Dear Parents and friends,
I hope you enjoy following us on our journey through preschool as much as we are enjoying living it...
Ms Muffin and I are both new to this blogging idea so please be patient with us. We will try to update our blog weekly. We will continue to post photos and projects in and around our classroom to
keep you informed on what we are covering on a daily basis. But I encourage each of you to slow down and enjoy each and every minute that you can with your child. With that said, I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes on childhood...
There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in.
GRAHAM GREENE, The Power and the Glory
Let's open as many doors as we can for your children!!!
I hope you enjoy following us on our journey through preschool as much as we are enjoying living it...
Ms Muffin and I are both new to this blogging idea so please be patient with us. We will try to update our blog weekly. We will continue to post photos and projects in and around our classroom to
keep you informed on what we are covering on a daily basis. But I encourage each of you to slow down and enjoy each and every minute that you can with your child. With that said, I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes on childhood...
There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in.
GRAHAM GREENE, The Power and the Glory
Let's open as many doors as we can for your children!!!
May 2014
Muffins with Mom
What a beautiful way to say thank you for all you do the whole year through...we love having you in our classroom. There is a special magic on this day. You can feel the love in the air and it goes both ways. I love being a part of this day, it is the one day that we get to show YOU just how important we feel you are. Thanks from the bottom of my heart for sharing and trusting your children with us.
What a beautiful way to say thank you for all you do the whole year through...we love having you in our classroom. There is a special magic on this day. You can feel the love in the air and it goes both ways. I love being a part of this day, it is the one day that we get to show YOU just how important we feel you are. Thanks from the bottom of my heart for sharing and trusting your children with us.
Our end of the year play was a first for the Cottage. Your children worked very hard and took it very seriously. I could not have been any prouder than I was that night. The children were amazing but the number of adults who felt that it was important enough to come back to school to support their child was even more astounding. Thank you for supporting your child's earliest education, it is their corner stone!
April 2014
It is finally time to put our bean plants in the ground! How exciting to see something that we watched grow in a Ziploc bag be big enough to be held in our hands and placed in the ground. When a child sees that they are a part of their environment they feel some responsibility for taking care of it. It was their responsibility to water the bean plants and to make sure that no one dug them up or pulled the leaves off. And if you pass our playground, you will notice that our plants are still intact and very well cared for!
We decided that what better place to release our worms than in our bean garden. This allows the children to see first hand how the worms play a role in keeping the soil full of oxygen. We continue to feed the worms and watch the tunnels through the clear sides of our planter.
The study of insects....every child in the world has an interest in bugs and insects. We read books, learned songs, collected and released, and even designed our very own bugs. We learned that for a bug to be called an insect it must have 3 body parts and 6 legs. Look at the intensity and focus as they use magnifying glasses to get a closer look as they count the legs to see if it is a bug or an insect!
Below are the colors of a butterfly as seen through your child's eyes. We are using our fine motor skills to paint with droppers, and our vivid imaginations as we envision how our butterfly will look with all these colors.
Happy Easter! We painted and decorated egg cartons to carry on our Easter Egg Hunt. We used cartons to ensure that each child would count and collect only 12 eggs. We learned that 12 is called a dozen. The 4th graders came down and hid our eggs and then paired up with us on the hunt. Our hunt was followed by a wonderful party to celebrate this beautiful holiday....thank you parents.
Donuts with Dad
The pictures say it all! This is a day to pause and enjoy your child. A day to watch them perform in their daily school environment, at a level of competency that is sometimes not seen at home. Thank you all for wonderful attendance. These children love to share their classroom and their friends with you.
The pictures say it all! This is a day to pause and enjoy your child. A day to watch them perform in their daily school environment, at a level of competency that is sometimes not seen at home. Thank you all for wonderful attendance. These children love to share their classroom and their friends with you.
March 2014
We were blessed enough to welcome a new student to our room! Welcome Tiffany Lou. In the short time that Tiffany has been a part of our class she has made many new friends. Your children have welcomed her with open arms and open hearts. If the entire world lived through the eyes of a child this world would be a better place!
What a great month to explore the color GREEN. We mixed blue and yellow to see what we could make happen. This was a great sensory exercise as well as a free art project. You can see from the pictures below how some children are "dabbers" and some just love the way it feels when they smear it with their whole hand.
Some how when I think of leprechauns, I think of rainbows! So we used some of early science skills to see what would happen when you add a few drops of food coloring to milk and then dip a wooden stick into some liquid dishwashing liquid and slowly swirl it around.... and there you have it....some beautiful, colorful, rainbow swirls. The soap repels the liquid coloring, that slowly mixes with the milk.
And the last few pictures show what happens when a cloud can not hold any more moisture. We used shaving cream as our cloud and added food coloring, a few drops at a time. When the shaving cream became saturated it began to "rain" in a beautiful rainbow of colors. Again, I remind you, it is about the process, not the product. Look at the faces of your children as they explore the changes that they are making occur. It is fascinating and powerful when you realize that your actions can and do cause change.
And the last few pictures show what happens when a cloud can not hold any more moisture. We used shaving cream as our cloud and added food coloring, a few drops at a time. When the shaving cream became saturated it began to "rain" in a beautiful rainbow of colors. Again, I remind you, it is about the process, not the product. Look at the faces of your children as they explore the changes that they are making occur. It is fascinating and powerful when you realize that your actions can and do cause change.
Staying with our St. Patrick's Day theme, we used shamrocks and gold nuggets to enhance our math skills. We practiced one to one correspondence as we placed the exact number of nuggets to match the dots on the shamrocks. Little did we know that later in the week, a leprechaun would visit our classroom in search of this very gold!!!!!
And here you have it....my reason for teaching....it's magical!!! Amy Lawler came into our classroom and read a book titled "The Night Before St. Patrick's Day." In this story the children built traps to try to capture a leprechaun. So we used our creativity, fine motor skills, and collaborative thinking to design a few clever traps of our own. We set these traps in place as we headed out the door for our movement class. Upon our return we were devastated to see what had taken place in our classroom while we were gone....our entire room had been "rolled" with toilet tissue...AND THE GOLD WAS GONE!!!! Imagine our surprise when we discovered that he had even used the toilet (and didn't flush). Well, we weren't successful this year in trapping him....but just wait until next year...he won't be that LUCKY!!!
Every year at this time we like to plant our beans. We each dipped 5 cotton balls into a bowl of water, dropped the cotton balls into a Ziploc bag and dropped 5 red beans on top of the cotton balls. We then seal the bag and tape it to our glass door. We know that plants need water and light to grow. And then we wait.....not very long, before we begin to see some roots and sprouts. We wait until the first plant reaches the top of the bag and then it's time to plant them in some in one of our gardens.
We also began our study of bugs and insects this month. And while we were beginning to talk about soil and plants and roots, we thought that now would be a good time to introduce the important job of the earthworm. To do this, we created a worm farm. We used the internet to see what we needed. We layered soil and sand and added water to create a dark, moist environment for our worms. By using soil and sand layers we were able to see where the worms tunneled to get their food. At night we would place rotting fruit on the top of the soil and the worms would travel up to eat and then return to the bottom of our jar. It was easy for us to see how they added the needed oxygen to the soil.
Vico shared his ant farm with us also. We learned that ants tunnel in much the same way that worms do!
Vico shared his ant farm with us also. We learned that ants tunnel in much the same way that worms do!
If you visit our classroom, you can find this beautiful Cherry Blossom work of art hanging in our Cozy Corner. We used the bottom of a soda bottle to create the blossoms. We each used our individualism to create our own tree and then joined together to create the masterpiece that hangs in our room. Working in a group and trusting someone with your project is a life skill that will come in handy as you move forward with you education and later own in your career.
February 2014
As we returned to school to begin our month of February we used open ended art to get the children focused on the colors of Valentine's Day. We mixed the colors of red and white with foam and then again with tempera paints. Children love watching changes happen, especially when they are the ones causing the change.
