.  As you all see in your wee ones at home, music is an amazing tool for educating may it be from the lyrical rhymes or instrumental beats and rhythm.  Children love to become the music and daily I use this partnered with movement to connect the greater world exploration.  Music is also a calming tool that I use continuously when we need some re-centering from a very busy work and/or emotional session.

 November Topics

“Thank you, Mother Earth.

Thank you, Father Sky.

Thank you for this day.”

This is what my father says every morning, standing in the field near our house…

Dad believes that the things of nature are a gift.  And that in return, we must give something back.  We must give thanks.

Giving Thanks by Jonathan London (paintings by Gregory Manchess)

November will be our time for offering thanks.  Many of the books, songs and shelf activities will be centered on giving thanks to the earth, her animals/plants and our families & friends we are honored to hold in our hearts. 

Some of the books we will be reading will be “Giving Thanks,” “When the Relatives Came,” “Wild Child,” “Where Would I Be in an Evergreen Tree” as well as sections of “The Tree in the Ancient Forest” and “The Giving Tree.”  Some songs we will sing “Thank You, Thank You For Everything,” “Listen to the Water,” “Tree Song,” “Turkey in the Brown Straw,” “Thanks A Lot” and “Over the River and Through the Woods.”

I have also decided to include some introduction to salmon, in honor of the salmon spawning season.  This will include singing and pictures/models of parts of the salmon as well as streams and rivers. The week of Thanksgiving I will make a little Thanksgiving meal inclusive of smoked salmon, corn bread and steamed apples/cranberries. 

The month of November I will re-introduced the “calming basket” which will be in the library section of the classroom. This basket is for calming and re-connection with self.  No matter what age, all humans need space to reconnect with him/herself and as I observe the children move through differing emotions, I encourage all of them to breath deep and find calm in his/her body.  This is something that can be done at home as well.  If you do not have room for an actual peace space you can create what is called a “calming bag.”  This is a cloth bag that is filled with calming objects (soft cloth, stress ball, sprig of lavender or rosemary, cozy stuffed animal…).  When your child is experiencing a deep emotion such as frustration allow the emotion to emerge and calmly offer the child space to feel/express and then suggest retrieving the “calming bag.”  The bag can be a wonderful tool of re-direction and transfer of energy.  As a parent of a very passionate child, this has become a very important piece in our house.  It is a good idea to change the objects every week or two.

Reminders

• Please remember to review the health sheet and keep your child home if any cold/flu symptoms surface.

• NO SCHOOL Wednesday November 25 or Thursday November 26 due to Thanksgiving!

• DECEMBER NO SCHOOL: December 20-31 for Winter Break

• NOVEMBER SNACK SCHEDULE:

o   Amy/Charlie: Mon. Nov. 1- Thur. Nov.4

o   Emily: Mon Nov.8- Thurs. Nov.11

o   Katrina: Tues Nov.16-Thurs. Nov.18

o   Amy/Charlie: Mon. Nov. 22 and Tues.Nov.23

o   Emily: Mon. Nov. 29- Thurs. Dec. 2

Thank you everyone for your amazing parenting and wonderful energy!  Winter will be much more tolerable with all the warmth and kindness you blanket the school with.

Emily