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Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Welcoming a New Friend into Cohort 7


This month, LC joined Cohort 7!  It has been very busy in the infant room as we have all been adjusting to this transition.  At first, LC was very sad about saying goodbye to her mom in the morning, and she preferred to spend most of the day on my lap as she observed the other children playing, eating, and exploring.  After several full days with us, she became much more comfortable and started exploring on her own and engaging with the other babies. 



















LC is very social, and really enjoys our snack routine, as well as the time we spend together on a blanket out in the yard or on the big blue rug in the room.  The first couple of weeks, AJ, LT, and CS paid extra special attention to LC during these times, and they all seemed to love communicating with each other and sharing in activities.  LT and LC especially like to put their faces very close together to get a better look at each other’s expressions.  A favorite activity this summer has been maraca playing, and all of the kids like it best when they are shaking a maraca at the same time as me or one of the other babies.  It was fun to watch the kids shake a maraca and watch LC to see if she would join during her first week with us, and she was thrilled to join in.  I could tell that LC instantly felt very welcomed by her new friends!  



As we’ve welcomed LC into our space, I’ve realized that it isn’t all about sharing our ways with LC – she has also had lots of things to share with us!  Even at this young age, each of the kids brings something unique and exciting to Tumbleweed.  For instance, LC is very interested in pointing at various things and hearing them labeled (e.g. “that’s the light switch” or her favorite, “that’s a ball!”).  I’ve noticed over the last few weeks that the other children have picked up on this, and when LC points at something, they will often listen carefully to what I say, knowing that it contains information about whatever LC has noticed and is asking about.  I’ve also watched as the kids have expanded the types of noises they make now that LC is with us.  LC’s favorite exclamation is “ball!”, and I’ve noticed the others saying “baaa” noises much more often than they were before this month.  And in the same way, LC has started to include different noises in her own vocabulary (for instance, CS’s “book-a-book-a” phrase seems to have influenced some of LC’s names for objects).  It is truly amazing to watch the kids exchange in this way – each one of them has a distinct way of observing and engaging, but despite this, they are still paying a lot of attention to their peers and expanding upon the ways they interact with their environment.



It has been so much fun welcoming our new friend into our community.  I can’t wait for all the adventures we will have together!

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