Pam Wolf, Founder
Gair Morris, Director of Programming
"Children need models rather than critics."
-- Joseph Joubert
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Dear 3s Club Families, As we enter the third week of our semester, we hope this newsletter has become a welcome 'road map' for you, helping to outline the week's activities, as well as keeping you well versed in our goals and curriculum. We believe it is important to keep an open line of communication with our NY Kids Club families as it not only helps to build a strong educational community but it also bridges the gap between learning at school and learning at home.
We will be tackling new vocabulary, scientific concepts, art projects, and math skills by way of Jan Brett's The Mitten. The richly illustrated folktale about a boy that loses the mitten his grandmother knitted for him will guide us through the week's activities. We will practice sequencing the story, discuss and use new words as well as new animals like the mole, rabbit, hedgehog, and owl. Students will also get the opportunity to become 'a box of animal crackers' when we act out scenes and role play animals from The Mitten.
Students will make their own family tree in Language Arts as instructors help them identify mom, dad, grandmother, grandfather, sister, brother and me. They will discuss the concept of a grandmother and identify the differences in nicknames for grandparents from culture to culture. This will lead to a conversation about 'kindness' as the students distinguish between an act of kindness they have experienced, and an act of kindness they have extended. Because we encourage self-confidence, kindness, and responsibility in our students, we will also create a Duties and Responsibility Chart for our students that we will add to each week.
Our math stations will focus on geometry, long vs. short, patterns, and sorting. We will practice counting as we introduce the number zero and continue to review 1-10. We will also identify the differences between gloves and mittens, match pairs of mittens and socks, create patterns with dot paints, and work on sorting materials by category (color, shape, type).
Jan Brett's winter wonderland guides our science unit about the various states of water (liquid, snow/ice, steam) where we explore melting vs. freezing with ice cubes. We will also explore the concept of 'too much' as students estimate how many cups of instant snow will fill a vessel or how many breaths will blow up a balloon. We will discuss icebergs and play a rousing game of 'Musical Iceberg' (like musical chairs) where the children have to run to the 'iceberg' each time the music is turned off.
Though each day of our 3s Club is filled with a variety of exercises and experiences designed to challenge and expand your child's mind, we begin each day with a constant. Children start each class with a series of social activities during circle time. The repetition of these exercises help to build children's confidence as they learn to anticipate activities and are able to work on the same skills each week. During circle time we will practice our letters with the 'Alphabet Walk' and 'ABC Song,' as well as work on name recall with the 'Hello Song' and shape recognition with the 'I Can Make a Shape Song.' Each circle time will also include a group discussion about the day, month, year, and weather. Socially, children enrolled in the program will benefit from a greater understanding of the world around them. It is the introduction of this basic, every day information that helps crack open the discovery process for curious minds. For our young students, learning about the world they live in is the first step towards exploring the world beyond them.
Thank you for trust in us, and your dedication to your child. As always, please feel free to email me directly with any questions.
Sincerely,
 Gair Morris Director
www.nykidsclub.com
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