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Last Month at Pillar Kids: January 2023

February 8, 2023 by Amirh Davis Leave a Comment

January was a busy month for our Pillar Kids! We found ourselves needing to regroup and get back into preschool routines afterKaymbu Image 20230208 2043 our winter break. Once we settled in, things in our classroom took off!
Our curriculum was filled with exciting topics, including seasonal/weather discussions, learning about Lunar New Year, and even watching some classroom “pets” grow and develop. We also welcomed several new friends, which means building new relationships and strengthening existing ones. Keep reading to hear more details from our toddler and preschool groups.

Toddler Group (Ms. Lam’s group)

This month Ms. Lam’s friends focused on Caterpillars and Butterflies. The group talked about the 4 stages of a butterfly’s life, which includes 1. Egg 2.Caterpillar 3.Chrysalis 4. Butterfly. The children began to observe the life cycle, watching the caterpillars starting out small, growing larger over several weeks, and ultimatelyKaymbu Image 20230208 2058 becoming a chrysalis! The little ones even took turns guessing when they would see the chrysalis. What a fun way to introduce life sciences to our toddlers .

The toddlers also enjoyed the “I spy” sensory bin filled with lots of fun insects and bugs. The children searched to find them in the bin and then match the corresponding bug to its card. At some point the children went to grab paint cups and started to createKaymbu Image 20230208 2049 their own sensory bin, using the cups to scoop and transfer the lentils over to the other cup. This activity helps develop hand-eye coordination, and gives exposure to different textures and sounds as they poured the lentils from one cup to another.

Here are some of the books the children enjoyed reading:

  1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle
  2. Ten Little Ladybugs, by Melanie Gerth
  3. Backpack Explorer: Bug Hunt, by Onana Befort Next Up for Toddlers!Kaymbu Image2 20230208 2051 Scaled E1675890478600

Next Up for Toddlers!

This month Ms. Lam’s group will be learning about Shapes and Colors. Each week the children will be introduced to a new shape and color. The group will focus on the primary colors for the first two weeks, followed by the children experimenting with color mixing.

Preschool Group (Ms. Angelina’s group)

January was busy for the preschoolers. Ms. Angelina’s group started the month learning about snowflakes and what makes snow. They talked about how to make snowmen from snow, and touched on animals who live in snowy, cold environments, like polar bears and penguins.

The group also took a few days to learn about Lunar New Year, where they read books related to the holiday, and made red lanterns for the children to take home. During circle time they discussed traditional Lunar New Years celebrations, like the Dragon Dance. Ms. Angelina also shared a marionette of the New Year Dragon for the children to explore.

The preschoolers made snowman collages using doilies and other materials, counting the number of pieces needed to put the snowman’s bodies together. The children worked together, talking about the different designs and outfits for each of their snowmen. This was a fun way for them to work on their social skills as they talked to each other and Ms. Angelina about their plans for the snowmen’s outfits, jewelry, accessories, etc.

Here are some of the books the children enjoyed reading:

  1. No Two Alike, by Keith BakerKaymbu Image2 20230208 2104 Scaled E1675890588931
  2. My First Chinese New Year, by Karen Katz
  3. The Snowman Story, by Raymond Briggs

Next Up for Preschoolers!

This month the preschool class will be talking about Colors and Shapes. We’ll learn the difference between primary and secondary colors and explore monochromatics. We’ll revisit some familiar shapes as well as learn some more complicated ones.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Arctic animals, Bugs, Butterflies, catepillars, counting, fine motor skills, Insects, january, life cycle, Lunar New Year, math concepts, Music time, observation, PRIMARY COLORS, science, SECONDARY COLORS, Sensory Bin, SOCIAL SKILLS

Pillar Kids End of Year: December 2022

January 6, 2023 by Amirh Davis Leave a Comment

December 2022 at Pillar Kids

Welcome to 2023 everyone! Even though December flew by, we hope you all had a chance to slow down and enjoy some relaxing family time. Reflecting on last month at Pillar, the teachers and children had a great time learning about various holiday
Kaymbu Image1 20230106 2251
traditions, including Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanzaa. The classroom was revamped with lots of beautiful decor, including a new fireplace for chilly days! Thanks Ms. Angelina for creating such a fun addition to the classroom. Of course there were plenty of exciting holiday activities for the children to explore. We also had a great time celebrating at our Pillar Holiday gathering thank you to everyone who came out to close the year in celebration!