We strengthened our fine motor skills as we tore and cut paper to decorate our bag that would soon be filled with all the valentines from our friends.
Preschoolers love boxes. And Valentine's Day was no exception to that rule. We created a writing center, complete with envelopes, stamps, paper and writing utensils. We wrote valentines to everyone we could think of! And when each note was completed, you could drop it into the beautifully decorated mail box that the children had created.
I felt that the following 4 photos deserved a special mention of their own. There are 7 stages of block building. These stages are strongly connected to the early stages of childhood development. Stage 1 is the first time a child holds, smells, tastes or dumps out a container of blocks. Stage 7 is when a group of children work together to replicate something that exists in their real world and they are very accurate and detailed in their replication. This is not quite a 7, but this is VERY HIGH END block play! We are growing and developing every day in this room, and by that I include every domain of development.
The very first time I spoke with you on Parent's Night I mentioned that this year is all about fostering independence and social emotional growth. Please enjoy the following photographs as you watch the success story play itself out. These children are engaged in real conversations and shared learning experiences. They are sharing their thoughts and ideas and learning from one another. Everything you see below is purposeful to the development of your child. They do not even realize how hard at play they are!!!!!
Let's touch on independence.... I wish I had timed the time lapse between these pictures. I merely said that as soon as you put your shoes and socks on you can go outside. Colin wanted no help. He sat on that couch and worked and worked and worked on first the sock and then the shoe. The intensity and the precision of getting his sock on straight and then getting that shoe on properly exhausted him.....but only until he flew through the door to the playground announcing to anyone who cared to listen "I PUT MY SHOE AND SOCK ON"!!!!! With a sense of pride that can only be felt by the individual who has achieved it.
Fun project, but needs a little tweaking. We prepared edible play dough, and molded it into 3 different geometric shapes before we could eat it. We learn from our mistakes and next time we will add a little more peanut butter and honey to help make it hold together a little better!!!! This was still a very delicious and healthy snack.
The 5th graders have been researching and studying the Presidents of the United States. Each 5th grader dressed as his or her chosen president. These 6 students came and visited our classroom and shared their wealth of knowledge with us. I was impressed with the questions our children asked. Here are a few that I can recall.... Are you on money? Yes, I am on the $5 bill. Did you have any pets? Yes, I owned two lion cubs. Why are you holding that plant? Because I was a peanut farmer before being president. Why are you holding that fire? I was president when France gave us the Statue of Liberty. What a wonderful way for St. Martin's lower school to include us in an unforgettable learning experience.
We did a lot of color exploration this month. The mixing of red and pink grew tiresome after a few days, so we decided to freeze some of our liquid water colors and use the frozen cubes of paint to paint with. We ended up with some beautiful mixes of colors and a huge mess when one of the cubes melted all over the floor... but a messy room doesn't slow us down. We proceeded with our science experiment of the unit which involved 3 white carnations and three bottles of water with liquid water colors added to it. We placed one flower in each container and left for the weekend. The petals had slight hues of color in them before we left school on Friday evening. When we returned on the following Monday we could not believe how the flowers had absorbed so much of the colored water that they had actually BECOME the color of the water they were soaking in!
With Valentine's Day behind us, our new week began with all provocations being of the Mardi Gras persuasion! We had Mardi Gras music playing to provoke song and dance. Our early math sorting game was made from cut up beads that could be sorted by color or shape. And as every child knows, there is something wonderful about the feel of NEW play dough! The children had their choice of purple, gold or green play dough. We set out beads that they could use to make imprints in the dough. We carried our Mardi Gras provocation outdoors as the children used their creativity to lace ribbons of purple, green and gold in and out of the wire fence.
Time to design our masks for the Lower School Parade! I let the children walk with me into our art supply room and choose any items they wanted to use to decorate their masks. They grabbed everything they saw that was purple, green or gold. We have also learned what each color represents. Purple is for Justice. Green is for Faith. And Gold is for Power.
We love when our parents are able to share their time and knowledge with us! Thank you Ashley for showing us how much fun it can be to make such delicious and healthy drinks.
Friday was Senior Leadership Day. We had the privilege of having Melinda Embree as our Senior teacher. The children loved having her in their classroom. She read to them, built blocks with them, played with them during free play, and she even braved the task of splatter painting! What a lovely addition she was to our room....thanks Melinda.
Our Theater Project
We have begun our second big Reggio Emilia project of the year. With the help of the Upper School Design Class, we are designing and building our very own Cottage Theater down in room LS 20. This is a photograph of our starting point.
We have begun our second big Reggio Emilia project of the year. With the help of the Upper School Design Class, we are designing and building our very own Cottage Theater down in room LS 20. This is a photograph of our starting point.
This project has stemmed from the children's love for our dramatic play area that is located in the lower school in room 20 (LS20). We try to visit this room once or twice a week, especially when the weather is too bad for us to play outside. We use this area in addition to our gross motor play time. Dramatic play is a very important part of the preschool years. It strenghens verbal skills, cognitive thinking, imagination, and social emotional skills. It is a safe and friendly environment for a child to be who ever or what ever they dream to be.
The pictures below are what took place while we were waiting for the upper school design class to come and meet with us to discuss what we needed to make our platform become more like a real theater. Miss Shannan asked many questions such as "What color curtains might we want?" "Where will our audience sit?" "Will we need props?" "Who knows what props are?" These questions soon became more child involved when we decided that we needed to figure out how many children should be on the stage at one time. We learned that if you are standing still, all 26 children can stand on the stage. If you are walking around, 26 is too many, only half of those could walk around safely. And if you were singing and dancing the number was even lower, 7 or 8 children needed all of the space to move about freely. What a fun way to work math and counting into our day!
The pictures below are what took place while we were waiting for the upper school design class to come and meet with us to discuss what we needed to make our platform become more like a real theater. Miss Shannan asked many questions such as "What color curtains might we want?" "Where will our audience sit?" "Will we need props?" "Who knows what props are?" These questions soon became more child involved when we decided that we needed to figure out how many children should be on the stage at one time. We learned that if you are standing still, all 26 children can stand on the stage. If you are walking around, 26 is too many, only half of those could walk around safely. And if you were singing and dancing the number was even lower, 7 or 8 children needed all of the space to move about freely. What a fun way to work math and counting into our day!
And then the big kids arrived, the design team, you could have heard a pin drop. Ms Emily Ross and her design class began asking real questions of these 3 and 4 year old children, and took note of their answers. They measured our platform and talked about the height that our proscenium (new word for the teachers too) should be. There was a mutual respect for one another in this meeting that was unreal to witness. The design class told the children that they were their very first clients. They children are anxiously awaiting the next phase of this project which is a trip to the idea lab. Here they are able to draw on the walls, all these ideas they are talking about, and see through their own images what they might actually look like.
Here it is....our visit to the idea lab. Look at the intensity in these little faces. They are very serious about their ideas. Think about what is going on here. They are taking an abstract thought from their mind, grasping a marker, and re-creating that image they see in their mind onto a blank wall. WOW! At one point Mia said "I can't do it, I don't have any ideas." And I said "I don't believe that." I asked Sophie if she would go to the wall with Mia and help her get started....look at the last three photos in this set....sometimes all you need is someone from your team to help get you started!!!
Our second meeting with the design team took place outdoors as we actually watched them build our proscenium. They were hard at work when we first arrived. We took turns standing in the safety zone to get a close up look at how they used the big saw to cut the wood. We watched them measure the wood with the utmost of care to ensure a good cut. We also presented them with the fabric that we picked out for our curtains, and the glitter paper that we chose for our stars. We then sat down as a group and decided what color we should paint the proscenium based on the color of the fabric and the paper. It just so happened that Morgan had on clothing that day similar to the color scheme we were working with. We decided that the teal color of her shirt would be a great color to paint the proscenium.
January 2014
After a wonderful Christmas break, we were so happy to be together as a class again! Hugs and smiles abound as friends were reunited. Your children returned to school quite refreshed and grown up, ready for new adventures.
