Back to Basics

I hope this newsletter finds you cozy and warm at home on this snowy day.



Despite the extensive variety of materials the children have available to them, they have narrowed it down to a few basics, requesting only paper, string, scissors and glue on a daily basis. For the last few weeks, you may have noticed a small group of children each morning gathered in front of the art corner on the floor, surrounded by a sea of cut up pieces of paper. They have been meticulously constructing highly detailed and original paper designs. Some examples include 'cream-puffs', roses, butterflies, people--with all of their many parts, flowers and bumble bees, cell phones, masks, and even doggy ears to use in lieu of the dog-ear headbands in the dramatic play area. What stemmed from a small group has now inspired the entire class. We have dedicated portions of our day this week to problem-solve and create using only the basics. The impact of their latest visual artistry does not come from the materials being used, but rather from the ideas behind them as they use their brain power to demonstrate their inner creativity.



On Thursday we discussed in depth how we can create a butterfly garden to house all of the butterflies they made, but only using paper! Next week we'll get started making grass, sun flowers, rocks, tomato vines, corn stalks (there are a lot of vegetables in our garden, although I was corrected by Sarah when she told me, "corn is not a vegetable, it's a grain"), all of which will receive light from our shining Sun at the center of our classroom.



We have been reading some really great books lately, including some new 'chapter-books'. One of my childhood favorites, "Tales of Amanda the Pig", and "A Harry the Dirty Dog Treasury" have been particular hits. The kids love the suspense of pausing the story at a certain point and resuming it the following day. Many of the children have been bringing in their own chapter books to share with the friends. We had Eva C.'s mom, Heidi, come in to read "A Kissing Hand" to the class on Wednesday morning. Many of the kids were familiar with this book and were excited to share their thoughts and comments with Heidi after she read. As I always say, it is always a special occasion when a family member comes in to visit our classroom. Thanks, Heidi!



Before we went on our February break, Caden's mom, Nancy, came in to make winter hats with the class that they were able to design themselves. Nancy brought in materials such as neon puffy paint, jewels, sticker felt pieces, sequins and ribbons, all of which were used to create some very original and funky hats. Once the kids finished their designs, the hats were completed with a tie and a fringe on top and were ready to take home to wear. Thank you, Nancy, for sharing this activity with the class! They really enjoyed it, especially considering their interest in fashion and clothing design.



The kids have been very determined to complete challenging floor puzzles each morning this week. Small groups have worked together to put complicated 48 piece puzzles together, always with success. It's great to see the pride the children take in themselves when they finish, and they will often protect the finished product with a barrier of tape in order to relish success as long as they possibly can.



The class participated in baking some all natural quinoa cookies before break that they all LOVED. Here is a very simple recipe for those of you who are interested:



1/2 c. Honey

1/3 c. Brown sugar

1/2 c. Butter

1/2 c. Peanut, sunflower seed, or soy nut butter (we used sunflower seed)

1 c. Whole wheat or rice flour (we used rice)

3/4 c. Quinoa flakes

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon (or more to your liking)



*cream together honey, brown sugar, butter and vanilla



*combine all dry ingredients in separate bowl



*Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and beat with electric mixer



*drop ~2 Tbsp. onto baking sheet and bake 10-14 minutes, until lightly golden, at 350 degrees



REMINDER: Picture day is Tuesday, March 2nd at 10:30 am.



Have a great weekend!

Last week was all about exploring the senses. We began the week with some tea infused play-dough. Some children mixed in watermelon tea, while some mixed in peach. This experiment not only appeals to the sense of touch, but also to the sense of smell. They've enjoyed the sweet and fruity aroma almost as much as they enjoy getting their hands sticky.

The kids finished planet Mercury by molding craters on the surface and painting it golden red. Mercury has been hoisted up next to the sun, and we've now started to learn about Venus. The kids learned that Venus is the slowest moving planet, and is similar in size to Earth. They also learned that Venus is not only covered in mountains and volcanoes, but also in a blanket of clouds, making it the hottest planet in our solar system.

The cold weather brought lots of snow to the ground. The kids rolled several snowballs out on the playground and brought them to our classroom sensory table. We added some watercolors and the kids experienced snow in a new and colorful way. The snowfall also brought the opportunity for some observational art. With paper, glue and snowy materials at the window sill, some kids translated what they saw in the snowy, three-dimensional world to a two-dimensional world, creating snow-scapes on paper.

