Dancing, Learning, and Soothing

This week we made a bracelet with different colored ribbons attached. The idea was to have it be something the children could use to add to a dancing session and really get them moving. Since the ribbons we used were different colors, one of the parents added that it would also be a great way to teach and reinforce learning colors. The ribbons used were satiny so they were also nice and soothing to touch. I tried to capture one of the children having fun waving her bracelet around and running her fingers down the length of the ribbon, which she really seemed to enjoy.

-Laura Hecht

Cold Snap!

My friend from South Dakota thinks we are real wimps in San Francisco...but the idea of a "cold snap" definitely comes to mind in thinking about the raging hot temperatures from last week, to the really chilly days of this week. I had thought that the colder weather would mean less families at our Good Sam toddlers class on Tuesday...but to my delight, more than our usual showed up. I had an interesting conversation with the Mission Branch Librarian once about how, in my experience, the cold weather seems to keep our families at home and away from class. She had found it to be quite the opposite at her toddler lap sits in the library - cold and rainy weather means parks were out and the library fills up. Of course, I have noticed a difference of demographic between her lap sits and my classes...but perhaps, the culture of reading a good book when it's cold outside is starting to rub off on our families....I hope so.

-Dawn Noelle

Bubbles!

We had a lot of fun at the Tenderloin Children's Playground today, experimenting with bubbles. Even though I really like the little bubble wands we made with pipe cleaners, the winner was the bundle of straws for making the most bubbles. The book Bubbles, Bubbles by Kathi Appelt captivated everyone's attention and was a great way to follow up on our fun. In my search for books about bubbles at the Library also found Bubble Trouble by Margaret Mahy which I would have happily read to an older group of children who could sit through more involved language. I had fun reading it to myself, anyway. I'm getting better at working with this mixed age group and a larger setting - simplifying the projects for them to be more hands on for the toddlers, even though we are working with the Year 1 curriculum. I'm also enjoying getting to know these new families, though every so often, a family I've met in another one of my classes wanders in.

-Dawn Noelle

Past Two Classes

Two weeks ago the class was very full. Some families did not get to do the project so I gave them the materials to do it a home. Here is an example:


This week we made a bird on the stick, which can be used for movement with the toddlers, stick puppet show or any other creative play.

The highlight of the past two weeks was Nathalie. At the end of this week’s class she was looking at the book I gave away as her mother changed her baby brother’s diaper. Mom said, “Look, there is a fox hidden on that page. He is peeking out a little. Can you see him?” The conversation continued. Then Nathalie closed her book, stood up, gave her book a hug and happily said, “My book, my book.” It was great to see her so happy about her book!

-Laura Hecht