We would like to thank the StM Mother's Club for their generous gift! You may have notice the beautiful new light table in our room. The children have thoroughly enjoyed exploring with light, shadows and color changes on our new table.
After a wonderful Christmas break, we were so happy to be together as a class again! Hugs and smiles abound as friends were reunited. Your children returned to school quite refreshed and grown up, ready for new adventures.
We would like to thank the StM Mother's Club for their generous gift! You may have notice the beautiful new light table in our room. The children have thoroughly enjoyed exploring with light, shadows and color changes on our new table.
As we entered a brand new year we were welcomed back to school by
some rather chilly weather!
After our first freezing night of the new year, we returned in the morning to find our blue water table bin frozen solid!
Of course we took advantage of this opportunity to continue learning about winter and winter animals. We brought some of our human figure toys out to "skate" on the ice. We used our cognitive thinking skills as we talked about how dangerous thin ice is, what happens to the ice when the weather warms up again (look at the flat snowmen in the hallway), and what kind of animals live in icy places on Earth.
We made fluffy white snow (early science) which the children love feeling between their fingers. The kids chose Arctic animals from our block center to play in the snow. They also became more familiar with all the letters of their names by placing them in the correct order in the snow.
some rather chilly weather!
After our first freezing night of the new year, we returned in the morning to find our blue water table bin frozen solid!
Of course we took advantage of this opportunity to continue learning about winter and winter animals. We brought some of our human figure toys out to "skate" on the ice. We used our cognitive thinking skills as we talked about how dangerous thin ice is, what happens to the ice when the weather warms up again (look at the flat snowmen in the hallway), and what kind of animals live in icy places on Earth.
We made fluffy white snow (early science) which the children love feeling between their fingers. The kids chose Arctic animals from our block center to play in the snow. They also became more familiar with all the letters of their names by placing them in the correct order in the snow.
In celebration of our wintry weather, we made snowmen out of clay. Look at these precious creations in our lighted display case.
We used our creative thinking as we made "ice monsters" complete with googly eyes and let them skate around.
The same Arctic animals came out again to play on a big blue iceberg! The kids learned what blubber is, what animals have it, and how it keeps them warm. We made a "blubber glove" so the kids could feel how effective it is in icy water. After placing one bare hand in the water and one with the glove, there was no doubt which hand was warmer!
3B vs 3A
Below you will see the excitement of our snowball fight!! Dozens of white socks went flying around the playground, as our class tried to get all the snowballs over the line into Ms Shannan and Ms Anita's side. After a fun lesson in both competitive sportsmanship and silliness, we braved the cool weather and had sno-balls for a yummy snack.
Below you will see the excitement of our snowball fight!! Dozens of white socks went flying around the playground, as our class tried to get all the snowballs over the line into Ms Shannan and Ms Anita's side. After a fun lesson in both competitive sportsmanship and silliness, we braved the cool weather and had sno-balls for a yummy snack.
Using only a few pictures as guidance, the children used black, white and orange paint to create penguins. Their interpretations were spectacular! You can see them hanging outside the classrom.
Hibernation Day! We finished the month with a day full of fun, adventure and learning! We came to school dressed in our pajamas, winter animals in tow, ready for a long winter's nap. We made a cave over our block center. We brought flashlights so that we could see inside of our cave, because it's very dark inside of caves. We read books about animals that hibernate. We measured and weighed our animals, then we charted who had the heaviest and lightest animal, and who had the tallest and shortest animal. And just like the animals that hibernate, we filled our bellies with donuts and hot chocolate before we took our naps. It's a magical time when so much learning can take place in a room full of children at play!
December (no dates, just the whole busy month)
What a wonderful turn out for Grand Friends Day! Thank you all for taking the time to visit with your grandchild in the environment where they spend such a huge part of their time. Not a day goes by that I am not amazed by the growth taking place inside of these four walls. What you saw today is just a snap shot of what these children experience on a daily basis. Thank you for validating what they do everyday, and making them realize what an important role learning will play in their future.
We spent our first week of December focused on the true meaning of Christmas, Jesus' birthday. We each picked a character from the nativity scene and learned about the role that each one played. We also played the dreidel game and talked about the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah.
We had a wonderful turn out for our Christmas craft night. I hope that you are enjoying these community nights as much as we are. I cannot begin to tell you how excited the children get when they know that their parents are coming into their classroom. The friendships are really beginning to grow and I hope that as parents, with children in the same grade, you are beginning to form some friendships among yourselves. Enjoy some pictures in the below slide show that were taken this night....great fun was had by all!
Below are some of the many Christmas crafts that we did this month. We used a real branch from a Christmas tree to do some leaf press art. We used green and red paint swatches to do some patterning activities. We practiced letter recognition by naming the letter on the ornament, before placing it on our tree. We used our fine motor skills as we tore tissue paper and glued it into the shape of a Christmas tree. And we used our gross motor skills as we shaped and molded our Roudolphs out of modeling clay. We read a book that explained the legend of the poinsettia. We then took a walk and collected leaves that we painted red and created our own version of a poinsettia.
November 18-22
Thanksgiving is coming so quickly, and our little pilgrims have been hard at work. The children have been very interested in real pilgrims, and we've talked about how different life was a long long time ago. What did they do every day? What did they eat? How did they help each other, and how did the Indians help them?
Together, the children used Lincoln Logs to build houses...and knocked them down!
Together, the children used Lincoln Logs to build houses...and knocked them down!
Sink or Float?
Tuesday was a fun time for experimenting. We gathered several different items and asked each child what they thought would happen when we placed each one in the big tub of water. Their critical thinking skills helped them make a few very interesting guesses. For instance, I asked Colin what the cork would do. He said it would sink. When asked why, his response was simply, "it wants to". The feather, styrofoam ball, cork, straw and pom pom all floated, and the glass pebbles sank, as they expected. The pinecone was tricky. They assumed it would sink because it is a little heavier, but to their surprise, it floated!
We also added a new vocabulary word. Ask your child if they remember what buoyant means!
Tuesday was a fun time for experimenting. We gathered several different items and asked each child what they thought would happen when we placed each one in the big tub of water. Their critical thinking skills helped them make a few very interesting guesses. For instance, I asked Colin what the cork would do. He said it would sink. When asked why, his response was simply, "it wants to". The feather, styrofoam ball, cork, straw and pom pom all floated, and the glass pebbles sank, as they expected. The pinecone was tricky. They assumed it would sink because it is a little heavier, but to their surprise, it floated!
We also added a new vocabulary word. Ask your child if they remember what buoyant means!
We spent a lot of time outside enjoying the weather this past week. We put another large cardboard box to use. This time, the children made their very own Mayflower. They also played in a real tepee pretending to be real Indians. Simple things are so amazing when a child uses imagination!
Continuing our discussion of the pilgrims, the children realized that in the 1600's (a long long time ago!) there were no grocery stores where people could buy what they needed. They had to hunt for their meat, grow their own gardens for herbs and vegetables, and they had to make their own butter from the milk of cows they raised.
On Tuesday, like real pilgrims, we made butter! We added chives cut from our herb garden to jarfuls of cream, and they shook and shook and shook until it turned to chive butter. Their hard work certainly paid off!
On Tuesday, like real pilgrims, we made butter! We added chives cut from our herb garden to jarfuls of cream, and they shook and shook and shook until it turned to chive butter. Their hard work certainly paid off!
Last week we read the book "Stone Soup" about a group of villagers who did not want to share their food with tired hungry soldiers passing through. The soldiers tricked them into contributing some yummy ingredients to the soup they began to make starting with only three large stones.
As a village, our class reenacted the story, shared our ingredients, and a delicious stone soup. Our chive butter went perfectly on crackers with Stone Soup!
This wonderful story help build upon the children's understanding of the importance of sharing during this special time of Thanksgiving.
As a village, our class reenacted the story, shared our ingredients, and a delicious stone soup. Our chive butter went perfectly on crackers with Stone Soup!
This wonderful story help build upon the children's understanding of the importance of sharing during this special time of Thanksgiving.