Along with observational art, the kids painted using Q-tips... not only for cleaning ears! This gives them a lot more control over their medium and the ability to add more detail. Not to mention, it's fun!

Many of the kids have been going journal crazy lately, which is great! They're so enthusiastic about their journal entries and have been unstoppable. One of the students came up with the idea of making their own journal. The kids chose a cover for their journal, and decorated it any way they liked. Some opted to use their journal as a book, and some turned their journal into a calendar.

The class has been getting extra familiar with their last names, and the last names of their friends, using our last-name-cards. We use these cards to transition from one activity to another, and they all love using them. One suggestion was to do middle name cards next. As a person who doesn't have a middle name, I told the class I have to make sure that everyone has a middle name because not everyone does!

PAC provided a visit from two dental hygienists. The kids had a great time learning how dentists help keep our teeth healthy and clean, and how we can take care of our teeth at home. Some of the children had the chance to brush a giant set of teeth using a giant toothbrush, too. A big thank you to PAC from all of the kids and teachers.

As I mentioned in my last blog, we used marshmallows to learn some addition problems. The kids each had two cups and moved their marshmallows from one cup to another in order to solve problems such as 14-4 and 7+7. Once we finished (and spelled MARSHMALLOW together), the kids added their marshmallows to a warm cup of hot cocoa and enjoyed a cozy story with our blankets, pillows and rest toys. Our marshmallow math is posted on our classroom door. You may have also noticed our "How We Take Care of Our Books" poster, where the kids have listed what they need to do in order to care properly for our books. Each day, two new books are added to their shelf as they demonstrate the rules they came up with. But! if there are ripped pages, a book is stepped on or not put away, we will have to go back to one book on the shelf. Right now we are up to six!

I recently sent an e-mail out about our Valentine's Day event on Friday. Let me know if you have any questions. Hope to see you all there!

Amanda

Our space vocabulary has been increasing more and more as we continue our voyage through our solar system. Here is a list of some of the words/topics we have discussed thus far:


Gravity

Poles/Polar

Atmosphere

Nebula

Rotation

Solar Flare

Sun Spot

Crater

Freezing point

Meteoroid

Comet

Mercury


Here is a clip from a conversation focusing on Mercury:


Sarah: "Mercury is like tiny, tiny Pluto"

Julia J.: "Pluto is the smallest planet"

[do we still call Pluto a planet?]

All: "it's a moon!"

Sam: "Space is huge"

[What else do we know about Mercury?]

Ryan: "Mercury has lots of craters in it"

[Why?]

All: there are space rocks!

[What protects the Earth from space rocks?]


Savannah: "There is something you can't see that makes it so things can't get through. [what is that called?] Atmosphere.

Some of the thoughtful questions the kids have been asking include " Does the Sun have an atmosphere?" and "Is Mercury as hot as the Sun?" We have also been keeping track of the facts we learn which will be hanging under each 'space object' the children make. Last week, the kids molded Mercury using a glue paste and newspaper wrapped around a balloon. This coming week, we will cover the mold to mimic Mercury's surface based on pictures they've seen and begin to learn about our the second closest planet to the Sun, Venus.

Aside from Space, we have had a lot of interest in fashion and costume design. The kids have been working hard to make masks, capes, crowns, wings, dresses, and even huge paper dolls using materials such as tissue paper, tape, fabric scraps and pipe-cleaners. They have also ventured into the world of accessories, designing purses and wallets! Their interest in design has demonstrated originality, creativity, problem solving and team work. It can be quite a challenge creating an entire outfit with limited and non-durable resources.

Another hot area has been the block area. Their structures have been incredibly complex, and have really been testing their ability to balance TALL and intricate designs.

The cold, cold weather has had us all thinking about cozying up with blankets and pillows inside. Eva Y. and all of her friends thought it would be a great idea to snuggle up with blankets, pillows, favorite rest toys and hot chocolate and marshmallows while reading a story together inside. This is something that we will do together this week, using the marshmallows to help us get a stronger grasp on some basic addition, subtraction and even fractions. Math can be so delicious!

Remember, please bring in a shoe-box (or any similar sized box) to be decorated as a Valentine's Day mailbox no later than Monday, February 8th.

I'll see you during the week.

Amanda