Toddle Towne

This month you will see lots of new faces as old friends return from a summer off and new friends start coming for the very first time.  In order to make everyone feel right at home, we will be talking about nursery rhymes and fairy tales that everyone is familiar with.  As we talk about nursery rhymes and fairy tales we will lead into a conversation with the children about handling fears and staying safe.  If you are coming for the first time or returning after the summer off remember consistency and routines are the way to make transactions smooth and seamless.

• August 31 – September 4 –We are building Humpty Dumpty’s wall one brick at a time while showing off our painting skills, I hope he doesn’t fall off. Friday is the annual Toddle Towne Gingerbread Hunt, you do NOT want to miss this.  Try to guess what we are going to do with that gingerbread man once we catch him…
• September 7 – 11 – Peter Piper left a peck of purple peppers in here, no wait we did that when we were painting with purple paint. Well, Little Bo Peep lost her sheep and we found them, not we made those too.  Boy, are we busy with painting and gluing.
• September 14 – 18 – Little Miss Muffet helps us discuss our fears and Jack Be Nimble is a good lesson on fire safety!
• September 21 – 25 – Baa, Baa Black Sheep and The Three Little Kittens Who Lost Their Mittens give us plenty of opportunities to practice counting, and Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater is a chance for us to learn about good eating habits.

This month you will see lots of new faces as old friends return from a summer off and new friends start coming for the very first time.  In order to make everyone feel right at home, we will be talking about nursery rhymes and fairy tales that everyone is familiar with.  A basic review of skills including numbers, colors, and shapes will ensure that everyone ends up in the correct class.  If you are coming for the first time or returning after the summer off remember consistency and routines are the way to make transactions smooth and seamless.

• August 31 – September 4 – It is amazing how many skills you can learn while talking about fairy tales. The Three Little Pigs, The Three Bears, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves provide us with opportunities to learn size sequencing, ordinal numbers, and colors.  Friday is the annual Toddle Towne Gingerbread Hunt, you do NOT want to miss this.
• September 7 – 11  – This week Jack Sprat provides us with an opportunity to discuss good nutrition while Hickory Dickory Dock is a chance to learn placement words and Sleeping Beauty lets us practice naming body parts. On Friday it’s king for a day as we make crowns just like Ole King Cole.
• September 14 – 18 –Little Miss Muffet helps us talk about our fears and Jack Be Nimble learns a lesson about fire safety.
• September 21 – 25 – We found some beans and after reading Jack and the Beanstalk we think they might be magic beans so we are going to grow them and find out. On Friday it’s off to the kitchen to make some treats for grandma as we read Little Red Riding Hood

As we start off the school year we will spend a lot of time working on new routines, homework rules, and general procedures.  We will allow time each day for homework and provide help but checking is up to each parent.  If you do NOT want your child to start homework with us just let the teacher know.  The kids will spend time decorating their room to feel welcoming and friendly.  After being inside the bulk of the day we will go outside daily after snack time.  Outside is a great place to relax after a structured school day.

• August 31 – September 4 – In every great fairy tale, there is a castle. This week after homework time when we go outside we will be having a sandcastle building contest.  The children will be reading one of my favorite books of all time, The Paper Bag Princess.  If you have never read it you should.
• September 7 – 11 –This week we will break out the decks of card and learn card games such as hearts, the castle card game, and try building a castle out of cards so whatever you do when you come in walk softly. If you are going to live in a castle you will need a crown so we will make some.
• September 21 – 25  – If you have a castle you are going to need a dragon. We will be constructing a Giant Dragon Book with information about ourselves.  We will also be learning paper cutting and folding to make fortune-tellers and spider webs.

Each classroom will be staffed with two qualified staff member, one working the early shift and one working the late shift which would have two qualified staff members available for each room during the majority of the day and ensure that we have extra staff available to cover all of the new arrival and departure rules, vacations and absences.

The maximum group sizes are half to one-quarter of what they were before with twice as much staff so there will be plenty of time and staff available to ensure we are adhering to the strictest sanitation protocols and that we can spread out to keep a safe distance between the children.

Parents can take comfort knowing TTLC has always made sanitation a top priority in accordance with DCFS standards, but we have stepped up our efforts to meet the challenge of COVID 19. Every classroom will be sanitized thoroughly prior to opening every day and at least once each morning, during naptime, again each afternoon, and once more prior to closing each day. Playground equipment will be thoroughly sanitized after every use. 

Surfaces such as doorknobs, light switches, countertops toys, phones, keyboards, computer mouse, and other items identified as frequently handled will be thoroughly sanitized repeatedly throughout the day. Whenever possible sanitizing will be done when the children are not present.

In all of the planning and preparation required to meet the new State requirements, our directors and teachers kept our standard of “Kids learning while they play, and playing while they learn” as a top priority. This is an unsettled time for young children and we’ve made it our goal to ease that stress as much as possible.

Working closely with our state representatives, we are re-establishing routines where possible while staying flexible to meet ever-changing requirements as they are released. Your patience and cooperation are greatly appreciated as adjustments are made. Working together we will keep our children safe and happy.