TFS January Newsletter

VOL: 007 JAN 2015

a winter of holidays warm memories. the season of sweets and lights thefreethinkingschool.com

the month that was – december merriment filled the air when the children decorated the christmas tree at school. they were so proud of their achievement that they couldn't keep their little fingers off the tree every time they passed by. their joy was made complete when they donned their chef caps to bake celebration cookies in the shape of the star of bethlehem and tasted the traditional christmas fruitcake. oh what a joyous way to begin the holiday season!

fun facts: •

crocodiles have been known to swallow rocks so they can dive deeper into the water.

•

some snakes have over 300 pairs of ribs.

•

the shell of a turtle is made up of a bunch of bones (around 60) all connected together.

•

lizards and snakes smell with their tongues.

•

a crocodile has the ability to grow new teeth to replace the old teeth.

2

classroom highlights as a new calendar year begins, on behalf of the freethinking school, i wish you all a happy and prosperous new year. with the dip in temperatures in the month of december children were happy to don their winter apparel and when it was not required they put it away in their bag packs. we showed them how to fold their own jackets and put it neatly away. please encourage your children to be independent at home as well, by allowing them to take care of their own belongings. after the amazing flight with birds in the month of november, we landed back on earth to learn more about reptiles. the children made their own green anaconda paper bracelets. they made imprints of the biggest snake’s scales by rubbing a crayon on an embossed mat. they were so impressed by their work that they compared it with the picture of the snake on the bulletin board. children were very excited to share the fact that they have actually seen reptiles in their homes - wall lizards. we also learnt the differences between a tortoise (pronounced as ‘tor-tes’) and a turtle and between a crocodile and an alligator. most children recognized some of the reptiles that they had seen during their trip to the jerry martin farm. i was overjoyed when the children recalled seeing an iguana and a red-eared slider turtle when we showed them pictures of those reptiles in the class. in january we will continue exploring the animal kingdom by learning about insects. as always– please continue your support in making sharing-days a success. thursdays and fridays of every week are sharing days. to make sharing more fun please send articles in a brown bag or an opaque bag with some clues written on the bag. encourage your child to make up his or her own clues to share with the class. the children in class will have to guess what's in the bag based on those clues. meenal goyal hod - montessori

3

birthdays in january

24 jan - payashika ashok

mark your calendars 15 jan – shankranthi (holiday) 16 jan – table etiquette class 26 jan - republic day (holiday)

4

sounds of the week here are the sounds we will focus on in class during the next 4 weeks. jan 5-9

“z”

as in zebra, zip

jan 12-16

“x”

as in box, xylophone

jan 19-23

“q”

as in quilt, quail

jan 26-30

“e”

as in elephant, egg

wish list to parents please sign up for etiquette class menu missing link: sometimes children unknowingly take parts of classroom material home. if you happen to find them, please return it to the school. montessori materials are hard to replace, as we have to purchase the whole set again. thank you.

5

parent resource

child's healthcare tips for winter common winter illnesses can be prevented with the right healthcare regimen. here are some healthcare tips for keeping your child healthy during winters. as the temperature drops, you should ensure that the child has enough protection against cold and flu. these are the most common health issues with kids apart from getting chapped skin and upset tummies. winters are usually vacation time for kids and they like to let their hair down and take a break from regular routines. in that flow they often lack discipline and consume a lot of junk food in the parties thrown in and around and then there are the cutting winter winds that wreak havoc on the tender skin of the children if they happen to venture out without enough protection. so here are some healthcare tips that will help your child enjoy the winter chill and not pay visits to the doctor at intervals. keep the system hydrated

kids tend to drink less water during the winters as the water is a little below the room temperature. since winter is a dry season, it is vital for our system to be adequately hydrated. so make sure that the child is drinking a lot of water as this will also hydrate his skin. change the regular bathing bar

the usual bathing soaps contain detergents that can dry out the skin further. so change it to some milder variant like the castile soap. massage regularly with body oil

kids has very tender skin and they get badly affected by the chilling winter winds. you need to massage the skin well with olive oil or coconut oil which has loads of vitamin e and fatty acids. you need to use it sparingly and rub it in vigorously and you will find that the skin soaks it up readily, leaving no sticky feeling behind. reduce bath time

some kids are prone to catch cold during shower as they take their regular bath. kids also like to stay put in the warm showers or hot water tubs. hot water is not good for the skin as it robs off the natural moisture. so make sure that the kid takes a briefer bath and in lukewarm water.

6

(continued on the next page)

(parent resource continued...)

moisturise

make sure that the kid applies a moisturiser after his bath. a good oil massage followed by a good shower and dollops of moisturiser will ensure that the child has soft, supple and healthy skin that glows even during the harsh winters. apply sunscreen

the winter sun is surely enjoyable but they also contain the harmful uv rays. so do not forget to slather some sunscreen on the skin of the child when he goes out to play. dress the child up in layers

when the kid is out to school in the morning, he will feel comfortable in his pullovers. but once he reaches school or during the later part of the day when the sun is out completely and the temperature has risen a bit, he will feel hot and take off the pullover. then as the sun sets and the temperatures falls again, he feels cold, but may not realise that he needs to wear it back. if it is a cloudy weather, the chances of catching a cold are higher. so dress up the kid in layers, so that he can take off just the upper layer when he feels a bit hot. check the diet

it is important that the kid stays healthy as he enjoys all the varied food options that come exclusively during the winters. having plenty of cakes, candies, pastries and barbecues are fine, but make sure that these are not the only ingredients of his daily diet. he needs to have a balanced diet that has the required amount of fibers, proteins and essential nutrients. the season has a variety of greens and other crunchy vegetables to offer. include them in the kid’s diet. finally, ensure that the kid is getting the required amount of exercise daily. winters do not mean that you need to spend the entire day under the blanket. put on some winter gear and go out for regular exercises. enhanced fitness will ensure that the kid develops the desired immunity to fight off winter infections like common cold and flu. the above article is taken from indiaparenting.com

7

log on to www.facebook.com/thefreethinkingschool to engage in conversations that enable SMART PARENTING.

montessori + after school club 080 2553 3446 / 88613 03631 learn@thefreethinkingschool.com

thefreethinkingschool.com