Boyer Education Newsletter

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Hello Awesome Families! We are missing all of your children's faces and voices! Boyer is such a great space for creativity and learning, but we can have plenty of fun at home too. Check out these ideas from our educators. (If you have not scheduled a Virtual Visit with your team, it's simple! Learn more here.)

READING

Little Blue Boat by Ginger Swift is a fun read because the story takes you on a positive, cute adventure of a little boat. A ‘lift-the-flap’ book is often a favorite of toddlers because it makes the book interactive and full of surprises. Create anticipation by asking your toddler what they think might be under each flap. Practice teaching ‘gentle hands’ with this book since their enthusiasm for lifting flaps in books can sometimes be too much for the flaps to sustain over time.

Boats by Byron Barton is a great read with toddlers because of the simple language and bright, colorful illustrations. Ask your toddler to point out the boats and other familiar objects within the pictures. It shows a nice variety of boats that they see or have seen out and about. Visit local places, such as marinas, lakes, or boat locks, to look for similar boats that are in the book.

Music
Ahoy Mateys! Join Teacher Kris's dog, Wiley, and sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat.

ART
Add an art focus to your walks by finding materials to make boats. Use bark, leaves, sticks, pine cones and imagination to create your floating masterpiece! Test whether your boat sinks or floats in the ocean, lake, puddle or even a sink at home. Always supervise kids around water!

GET MOVING
Find a big box, strong laundry basket or a cushion from a chair or sofa. Encourage your child to climb into the box or onto the cushion and sit down. With your child facing you, hold their hands in your hands and rock forward and backwards or side to side while singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”. At the end of the song you can say “SPLASH” and tip the cushion or the box over (carefully so they don’t hurt themselves) and say “Uh-oh!” Reinforce the play by asking your child to climb back onto the cushion or into the box to the starting position and do it again. As the activity becomes more familiar they can start to fill in words in the song or silly words in the routine like “Uh-oh!” or “Splash”.

PS. As we face this pandemic, philanthropic support is more crucial than ever! Gifts of all amounts will make a significant impact. Please consider making a gift today to help meet the most urgent needs of our Boyer community.