Come On and Play With Me!

When Max came to school, Max spelled his name with the letter beads. Hudson was feeling a little because he missed his mommy so began Morning Meeting playing instruments to Octopus' Garden by The Beatles and sang Come On and Play With Me.

At Snack, we noticed that Brandon had pancakes so read Pancakes, Pancakes by Eric Carle. While the Sunflowers and Daisys' classes were at the Art Studio in Tribeca, we explored their classrooms. We mixed watercolor and shaving cream together on round paper to make moons. Brandon and Max built a very long train track. Then we went on a subway train adventure in the Sunflowers classroom. Before lunch, we took turns throwing the beach ball to the number of syllables in our names.

What a fun and busy morning we had! 

From Horses to Moons

Katya, Lili's mom, began our morning reading The Artist Who Painted A Blue Horse by Eric Carle and Harold and The Purple Crayon while we ate snack. At Morning Meeting, we talked about how Eric Carle makes some of his pictures by collaging with tissue paper like in  The Artist Who Painted A Blue Horse. We passed orange tissue paper around the circle for the children to feel. "Soft" and "Sticky" were some of the descriptive words the children used as they felt the paper. Next, we had French with Deborah. During Free Play, the children played with Lego's and purple play dough.

At Reflective Meeting, we laid all of Eric Carle's books that we have in the classroom on the rug.  Each child picked a book and looked at all the pages. Once they had found their favorite page, they shared with the class what they liked about that page. Then we laid every one's favorite pictures on the rug and asked the children which picture they would like to create. "Moon!" everyone responded. Then we asked the children if they would like to make a big moon or a tiny moon. Next, Monday we will be making tiny moons just like the moon in Eric Carle's books!

Grandpa likes the red crocodile.

Harry likes the yellow duck.

Debbie likes the ladybugs.

Scarlett likes the ingredients page in Pancakes, Pancakes.

Nico likes the cricket.

Jamie likes the caterpillar on the cover of Eric Carle's book about shapes.

Lili likes the hermit crab.

Mr. Seahorse!

We started Morning Meeting, waking up our bodies by bending, stretching, and wiggling. Then we talked about how this week we are reading books by Eric Carle and that he writes the stories and makes his pictures for his books. Scarlett took all the books off the bookshelf and brought them over to the rug for us to look at.

Each child picked a book and took a few minutes to look at the pictures in the book they chose. Next, we shared our page with the class. 

Grandpa likes the bee and the flower in The Very Quiet Cricket.

Hudson likes the seahorse in Mr. Seahorse.

Scarlett likes the turtles in Rooster's Off to See the World. 

Max likes the train in 1, 2, 3 to the Zoo.

Brandon likes the moon in The Very Hungry Caterpillar. 

We asked the children after looking at all the pages, we asked them what they would like to make: a bee and flower, a train, moon, turtle, or seahorse. "Seahorse!" the children agreed. First, we read Mr. Seahorse together. Then Jenny drew a seahorse and the children painted it with their choice of watercolor paint. Then they dipped Lego's in tempera paint and stamped them onto the seahorse to make circles.

Before lunch, we went on a dragon hunt. Then we read Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You? and Pancakes, Pancakes by Eric Carle.

Hooray for Purple Cake Day!

Today we celebrated Purple Cake Day. At Morning Meeting, we talked about how there are some children who are unable to go to school, we are raising money so that they can go to school, and that's why we are having Purple Cake Day! We sang I Have Favorite Color and Purple Is it's Name-O to the tune of B-I-N-G-O. We read Harold and the Purple Crayon. We also danced to purple shape Hokey Poky. Each child was given a purple circle, square, and triangle. When their shape was called they had to Put Their Shape In and Put Their Shape Out and so on.

The children decorated crowns, collaged with purple materials, played with purple snow in the sensory table, and explored purple sand with their fingers. During Music, Evan sang and the children danced around to Purple People Eater.

Inspired by Harold and the Purple Crayon, we spread out a very BIG piece of white paper along the floor and gave each child a purple crayon to draw with. Then we made purple play dough and painted ice with purple tempera paint using our fingers. During lunch Erica, Harry's mom, read Harold and the Purple Crayon to us again and Today Is Monday by Eric Carle for Literacy Week.

Today truly was purplicious!

Shadows and Rainbows

We began Morning Meeting singing Sticky Sticky Bubble Gum. Next, we had Yoga with Lakshmi. After Yoga, Scarlett noticed our shadows on the rug. This gave us a fantastic idea for a game. Each child sat on the rug to make their own shadow and then everyone had to guess who was making the shadow. 

Then the children built with blocks and investigated the sensory table that was filled with warm water and droppers. Harry, Jamie, and Lili painted ice with tempera paint. Jamie was fascinated that the paint froze after he dipped his entire hand in the paint cup and rubbed it all over the ice.

Before lunch, we had a dance party. The children marched to We Are Dinosaurs and blasted off into outer space as we danced to Rocket Ship Run by The Laurie Berkner Band. Then we read Good Thing You Are Not an Octopus!