The Teddy Bears Classroom Serves Children ages:
4+ years old
Room capacity: 20 children
In the Teddy Bears Room, our main emphasis is on practicing the skills needed
for kindergarten readiness and promoting a sense of community in the classroom.
When we function as a community, we are encouraging relationship development
and teamwork; the Teddy Bears room fosters friendships instead of competition
in a language-rich environment.
Snack and Lunchtime
Children's Circle provides two nutritious snacks per day. Examples include cheese and crackers, yogurt, fruit, and graham crackers. Parents may choose to provide their child's lunch meal or lunch can be ordered from a monthly menu for a nominal cost. We are able to heat parent-provided meals with a microwave.
Nap Time
Children in the Teddy Bears Room each have their own Center-provided cot. Nap time follows lunch. Children nap until rested which is usually 1 hour.
Field Trips and Guest Speakers
The Teddy Bears Room has participated in local field trips that include a visit to a Pumpkin Patch, Apple Picking, NJ Children's Museum, Children's Theatre at Kean University, Crayola Factory, Turtle Back Zoo and the NY Aquarium. Not only are these field trips fun, they offer an opportunity to extend the classroom outside of the walls of our facility. Children's Circle has also been the host to "guest" attractions such as a Petting Zoo, Chick Hatching Program, the Reptile Guy and a Glass Fuse Art specialist!
Key Curriculum Concepts
The Teddy Bears Room is centered around preparing your child for kindergarten. In addition to nurturing your child's emotional, social and cognitive growth, we focus on your child's ability to write their first and last names, to recognize the letters of the alphabet and match letters with their beginning sound, and to identify numbers and counting. We teach your child how to correctly hold a pencil and to safely use a pair of scissors to cut along a line. We help your child memorize their address and phone number. We also encourage your child to express how they are feeling and to ask for help.
Feedback
In addition to the January and June written feedback of your child's progress, the Teddy Bears teachers offer parents a face-to-face conference in the Spring to discuss kindergarten readiness.
Teachers
The lead teacher in the Teddy Bears Room is Ms. Rebecca. Ms. Rebecca holds a BA in Psychology and has her (CDA) creditials. Ms. Laurie is Ms. Rebecca's Co-Teacher and holds a BA in Education.
FUN ACTIVITY
TO TRY AT HOME:
Young children are investigators, explorers and insightful scientists. They are always wondering about what will happen next, so they are natural predictors. Their joy of discovery and innate curiosity make activities such as cooking an inherent extension of both scientific discovery and mathematical comprehension. Here is a recipe for a simple applesauce that you can cook with your child:
You will need:
10 soft apples (Red/ Golden Delicious)
¼ cup sugar
2 large bowls
1 cup of apple juice
A potato masher (or slotted spoons)
Cinnamon or other spices (nutmeg or allspice) optional
Leave the apples whole for your child to see, but then peel, core and quarter the apples so that the pieces they cut are soft and manageable.
Cut the pieces into small chunks and put into bowls. When the apples are all cut, add the juice, sugar and spices to the bowls and then transfer into a large pot to cook slowly on the stove. Let the mixture simmer uncovered for about 40 minutes, or until the apples are soft enough to mash easily with a fork. Let the apples cool a bit before transferring them back into the large bowls so that your child can mash them with the potato masher. Chill, then eat. Enjoy!
Measuring, pouring, texture changes, liquid conservation, cause and effect, introducing heat to a substance, proportions and directions of following a recipe, prediction and experimentation, are all at work here and make cooking with children a rich and exciting experience.
