I hope you had a relaxing and refreshing spring break!

Here are some of the things that we have planned for the month of April…

Block center: road signs & plastic vehicles; castle & My Pretty Ponies; and tractors

Dramatic Play center: flower shop; regular housekeeping with food, dress-up, and babies

Discovery Center: tornado tubes & fountains; seed match with seed packages; butterflies & magnifying glasses

Sand table: plastic vehicles; sifters & scoops; small farm animals

Water table: bubble blowing; corn starch & water mixture; water with fish & magnetic fishing poles; water with letter sponges

Music & Movement: triangles & sand blocks; drums & tambourines

Art: painting with water colors; marble painting; Karo syrup painting; playing with foam dough; painting with puffy paint; painting egg cartons; making paper plate kites; collaging with pom poms; painting with textured brushes; and drawing under the table (Michelangelo style)

Cooking: making fruit kabobs

April Newsletter

We have very few school days in the month of March but we are packing them full of fun activities.

On March 3 and 4, we will be setting up a “bear cave” for the children to sit in and read bear-themed books by flashlight. We will be having teddy bears in the block area, bear sorting at the science center, bears and “caves” in the sand table, (hopefully) snow and polar bears in the water table, and we will be finger painting chocolate pudding on bear shapes at the art table. In addition, we will be having tap shoes and rain sticks at the music and movement center.

During the week of March 10-14, we will be putting the wooden dollhouse with dolls and dollhouse furniture in the block area; putting fountains and tornado tubes in the discovery area; using some new grabbers in the sand table; and experimenting with corn starch and water in the water table. We will also be setting up a shoe store in the dramatic play area and putting out drums and tambourines in the music and movement center. At the art center, we will be cooking pizza muffins, gluing buttons on felt pocket shapes, and dyeing various items. In addition, the afternoon class will be using atomic painters and painting with biocolor on aluminum foil.

During the week of March 17-21, we will put magnets in the science center, put plastic waffle cones and shovels in the sand table, place Easter grass and plastic eggs to match in the water table, and put drums and tambourines in the music and movement center. We will be printing with green peppers, finger painting, collaging with the items that we dyed, and cutting and gluing paper strips at the art table.

March Newsletter

Even though February is a short month, we have a tremendous amount of activities planned. Here are our plans for each of the learning centers:

Art – peanut butter play dough, heart foldovers, “sewing” hearts with yarn, printing valentine bags, dipping chalk in liquid starch to draw, sponge painting over doilies, valentine collaging, drip painting with eye droppers, beading hearts with red and white beads, catching yarn on coarse sand paper, car painting, bubble wrap printing, and creating a trash tower

Cooking – baking pretzel letters

Blocks – cars and car rug, big trucks, and then farm animals

Dramatic Play – pet shop, then regular housekeeping

Discovery – shadow screen, tornado tubes and fountain, smelly jars, followed by shells and magnifying glasses

Sand – sand wheels with cups, shovels and funnels, and finally, wet sand with castle making supplies

Water – shredded paper with plastic dogs, red soapy water with whisks, water with measuring cups and water wheels, and then washing housekeeping dishes

Music & movement – Chino blocks and maracas, followed by tap shoes, scarves, and rain sticks

February Newsletter

Northfield Nursery School is looking ahead to the 2008-2009 school year. We will have two open houses for prospective families interested in enrolling their child(ren) for next fall. On Thursday, February 21 from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM and on Saturday, February 23 from 10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon, interested families can come tour the classrooms, meet the teachers, ask questions, and see our nursery school. Children are welcome to come and play! You can come for as long or short as you like and you can come to one or both open houses.

Then, if you are interested in registering your child(ren) for next fall’s classes, you can come on Saturday, March 1, anytime between 9:00 – 11:00 AM. The doors will open at 7:00 AM and registration will begin at 9:00 AM. At that time, you can choose your class preference and you will know whether your child was placed into that class or whether you are on the waiting list. Registration paperwork will be available that morning and a $50 registration fee is due at that time.

Class times for next fall 2008 will be:

For those children that are 3 on September 1, 2008:
Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:00 – 11:30 AM

For those children that are 4 on September 1, 2008:
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings from 9:00 – 11:30 AM
OR
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday afternoon from 1:00 – 3:30 PM

Tuition rates for next fall have not yet been determined, but will not vary greatly from this year’s tuition rates. Current tuition for the two-day per week class is $90 per month; tuition for the three-day per week class is $115 per month; and tuition for the five-day per week class is $185 per month. Tuition is charged for nine months per year from August until April.

If you have questions, please call the nursery school at 507-645-4607.

Northfield Nursery School is one of the first early childhood programs to earn accreditation using the newly revised standards from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Read our press release