Winter at Rayitos de Sol
This winter was a busy time for children at Rayitos de Sol Bilingual Childcare!
Talented artists!
Kiddos share artwork created this winter at our bilingual childcare center.
This January, our bilingual childcare program celebrated its second year of operation, and is preparing to expand into a new building this fall (read more here!). While the building is under construction, children at Rayitos de Sol continue to learn and grow!
Read more about some of the activities students participated in this winter.
Learning through Outdoor Play- This past spring, we expanded the center's playground so that children had more space to play outside. With the arrival of winter, kiddos enjoyed romping around in the snow, playing with bubbles and making snowmen!
Cooking- With the help of our fantastic childcare team, children practiced their cooking skills! Our little chefs made soda bread, tamales and tortillas and got to enjoy their culinary creations together.
Exploring Emotions- Part of Rayitos de Sol socio-emotional curriculum includes learning about emotions and self expression. Over the past few months, children have learned more about different emotions and how to express them in a healthy way. As part of the curriculum students read The Feeling Book by Todd Parr, My No No No Day by Reessa Patterson, and Glad Monster Sad Monster by Ed Emerley and Anne Miranda. They also got creative with their learning, and made Emotion Clouds, Love Bugs, and Feeling Balloons to decorate their classroom.
Celebrating Black History Month- This February Rayitos de Sol celebrated Black History Month! Children read books about Martin Luther King Jr, Alma Thomas and Garret Morgan, and created art based on their learning! Students talked about their dreams and made their own Dream Maps inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. They also created their own mosaic art to celebrate the work of Alma Thomas.
Upcoming Activities: As spring approaches, children will continue to explore the world around them and learn through play. Curriculum includes learning about houses, construction, ramps and studying how things slide, roll and move. Rayitos de Sol teacher, Jenny Lasen says:
“The kids have been loving the story of The Three Little Pigs and we are reading many versions! One that we've read a lot is A bilingual Tale: Los Tres Cerditos by Luis Orihuela and Los Tres Cerdos: Nacho, Tito and Miguel by Bobbie Salinas. Also My House by Byron Barton and One Big Building by Michael Dahl.”
Teachers are focusing activities around experimentation and building and students will create their own roller coasters for marbles, build with different materials, and create their own structures. Younger children will be working with sensory bins to engage their fine motor skills and help encourage their communication and imagination. Additional upcoming activities include: exploring and observing nature by making bird feeders to feed the birds that visit the playground, observing the construction of the new Rayitos de Sol facility and creating books with pictures to document the progress over time.
Please visit our website if you want to learn more, and donate today to support our bilingual childcare program as it grows!