Toddler Group (Ms. Lam’s group)

The toddlers got to explore an Arctic Sensory Table filled with penguins, polar bears, walruses and whales. Ms. Lam enjoyed watching her friends use their fine motor and engineering skills to creatively arrange the sensory items, like rocks that they stacked together, adding animals to finish their creations. The group also talked about how the arctic animals move their bodies, for example walruses using their fins to move vs. penguins who waddle. One of our table activities involved matching an arctic animal with their corresponding feet.

Here are some of the books the children enjoyed reading:

1. “That’s Not My Snowman” by Fiona Watt ( They enjoyed touching the different materials in this book)

2. “Little Blue Truck’s Christmas” By Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurryKaymbu Image3 20230106 2256 Scaled E1673045949874

3. “Clay Boy” By Mirra Ginsburg

Next Up for Toddlers!

We will be learning about Bugs and Insects this month. Ms. Lam will be setting up an “I spy” sensory bin filled with Ants, Bees,Kaymbu Image 20230106 2252 2 Spiders, Ladybugs, and Butterflies. Ms. Lam will be reading “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” for circle time and will try to set up an actual lifecycle of butterflies for the children to observe.

Preschool Group (Ms. Angelina’s group)

The children were eager to make lots of Christmas crafts, playing and exploring with Christmas-themed activities. We were also fortunate to have Ms. Amirh and her children visit the class to teach us about Kwanzaa, and, of course, we loved having Mr. George visit us for music time. I sincerely hope that your holidays were restful, and you were able to enjoy quality family time Kaymbu Image 20230106 2252 Scaled E1673045717264together.

Next Up for Preschoolers!

We hit the road running in January talking about the Winter Season and Snow, and using investigative skills to experiment with ice. This month, we will also explore snowmen while incorporating science, math concepts, and fine motor skills, to name a few. The preschoolers will continue to learn about Arctic animals through the end of this month. We will be busy little learners, starting the year off right!Kaymbu Image 20230106 2253 3Kaymbu Image 20230106 2253

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Arctic animals, Bugs, Butterflies, Christmas, fine motor skills, Holidays, Insects, january, Kwanzaa, Ladybugs, math concepts, Music time, observation, play, science, Sensory Bin, spiders, Winter Season

Reflecting on November 2022

January 6, 2023 by Amirh Davis Leave a Comment

A Month in Review: November 2022

What happened this month at Pillar Kids?

During November the fall-related activities continued. Our friends got a chance to explore more about this special time of the year, where many transformations occur in preparation for the winter season. Both groups explored some intriguing subject matters, and had a chance to participate in new activities, including cooking with their teachers! George, from One Heart Music, paid us another visit, where friends of all ages were able to sing, dance, and let off a little steam. We’re excited to have him visit again this month.

Toddler Group (Ms. Lam’s group)

Ms. Lam’s group began the month learning about farmers. We discussed how farmers have more than one job, where they grow food and also take care of the animals that live on the farm. During our exploration of the foods grown on a farm, the toddlers gotKaymbu Image 20230106 2219 a chance to husk corn! Once they were done husking the corn (putting fine motor skills to work), they helped Ms. Lam put it in the Instant Pot to steam it and enjoy a yummy treat. The friends also had an opportunity to learn about the lifecycle of seeds. They got to see what a seed looks like, by exploring an apple that was cut up. They engaged their sensory skills as they removed the seeds from the apple, touching them to see how they feel. Because the children were so into the farmer and farm animals, we will continue to learn about the farmers in December.

Books that we read to support the curriculum included, “Machines on the Farm” by Lisa Amstutz and “Where, Oh Where, Is Rosie’s Chick?” by Pat Hutchins. The toddlers also enjoyed finger play songs, “Way Up High in the Apple Tree” and “5 Little Acorns all in a Row”, where we practice memorization, rhyming and counting skills.

Next Up for Toddlers!

In addition to talking about the holidays, December will focus on another interesting topic of Arctic Animals, including polar bears, penguins, walruses, and snowy owls.

