VOL: 006 DEC 2014
children’s day-out at the farm. thefreethinkingschool.com
the month that was – november as a part of our children’s day celebration the freethinking school invited a leading nutritionist from cloudnine, ms. vidhya ramasubramanian who shared some trade secrets with our parents. her objective was to encourage healthy eating habits as well as to provide some helpful snack-box ideas. it was truly a “happy children’s day” for the freethinking kids as they celebrated their special day out on a farm. it was a fun, hands-on learning experience that involved all their senses. they got to see, hear, touch, and even smell some of the animals, birds and reptiles that they have been learning about in school. they learned more about turkeys, emus, rabbits, donkeys, goats, sheep, ponies, cows, iguanas, turtles, pigs and piglets too! after a snack the children had a rollicking time on the jungle gym, tight rope, seesaw and slide. the fun didn’t stop till we alighted from the bus and bid each other farewell. tfs celebrated national library week from the 10th to the 15th of november 2014. the whole weeklong we had parents and even grandparents coming in with fascinating storybooks that were narrated by them to an enthralled audience. the children and their loved ones alike were deeply moved by this experience. following are a list of books that were read to the children during this week: 1. peppa’s first pet – meenal goyal 2. the snail and the whale –antara oruganti 3. lion and the horse – dhruv’s grandma 4. beauty and the beast –mr. karthikeyan 5. stuck by oliver jeffers – mr. proteep as an extension to this programme a professional storyteller from hippocampus also came in to read a story to our children on the 21st of november. we are sure that our efforts towards enhancing the quality of life and learning experiences of our children has not gone unnoticed. if you have any further suggestions in mind, towards this end, please feel free to share them with us.
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classroom highlights this month we entered the world of birds or the avian world. the children were intrigued by the many mysteries of these creatures of the air. for example, they were awestruck to hear that birds eat small rocks along with their daily food intake. they learnt about the smallest bird in the world, the hummingbird that has wings longer than it’s body. they also learnt about the biggest flightless bird, the ostrich. they were delighted to hear that the egg of an ostrich is as big as a football, and that it is the fastest bird on land. their imaginations were ignited when they heard about the fabled ostrich kick, which is known to floor even a human being. what fascinated them was the brilliantly coloured plumage of the peacock and hence they had a blast mixing colours to paint imitation peacock feathers. they were also surprised at the fact that the peacock can voice seven different sounds. they actually heard the different sounds made by birds like the kookaburra, lyrebird, parrot, etc. some of the stunning facts learnt were: that a hummingbird can fly in reverse gear, that the kookaburra laughs just like we do, that a lyrebird imitates the sounds in its surroundings; all this and so much more about the habits and habitats of these wonderful creatures. mrs. varsha degwekar montessori teacher
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doctor’s corner winter and your child’s health viruses cause most of the common childhood infections. with the drop in temperature, the viruses causing colds and coughs, fever, flu and diarrhoea start making the rounds. it is the viruses and not the exposure to cold/damp weather itself that makes your child catch the cold. so wrapping your child with fleecy jackets and monkey caps will not keep them from getting ill! as a rule, a baby and young child should probably have one extra layer of clothing than an adult, to keep them warm. the viruses that cause respiratory problems are 'air-borne'- they fly in the air carrying droplets from people who already have the infection. children at school are exposed to a variety of such viruses that other kids and adults carry. your child may get unwell with each such new virus he/she meets, giving the impression of having a cold that never goes away, having poor immunity or ‘must have got it from the ice-cream she ate’; none of which are actually true! expect kids to get unwell some of this is part of growing up and acquiring immunity. i often meet parents who want medicines so their kid never has a runny nose or a sneeze! the cold medicines will help to make symptoms a little better but does not cure the cold. as long as there is no high fever, lethargy, poor feeding, breathing difficulty and your child is playful, you need not worry. coughs and wheezes some young infants and children with asthma can suffer from shortness of breath with a cold. there are medicines in the form of inhalers and nebulisers that can help. you should consult a paediatrician about a plan on what to do, if your child wheezes repeatedly with each cold.
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here are some things that may help:
hand washing hands are the vehicles for viruses! the most important thing we can do to stop viruses from spreading is frequent hand washing with soap and water. change into clean clothes and wash hands as soon as you get home. children should get into the habit of washing after using the washroom, before eating and when they get back home from school or play. teach your kid to catch their sneeze and cough in a tissue or handkerchief and then wash their hands. this will keep them from spreading it to others. immunisations stay up-to-date with immunisations, including 'flu vaccine'. flu is caused by influenza virus and causes high fever, body aches and can sometimes lead to complications. take home message: 1. viruses thrive in cold weather 2. you can’t completely prevent your child from catching a cold 3. good hand washing reduces the spread of germs 4. keep up with immunisations 5. cough and cold medication may make your child a bit more comfortable, but it doesn’t cure the cold. 6. children with recurrent cough, breathing difficulty and wheezing need a plan of action from your doctor.
dr. nandana bala mbbs, mrcpch (uk), cct (uk), pg cert allergy (imperial college, london) consultant in paediatric allergy, asthma and respiratory medicine @cloudnine children hospital, #16/a, 9th main, 3rd block, jayanagar bengaluru 560011 please feel free to call mr. stephen @ 9686210006 for appointments or write to bhavanab@cloudninecare.com for further details.
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birthdays in december
14/12/2010 - neev bhattacharjee
29/12/2008 - dhruv ashok
29/12/2010 - miran khan
mark your calendars 17th december – christmas party 19th december to 4th january - christmas holidays 5th january - school reopens
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sounds of the week we are continuing with the “sounds of the week”. here are the sounds we will focus on in class during the next 3 weeks in december: 1st – 5th december: “u” as in umbrella, umpire, etc. 8th – 12th december: “v” as in van, velcro, etc. 15th – 19th december: “y” as in yak, yarn, etc.
wish list to parents parents we do hope that you are enjoying your reading time together with your child. kindly ensure that you return the library books in time, so as to keep the books in circulation. please feel free to schedule a story telling session for our kids, they sure enjoyed it the last time around. you could also play a big role in helping to build our collection of books. if there are books lying around at home that you would like to donate to the school, you are most welcome to do so; provided that they are in good condition and pertain to preschool children.
announcements winter fest: freethinking kids can avail of a special offer on enrolment.
kick off the holidays with lotsa fun in the winter sun! story telling
20-23 dec, 2014 9am - 12pm 2-12 years
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jewelry making
the freethinking winter fest
art baking
origami
dance mind bogglers
table etiquette
to register your child call: 88613 03631 / 61
montessori + after school club
thefreethinkingschool.com
parent resource phonemic and phonic awareness before your child begins to read, he is learning about the way letters and sounds work together to form words. phonemic awareness and phonics are the first steps a child makes in the journey of beginning to read, but for many, the terms can be confusing and intimidating. so just what are phonemic awareness and phonics, and how can you help your child master these important early learning skills? phonemic awareness whether he is aware of it or not, by listening to and playing around with the sounds in language, your child is building an important foundation for learning to read. these playful processes are a part of phonemic awareness, which research has found to be the best predictor of reading success in young children. “if your child has phonemic awareness, he or she understands that words are made up of sounds (phonemes) and that those sounds can be grouped together, moved, and changed,” says carolea williams, publisher for teach bright. “since phonemic awareness activities deal with sounds only, they require no reading or writing, making them perfect for preschool-age children.” throughout the day there are many opportunities to point out words that begin with the same sound. just making your child aware of sounds in words is one of the first steps in reading. try a few of these simple phonemic awareness activities and give your child a jump-start at becoming a super reader: • food fun. while eating a meal, say the names of two foods that start with the same sounds and one that doesn’t. for example, tacos, tomatoes and rice. ask your child to identify the word that does not sound the same at the beginning. you may have to over-emphasize the beginning sound until they get the hang of it, and realize it will take time and practice for them to start recognizing the sounds on their own. keep your eyes open for opportunities to point out similar sounds as you go through the day. there are lots of words that can be matched, in the grocery store, at preschool, in the bedroom, in the kitchen and in the backyard. • make a match. say a simple word, such as "cat". have your child think of a word (or several words) that starts with the same initial sound. this is a great game to play while waiting in lines. • seek a sound. say a word out loud and have your child go on a hunt for something that starts with the same sound from around the house. for example, if you say the word "tiger", your child might find a toothbrush, table, tomato or trash can. to simplify this activity, just give your child the initial sound /t/ instead of the word tiger. • rhyme time. although rhyming is not officially phonemic awareness, it is part of the bigger piece called phonological awareness and is a wonderful early learning tool. you can make up rhyming words as you climb the stairs, one word for each step until you reach the top. (the words can be real or nonsense, it makes no difference as long as they rhyme). and reading books that have rhyming text is a wonderful tool for letting your child hear the similar sounds in words! read a few of these as a start and find a few of your own: bear snores on by karma wilson (margaret k. mcelderry, 2002), who will tuck me in tonight? by carol roth (north-south books, 2006), llama llama red pajamaby anna dewdney (viking juvenile, 2005), the fat cat sat on the mat by nurit karlin (harper collins, 1998), or anything by dr. seuss.
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phonics unlike phonemic awareness, phonics activities add printed letters into the mix. “phonics activities connect sounds with letters. if you play a sound matching game and then tell your child what letter represents each matching sound, you have added a phonics lesson to the activity,” says williams. “for example, if your child recognizes that the words 'monkey' and 'mop' both begin with the /m/ sound, you can print the letter m and tell your child that that letter makes the /m/ sound.” after your child gets the hang of listening for and identifying the sounds in words, you can add the written letter to make it into a phonics activity. try a few of these fun first phonics activities to boost your child’s reading readiness: • fridge phonics. use the magnetic letters on your fridge for some wonderful, hands-on phonics activities. have your child gather a handful of letters and search for items that begin with each. while you are cooking dinner, he can bring his letter and item pairs for you to see. • i spy. while you are out and about, play a game of phonics i spy. bring along your magnetic letters or letters written on scraps of paper. the first player draws a letter and then finds something that begins with that letter. for example, “i spy with my little eye, something that starts with t.” if the other players need more help, you can give additional clues about color, size, shape or add more phonics clues, like the letter it ends with. • the “write” stuff. as your child begins to write, he may use letters to represent words. for example, if you child makes a flower and he writes an fr, this is a good thing! your child has mastered the alphabetic principle, which is the understanding that letters are symbols used to represent speech sounds. don’t worry about spelling; just encourage him to continue to write the sounds he hears, a perfect phonics lesson! • alphabet books. there are many wonderful alphabet books in print. these books give children the opportunity to both see and hear the letters and sounds in the alphabet and are wonderful additions to your home library. here are a few classics: chicka chicka boom boom by bill martin jr. (beach lane books, 2000), alphabet mystery by audrey wood (blue sky press, 2003), alphabet under construction by denise fleming (henry holt and co., 2006), eating the alphabet: fruits & vegetables from a to z by lois ehlert (voyager books, 1993), dr. seuss's abc: an amazing alphabet book! by dr. seuss (random house books for young readers, 1996). research indicates that your child’s success as a reader is largely dependent upon his ability to identify and manipulate sounds before he begins to read. a little bit of time and energy invested in phonemic awareness and phonics activities will yield great returns as your child begins to read. so go ahead and play around with sounds and letters - you and your child will be glad you did! by traci geiser early childhood education specialist and author
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