Featured Class – Two’s Parent/Child
There have been so many exciting things going on in the Two’s class this year!
The Two’s class embodies the idea of community. Children attend class once a week with their parent for a morning of fun activities and parent group time with Ann. This year’s classes have laughed and cried through shared parent discussion. This group time supports parents in their parenting challenges and successes. Some parents create relationships within their groups that last for many years outside of the Two’s classroom.
While parents share in group time, children spend time exploring the classroom. For some children, this is their first experience in a social setting outside of family. Our goal is to help them learn to trust others, while experiencing family support. We support children with gaining independence and to assert themselves in socially acceptable ways, but always remembering they are still two.
The schedule in the Two’s class provides for ample time of exploration. The environment is set up to allow the children time to explore freely, to make social connections with peers and to even experience a little risk-taking. The climbing structure in our room has become the “climb on top of me if you can”, risk-taking experience. Because we have a staggered age level in our classroom, some children are physically ready to climb on the outside of the structure and risk jumping off onto a mat. Younger children can be seen observing this play, not yet ready to make the leap. As the year progresses, more and more children attempt this challenge and more and more children succeed. Claps and cheers can be heard as children hold a teacher’s or parent’s hand for the leap on the mat.
Our schedule also provides time in the morning for parents to share in activities with their child. The first half an hour is designed for parents to experience art, dress a baby or pour sand together. This is a wonderful time for parents to value and reinforce their child’s play activities and encourage relationships with other classmates.
Snack time in the Two’s class is pretty much a feast. Parents provide snack for the adults and the children. You can usually smell the aroma of fresh baked coffee cakes and breads coming from our room. The children eat family style while Teacher Kim reads books or does finger plays. Their favorites this year are “The little old lady who swallowed a fly”, (children can never get enough of helping her eat a cow or spider) and the “5 little Monkeys swinging in a tree” with an alligator that sneaks up and snaps them out.
Next, is free choice exploration. This is a time when you might witness shaving crème on the table, or worms being examined and talked about. We also offer many painting, gluing, cutting and collage materials. All these activities are planned to help build fine motor muscles for later writing skills and to promote creative expression.
The end of our day closes with a fun circle time of singing and movement. Teacher Ann rocks her guitar while children drive cars with hoops, sing about kitties and birds or participate in color recognition songs like the newly added “Rainbow” song and hand puppets. When circle ends, children head to the gym with their parent for more large muscle building and socializing.
At this point in the year, older classes have become buddies with the Two’s to share in activities throughout the building. This is designed to help build the bridge of relationships and to ease transitions for children who will graduate to the Threes’s drop-off programs. We have been seen cooking in the kitchen with the Mice class, being an audience for the Bears “3 little pigs” play in the auditorium and classroom and soon, we may be marching through your child’s room in a musical parade. The fun never ends!
Each day in the Two’s class is an adventure built around family support and play. If you know anyone who has a two-year old by September 1st, 2010, let them know about the parent support portion of this class and the wonderful first social experience that their child can share in.
Kim Gilliam and Ann Brown
Two’s class teachers