Tuesday News

Tuesday May 21, 2013

The children began their morning with open choice time. There were builders in the block area, artists in the studio, and  children sharing their family books on the front rug. Soon, an exciting visitor came to  our  classroom! 

Wyatt's uncle T.C., an artist, came into school with him today to share with the children some of his knowledge of art, and to share what his art is composed of and how he came to be an artist. He told the children how at a young age he thought he would grow up to become a writer, but was then introduced to the visual arts in school. A lot of his art still reflects his personal story and his paintings and drawings  he showed us all involve written words and letters. He loves to create art with letters and is often inspired by print in newspapers, signs and words that capture his feelings.  Many of his pieces of art have a message that he feels is important to share.

The Cardinals were excited to hear about the different elements in his artwork, and loved seeing his work on a big projector screen. He  brought with him a short animated film about the weather which he made through a collage technique where he cut out tiny pictures of the weather from the newspaper and  glued each picture onto a special paper which he eventually turned into a film.  This film  will be featured in an upcoming art show in Philadelphia on the Parkway on July 12th.!

Returning to our classroom, the children enjoyed playing in our classroom. 

The flower shop was reopened!

Play in the Flower Shop and making bouquets led to conversation about weddings !At one point, the entire class engaged in a wedding themed dance party combining the dress up clothes from the dramatic play area, bouquets from our flower shop, and a dance party to classical music! The Cardinals  loved waltzing with partners around the room!

Beautiful weather outside... 

Growing Together on Wednesday...

The Cardinal's comfort with each other and their environment was felt this morning as they entered the classroom full of energy! A dance party and concert was organized and the children enjoyed expressing themselves through movement. Joyful experiences such as this have supported the children in developing an appreciation for the friendships they have formed and continue to build.

The children also continue to display their appreciation for art as they used the watercolors to create colorful pieces. The children noticed how the paper absorbed the color and explored cause and effect as they tried mixing two or three colors together. The children clearly had ideas in the minds and explained details about the paintings such as, "This purplish blue is like the sunset","This blue green is what you see in space", and "The yellow up here is for the sun".

At Morning Meeting, we took the opportunity as a group to revisit our beginning vegetable and herb gardens. We compared the length of the different sprouts and even used a ruler to identify the size. The children began using size comparison words such as "longer", "shorter", "bigger", and "small". This activity promoted number literacy and an introduction to early math concepts skills such as measuring. We also identified the steps of caring for the plants and pointed out the difference in the texture and look of the soil when it needed more water. Parents and Families: If your child's seed has sprouted, we welcome you to take it home and begin your own garden! You can transfer the plant to a bigger pot or try finding a place for the starter pot to be placed in the ground outside. 

As the children explored the outdoor playground, the connection with seeds, plants and nature was truly visible. The children used their senses to touch, feel and explore the spring changes that are happening in the soil and developing flowers.

After our outdoor play and a delicious lunch together, the Cardinals were ready for a relaxing story time together. In pairs and small groups, the children intentionally selected books and joined in this beginning literacy experience by retelling the storys using the pictures as context clues. 

Just a reminder: Tomorrow our day begins with Library at 8:30! 

Pajama Day

February 28, 2013

Pajama Day was the most wonderful, fun, joyous day!  The children and teachers were fully connected and immersed in the spirit of community and friendship from the minute they entered the building this morning.  Hugging and greeting friends in pj's and introducing favorite lovies was observed throughout the classroom.  Changing things up a bit for children at this age so often stimulates a new appreciation and energy in their lives.  The exited feelings permeated the halls and classrooms of all of our EC wing and the positive vibes were truly contagious!  The children loved deciding if they wanted to relax and play on their sleeping mats as well as bring all of their lovies into the classroom for play for the whole day.  Throughout the day our children had numerous opportunities to listen to stories read aloud and they absolutely loved the  informal, cozy reading time together.  We had a special snack and cooking activity to further support our Pajama Day concept that the children were very thrilled with.  We made waffles on a waffle iron and enjoyed fresh fruit, syrup and whipped cream to accompany this yummy snack. We also enjoyed cereal and milk today.

The four EC classrooms joined as a community in our classroom for a wonderful shared reading experience.  Debbie read several favorite books that she felt embodied the spirit of the day. Debbie read, The Napping House, Mortimer,  and The I Love You.  This was a meaningful experience where the four classes reconnected with familiar faces and friends as a whole group. The happiness and joy was clearly felt throughout the day and expressed by our children in conversations.

Building, playing in the Dramatic Play area as well as playing outdoors was especially fun in pajamas!

Christina shared with us her incredible gifts of music today. We knew that she is a very gifted vocalist and when we returned form outdoor play, we were all snuggled on the rug and we asked her if she would sing one of her favorite songs to us.  The experience was so moving and enlightening for all of us. We learned that Christina started singing lessons when she was six years old and she has loved singing and music all of her life.  She especially loves to sing opera and the children had the gift of being exposed to this type of music today as well.  The impromptu performance was magical and we feel that this will be the beginning of developing our curriculum where the children have the opportunity to develop an appreciation of music.