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
Brown Bear, Brown Bear This timeless classic is a toddler favorite. The bright, colorful illustrations are simple, yet eye catching and recognizable for many kids. As you read, name colors and animals and imitate animals sounds with your child! The repetitive text allows kids to easily follow along and helps them to anticipate what is coming next. As you read, pause and see if they are able to fill in the next word or look to you to continue reading. This makes the book a more interactive experience.

Bears on Wheels This book is an entertaining and silly read for all. The rhythmic, rhyming language captures kids' attention and helps them to recognize patterns in text. Count the bears and wheels with your child and talk about bears being on/off, up/down, and in/out of their wheels.

Bear Hunt
Many of us are facing the same challenges as millions of other parents right now–scrambling to find things to do with our young children during this time of social distancing and shelter-in-place restrictions. Let's go on a bear hunt. Teddy bears, that is.

The story Going on A Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen provides language practice and anticipation. Watch and listen to the author tell the story and go on your own bear hunt!

BEAR FACTS

There are only eight surviving species of bears in the world. They are distributed widely across the world. With the exception of Antarctica and Australia, bears occur in all other continents of the world.
Bears are related to walruses, seals and sea lions.
A family or group of bears is called a sloth.
The polar bear is the only species with entirely white fur (its skin is black).

TEDDY BEAR, TEDDY BEAR...
Learn the sign for bear, and join Greta in this classic teddy bear rhyme.

ART
Let’s explore painting with texture! Print the bear outline or draw a simple bear shape on a piece of paper. You can use brown paint (if you have it) or barbeque sauce or any other thick dark sauce you might have on hand. Encourage your child to use their hands and fingers, sponges, or paint brush to “paint” the bear. Allowing children to use their fingers and hands for painting is a unique sensory input opportunity. Consider adding other sensory elements such as coffee grounds (for texture) or cinnamon (for smell) to the paint to stimulate other senses as well. Sensory activities like this help the brain learn to process a variety of sensory information as well as learn hand-eye coordination. If you used a food-based item as paint it may not dry completely. If you want to keep a memory, take a photo!

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.