Dear families,

We would first like to extend a Happy New Year and a warm welcome back to everyone at the New York Kids Club.  We hope you and your family had a wonderful break, and despite the treacherous weather conditions, you had the chance to get in a little rest and relaxation.  After weathering the blizzard of 2010, the rest of winter 2011 is sure to be a cakewalk. 

With all of the snow we have experienced in the last month, it is only fitting that our first book back was The Three Snow Bears.  This book provided us the opportunity to reinforce story sequencing and prediction skills.  We will reviewed concepts like habitat and hibernation, and examined different arctic animals (polar bear, seal) and the nature and purpose of camouflage in the wild.  Our science units concentrated on drawing connections between an animal's habitat and its type of skin or fur: Why are most arctic animals white? How does a polar bear's fur or a seal's skin help it survive the cold?

This retelling of the classic story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears introduced a discussion about indigenous groups throughout the world as well as the cultural and geographic distinctions between these groups, and look at how the plot and tone of The Three Snow Bears would be altered if the story was told through a different cultural lens.  This exploration of geography, culture, and tradition is an important step in broadening a child's scope of the world.

Students will spend the upcoming week reviewing all of what they've learned this semester.  We also invite you to join in the review by reading a few of the books we've covered in class or just spending time listening to your child retell one of the classic tales.
 

The Little Red Hen 

The Mitten -by Jan Brett

Poems of Five- a collection of poetry

Jack and the Beanstalk

Corduroy -by Don Freeman

Tuesday - by David Wiesner

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

The Three Snow Bears - by Jan Brett

We are excited to be back in full swing this week and are sure that a week of review and arctic exploration are the perfect antidote to Jack Frost. I look forward to working with you and your family in 2011, and as always, if you have any questions feel free to contact me directly.

 
Warm Regards,