A Surprise Monday

To begin our wonderful week of special events planned, we started with "Surprise Monday". The Cardinals arrived enthusiastically anticipating the events of the day. As we welcomed and greeted each other, the children already began picking up on the clues of the first part of the day. Our counters were lined with a blender, frozen fruit, milk and yogurt and the children began asking, "Ooh, what are we making?" In looking at all the ingredients, they figured out that these items were key components to making smoothies and were delighted in being able to make their own snack! Smoothie making proved to be an exercise in measuring and mixing as the children took turns and cooperated in this activity. Each child eagerly used the blender and participated in the cooking process with pride and a sense of accomplishment as a delicious mixture was created.

Our morning flowed seamlessly as were invited to visit Jeanne's second grade to find out what they have been learning. The children in second grade have been studying Egypt and created many books and projects to share the information and research they have gathered. There was a wealth of information shared with the Cardinals as our children had the opportunity to discuss and look at all the creations of second grade. Our children became more curious about the different aspects of  Egypt as the second graders shared what they had learned about the culture of the country. This was a wonderful display of children teaching children and it was an ideal way to continue to strengthen our bonds with older peers in our community. As the Cardinals see the work of their older friends, they become aware of the possibilities for themselves as they continue to grow in acknowledging and using their own talents!

Our surprise morning continued as we arrived back at the classroom and enjoyed "switch time" with the Dove Class. We visited each other's classrooms and participated in interesting activities including Moon Sand and Shaving Cream (sensory fun at its finest!).

Tomorrow is Pajama Day! Come to school in your favorite pajamas...slippers welcome (Just be sure to have shoes for outdoor fun as well!)

Our Cardinals have become performers and are very busy practicing for our Spring Concert and Arts Day which is set to begin at 1:30 pm in the Muller Auditorium on Friday, June 7th. We are excited to share our talents in Music and Art with our families on this very special day. 

Building, Cooking, and Herb Observations!

What a Wednesday!

We began our morning checking in on our herb infused oils. We examined the jars closely and noticed some herbs had floated to the top while other pieces sank to the bottom. We did not see a drastic change in the color of the oil and are looking forward to checking back to see this process unfold!

After a very busy Choice Time, we gathered on the rug and Paula showed us the materials she had purchased for us to display our gratitude for the people in our community. Paula purchased seven boxes of Pumpkin bread and introduced us to the different measuring and mixing materials we would need for the delicious display of "Thank You" to the people who work in our school and help the Cardinal Class. We happily engaged in the cooking process creating pumpkin breads to perform our very own acts of kindness for Debbie, Crissy, Jason, Sam, Gwen, Tricia and one for our class.

We want to express our Thanks to everyone for all the help and support they provide to our school, including the teachers and the children especially during this special time of year. We wish everyone a happy Wednesday and want to remind you that there will be no school on Friday as it is Conference Day! 

New Experiences Everyday...

First Spanish Class

Today was our first day of Spanish with Alicia. She came to our class and talked to us about learning to speak Spanish by transporting ourselves, using our imagination, to a place where only Spanish is spoken.  Alicia told us a little about where she learned to speak Spanish and we learned that Alicia was born in Cuba and that everyone in Cuba spoke Spanish when she was a little girl.  She and her family moved to the United States and that is when she learned a new language, English.  Alicia put on a beautiful vest that helped us relate more to the Spanish culture.  Alicia explained that when she visits us each rotation for Spanish we will ‘travel’ to countries that speak primarily Spanish. We all stood up, spread our wings and flew around the classroom and landed again on the rug and settled in to trying to speak in our new land. Everyone did a great job taking a turn introducing them using newly learned Spanish words.  At the end of our time, Alicia introduced us to her Spanish-speaking cow friend who helped teach us a new phrase “Thank you” in Spanish.

Tye Dying Tee- Shirts
We started the first phase of making our Fall Festival tee-shirts today.  The children are so excited to create tye-dye tee shirts that reflect our class community.  We read the book Feathers for Lunch , by Lois Ehlert which is a delightful story that is beautifully illustrated that draws the reader to look closely at birds, trees and flowers.  We saw a picture of a Cardinal and this was a perfect introduction for our Cardinal tee shirt project.

The children assisted Subha in the dying process. They watched closely as the material of the shirts absorbed the pigment from the dye.   As the children dipped the tee shirt, we discovered that it was necessary to soak the shirt in the dye for an extended period.  This was an ideal time for the children to practice counting to 10 as they submerged their shirts. This activity helps children become aware of squencing and the importatnce of order in certain types of procedures.  While playing in the playground, the children were confident in describing the steps they took to create their tye dye shirts thus far;  " First we got the gloves. Second we dip it! Third -let it dry."  We hung our shirts on our clothesline to dry and the designs are beautiful!  Thank you to Subha for helping us navigate this tye dying process and to Lauren Campuzano for placing all the rubber bands on the shirts to create the design.

Out door play was glorious today!  We hope the photos capture the joy of the day!