Preschool Group (Ms. Angelina’s group)

Ms. Angelina’s group explored fall leaves, fall colors, farms, Thanksgiving, and woodland animals. The children were Kaymbu Image 20230106 2222excited to learn about some of the animals that live on a farm, as well as some of the foods that we get from the farm like corn, apples, and pumpkins. To expand on the topic of foods grown on a farm, we shucked, cooked, and ate corn-on-the-cob. The children also tasted different color apples, and made a no-bake pumpkin pie treat that they loved! These cooking activities are a great way for children develop cognitive and mathematic skills, by measuring and mixing ingredients and following the steps needed to complete the recipe. Regarding woodland animals, we learned that raccoons, squirrels, rabbits, owls and bears all live in the woods. We will continue to learn more about these animals in the coming months. Friends read the “The Farmer and the Dell” book and enjoyed singing the accompanying song, followed by conversations about things that happen on the farm.Kaymbu Image 20230106 2051

This month’s Vocabulary words: “nocturnal”, “shuck”, “woodlands”, being “thankful”.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: animals, cognitive skills, curriculum, fall colors, fall leaves, farms, lifecycle, mathematical, nocturnal, sensory skills, shuck, thankful, woodlands

Let’s Review October 2022 at Pillar Kids

January 6, 2023 by Amirh Davis Leave a Comment

What happened this month?

The month of October was abuzz with Fall and Halloween fever. The teachers and children had a great time decorating the Kaymbu Image 20230106 2038classroom for the occasion. Naturally the children were excited to share about their costumes for trick-or-treating, and enjoyed the yummy treats from the festivities. Our first annual Fall Fest was certainly a success! We had so many of our past, present, and future families show up to enjoy the day. That was followed by our Halloween Parade in the office space. Thank you to all of the families who were able to participate, we had a BLAST!

Toddler Group (Ms. Lam’s group)

In October, our toddlers focused on the colors orange and red. For the color Orange, the children got to experiment with puff paint and glue to make a collage using leaves. For the color Red, we sang “Five Red Apples in the Apple Tree” during circle time. The toddlers learned to listen and wait for their names to be called for their turn to pick an apple off the tree. So fun!! One of the books they enjoyed reading this month is called “Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother Too?” by Eric Carle. They will love to read it again, here’s a read-along you may want to watch with them.

Up next – November’s theme will be woodland/farm animals.

Preschool Group (Ms. Angelina’s group)

Signs of Halloween were present throughout the classroom and reflected in the topics we discussed during the month. We Kaymbu Image1 20230106 2038explored the topic of spiders, learning they have eight legs, are hairy, and are not usually harmful to humans. We also learned about bats. We discussed how they are nocturnal (active at night), use sonar (sound) waves when hunting prey, and sleep upside down. While the focus was on Halloween, the circle time lessons were about taking the “scary” out of these subjects, while learning more facts about the subjects. We also addressed monsters, what they are and do we really need to be afraid of them? We also talked about the difference between a pumpkin and a jack-o-lantern. The children enjoyed finger painting, gluing, and using our imagination to turn everyday objects into beautiful works of seasonal art.

Vocabulary words introduced this month were autumn, smooth, rough, bumpy, nocturnal, sonar, arachnids, poisonous, venom, Frankenstein, and mummy.

Kaymbu Image 20230106 2051

Filed Under: News Tagged With: bats, eight legs, finger painting, hunting, imagination, nocturnal, preschool, prey, sonar waves, spiders, toddler, vocabulary