Below are a few images of the girls doing what girls love to do...
November 4-15 (two weeks)
What a better way to start a Monday morning than by creating your very own RAINBOW ! We used our primary colors to create all the colors in the rainbow. It still amazes me how many beautiful colors can be created from red, blue and yellow.
We took a nature walk and gathered anything we could find that was of interest to us. We then used these treasures to decorate our initial letter of our first name. Everyone knows what letter their name begins with. We had to take our time and find items that would fit "inside" the lines of our letters.
Our music class this week was absolutely a beautiful experience! Ms Louise met us in chapel and played the pipe organ and the piano for us. She then, one by one, allowed us to explore how they worked and see what beautiful sounds we could create with just one touch. These pictures do not even begin to capture the fascination experienced by your children this day. Wow! Look at these faces and hands and eyes....music is such a beautiful language.
Ever think you might try something new this year with your turkey (or tofurkey)? Well below you may find some very interesting ideas that your children had when they were asked "how do you cook a turkey?" But I do caution....eat at your own risk.
With Thanksgiving upon us we are talking a lot about Pilgrims and Indians. We put our fine motor and cognitive thinking skills to the test with this activity. We created a pattern with colored pasta and then laced the pasta, in order, onto a string and created an Indian necklace. You will also see some children lining up the turkey feathers, from shortest to longest, and then putting them on the pine cone turkey (early math concepts).
It's always fun to play make believe, especially if you make your own head piece. We looked at some real Indian symbols and drew them onto our headbands. Next, you had to count as high as you could (up to 10), and that was how many feathers you earned for your headband.
What a spontaneous and fun activity this turned out to be. One morning we had put out some clay as our morning invitation. Everyone showed an interest so we added some feathers to the table, and before you know it we had some of the most adorable turkeys you can ever imagine.
Take a look at the concentration on their faces and the intensity in their hands while painting THEIR leaf. Each child was allowed to choose any leaf they wanted. They were also allowed to choose whatever color they wanted. This was going to be the one feather that they would add to our class turkey. After the leaves dried, we wrote on each leaf to express what every child was thankful for this year.
Next we held a corn tasting. We tasted popcorn, corn chips, canned corn and corn flakes. Only two children refused to even try the canned corn.....(I'm not telling who). And then we made a graph to get those early math skills flowing, that showed who liked which items.
We also attended a presentation from a guest author in the lower school library.
Sometimes I feel that when I post only the structured activities in our blog that the importance of the background play gets lost in translation. When personally, I feel that these are the MOST important activities that take place in our room. Below are some of the candid shots that were captured with our camera. The social and emotional growth that is taking place is phenomenal. Numbers and letters will come with time, personal growth begins the day you are born and continues to be expanded upon with each and every experience of your every day life. I read a quote over the weekend that said "Instead of teaching our children how to get along is a violent and crazy world, let's raise children who make the world less crazy and violent." This is my new goal as a teacher and grandparent!!!!
October 28-November 1
On Monday, the class decorated their painted pumpkins. Using ribbon, yarn, feathers and google eyes, they added faces and personality to their beautiful sparkly pumpkins.
In movement class they practiced front rolls, danced, walked the straight line and showed how well they know all their body parts.
On Monday, the class decorated their painted pumpkins. Using ribbon, yarn, feathers and google eyes, they added faces and personality to their beautiful sparkly pumpkins.
In movement class they practiced front rolls, danced, walked the straight line and showed how well they know all their body parts.
Tuesday was a very busy day. We went for our first morning chapel with Deacon Debbie. Using a jack-o-lantern, she showed us how the yucky guts in the pumpkin are like the mistakes and bad choices we make. God takes the yucky stuff away and wants our light to shine like the light inside the happy jack-o-lantern.
Then we went to the Lower School library for a visit from author Mike Artell. He read excerpts from his book "Petite Rouge", a Cajun Little Red Riding Hood story and demonstrated some cartoon drawing techniques.
To finish out our eventful morning, we had music class with Ms Louise. We sang some Halloween songs, and she gave us some ghost puppets!
Then we went to the Lower School library for a visit from author Mike Artell. He read excerpts from his book "Petite Rouge", a Cajun Little Red Riding Hood story and demonstrated some cartoon drawing techniques.
To finish out our eventful morning, we had music class with Ms Louise. We sang some Halloween songs, and she gave us some ghost puppets!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
The class came to school in some wonderful costumes! There was Rapunzel, Sonic the Hedgehog, Spider-man, Superman, Wonder Woman, SpiderGirl, Dorothy, Woody, Obi-wan Kenobi, a pumpkin, a butterfly, and even a bat!
Soon after the children arrived, we made spooky Halloween potions!
We mixed red and blue to make a deep purple potion. Jessie said this one was the Frog Potion..."when I sprinkle it on you, you'll turn into a frog!"
The blood red potion keeps away the bad Halloween people and Mia says it might make you into a pony!
Blue Ocean potion is where the sea serpents live. We added a little oil to the bottle to see what would happen. The color only mixes with the water! We also discovered that the sparkle dust only mixes with the water just like the color.
On the playground, we cut a pumpkin in half so they could feel the insides squish between their fingers. What a perfectly spooky sensory experience!
Our class party was a blast! Many thanks to all the parents who gave their time and love for the yummy food, trick-or-treating, games and fun!
The class came to school in some wonderful costumes! There was Rapunzel, Sonic the Hedgehog, Spider-man, Superman, Wonder Woman, SpiderGirl, Dorothy, Woody, Obi-wan Kenobi, a pumpkin, a butterfly, and even a bat!
Soon after the children arrived, we made spooky Halloween potions!
We mixed red and blue to make a deep purple potion. Jessie said this one was the Frog Potion..."when I sprinkle it on you, you'll turn into a frog!"
The blood red potion keeps away the bad Halloween people and Mia says it might make you into a pony!
Blue Ocean potion is where the sea serpents live. We added a little oil to the bottle to see what would happen. The color only mixes with the water! We also discovered that the sparkle dust only mixes with the water just like the color.
On the playground, we cut a pumpkin in half so they could feel the insides squish between their fingers. What a perfectly spooky sensory experience!
Our class party was a blast! Many thanks to all the parents who gave their time and love for the yummy food, trick-or-treating, games and fun!
Friday was Homecoming!
Maggie's mom came in the morning with a stencil she made to paint a big M on our faces. We made recycled bottle shakers, and the classroom got very noisy! The whole Cottage had it's very own pep rally at the amphitheater. The Upper School cheerleaders came to bring us some of the STM spirit!
We took a walk to the Upper School hallway to see their impressive Homecoming decorations with a "decades" theme. From the 40's to the 80's, the decorations were wonderful, and the little ones really enjoyed seeing the hallway so busy with the big kids switching classes.
I hope some of you were able to attend the Homecoming Fall Fellowship barbecue and the game. It was a great night, and our Saints won!
October 21-25
We began our week with some marble painting. We dropped the marbles into the paint and then placed them on our paper, and that is the last time we used our hands for this work of art. We then proceeded to use our fine and gross motor skills to ROLL the marbles from side to side and top to bottom until it looked like a spider's web. After they dried, we used our emerging cutting skills to cut them into the shape of a web and finally glued a spider onto our webs.
We are tending to our herb garden daily. With every measurement we are seeing growth and progress. Our chives will need to be cut back soon, so don't be surprised if you hear that we are cooking up something special with them!
And everyone needs a little time to be free. Nothing brings out the sheer playfulness of a child like BUBBLES!!!! So we played, and played and played.....until it was time to go back inside for lunch.
As Halloween approaches, so does our interest in slime and witches brews. So we concocted some of our very own slime made from cornstarch and water (what a great sensory experience). And we made a bubbling brew from colored water, oil and a special ingredient (alka-seltzer) that caused it to bubble like a lava lamp when you dropped it into the potion!
We also used another creative idea in the art area. We used a potato as a stamp. Ms Muffin cut a jack o lantern face into a potato and we painted it and then created a pumpkin patch on our papers.
