Joyful Beginnings Hummingbirds: January 26 - 30, 2026
Dear Joyful Beginnings Hummingbirds Families,
Last week, the children embraced Georgia’s ever-changing winter weather with wonder and playfulness. With a mix of sun, rain, ice, and mud, our forest classroom became the perfect sensory play yard. Observing how children interact with their environment without interruption, hurry, or direct adult involvement (such as offering ideas or directing play) offers a beautiful picture of each child’s unique temperament and inner relationship to the world.
Some dive headfirst, almost quite literally, into the muddiest, splashiest puddles they can find. Others inch their way out from beneath the shelter of the platform, holding out a hand to catch falling raindrops. Some children want to “chop” the ice with their shovels, while others prefer to use it as a special ingredient in their mud-kitchen creations.
The children have also wholeheartedly embraced a Mexican folk song that we sing daily, in Spanish, during our winter circle. Language is so fluid at this developmental stage that no formal introduction is needed (for example: “now we’ll sing a song in Spanish.”) No child has asked about the new words they are hearing or expressed confusion; they simply listen, imitate, and repeat joyfully. Many of them now know most of the words by heart.
Los pollitos dicen, pío, pío, pío,
cuando tienen hambre, cuando tienen frío.
La gallina busca el maíz y el trigo,
les da la comida, y les presta abrigo.
Bajo sus dos alas, acurrucaditos,
duermen los pollitos, hasta el otro día.
Next week, the children will hear a new story about how the North Wind spared the spruce, pine, and juniper trees from his icy breath, allowing them to keep their needles through the winter as a gift of gratitude for their kindness in helping a bird with a broken wing. We will also paint with green watercolor and continue to exercise fine-motor skills through a beading activity.
Announcements & Reminders:
January 31: Community Work Day
February 7: Early Childhood & Grade Curriculum meeting at 11 am & All School Meeting (Spring) at 12:30 pm
February 12: Lunar New Year Performance 2:30 pm (all families welcome)
February 16-20: Mid Winter Break (No School)
February 23: Teacher in Service (No School)
Warmly,
Ki Alycia
