the rhythm of the day

We are getting into the rhythm now, all of our centers have been opened and children are showing us how comfortable they feel in the classroom. This week was supposed to finish off with a walking trip to Red Mango but due to the weather we had to reschedule for Monday. We still need as many parents and grandparents as possible to come with us Monday, from 10:30 to 12:30 to insure it's a safe walk. We are about to begin a study of ice cream and some parents may wonder why. It began with our first morning on the playground, when a few children crawled under the playground and set up their own ice cream shop. Now it's common to hear children yelling "ice cream, who wants ice cream?" each day and more often than not, they give it away for free. Very generous bunch. On Monday, we'll see how business is done at Red Mango and take some of the information we learn back to the classroom to create our own ice cream shop.


After a few days we made our own ice cream shop sign.


After exploring color mixing we added "insta snow" and pretended it was ice cream!



We also have pumpkins growing in the back yard of the school. We took advantage of this and explored one completely.


We scooped pumpkin flesh and seeds out to make pumpkin muffins. We noticed how the water seeped out after several minutes. We discovered there is a lot of water in pumpkin.


One of my favorite photos of the week (since block center may be my favorite center), children began using the art and design books in the center to build. Here, he is even sketching a blueprint before building.

awareness

The priority during the beginning of the school year is to work on our comfort level separating from mom or dad during the school day, which is tough for many children. Develop our sense of classroom community and culture, including the culture of following our class rules. And as we work to grow in these areas, we spend a good deal of time talking about ourselves. We have been focusing on our physical self recently. Each day this week we have been talking about one of our five senses. Children have made keen observations about how bumpy the bubble wrap feels, how cinnamon smells like a tree, how we hear the wind outside on the playground, and how smoothe the clay feels in our hands. I've been so impressed with the many descriptive words flowing in conversation. Below are a few photos of our smelling experiment from today.


I filled beakers with cinnamon sticks, garlic, cloves, itallian seasoning, coffee, and tea. We took turns sniffing, making predictions, and talking about which sents we liked and which we didn't. Some children made connection with scent and food saying that the cinnamon smelled like apple pie and the garlic smelled like pizza. Very advanced noses!


When we were through smelling, I asked children to draw their favorite smell. Most opted for an observational drawing of the scent-filled beaker, like C's drawing above who chose coffee and wanted to know how to spell "coffee is good." However, one student drew a picture of what cinnamon reminded her of - clouds and mountains.

In our speedy digital age, having the ability and know-how to tap into the senses is imperative. Being able to simply be aware of the moment, through the senses, will help children as well as adults stay grounded, steady, and calm. I encourage you to make this a practice at home. Next time you're walking home or outside with your child talk with them about all of the sights, sounds, and smells. When cooking, taste ingredients and talk about their flavors. Take advantage of each perfect moment.

our first week of discovery - in pictures

Day One Down (thankfully)

The first day of school is exciting for some, terrifying for others, and many appear cautiously ambivalent. Yesterday, may have been the toughest "first day" I've been through as a teacher. There were a lot of tears yesterday, most eyes dried within our half day filled with reading, singing, and dancing. With all of the ups and downs I have to apologize to parents - there really was very little time to speak with you. Next week things will begin to calm down and I will be much more available for questions and chatting. If you have any urgent questions or concerns you can always write it down and tuck a little note in the blue communication folder - these should come in each day with your child.

I was so impressed with the way children were using materials and acclimating to the classroom, on the whole it's a very mature bunch! I really am so excited to learn more about each child and YOU, the family.

This blog is another means for me to communicate with you, the families of our pre-k class and it is also a tool for me to document our class life and reflect upon my work. You're always welcome to leave comments on the blog or feel free to email me. In honor of documentation here are some photos of our environment from mess to a new beginning.


This is what I walked in to the week before school started...messy potential at it's best.


The first thing I did was paint all of the bulletin boards a pale blue color. Filling the environment with calm, natural colors is a priority for me this year. You can see a bit of blue peeking behind the furniture mountain.


Block center beginning to come together, the Frank Lloyd Wright poster is a staple in the center during the beginning of the year.


The literacy center in the back and the science center in the foreground beginning to take shape as well.


Although science center is my favorite center, this shelf is covered with paper now until we're ready to open it up in the next week or so.



A very large area is dedicated to dramatic ply this year. I'm hoping the free wall (more like a blank canvas) will allow for creative transformations of the space into..well really anything we can imagine.


These pieces of beach glass will be used to call on children during morning meeting, to insure that every child gets a turn to share.