Ms Shannan shared an idea with us. We added black sand to a tray and wrote any letters or shapes or designs we wanted in the sand with a paint brush. The concentration was quite impressive as they began to not only control their grip on the paint brush, but to control the speed at which they moved the sand to make sure it didn't fly everywhere!
The weather was so beautiful this week that it seemed sinful not to let the children enjoy as much time outside as absolutely possible. We joined our friends from the other class on the big field for free play. Look at all the socialization going on in these photos. Fast forward fourteen years and these same bleachers will be where they sit and reminisce before going off to college.....some of these friendships WILL last that long.
Your children are becoming quite the artists as they are exposed to more and more different types of painting. Here you can see them using pastels for the first time, and then painting over the pastels with water to achieve a beautiful effect.
And last, but not least, is what has become my single, most personal, favorite day! The day my oldest son, Brad, also a STM graduate, comes to the Cottage. As owner of French Market Produce, he comes and talks to the children about pumpkins and sets up a mock produce stand. The children "shop" for their pumpkins and use play money for the transaction. After Brad leaves, they take over the produce stand as the vendors, buying and selling to and from one another. I cannot begin to tell you what it feels like to share a slice of my world with my son, while I watch him share a piece of himself with my students. And I know that he enjoys it just as much as I do, because this year, it was Brad who asked "Mom, do you want to do the pumpkins again this year?" What a wonderful world!
October 15-18
Boy did our little red and yellow jelly balls change over the weekend! You already know what happened to the ones in the tube. What about the bunch we left out on the tray? Last week the children learned about absorption and expansion as the tiny little balls took on red or yellow water. Tuesday morning, they discovered the opposite...evaporation and contraction. The balls were tiny again!
Boy did our little red and yellow jelly balls change over the weekend! You already know what happened to the ones in the tube. What about the bunch we left out on the tray? Last week the children learned about absorption and expansion as the tiny little balls took on red or yellow water. Tuesday morning, they discovered the opposite...evaporation and contraction. The balls were tiny again!
This week we created water bottle jack-o-lanterns. Have you figured out our colors of the month yet? The children mixed red and yellow to whatever shade of pumpkin orange they wanted. They learned what a funnel is and used it to pour their sparkly orange mixture into the bottles. After drawing the spooky faces, they had to paint the tops green, of course. Have you ever seen a pumpkin with a blue stem?
On Tuesday we visited the Idea Lab to see our amazing House Project on display for the grand opening!
We are so proud of the children for their hard work on this major collaboration. We know they are quite proud of what they have accomplished, and clearly, now the rest of the school can see what a great IDEA it was!!
We are so proud of the children for their hard work on this major collaboration. We know they are quite proud of what they have accomplished, and clearly, now the rest of the school can see what a great IDEA it was!!
Neil returned to school on Wednesday after a month in India! His classmates were so excited to welcome him back with lots of hugs, raedy to play. While we talked about his trip, some other friends informed us of some upcoming plans they have. We thought you might like to know....
"Tomorrow I'm going to Paris! I'm gonna get on a plane."---Jessie
"I'm going to China!!"---Mia
"Tomorrow I'm going to Paris! I'm gonna get on a plane."---Jessie
"I'm going to China!!"---Mia
Thank you all so much for coming back out to school for our first Community Night of the year. Below is a slide show from that evening... Give it a few moments to load...
Because they love Play-doh so much, Thursday morning we put out orange, of course. They really enjoyed the new mirrors on the table to work on.
Thursday was also Library day. Mrs. Hoffman had a guest librarian read a few books to the class. Then we got to go to the iPad lab where Mrs. Johnson showed us how to carefully handle the mini iPads and play games on them. While half the class was inside, the other half enjoyed some playtime on the Lower School playground. It was a fun new exprience for them, as you can see in the images below.
Icky Sticky Monster Goo!!!
This was by far, our most intriguing and addicting sensory experience! With a simple mixture of corn starch and green colored water, we made slime! When you drag your fingers through it slowly, it's a liquid. If you tap it or try to grab it, it's a solid. Just when you think you can grab a big handful, it oozes through your fingers.
Please DO try this at home!
This was by far, our most intriguing and addicting sensory experience! With a simple mixture of corn starch and green colored water, we made slime! When you drag your fingers through it slowly, it's a liquid. If you tap it or try to grab it, it's a solid. Just when you think you can grab a big handful, it oozes through your fingers.
Please DO try this at home!
"There's a spider on the floor"
They did so well with their first time playing this song. Everyone enjoyed it. It's a good thing they weren't real spiders, cause Ms Muffin would have jumped to the ceiling!
They did so well with their first time playing this song. Everyone enjoyed it. It's a good thing they weren't real spiders, cause Ms Muffin would have jumped to the ceiling!
On the playground behind the cottage a few of our friends started laying out logs and blocks. When I asked what they were building, Jessie responded, "we're making a campfire. We're camping! We're in the woods."
I asked, "What will you cook on the campfire?"
The obvious answer was...marshmallows, of course!
Mia said, "I'll get a water bottle from my tent. I'll put some food in my backpack, just in case."
Jessie set up the sleeping bags, and they had a wonderful adventure.
The creativity and imagination of this group amazes us every day!
October 7- October 11
Our House Project has finally ended, and with every ending comes a new beginning. Our final project, along with all of the documentation, will be on display for the grand opening of the Idea Lab. So it's back to the classroom to see what new interests arise that we can build upon!
We began our week with a simple sensory activity. With Halloween upon us, we are finding many ways to explore what colors are needed to create the color orange! Monday we mixed pink and yellow foam soap to test our guess, and yes, we were correct. We also learned that we could draw and write letters in the foam, smooth it out with our hands, and do it over and over again!
Our light center was haunted by some new, scary stencils. We had ghosts and witches projected onto the walls, while others improved their fine motor skills by tracing the stencils on the light boxes.
We followed in the footsteps of the famous Dr. Frankenstein and used our creativity to invent our very own monsters!
This week we planted our herb garden. We planted chives, cilantro and dill. We teamed up with Ms Shannan and Ms Anita's class to dig holes and plant our herbs. We will water and measure and chart the growth of these plants. And when it comes time to harvest, we will use these herbs in a number of recipes. The lessons to be learned from planting a garden are too numerous to list. But just wait and see what surprises we have in store!!!
We finished our week off with a little bit of science. Each child placed a few clear tiny jelly beads into colored water. Their choices were (you guessed it) red or yellow. We observed the beads until after nap. The beads grew quite a bit within those few hours. So now we had large yellow and red jelly marbles. So we decided to see what would happen if we mixed both colors in one test tube and let it stay that way over the weekend. You guessed it! And so did we, they turned orange. But what we didn't realize is that the marbles would continue to absorb water over the weekend. When we undid the test tube the jelly marbles expanded and began tumbling out of the test tube on their own!!! What a fun way to learn about absorption and expansion.
- September 30-October 4
Although we were still working to finish up our house, this week led us on many scientific adventures. Without realizing it, the children learned a little about Physics and Biology. From seeing how locks work and objects roll, to viewing a live cicada up close and making banana ice cream, they all had a very exciting week!
We are continuing to add new inviting sensory activities to our morning drop off time. The children are so much more eager to start their day when they have something new and different to experiment with.
We introduced a new key matching game. The children were given an assortment of real keys and had to match the correct key to its corresponding photocopied image. Focus and attention to detail were "key" in this exercise.
The second thing we gave them was a latch board. This beautiful board is full of brass locks, latches and clasps with hide-and-seek pictures behind each door to help develop fine motor skills. The brightly colored sections also help build early shape, color and size differentiation skills.
In the pictures you can see there are several different types of locks that they would find in their own homes! The children are deeply engaged, as you can see by their faces.
Monday, we had a fun movement class! We started with some stretching exercises as the children got on their hands and knees to wag their tails like puppy dogs and sniff the grass. Then they hopped like bunnies with floppy ears and shook their fluffy bunny tails.
