News:
- What an exciting day we had for our Celebration of Love last Friday! Because of the size of the mail truck the kids had made with Ms. Bizzy, we decided that delivery would need to be in the hallway instead of the classroom. We began the day having children select a location in the hallway for their mailbox, then children went with Ms. Bizzy, 2-4 at a time, to deliver their mail. Since being able to actually drive the truck had been a priority of the designers, we gave each child the opportunity to drive the truck while another child delivered their mail from the door in the back. Guess how long it takes a 3-5 year old to deliver 18 pieces of mail? An extraordinarily long time, as it turns out. Bizzy found that she had to adapt the delivery method several times so that all mail was delivered before the 11:30 pickup:). However, all children who wanted to had a chance to drive the truck, and everyone delivered their mail to all the mailboxes. Meanwhile, back in the classroom, children were busy cutting fruit for our fruit salad. Most students spent at least some time at the table cutting red & green grapes, apples, cantaloupe, bananas and strawberries for what turned out to be a very popular and delicious snack. When the fruit salad was ready, and all mail had been delivered, we made a super long table and sat down all together to enjoy our special snack and celebrate our wonderful classroom community. Nearly every child at least tried the fruit salad, and most asked for seconds and thirds (maybe even fourths). We ate every last piece of fruit in that bowl! Thank you for helping your children make their mailboxes and bring cards and gifts for their friends and teachers.
- Teacher work time: Besides a deep clean of the classroom, we used our time to discuss children’s interests and materials that we could introduce to support their exploration and learning. With a variety of new materials out, we have seen the children’s play take on new directions. There has been a great deal of building and design work with Legos, which extended into blocks when the need arose for hangars for the airplanes they had designed and built. A huge challenge came when a student was trying to get a plane with a narrow body and narrow wheels to stay balanced with very long wings. With some focused problem solving and counting with Ms. Megan and friends, the child was able to balance the airplane perfectly and was very proud of his work. Other kids have explored balance in the science area using scales and other balance activities as well. New puzzles attracted different kids to the puzzle area than had previously worked there, and sand in the sensory table drew a variety of groups throughout the morning. The advantage of these days, when we have been stuck inside due to the extreme ice and cold outside, is that we have one less transition time, and a slower morning to dive more deeply into our work.
- Extended Day:
- Sewing: Many have returned to sewing this week after the frenzy of making gifts and cards over the past few weeks. Some continue to work on focusing their attention on the project so that they are sure to stitch up then down rather than around the frame. Others added some flare to their work by stitching beads onto the cloth, while still others are experimenting with drawing or writing on the canvas then stitching along the lines that they drew. We enjoy some quiet conversation while we work, and problem solve when things go awry.
- Obstacles game: Today some children were introduced to the game Obstacles, a collaborative and creative problem solving game. Each child receives a number of cards with different materials depicted, then has to think of ways to use those materials to deal with a variety of obstacles that appear along their path. It sounds like the kids came up with marvelous ideas independently and collaboratively as well.
Songs:
- Mi Carita
- I’m Gonna Mail Myself to You
Books:
- One Winter’s Day
Requests:
- Spread the word! We have room for a few more students to fill our programs, enhance our community, and bring the joy of play-based learning to more children and families. Please keep spreading the word about Sunny Hill.