Pause

For the short-term, our class blog will be going on hiatus. We will return to posting as soon as possible! 

Thank you for understanding.

Forest Fridays

Today we had our very first Forest Friday!

The SKs and I headed out to the Green Classroom to observe, explore, and inquire. 

We started out by finding our special forest spots, and sat by ourselves for a few minutes, so we could observe the sights, sounds and smells of the area. 

Then we headed out for free explorations. 

There was a lot of interest in the burdock plant, which is in flower. 

We were lucky to see a monarch, and the children learned how to identify milkweed. They also learned why it is important to plant and preserve milkweed. 

Outdoor play is a cornerstone of our FDK program. We will be spending many days (not just Fridays) out in Nature. 

Dot Day

Today the class fairy brought us a wonderful book called The Dot. 

Vashti to thinks she can't draw, but finds her artistic side by drawing dots of all kinds. She learns that there are no mistakes in art. 

We decided to try making dots of our own!

Now we have a gallery of dots to share, just like Vashti!

Snappy

Our freshwater ecosystem got a new visitor today...

Introducing Snappy! One of our students found him at home and he came to visit for a day or two before being released back into the wild. 

We learned that baby snapping turtles have soft shells and need to be protected. Their species is threatened, so we are very lucky to see such a tiny one up close. 

The children also used their observation skills and did lots of talking and listening about Snappy today. We got some turtle books and did research using the iPad. 

Thank you to KG's family for sharing Snappy!

Classroom Fairy

When we got back from summer vacation, this box had magically appeared in our class!

We made lots of guesses where it came from...Charlie thinks it's from Santa, Claire thinks it was a wedding present for me (lol!), and Ben thinks it belongs to a fairy. When we opened it up we saw a fairy door, and a package. 

Looks like Ben was right, and we have a fairy box in our own classroom!

Her gift today was....

We got right to work with the fairy finger paints. 

It was a wonderful sensory experience, feeling the slippery paint slide over fingers and the smooth table. 

 

After, the children did a great job being responsible for their own hygiene. 

I wonder what the fairy will bring next?

The more we get together

Today marks our first full day as a complete classroom community. What a day it was! Our SKs were so proud to be the big kids, and they took their roles as leaders seriously.  Each SK had a JK buddy to care for, and they did a great job! It was lovely for he JKs to have a friendly face to help them out when needed. 

Play time was wonderful, and everyone shared most of the time. The sand box was always busy. 

 

Max was focused on the trains, building an elevated railway. 

The fish got lots of attention too. We learned not to tap on the glass or jiggle the tank. 

Many children played cooperatively in small world drama games. 

Some children worked on their fine motor skills with the play dough. 

Our builders also got to work with the blocks. 

And the writing! Oh the writing! Without any prompting, we had many authors today. 

We are so proud of our new crew!

Welcome back to our new SKs

Our first day back together was a wonderful time of reunions and catching up. We each shared stories from the summer, then headed off to explore our re-designed classroom. 

After some hard work and a quick restocking trip to the public library, we were pooped. Time for a little peace and quiet time. 

Re-energized, we headed outside to check the garden and plant some fall lettuce. 

We ended the day with some learning on the playground. The children have become so strong over the summer!

2015-16 is off to a great start! Can't wait to welcome the JKs into our community.