Further developing gross motor skills, they practiced somersaults, using hands, head and feet to push themselves over. Backwards was a little tougher, but they all enjoyed rolling around!
Further developing gross motor skills, they practiced somersaults, using hands, head and feet to push themselves over. Backwards was a little tougher, but they all enjoyed rolling around!
On Monday and Tuesday, we finished up our individual rooms, adding a few 3D touches to some, like ceiling fans, a bathroom pedestal sink, and even a baby and carriage in the nursery! We can't wait for you to see it all together! The house is all built. now we just need to paint it, add grass and whatever else goes outside. I'm sure the children will come up with a few appropriate "outside" features.
Tuesday
Which objects do you think will roll?
With a square block and a long block we made a ramp. We picked several small items from around the room (beads, crayons, pencils, rocks, feathers, etc) and with their critical thinking caps on, the children guessed and experimented to see which things would roll down the ramp.
They discovered that there's a big difference between a flat washer stuck at the top of the ramp and what happened when Darrel rolled it on its end. Jasmine and Eli saw that the crayon and the smooth blue pencil rolled easily, but Jessie noticed that the yellow pencil did not because it was not actually round.
A tiny bumpy rock actually tumbled when Gigi gave it a push. A leaf doesn't roll, but it will fly away when Vico blows on it!
Tuesday
Which objects do you think will roll?
With a square block and a long block we made a ramp. We picked several small items from around the room (beads, crayons, pencils, rocks, feathers, etc) and with their critical thinking caps on, the children guessed and experimented to see which things would roll down the ramp.
They discovered that there's a big difference between a flat washer stuck at the top of the ramp and what happened when Darrel rolled it on its end. Jasmine and Eli saw that the crayon and the smooth blue pencil rolled easily, but Jessie noticed that the yellow pencil did not because it was not actually round.
A tiny bumpy rock actually tumbled when Gigi gave it a push. A leaf doesn't roll, but it will fly away when Vico blows on it!
The children were certainly in the mood for exploration on Tuesday and Wednesday With magnifying glasses they looked at the rocks and leaves around our classroom fountain, giant spiders, and whatever else that looked cool up close, including a live cicada!
Our next activity focused on color sorting. We set up six different colored tubes with a bowl underneath each, labeled with the name of its color. The children took pompoms from a basket and dropped them down the right tube to the bowl below. Most were very careful to look at the pompom in their hand and trying to match it with the colors already in the bowls before placing it into the matching colored tube. If they placed the wrong colored pompom into the tube, they realized as they watched as it come out the other end. Using problem solving strategies and self-correction, they simply picked it up and tried again. This activity, while it may seem simple to us, has so many benefits. It's excellent for fine motor development and hand/eye coordination. As an introduction to early literacy, the children can connect the written word with the color itself and work also work on language skills and proper pronunciation.
"Rain rain, go away..."On Wednesday, we had music class. We sang several songs about the rain. It was another rainy day, and we were unable to go to the gym or play outside, so we went to our "theatre" for some dramatic play. The children dressed up, played with multi colored Popsicle sticks and enjoyed paper airplanes built by Ms Jenny and Mrs. Muffin.
On Thursday, we had our very first Religion class with Deacon Debbie Scalia.
She read a short story, Jesus Loves Children, and your children created a very special heart to remind them that Jesus loves each and every one of them!
She read a short story, Jesus Loves Children, and your children created a very special heart to remind them that Jesus loves each and every one of them!
During morning meeting, Ms Ashley came to read a story. Then we all went bananas! She helped the children peel and cut bananas for the first step of making ice cream. They spread them out neatly in the pan to be frozen.
When everyone woke up from their nice long nap, Ms Ashley returned to our classroom for the next step of ice cream making. She added almond milk to the frozen bananas in a big blender. When the mixture was just right, she poured it into little containers. Everyone got to help by putting lids on their bowls and putting them in the freezer.
When everyone woke up from their nice long nap, Ms Ashley returned to our classroom for the next step of ice cream making. She added almond milk to the frozen bananas in a big blender. When the mixture was just right, she poured it into little containers. Everyone got to help by putting lids on their bowls and putting them in the freezer.
Friday
In art class, we finished our "original works" project. Your children have worked very carefully on these beautiful colorful masterpieces You will get more information on this in the next several weeks.
We ate our banana ice cream for morning snack. It was delicious! Thank you Ms Ashley!!
Red + Yellow = Orange
You may notice some new artwork on the walls outside the classroom. The children were given red and yellow paint to create Fall art.
They also created their first Halloween decorations! Cutting these little wind sock ghosts required focus on the dotted line and showed their quickly improving fine motor skills and dexterity.
We added another resource class to our schedule this week. Today we went to the Lower School library where Mrs. Hoffman read some fall themed books. The children all sat and listened so nicely, as they now know that the library is the quietest place in the whole entire school. Practicing their cutting skills and staying on the dotted line, the kids created ghost!
In art class, we finished our "original works" project. Your children have worked very carefully on these beautiful colorful masterpieces You will get more information on this in the next several weeks.
We ate our banana ice cream for morning snack. It was delicious! Thank you Ms Ashley!!
Red + Yellow = Orange
You may notice some new artwork on the walls outside the classroom. The children were given red and yellow paint to create Fall art.
They also created their first Halloween decorations! Cutting these little wind sock ghosts required focus on the dotted line and showed their quickly improving fine motor skills and dexterity.
We added another resource class to our schedule this week. Today we went to the Lower School library where Mrs. Hoffman read some fall themed books. The children all sat and listened so nicely, as they now know that the library is the quietest place in the whole entire school. Practicing their cutting skills and staying on the dotted line, the kids created ghost!
Here are a few pictures of other fun things we did this week...
We visited the chicks just after the Blessing of the Animals. We got to pet a bunny too!
They built towers...and friendships on the playground.
We visited the chicks just after the Blessing of the Animals. We got to pet a bunny too!
They built towers...and friendships on the playground.
September 23-27
When we originally began blogging I thought that our blog should only focus on our ongoing class project. However, after a week like this past one, it would seem as if we didn't get much accomplished if we only focused on the House Project. This could not be farther from the truth. The children are taking their time with the designs and selections for their individual rooms to add to our final phase of the House Project. We are painting walls and ceilings, then selecting flooring, and then finding furniture and items that represent items normally found in each of the selected rooms. It has proven to be much more time consuming than we had allowed for. But with no deadline to meet, we will enjoy the process and then take pride in our finished community home. Below are a few pictures that clearly represent the thought that is going in to each of these rooms, and the pride in the finished products.
When we originally began blogging I thought that our blog should only focus on our ongoing class project. However, after a week like this past one, it would seem as if we didn't get much accomplished if we only focused on the House Project. This could not be farther from the truth. The children are taking their time with the designs and selections for their individual rooms to add to our final phase of the House Project. We are painting walls and ceilings, then selecting flooring, and then finding furniture and items that represent items normally found in each of the selected rooms. It has proven to be much more time consuming than we had allowed for. But with no deadline to meet, we will enjoy the process and then take pride in our finished community home. Below are a few pictures that clearly represent the thought that is going in to each of these rooms, and the pride in the finished products.
Next you will get to have a sneak peek into two of our resource classes that we attended this week. We had music with Ms Louise where we learned to sing loudly and then softly. Later in the week we had our first visit to the art studio with Ms Budde. We began our original art project that you will see and hear more about at a later date! Again, your children are being exposed to many fine and gross motor skills, while building a very sophisticated vocabulary.
This week we added some sensory activities to our morning drop off time. Sometimes it helps to soothe your inner emotions when you can use your sense of touch to express how you are feeling instead of trying to express those emotions through words that you may or may not have yet. The blue dough is very smooth to the touch. It can be used just like play doh, but it never dries out. It feels more like a powder and is very relaxing to squeeze in your hands. Please feel free to come in and play with it the next time you see it out! The second invitation presented to your children were the very tiny beads that you see below. They were given a measuring spoon and a funnel and told to try to keep all the beads inside of the containers. It forces them to focus and concentrate on what they are doing instead of how they are feeling. The beads were a tremendous hit with the children lining up to have a turn and then waiting patiently for their second turn to come around. This one is also a great early math skill (measuring) and a fine motor activity (dumping them into the funnel without spilling).
