Merry Christmas!

 

Last week at The Academy of Gateway we geared up for Christmas! On Monday we made Gingerbread Playdough, we mixed together flour, oil, warm water, and cinnamon to make this amazing-smelling playdough. On Tuesday we read the book "Christmas Cheer for The Grouch Ladybug", on Wednesday we had a Reindeer food Grab n Go, and on Thursday we wore our Christmas Pajamas! We had such a blast gearing up for Christmas. We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas filled with joy and laughter!

Cookies with Santa

Last week at The Academy of Gateway we had a very special guest! Santa Claus made a trip from the North Pole to come visit and eat cookies with us. We took many pictures, decorated cookies, made some holiday crafts, and best of all told Santa what we wanted for Christmas. We had so much fun at Cookies with Santa!

 

Holiday Activities

 

Last week at the Academy of Gateway we kicked off the first week of December with some fun holiday activities. We had a yummy elf munch grab-n-go, we also wore our favorite Christmas Hat/ Head Band Dress-up Day, and we decorated one of our school Christmas trees. We ended the week with donating toys, clothes, shoes, and other things to the Salvation Army Angel Tree. We were so happy to be able to help other families that are in need!

Painting With Nature

 

We hope you all had a fun and safe Thanksgiving with all of your friends and family. Last week at the Academy of Gateway we started the week out with National French Toast Day by having French toast for breakfast. On Tuesday we read the Leaf Thief, on Wednesday we did a fall scavenger hunt, and on Thursday we painted with nature. We had a blast using pinecones and leaves to paint our masterpieces!

The Benefits of Gross Motor Play!

 

Gross motor play is a big deal here at The Academy of Gateway! Gross motor skills impact the ability to control whole-body movements using the arms, legs, and torso. They begin developing right from birth as your baby flexes, reaches, and waves their arms and legs in the air. It can take many weeks to acquire the skills needed to sit up and crawl. Locomotor skills’ is another name given to gross motor skills. It includes hand-eye and foot-eye coordination needed for catching and kicking which also involves fine motor skills. Acquiring these skills is an integral part of your child’s development for performing everyday functions. While it’s critical to encourage children to practice and develop their fine and gross motor skills, every child develops differently. 

African Drumming Special Guest

This week at The Academy of Gateway we had a very special guest visit.

Mr. Clifford taught us some different rhythms you can play on the drums. We were able to play our own rhythms on the drums and have a jam session. We had so much fun with Mr. Clifford and we can't wait till his next visit!

Trunk or Treat

 

This week at The Academy of Gateway we had a spooky trunk or treat. Parents signed up to show off their creative Halloween trunks. Our kiddos were able to dress up and go around and collect candy from the trunk or treat. Even the infants created a Halloween float for the babies to sit in while they collected candy. This was such a fun event! Happy Halloween from The Academy of Gateway!