Classroom Blogs
Infant Room
Infants
Toddler Room
Toddlers
Preschool Class
Preschoolers
Welcome to Blue Leaf School’s Classroom Blogs
Get an inside look at whats happening at Blue Leaf, from classroom activities to events, we’ll keep you posted and up to date here!
All Blog Posts
The Importance of Clear Boundaries
Boundaries allow for a stable and secure environment for children. Teachers in the infant room are frequently holding boundaries so children are able to explore and play the room in a way that feels safe and predictable. An example of a boundary that we often maintain...
Language in The Landscape of Winter
Language in The Landscape of Winter As winter arrived here in Boulder and the frost began to settle in, we noticed something else shifting in our toddler classroom. Wrapped in coats and mittens, cheeks pink from the cold, the children have arrived each day with more...
Full Tummies & Full Hearts
With winter among us, accompanied with darkness and cold we naturally turn inward to ourselves and our community. Although, anytime is a good time to be with your community, this season is especially important as we seek warmth wherever we can. And what better place...
Extensions of Learning: What They Are & Why They Matter
At Blue Leaf, curriculum is emergent in nature, meaning it arises organically from the interests and experiences of the children. The “product” of the learning goals set by the teachers is directly guided and influenced by the children’s actions, quotes, and...
Pumpkin SMASH!
We cracked open a pumpkin to celebrate fall– Let’s see how it went! Anne was hesitant at first, but found amusement in the sticky seeds! She would reach in and use her fine motor skills to grab one seed at a time and then look with pride when she got one. Georgia dove...
Fall is Here!
As the weather is getting chillier we are exploring this temperature change outside, and inside! When going outside, we can feel the bite in the air, and on the ground under our feet. The cold provides an opportunity for our community to learn the importance of the...
A Song For Autumn: Reflections on the arrival of fall and colder days
Song for Autumn In the deep fall don’t you imagine the leaves think how comfortable it will be to touch the earth instead of the nothingness of air and the endless freshets of wind? And don’t you think the trees themselves, especially those with mossy, warm caves,...
Transitions with Tenderness: Supporting Students Through Goodbyes
Supporting Change with Confidence and Connection As Abbey steps away from her role, we want to share that we feel ready and honored to support the classroom through this change. We know this group well. We've built trusting relationships with these children, and we’re...
Following the Child: How Observation Shapes Our Days
What Is Pedagogical Documentation and Observation? Documentation is how we make the children’s learning visible. It’s not just about taking pictures or writing notes, it’s about capturing the moments where thinking, curiosity, and wonder come to life, so we can better...
Atelier Work & the Expression of Creativity
“(Ateliers)....are beauty that produces knowledge” – Reggio Children An atelier is defined as: a studio, especially used by an artist or designer. In a Reggio inspired environment, these are spaces that suggest questions, inherently produce knowledge, and grow...
“Don’t Rush Me, Please”: Where Wonder Leads Us…
A couple of weeks ago, I discovered a worm wriggling through toddler yard, who had made his way onto my toe. I called to the children, "There is a worm on my toe! Does anyone want to see?" Everyone gathered, and we all got the opportunity to take a closer look at...
“Up high!”: A Story of Relativity from a Toddler Lens
First through big body movements, then connections to broader frameworks, the children have explored the idea of what it means to be “up high”. This concept began as a message of caution while testing bodily limits, and evolved into an exclamation of accomplishment....
Trusting Toddlers: Rethinking ‘Be Careful’
Recently, we’ve been noticing a theme in our toddler classroom: the children are going up. Climbing logs, onto stumps, into small spaces, testing their balance on unsteady surfaces; exploring what their bodies can do! They are carrying big rocks, throwing balls, and...
Loose Parts Lead to Infant Collaboration
When the curler loose parts were first introduced in the classroom, the teachers’ intended to create a light scape of different shapes and textures. Anne however was quick to show us that even though she may have been invited in by the light, other characteristics of...
Relationship Building: How we form connections as toddlers
There are a hundred different languages that children use to communicate. While the toddlers are growing their verbal communication skills, they are practicing other ways of communicating, such as hugs, cuddles and gentle touches. "The child is made of one hundred....