As I mentioned in the beginning of the year, this year is a year of remarkable social and emotional growth. Enjoy these snap shots of what is happening within the walls of our classroom and even more so, what is happening on a daily basis in our beautiful outdoor classrooms which have no walls or ceilings, and therefore no limitations....
So we didn't get as far as I thought we might this week with our House Project, oh well... Childhood is not a time for deadlines, it is not a time for rushing, it is not a time for pressures of any sorts. It is a time of playfulness, and exploration and experimentation. And from all these photographs that I just posted, I personally feel that we are right on track for what should be happening at this time in their lives!
September 15-20
We had visitors first thing Monday morning! Once again in the spirit of community at St. Martin's, 9th Grade art students brought an activity for our House Project. The art teacher (who just happens to be Mia's mom) brought small wooden blocks cut in the shape of houses for the children to glue colored tissue onto. It was amazing to watch each one of them with their own individual style. Some were very particular about their decorating, while others simply glued until their house was covered.
We had visitors first thing Monday morning! Once again in the spirit of community at St. Martin's, 9th Grade art students brought an activity for our House Project. The art teacher (who just happens to be Mia's mom) brought small wooden blocks cut in the shape of houses for the children to glue colored tissue onto. It was amazing to watch each one of them with their own individual style. Some were very particular about their decorating, while others simply glued until their house was covered.
This week of our House Project brought us around the world!
On Tuesday, we began expanding our project to include different type of houses from other countries and also saw how people built houses long ago.
We learned that the ancestors of the Pueblo Indians first lived in pueblos, and some still do. They used materials found in nature to build their homes. Men traveled to find wood for roofs, and since the land was near rivers, they dug clay for brick building material (adobe) Your children now know that a tribe is a group of people who share the same language and way of life.
We are a tribe as well!
Children learn best when they are allowed to use all their senses to explore their environment, from the feeling of sand in their toes to clay squishing in their fingers. That's exactly what we did, too! This was quite a fitting project for our Reggio Emilia style!
First we went hunting for wood (sticks) to use as the framework and roof.
Then they squished the clay and formed it around their sticks to form their very own adobe pueblos.
We glued sand to a base to make the ground around their building--reflective of the sandstone environment of the ancients.
Look at what our tribe created!
On Tuesday, we began expanding our project to include different type of houses from other countries and also saw how people built houses long ago.
We learned that the ancestors of the Pueblo Indians first lived in pueblos, and some still do. They used materials found in nature to build their homes. Men traveled to find wood for roofs, and since the land was near rivers, they dug clay for brick building material (adobe) Your children now know that a tribe is a group of people who share the same language and way of life.
We are a tribe as well!
Children learn best when they are allowed to use all their senses to explore their environment, from the feeling of sand in their toes to clay squishing in their fingers. That's exactly what we did, too! This was quite a fitting project for our Reggio Emilia style!
First we went hunting for wood (sticks) to use as the framework and roof.
Then they squished the clay and formed it around their sticks to form their very own adobe pueblos.
We glued sand to a base to make the ground around their building--reflective of the sandstone environment of the ancients.
Look at what our tribe created!
Wednesday was a snow day in our classroom!
When we added water to the special white powder in their hands, the children watched in wonder as it magically turned into cool, white, fluffy snow!
When we added water to the special white powder in their hands, the children watched in wonder as it magically turned into cool, white, fluffy snow!
The Eskimo word Igloo means house. We watched a video about "how to build an igloo" and learned a few very interesting things! Eskimos build their igloo in a spiral pattern for strength. They use an ice knife made of ivory to carve ice blocks to fit perfectly all the way around and up to the roof, and ice is packed in to fill spaces. The heat from inside and the wind outside seals any gaps. There are no corners and no wasted space!
We made an Igloo for our tribe of Eskimos!
We cut an oval opening for a door in a big box. Returning to the basics of our House Project, the children used a paint roller to make the igloo ice white. Because there was only one roller available, this activity really tested the children's ability to take turns. They were patient, yet quite eager for a second turn! If you have any rooms in your house that need some touching up, put your child to work! They would love to help, I'm sure!
We made an Igloo for our tribe of Eskimos!
We cut an oval opening for a door in a big box. Returning to the basics of our House Project, the children used a paint roller to make the igloo ice white. Because there was only one roller available, this activity really tested the children's ability to take turns. They were patient, yet quite eager for a second turn! If you have any rooms in your house that need some touching up, put your child to work! They would love to help, I'm sure!
After they finished with the class Igloo project, we started working on their own igloos. They attempted to build in the spiral pattern, gluing on one block of ice at a time. It was certainly a test of fine motor skills and patience!
Thursday led us on yet another house adventure. We built Teepees!
We learned that to make their teepee homes, Native Americans used 15 pine tree poles for the frame. Buffalo hides were softened to wrap around the poles leaving a hole at the top for smoke to escape when they built a fire inside. Native Americans moved a lot when seasons changed and to find food, so their homes and villages were easy to take apart and move. They used a tripod cart called a travois to transport things, kind of like a wheelbarrow.
We learned that to make their teepee homes, Native Americans used 15 pine tree poles for the frame. Buffalo hides were softened to wrap around the poles leaving a hole at the top for smoke to escape when they built a fire inside. Native Americans moved a lot when seasons changed and to find food, so their homes and villages were easy to take apart and move. They used a tripod cart called a travois to transport things, kind of like a wheelbarrow.
THE BEGINNING OF OUR "HOUSE PROJECT"
THIS IS ALSO WHERE OUR BLOG BEGINS....
THIS IS ALSO WHERE OUR BLOG BEGINS....
Our first week of school has turned into our first month of school way too quickly!!! So, along with getting to know one another and becoming a class, we have begun our first extended project. We are calling it the "house project." It earned this name because it began with a simple box. When we asked your children what they would like to make with this box, the answer was unanimous, "Let's make a house!"
As you look at these following pictures, I would like your focus to be on the intensity in the facial expressions and the purposeful markings that are being made. These children are building vocabulary, working as a team and improving their communication skills.
After decorating our box to replicate a house, we took our designs to a new level. We used precut geometric shapes to create a house on construction paper. The ideas were limitless! Some were very simplistic, and some were full of details as specific as birds in the sky. These are on display in the hallway outside of our classroom. Again, new words were learned, early math skills were touched upon, and fine motor skills were being strengthened.
We spent two days adding details and new ideas to our geometric houses. When we felt that we had something solid to build upon, we divided up into 2 teams and visited the Idea Lab. Our Idea Lab is located in the St. Martin's Family Library. Mr. Garrett met with us to discuss what takes place in this room and how to use it properly. This is a room that allows you to put your ideas out there... each child was given some space on the wall to explore and investigate ways to turn their geometric houses into more realistic looking houses. Here are just a few of the results. Again, allow yourself to see how hard at work your children are with their thoughts and ideas!
We also did an activity that involved a multitude of items that belong in or around a house. Each child picked 5 items and had to glue them "inside or outside" of the house, depending on where they felt that item belonged. Again the use of counting and critical thinking were involved.
We have read numerous books that involve houses of one sort or another. And of course one book that fit right in was The 3 Little Pigs. We touched and explored what straw, wood and brick felt like. We discussed which of these was the strongest and which was the weakest. We then used these items to "build" a house made from these materials.
Another fun group activity was building ONE house as a group. This meant that you had to collaborate with your classmates and allow everyone's ideas to have an impact on the final outcome. This is harder than you think at 3 and 4 years old.
As recently as Friday, August 30, our house made from a box is still drawing a lot of interest and enthusiasm from the children, so we will continue down this path, taking it to yet another level this coming week. This week we will be using hammers and nails and screws and screwdrivers to discover what is actually used to build a house, and how and why it is used. Hopefully by the end of this week, we will have built a house of some sort!
