Our week before spring break was definitely event PACKED. We had a lot to talk about and a lot to accomplish. It was also the last week for our friend, Macy. The kids worked hard all week drawing her pictures and dictating what they love to do with her in school, all of which was put inside a special "Goodbye Book" for Macy to take with her to her new home. She can read her book whenever she feels like she misses her friends at Columbus Preschool, and we talked about how writing letters is another way for us all to stay in touch.

We had a special goodbye party for Macy, and the class decided to make her cupcakes for a treat... with cinnamon! This deliciously sweet and healthy spice has been the biggest craze among the kids. As a class, we talked about how sometimes you need to try things 7 or 8 times before your tongue realizes it's yummy. After our conversation, all of the class was willing to taste cinnamon with apples and there was an overwhelmingly positive response. They've now been asking to add it to their applesauce and fruit on a regular basis.

Baking also gave us the chance to further talk about fractions. The kids were exposed to what fractions look like, and that a fraction means a part of something. We discussed the most basic fraction, 1/2. They learned that two halves are equal parts, and when put together, they equal one whole item. We used common objects from our classroom to demonstrate this concept, and some of the children recognized 'halves' on their own as they encountered them during the day, usually as they're opening their sandwich at lunchtime.

Another one of our math lessons was learning to count by 10's. This came about when one student from our class wanted to collect 100 blue unifix cubes and connect them to make one long, straight line. He and I counted them many times together to see if he had enough cubes to amount to 100, but counting by 1's took a really long time! After finally reaching 100 cubes, as a class, we counted them together by 10's. We divided them into groups, and they understood that 1 group is 10 cubes, 2 groups is 20 cubes, etc.

The kids were visited this week by Dr. Levy and his family dog, Shauna. They learned about what a Veterinarian does, and the basic needs of animals, which we discovered are quite similar to the needs of humans. He showed us how he gives check-ups to animals, making sure they are healthy, and used x-rays to demonstrate how he determines why an animal may not be feeling very well. There are some cases when animals need to have surgery, and after surgery, the doctor needs to make stitches. Dr. Levy showed us how this is done using his stuffed animal friend. The kids were in complete awe as they watched this procedure. After Dr. Levy's visit, it was no surprise that the kids were interested in doctors. This came out through their imaginative play as they pretended they were doctors or sick patients; some human, some puppies or kittens. We borrowed a doctor kit from Didi's classroom, equipped with a stethoscope, thermometer, blood pressure gauge and various other tools.

As Passover and Easter were approaching, we talked about which holidays we celebrate and how we celebrate them. When asked why we celebrate them, many of the kids were at a loss for words. Marcia shared the story of passover and I shared the story of Easter. We talked about what it means to be free and how it is important to be compassionate and kind to others, even when others may not be very friendly to us. The children were exposed to the traditions of these holidays as we learned about the significance of unleavened bread and made chocolate covered matzoh. They also colored eggs, which symbolizes new beginnings and the coming of Spring! We had a few egg hunts outside, and the kids chose to hide the eggs for the teachers, too. I must say, I don't know how fair it is to hide the eggs in your pockets.

Another emerging curriculum in our classroom has been sculpture. The kids shared their knowledge on sculpture and we discussed how they can be made using all different kinds of materials and techniques. They learned about different sculptors as they viewed photographs of sculptures from all over New York City. Many of the kids were excited to recognize the works of art they were shown, and were enthusiastic about making sculptures of their own from a variety of available materials, such as firing clay, salt clay (a.k.a play-doh), plasticine, and Styrofoam.

At the end of our week, we had to do a little spring cleaning before our break, of course. The kids rolled up their sleeves and got ready for a shaving cream party. The tables were coated with shaving cream and they dove right in. After they were all done with this amazing sensory activity, they used a Styrofoam cup to lift away the soapy, foamy mess. The kids were so proud of how squeaky clean and fresh they made their tables-- they actually called the teachers over from the class next door to show them.

I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of their spring break, and I will see you when we return on TUESDAY. Also, if you have not returned your photo orders, please make sure you do so ASAP.

See you soon!

Amanda