News OF The Day 10/16/2011

Today we...
- used stencils and pencils and crayons to create
- read "There's No Such Thing As Ghosts" by
- ate chips and carrots and broccoli
- played super mamas and babies
- played matching cards
- built a big ship out of our new hollow blocks and played animal rescuers
- played at the table set-up with little animals
Outside we...
- played hockey
- played on the swings
- made a fort

Turn the World Around

We sang this today and I thought I'd repost it from a few years back... I still love it!

News Of The Day 10/13/2011

Today we...
- created with paper, crayons, and scissors
- played with the little animals and blocks
- built and guitar shop and then sold Andy his ukelele
- played the ukelele and sang 'Turn The World Around'
- played babies
- worked on a USA puzzle
- read "The Littlest Pumpkin" and "Cookiebot"
- sang 'Monkey and the Engineer', 'The Cat Came Back', and 'I've Been Working on the Railroad'
Outside we...
- played in and wheelbarrowed leaves into the lilac fort
- jumped in the leaf pile
- played on the swings

October

by Robert Frost

O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
To-morrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
To-morrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow,
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know;
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away;
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes' sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost--
For the grapes' sake along the wall.

News Of The Day 10/12/2011

Today we...
- welcomed Zora backed to school
- continued our interest in goblins
- played the board game Enchanted Forest
- played camp-out
- had Science Workshop. We read part of the book "Slugs and Sails" by Claire Llewellyn and talked about the parts of a slug's body. We then took Little Albert out of the terrarium and recorded our thoughtful observations. We were particularly interest in the breathing hole.
Outside we...
- played "swing girls"
- played house
- played mummy family
- used big cardboard boxes as boats

News Of The Day 10/11/2011

Today we...
- were very interested in Goblins after we found unidentifiable markings on the floor. These quickly became "goblin-prints" and lead to a morning of goblin investigative play! A goblin hunter office was established to study goblins and a machine was created to give them x-rays. We learned that goblins like to hide small things that they take from humans.
- read "Corgiville Fair" by Tashsa Tudor, the same author as "Pumpkin Moonshine"
- created a "Feel Better" book for our friend Zora
Outside we...
- created a new "Titanic tag" game
- were scientists at the picnic table. We studied both monsters as well a "real" creatures
- played Rapunzel

Charting the goblin prints...








Investigating the big room for evidence of goblins...








The office of goblin hunters is established...








As is the goblin x-ray machine. Watch out goblins!

Practicing reading during peaceful activities.

News Of The Day 10/10/2011

Today we...
- created with pastels and pencils
- had Espanol con Teal (pumpkin= calabaza)
- played capture Andy (the knots are getting stronger!) and jet pilot
- painted at the easel (just opened today!)
- had Math Workshop. We played addition and problem solving games.
- read "Pumpkin Moonshine" by Tasha Tudor, an old favorite of mine.
Outside we...
- went to Pomeroy (Isaac's) Park and learned a new game called Titanic. We worked from two benches, the Titanic and the Carpathia. Using a hula hoop as a life boat we had to cooperatively figure out how to rescue passengers off the Titanic and transfer them to safety on the Carpathia. The first round only one captain was elected to rescue the passengers. The second round you could only be captain on one trip. The children figured this out magnificently! We then went into the park proper and the children "played" Titanic for the next 30 minutes or so. This was amazing to see and again reinforced the importance of letting children have the time and space to play out there knowledge. Brain research states that this is how children learn, and limiting this opportunity is to actually interfere with brain development. I am grateful every day that these children show me the way...