Emotional Resilience, Distress Tolerance, and Fierce Compassion
As caregivers, it’s normal to feel the urge to resolve a child’s big feelings, to make them feel better right away. Instead of rushing to “fix” their discomfort, we offer co-regulation; being present with their emotions, steady support, and modeling resilience. When...
A New School Year
Goodbyes at drop-off can be one of the most tender and emotional parts of the school day—for children and parents alike. These moments are not just transitions, but opportunities to build trust, security, and resilience. Why the Goodbye Matters Children thrive when...
Spring has Sprung and The Weather is Nice!
Spring has sprung at Blue Leaf! The daylight hours grow longer each day, and so does our students’ capacity for play. We have been lucky enough to be almost completely outside all day the past two weeks, and the children are taking full advantage of the good weather!...
Confident Relationships and Helping One Another
Continuing with the same theme from last week, the infant class spent most of our time outside! The infant yard can be seen as all things nature sensory play with plenty of dirt, sticks, leaves, rocks, grass, trees and bushes. We are so grateful for the seasons...
Little Osos(Bears)
This week the outdoors welcomed us into her warm sunny arms. With this emergence of our friend the sun a second week in a row, we were able to explore even more in our outdoor classroom. The sandbox was filled to the brim with small bodies scooping, dumping, and...
Signs of Spring with Hands-On Exploration and Discovery!
Whatever the weather, the infant classroom spends time outside each week. This week was a particular joy as we could feel spring on the horizon with the dazzling sun and smooth breeze. To celebrate this transition of the seasons, the Infant Teaching Team set up an...
Muddy Toes & Tiny Explorers Beautifying Our Outdoor Space
This week we spent over 4 hours a day outside. We did outside snack, lunch, and snack again! Our days were full of muddy toes, dirt under our fingernails, and reacquainting ourselves with spaces we hadn’t spent much time in during snow season. The lilac bushes...
Developing Contextual Curriculum: Breaking Down Construction
At Blue Leaf, our school's educational approach to curriculum is Contextual. Unlike prescribed, rigid curricula, contextual curriculum creates learning experiences and environments that are meaningful, relevant, engaging, and thought-provoking. By valuing the...
Growing and Learning: A Week of Discovery at Preschool
This week at preschool, our little learners were hard at work, exploring, creating, and growing in more ways than one! One of the most exciting activities was our construction project. With eager hands and curious minds, the children worked together, building and...
Natural Exploration and Infant Researchers
This week, we were able to move some of our learning outside! We brought out bugs and magnifying glasses for the children to explore in the sun. Outdoor learning benefits social interactions, cognitive abilities, physical health, and engagement with learning! We even...
Big Body Play During Wintery Inside Time
The Colorado sun has been hiding from us for the last two weeks keeping the temperature low and the toddlers inside. Being in a classroom with a group of busy, curious, and growing toddlers all day presents new learning experiences. Although our classroom is dynamic,...
Preparing for Spring and Introducing Tea Time
This week in our preschool classroom was filled with excitement, hands-on learning, and new discoveries! Inside the classroom, our little learners continued developing their fine motor skills through beading. With focused hands and creative minds, they worked on...
Moving Our Bodies – The Pikler Triangle
This week, we introduced the Pikler Triangle to the infant classroom. The Pikler triangle encourages children to move freely and expand their gross motor skills, encouraging coordination, strength, balance and confidence in themselves and what their bodies are capable...
Another week of inside time due to cold weather, but the development and learning continues!
Despite the cold weather our toddlers had lots of energy and a persistent desire to use their gross motor skills– therefore, dance parties were a daily occurrence (sometimes multiple) to get our bodies moving. Teachers had frequent special requests for “Dance Mode”...
New Experiences and Building Connection Around Rest Time
With the chilly weather outside, we embraced the opportunity to try intentional grouping inside—rotating between our upper and lower Pre-K spaces. This gave children a chance to interact with a broader group of peers, fostering new friendships beyond their usual...
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