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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.

News:

• Need for Seed: Our CT Science Center travelling program was wonderful! We chose the seed program to continue our learning after gathering seeds this fall, and before planting this winter..
  • The program consisted of 5 parts:
    • Dissecting lima beans and learning their parts (seed coat, baby plant’s food, baby plant or embryo). This elicited many giggles as parts of seeds went flying across the room when kids snapped the lima bean in half.
    • Sorting seeds with a partner
    • Looking at a giant seed (a coconut)
    • Listening to the book, The Tiny Seed
    • Noticing how seeds look different using plastic fruits
  • Some fun facts:
    • Sometimes seeds look like the plant they grow into, sometimes they don’t
    • Not all seeds turn into plants
    • Some seeds float on water, some burn up if they get too close to the sun
    • Usually small seeds grow small plants and big seeds grow big plants, but not always!
• Guest reader: What a joy it was to watch and listen as one of our alumni, who is the sibling of a current student, read her sister’s birthday book to the class! To preschoolers who are pre-readers, it must seem almost magical to have a peer read a book like an adult. Note: If you have an older child who would like to come read to the whole class or to a group of children, I would be happy to arrange a time for them to come. Portland late opening days might work best for you, which is fine with me as long as we schedule in advance.
• ED:  Moveable alphabet remains popular, as does the mystery word game (decoding short words). We also played racing dice, and (shhhh…) worked on a surprise book for Ms. Jenny. On Monday, about half the kids did some incredibly detailed block work (I think a whole village). By continuing to allow choice, but limiting their options in the afternoon, we are seeing some wonderfully focused work in different areas, as well as real collaboration and support in blocks, art, and more teacher-directed work.

Stone soup: This tradition has become one of the most special ones at Sunny Hill, and one of my personal favorites, on so many levels. 

• Community: In September, returning kids are typically excited to come back to school, but the class has changed with some kids off to kindergarten, and new faces in the crowd. The beginning of the year is about separation for some, and connection, relationships and the building of a new classroom community for all. By this time of the year we have formed a learning community, and preparing soup together, from vegetables that all have contributed, feels like a celebration of that precious feeling of community. 
• Oral tradition/Storytelling: We read books, listen to podcasts, watch shows, but how often do we connect with our human past through storytelling? The dramatic retelling of our interpretation of the story of stone soup introduces the oral tradition to a new generation.
• Reinterpretation of story: After the first telling, we leave the props out for children to use. For days, groups of children have gathered around the rug, distributing vegetables, taking turns (or not) narrating the story, and bringing people together around that beautiful pot of soup.
• Real work: Children strive to be a part of real, useful work, and they are absolutely capable of doing so, with guidance. Learning to use appropriate adult tools safely (like vegetable peelers), or using kid versions that work (like kid knives), gives them that sense of accomplishment, of autonomy, of contributing to something meaningful that we all need to feel.
• Healthy, adventurous eating: There is a special pride and joy in making your own food, and sometimes it can lead to trying new things. There is so much excitement involved in kids choosing vegetables, peeling and cutting vegetables, telling the story, wondering if there really is a stone in the soup (yes!), that they just might try a whole bunch of vegetables (or even one) that they have never tried before:)

Baking: Of course, baking is also a marvelous example of real work with real rewards, and most kids don’t need to be convinced to try the outcome! The Extended Day kids baked Monday afternoon, then the morning kids baked Wednesday morning, with great excitement that we will get to share these treats with you! Reading the recipe, following directions, measuring, cracking eggs, differentiating dry and wet ingredients, mixing, helping each other and taking turns are all practiced when we bake together at school. And the outcome is wonderful! We can’t wait to share our pumpkin and apple cinnamon muffins with you!

Sunny Hill Preschool Gratitude Tree: In addition to their personal trees, a Sunny Hill Gratitude tree is now growing leaves, among other things. Children are invited, and will continue to be invited, to add things that they are grateful for in school to the tree, and to fill it with their creations and love.

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

News:

• You can feel spring in the air, even when we’re indoors. The energy is high, the excitement palpable. Kids enter the room confidently, with stories to tell, and typically know exactly what they want to do. Dramatic play around the loft and in the block area have been popular, with child-sized vehicles being constructed, loaded and driven in blocks, while all kinds of characters come to life above and below the loft.
• Sand art – many kids have spent a great deal of time grinding chalk into salt in a mortar, turning the salt into a variety of colors, then pouring it into a bottle to create beautiful “salt art”. Having filled all of our small bottles, we are now creating colorful salt to use with glue in the next week or two.
• Marble painting – today kids experimented with using a marble to paint, instead of a brush or fingers. It took some control to tip the tray in just the right way so that the marble would roll through the paint they had scooped onto their paper, instead of just rolling around the sides. Children who stuck with it for a while (of which there were many), and chose to add multiple colors, discovered layers of color revealed by the rolling marble. The project was all about the process, but the products are really interesting to look at, and so colorful!
• Homework – we gave the kids a homework assignment today. We have been reading a book about seeds, called The Reason for a Flower. It has led to many discussions about seeds, plants, flowers and roots. Children shared about fruits and vegetables that they eat which have seeds in them. For homework, we asked the kids to save seeds and bring them in for us to look at. Please remind your kids about this when you’re cooking or eating foods with seeds. You could put the seeds in a cup or a paper towel and send them to school any day next week. We’re hoping to collect a variety of seeds for comparison. In the meantime, the seeds, that we planted in school with Mr. Bob, are growing into plants!
• Signs of spring – we have had a wonderful week of wildlife viewing at SHP. For the past two weeks we have been hearing and seeing frogs in our newly formed pond up on the hill. Some of them are humongous! On Wednesday we spotted a male and a female duck in the pond, but they flew away when we approached loudly. Today we approached quietly and they stayed, so we stayed and observed them for a few minutes. Then at lunchtime, we spotted a goldfinch out the window in our garden! What a wonder it is to witness the unfolding of spring before our eyes.
• 300 piece puzzle – one child selected a 300 piece puzzle to work on last week, which seemed completely overwhelming at first. It took a long time to sort the pieces, and to figure out how to get started. Since then, however, a variety of children have spent time at the puzzle table, learning different ways to approach a puzzle and, slowly, slowly, having some success. What a thrill it is to see pieces coming together to form a picture, and to be present when a child celebrates the making of a match.
• Extended Day:
  • We have been very busy adding details to our cut-outs, which has been an exciting project. Before drawing faces on the cut-outs, we spent some time studying our skin tones and mixing our special skin-toned crayons to find the best match. We then took a close look at our eyes before drawing them and adding other facial details. Another day we discussed our hair features (straight/curly, long/short, dark/light) then each child found the yarn that was the best match, cut as many strands as they felt they needed, then glued them on. Next week we will work on clothing and begin our graduation posters.

Songs:

• I Love the Mountains
• Make New Friends but Keep the Old (as a round)
• Row your Boat (as a round)

Books:

• Inch by Inch
• The Reason for a Flower

News:

• It was wonderful to be back together after vacation – we heard many stories of adventures near and far! It has been a week of reconnection for kids, many of whom clearly missed each other during the break.
• After a long winter and solar eclipse, this has felt like a week to celebrate the sun! We greatly enjoyed increased outdoor time, and two days of outside lunch this week! Hopefully there will be more to come:)
• Liquid watercolor was popular this week, with kids experimenting first with droppers, then little paint brushes, which was a very different experience, and produced a very different result. Some children were most fascinated by the movement of the liquid through the paper towel, others with the mixing of colors as capillary action took place.
• We have begun having a “Helper of the Day”, who removes a link from our chain, helps us count how many days are remaining (still a lot, according to most kids), and waters the special plants that Mr. Bob helped us plant.
• The Spring Events page needed a few edits – here’s the edited version:
  • SHP Spring Events 2024
• Extended Day:
  • As the year draws to a close, we’ve been trying to complete projects that had multiple steps, or took time to percolate. Our 3rd class book is nearing completion, with some incredible artwork added to help highlight the words on the page. Sewing projects are being evaluated for completion. And life-sized cut-outs of the graduates are being worked on. We’re also just enjoying each other’s company in these last weeks of school.

Songs:

• Happy Birthday (two birthdays this week!)
• Make New Friends but Keep the Old
• Row your Boat (as a round)

Books:

• The Tiny Seed
• Harry the Dirty Dog (birthday book)
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas (birthday book)

Important Requests:

• Please continue to spread the word about Sunny Hill! We still have 3 spaces we need to fill.

Reminders:

• Looks like we made it…to spring weather! We might finally be done with snow gear! However, on wet days rain boots and rain pants or a change of clothes are still really important.
  • Rain boots if it’s wet
  • Inside shoes (sneakers, slip ons, etc)
  • A change or two of weather-appropriate clothes (including socks & underwear)
  • Jacket/sweater/sweatshirt
  • Sturdy, closed-toe shoes (crocs and dress shoes are not safe or appropriate for outside play)

What’s Going Round:

• ???

Upcoming Dates:

5/10 Munch on a Muffin (families invited for muffins at drop-off 9-9:30)

5/10 Kindergarten reunion 1:30-2:15 (ED kids encouraged to stay with an adult)

5/13 School photos (5/15 rain date)

5/17 Trike-a-Thon 10:30-11:30 – families invited – details to follow – 5/20 rain date

5/27 No school – Memorial Day

6/3 Last day of school – 11-12:30 Family picnic & concert, 12:45-1:30 Graduation (Graduating families only)

News:

• This will be a brief newsletter, as it’s been a very busy week with conferences. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me to discuss your wonderful, unique children. It’s such an important piece of our combined work, in the service of these precious children, to celebrate their growth, to puzzle together over their challenges, and to work together to help them grow into the best versions of themselves.
• “Mr. Bob”, a member of Zion Lutheran and an incredible supporter of Sunny Hill Preschool (he’s the reinforcer of the climber and builder of the garden bed), came on Monday and Friday this week to plant with the children. He and his wife, Karen, plan to help us grow our gardening program over the course of the next several years.

Songs:

• Green and speckled frogs
• Other songs with Ms. Jenny

Books:

• Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt