News:
- Our Monday morning outside was glorious! The children were able to put all of their energy into physical activities like digging, running, climbing, jumping, pushing (vehicles carrying friends, not each other) and shouting. With the sandbox fully opened and all the materials returned after a long winter, it has been an incredibly busy place that promotes interactions and leads to new groupings of kids playing together. In addition, the fossil excavation from earlier this year produced a great deal of excitement when some children uncovered, and then removed, the head of a velociraptor! We also saw a coyote down in the parking lot on Monday, to add to our marvelous wildlife viewing.
- Legos were a hit this week, as many children gathered around the large bin to collect interesting pieces, build fantastical machines, and problem-solve over building challenges.
- Marble painting continued, with some new children trying it out, and others returning multiple times to make new pieces of art.
- Seeds – thank you for helping your children gather seeds this week! It’s always meaningful learning when we think about and discuss where our food comes from, the process of growth, and the wonder of nature. Each child who brought seeds showed them at group time, and we now have a tray with a varied and interesting collection of seeds of different sizes, shapes and colors for kids to investigate with magnifying glasses. As we continue to slowly make our way through the book, “The Reason for a Flower”, we encounter new ideas and learn more about plants. Today we discussed herbivores, carnivores and omnivores, and saw pictures of carnivorous plants in the book!
- 300 piece puzzle – day by day, piece by piece we’re putting this incredibly challenging puzzle together, and what joy it is to see the picture forming before our eyes! This week some kids tackled the big, fluffy kitty with Ms. Megan, starting with the eyes and working their way down to the fluffy tail.
- Extended Day:
- It’s a wonderful experience for children this age to work on a project over time, rather than rushing to finish it in one sitting. By working on one part of our cut-outs at a time, the ED kids have been able to really focus on details, and make their people exactly the way they envision them. We spent this entire week on clothing, first thinking about the kind of clothes they wanted their cut-outs to wear, then finding the material they wanted, having a teacher trace it to their specifications, the child cutting the material out, and learning a method for gluing that would ensure the fabric stayed exactly where they wanted it to. Each child had full agency over their work, and each seems really pleased with the way her/his person is turning out. The cut-outs have even developed their own personalities, with some running or skipping down the hallway, and others always falling asleep:)
Songs:
- I Love the Mountains
- Make New Friends but Keep the Old (as a round)
- Row your Boat (as a round)
- Hey Dum Diddly Dum (with a surprise)
Books:
- The Reason for a Flower