Let’s Review September 2022 at Pillar Kids

October 7, 2022 by Amirh Davis Leave a Comment

What happened this month?
September was a fun month, as we officially said good-bye to summer and settled into a more regular school-time routine.Kaymbu Image1 20221007 2125 Friends explored many new topics and discovered new abilities along with it. In the classroom – Ms. Angelina introduced our new “Writing Center” that features dedicated space for friends to practice recognizing and writing letters and numbers, how fun!! Even our smallest friends enjoyed practicing to use writing utensils, working on their fine motor, pincer grasping skills.
Toddler Group (Ms. Lam’s group)
In September, the toddlers explored transportation vehicles, such as cars, tractors, boats, train and planes. We talked about how each type of transportation travels and how some are used to for people and other for cargo. One of our favorite books that we loved to read was the “Little Blue Truck”. Some of the activities the toddlers enjoyed included painting car tracks, which is great for their fine motor skill development. One of our friends realized he could also make track marks in the sandbox and noticed that track marks comes out better in wet sand versus the dry sand – what a great way to explore new sensory concepts. In October, the toddlers will be learning about all things FALL, in particular about the beautiful colors of fall in their artwork and daily activities.Kaymbu Image 20221007 1926 Kaymbu Image 20221007 1920 Kaymbu Image 20221007 1905 2 Scaled E1665174871100Kaymbu Image 20221007 1904
Preschool Group (Ms. Angelina’s group)
September was the month in which we learned about community helpers. These are people in our neighborhood, like police officers, firefighters, doctors, garbage collectors, construction workers, chefs, teachers, members of the armed forces, and so many more! We also explored the life of
a superhero, as we talked about their unique superpowers and how we can use our own “superpowers” to help our friends. The children enjoyed movement songs, cooking activities, and outside adventures that were based on the lives of the community helpers we explored that day. Vocabulary words that we learned included: Ingredients; Construction; Exam; Stethoscope; 9-1-1; Hero; Bravery; and Villain.
With Halloween coming October will be an exciting month for the children! We will talk about the traditions of Halloween, taking part in teacher guided activities that promote large and fine motor skills, social interaction, enhance the imagination, and math, science, and language skills in fun and exciting ways.
Kaymbu Image3 20221007 1906Kaymbu Image2 20221007 2123 Kaymbu Image2 20221007 1906 Kaymbu Image2 20221007 1926

Filed Under: News

Let’s Review August 2022 at Pillar Kids!

September 7, 2022 by Amirh Davis Leave a Comment

Kaymbu Image 20220907 1706 2

August 2022

This month, we kicked off our 2022-2023 school year and we are excited to get things started! Our teachers have so many plans for play, exploration, and learning. Stay tuned each month as we share what is happening inside the classroom with our monthly newsletters, as well as weekly pictures and digests from Kaymbu.Kaymbu Image 20220907 1706 3

Parents who want more insight into their child’s development may request a CORAdvantage skills assessment be completed for his/her child, which looks at 9 developmental domains: Approaches to Learning; Social and Emotional Development; Physical Health and Development; Language and Literacy; Mathematics; Creative Arts; Science and Technology; Social Studies; and English Language Learning.

Preschool Group (Ms. Angelina’s group)

This month we focused on the children’s favorite subject – themselves, in our unit “All About Me”. Through circle time discussions and teacher guided activities, the preschool class learned about each other’s favorite things, like colors and foods. We traced our bodies, learned about the important job of our skin, as we painted the children’s feet and handprints. We also measured how tall we are and how much we weigh, expanding our counting and math skills. We learned about the inside of our bodies, exploring language skills with new vocabulary as we discussed what our immune system does, how our food is digested and what happens to the food our body doesn’t use! Lastly, we learned about Kaymbu Image 20220907 1711our skeletal system and how we move our body. This was a fun-packed month and the children enjoyed exploring this fascinating subject! In September, we will focus on community helpers.

Toddler Group (Ms. Lam’s group)

Our youngest friends in Ms. Lam’s talked about body parts as well, and how to use gentle touches with our hands. We also talked different types of emotions, asking children to model their “angry”, “happy”, and “sad” faces. They also enjoyed singing the classic song “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, which is always fun.

We introduced a couple of new songs during group time this month, one of them is sung to the tune of B-I-N-G-O where I sing, “I know a girl / boy who loves to play and ( Child’s name ) was his/her name O ( Spelling out the child’s name)”. Coming up in September we will be talking about transportation vehicles, like school buses, planes, and boats. We know the little ones will love this topic!

Books we read this month in Ms. Lam’s class:

  • “From Head to Toe” by Eric Carle,
  • “Eyes, Nose, Fingers, and Toes” by Judy Hindley
  • “Clap Your Hands” by Lorinda Bryan Cauley

Kaymbu Image 20220907 1707  Kaymbu Image 20220907 1707 2 Scaled E1662571527660  Kaymbu Image 20220907 1710 2

Filed Under: News

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