September 2-6
The "House Project" continues! As the excitement of our activity grows, so does the enthusiasm of your children!
We accomplished so much in this short week! I'm sure you will be as impressed as we are by what your children were able to do.
Mia and Jessie worked together to plan a renovation to our large box house. Measuring carefully, Mia hammered the walls to add a bed, and Jessie sawed a space for a new door! In the last several days we have brought our house outside to the playground so they could play in it on the grass. Sadly, we neglected to purchase flood insurance on our structure, so the evening rain caused major damage.
We began our short week by giving the children a real hands-on hammering experience. We discussed how important it is to organize and count your building materials before you start a project, or else it might not turn out right. Each child carefully counted their nails and got to work. With five golf tees for nails, a small wooden mallet for a hammer, and a soft foam block, they had some of the tools they needed for building a house and for building new skills.
Each one of them demonstrated excellent hand-eye coordination. Some gently tapped many times until the nail went in. Others discovered that a few hard whacks made it go in faster, especially if they held the hammer farther down on the handle. This presented a bit of a challenge for us grow ups with bigger fingers trying to pry the little tees out of the foam!
We began our short week by giving the children a real hands-on hammering experience. We discussed how important it is to organize and count your building materials before you start a project, or else it might not turn out right. Each child carefully counted their nails and got to work. With five golf tees for nails, a small wooden mallet for a hammer, and a soft foam block, they had some of the tools they needed for building a house and for building new skills.
Each one of them demonstrated excellent hand-eye coordination. Some gently tapped many times until the nail went in. Others discovered that a few hard whacks made it go in faster, especially if they held the hammer farther down on the handle. This presented a bit of a challenge for us grow ups with bigger fingers trying to pry the little tees out of the foam!
We also gave them some nuts and bolts to introduce the concept of twisting/turning to tighten things. This got them ready for the next day's adventure.
Ask your child about our "house song". They probably know it by heart by now and would love to share. It's a simple one but complete with hand gestures about animals' homes.
Working together, pairs of children got two screws and a bar of soap. We introduced them to a real screwdriver and they continued to practice the turning motion which they used with nuts and bolts. This was a little trickier for their little hands, but they all clearly understood the concept of how screws tighten things together
On Thursday, things got a lot more real!
Your child should now be able to tell you what walls are made of. They knocked on the walls of our classroom to see what they felt like. They felt the edges of a large square of sheetrock and noticed that it was chalky but hard. We showed them a piece of 2x4 so they could understand what is behind those walls and how they are put together.
Once again in small groups, our little builders hammered REAL nails of varying sizes with a REAL hammer into our REAL piece of sheetrock.
Your child should now be able to tell you what walls are made of. They knocked on the walls of our classroom to see what they felt like. They felt the edges of a large square of sheetrock and noticed that it was chalky but hard. We showed them a piece of 2x4 so they could understand what is behind those walls and how they are put together.
Once again in small groups, our little builders hammered REAL nails of varying sizes with a REAL hammer into our REAL piece of sheetrock.
After their nails were in, each child chose a colored yarn to decorate with. Watch the progress in the images below.
If you look on the wall in our classroom 'kitchen' you will see this stunning work of art created completely by the children.
Friday may have been our boldest attempt at construction yet. We began our process of birdhouse building by cutting the wood for the four walls. While it may not be the most traditional looking structure when complete, it will certainly be a unique creation. Keeping our precious ones' safety in close check, we showed them how to use a handsaw and a coping saw. Each child had a chance to help saw one piece. No worries..we did it together!
I hope you can see the focus and determination in their eyes. The cooperation and teamwork was astounding! While one would cut, another (or two) would help hold the wood in place.
Step one: Measure and mark
I hope you can see the focus and determination in their eyes. The cooperation and teamwork was astounding! While one would cut, another (or two) would help hold the wood in place.
Step one: Measure and mark
Step Two: Carefully cut
Step Three: Paint
Does that seem a little out of place? Maybe, but the children worked so hard, we thought they deserved a little messy time...an opportunity to put their colorful mark on the project! They each got to paint a block they helped cut. We'll save the next round of hammering for next week.
Does that seem a little out of place? Maybe, but the children worked so hard, we thought they deserved a little messy time...an opportunity to put their colorful mark on the project! They each got to paint a block they helped cut. We'll save the next round of hammering for next week.
All together it was quite a productive week. These 13 amazing children showed so much creativity in their ideas and cooperation in teamwork. They improved fine motor skills, learned some basic measuring, and showed enthusiasm and courage in trying new things that some adults aren't very good at. They are determined, and their confidence increases each day. Each action is deliberate and purposeful. They are happy, and they are growing.
Keep this thought in mind as you realize all your child has accomplished recently...
"Belief in oneself is one of the most important bricks in building any successful venture." --Lydia M. Child
Keep this thought in mind as you realize all your child has accomplished recently...
"Belief in oneself is one of the most important bricks in building any successful venture." --Lydia M. Child
September 9-13
This week we talked and read about animals and their houses. We explored animals that live in the ocean, in the jungle, in the forest, and on a farm. We built a bird house that will be used on the playground behind our classroom. We began our week by using our painted pieces of wood from last Friday to build the sides of our bird house. Again, a wonderful way to build fine motor and gross motor skills.
Tuesday morning we added a roof to our bird house, complete with felt paper, to later be covered with a real shingle. Your children are amazed by the number of steps that are involved in building a house for a bird. But their continued efforts to reach completion are to be commended. With each added step comes a feeling of pride and accomplishment, which in turn builds self esteem. We also introduced a farm animal game on Tuesday morning. As you can see below, this game involves taking turns, naming animals and making a puzzle. Learning through play is exactly how children this age develop a love for learning!
It just so happened that our week of studying animals and their houses coincided with the week that St. Martin's received their baby chicks for our school farm. Hannah, who is heading this project, brought the baby chicks to our room for a visit! We learned that some chickens can live up to 20 years. This means that there is a possibility that some of these chicks will still be here when your children graduate. And from the looks on their faces as they heard this, I think that some of your children will be keeping a close eye on these little chicks for years to come.
On Wednesday we were visited by the Kindergarten classes. They are beginning a unit on building and wanted to see what activities we had been doing in our classroom. It was truly amazing to watch the pride in your children's faces as they showed the older children how to use the tools they had been working with all month. When I witness days like this, I feel proud to be a part of the St. Martin's Community. All children are respected and valued for what they can contribute to one another. Again, we are building confidence and leadership at it's earliest level.
Thursday we continued in the true spirit of the St. Martin's community. A first grader, Anisha, a former student of mine, came and read us a story. Due to her outstanding work in her classroom she was allowed to pick a reward. And we were lucky enough to be the recipients of her good fortune. She chose to come back to her Cottage classroom and read to us. She chose a book about Clifford (the big red dog) outgrowing one home and needing to find another one. Imagine our delight when it tied right into our ongoing house project. You could hear a pin drop when she read to the children. Her voice is still quiet and soft, but her presence and demeanor quieted the entire group. Mutual respect at it's finest!!!! Children learning from one another!!!
As I type, I cannot believe how much we managed to fit into one week. Because after Anisha finished reading, we had the opportunity to observe some hermit crabs. They carry their homes on their backs. We had already used the internet to learn which animals live in the ocean, which live in a forest, which live in a jungle and which live on a farm. So we used our early science skills to determine that a hermit crab would live in or near water. One of the crabs was living in a shell that was too small for him, so it was very easy for us to see him.
With Friday upon us, how could we possibly surpass the excitement of everything that we had done earlier in the week? Well....maybe a visit from a Katrina rescued tortoise named Zulu might be one way! Morgan's mother is a veterinarian and she and Morgan shared their tortoise with us. We joined the other class outside to watch Zulu eat and wander all around our playground.
Or a visit to the chicken coop that was built for those baby chicks that we met earlier in the week might be another way to top off our week! What a beautiful house it is!