"A Different Collage"

Our day began with a very engaging Morning Meeting. First, we sang Hello, Hello, Hello and How Are You? to each other on the telephone. Then Lili showed us the shells and rocks she collected by telling us, "It's my basket. I found them on the beach. It's Scarlett's turn." Lili shared with Scarlett. While Nico was looking inside Lili's basket she shared, "I saw these in Bermudas." Then we revisited the collage we made using paint mixed with glue by thinking of a name for our piece.

Jenny: "What is this?"

Nico: "A collage."

Lili: "Yeah, a different collage."

Nico: "It has lots of colors: orange, yellow, pink, and purple."

Lili: "Yeah I like pink and purple."

We came to the conclusion that we should our work "A Different Collage Pink and Purple"

During snack we called Brandon, Jamie, and Jacob on the telephone see how they are and to let them know we miss them. We hope that they feel better soon. Then it was time for French with Deborah. For project work, Harry experimented with crackling leaves onto glue. We talked more about "Leaf Man" by looking at each other's facial features to plan how we would make "Leaf Man." We read Leaf Man by Louis Elhert while the children were worked. Then they shared with us what they had made: 

Scarlett: "I'm making cheeks." 

Nico: "I'm making a chicken."

Harry: "He has a head. I made cheeks and lips."

Lili: "I like leaves. I'm making a mouth."

During Lunch we read Going On A Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. Perhaps we will act out this story on Friday?

"Hm...I wonder...what is music?"

The children eased into their morning interacting with one another as they played  with  materials around the room. Hudson and Brandon gravitated towards the instruments that were on the rug. Scarlett made "hearts" out of Model Magic and Max was intrigued by the magnets in the sensory table.

We began our Morning Meeting singing Hello with instruments. The children greeted each other by saying "Hello" with the instrument of their choice. Max shook his Maraca and Hudson, Brandon, and Scarlett used the "bells". (cymbals) Then we had a discussion about music:

Jenny: "Hm...how did we say "hello"?

Children: "Instruments."

Jenny: "What do instruments make?"

Children: "Music."

Jenny: "Hm...I wonder...what is music?"

Hudson: hummed a song, stopped and said, "Sounds. A drum set."

Scarlett: "Instruments. A guitar."

Max: clapped his hands.

Jenny: "Wow Max! I liked how you made music by clapping your hands. I am going to make music by stomping my feet and snapping my fingers. I wonder if we can all make music together."

The children followed Jenny and we made different sounds.

Then listened two different songs one fast and one slow. The first song the children said made them feel "good". After they listened to the slower song they said they felt sad.

Next, we had a surprise event! We were invited to the Sunflowers' classroom to watch the Sunflowers and Daisies' classes act out Three Billy Goats Gruff. They acted out the story using with their shadows! We sat in the front row and watched as the children put on the performance behind a white sheet using a flashlight, their hands, and bodies. We found it to be very fascinating. 

When we returned back to the classroom we had a Free Play and then gathered on the rug for story. We read Dancing Feet by Lindsay Craig. During Goodbye Circle we sang Old McDonald Had a Band, London Bridge, and Alice the Camel. 

Let's Go Out and Find Leaf Man!

Our morning began quietly as the children watched the We Are the Dinosaurs video Brandon shared with the class. We sang Good Morning and shook hands as we greeted one another. Next, the children were ready for Yoga with Lakshmi. They made different animal poses, sang along with her, and made many different body movements.

Then we were ready for our walk to find "Leaf Man". We walked down the block, crossed the street, walked past Integral Yoga collecting beautiful leaves we saw on the ground. Harry and Jenny found a purple leaf for Nico. When we came back to school we sang 5 Little Pumpkins, Autumn Leaves, and The Wheels on the Bus. During lunch, we showed the children the leaves we had collected. We are eager to see what becomes of Leaf Man next week.

Oh Happy Day!

Our morning began when Hudson signaled us for "clean-up time" by jingling the bells and singing It's Cle

an-up Time Everybody. During Morning Meeting, Brandon shared the Laurie Berkner video of We Are the Dinosaurs. The children held dinosaurs while they watched the children march on the screen. Hudson noticed Laurie Berkner's guitar. Then we put the song on our stereo so that we could do our own marching to the song. Next, we had Dance with Elizabeth. The children stretched, danced along with her, and giggled with her. 

We read The Leaf Man by Louis Elhert and collected leaves in front of the school. At Free Play, the children played with the magnets in the sensory table and with the babies. Scarlett painted with gourds and then did some messy finger painting. Our morning concluded with Brandon, Max, and Hudson laying on the pillows and looking up out the window to watch the leaves fall. 

"Hm...a face. What are faces?"

We eased into our day at Morning Meeting playing instruments along to Octopus' Garden by The Beatles. Then we sang Good Morning to You, Who's at Buckle My Shoe Today?, There Are Seven Days in a Week, and Today is Wednesday All Day Long.

During Snack, we revisited the conversation we had about Leaf Man by reading Monday's moment in the Sweet Peas Daily Reflection Book. This allowed us to continue where we left off. Here is what we said:

Jenny: "What is Leaf Man?" 

Harry: "Leaf Man is a leaf. A picture of faces." 

Jenny: "Hm...a face. What are faces?" 

Harry: "Cheeks!" 

Nico looked at Jenny. "Eyebrows, eyes" she said.

The children looked at their friends faces around the table and noticed each other's facial features.

Lili looked at Jacob. "Coconuts on Jacob's head," she giggled.

Brandon: "That's Harry's face."

Scarlett: "Eyes."

Nico: "Pictures."

Nadia: "What are you using to eat?" 

Harry: "Grapes."

Nadia: "What is Jenny using to talk to us on her face?"

Scarlett: "Microphone."

Then we had French with Deborah. We sang Alhoutte, Les Petites Marionettes, and Les Petites Poisson. We also pointed to different parts of our body and learned how to say them in French.

During Free Play, Scarlett, Nico, and Lili pulled chairs over to the rug and invited the class to "Circle Time". They pretended to be teacher's by singing songs to the all of us on the rug. Jenny and Nadia pretended to be the children by sitting "criss cross applesauce" and following their directions. Together we sat with the other children as the girls read books to us. (PLEASE SEE VIDEO BELOW) Before lunch, we read Leaf Man by Louis Elhert. The children looked at their faces/reflections in the mirror as they transitioned to wash their hands for lunch. We are eager to see where the Leaf Man will take us.

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"I want to make a Leaf Man. I want to make a Leaf Man so I can hold it and sit with the Leaf Man!"

Lili noticed that there was a fly in the room so we began our day singing Shoo Fly Don't Bother Me. At Morning Meeting we sang Hello, Hello, Hello and How Are you, Who's At Buckle My Shoe Today?, There's A Spider On the Floor and read I Ain't Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont. 

Harry chose the books for us to read during snack. First we read and sang The Itsy Bitsy Spider as told and illustrated by Iza Trapani. Then Harry said, "Jenny, you have to read another one." "Okay, Harry." Jenny responded. "Can you pick a book out for me to read from the bookshelf?" "Sure" said Harry. He brought over Leaf Man by Loius Elhert. When we finished reading the story, Harry began an interesting conversation.

"I want to make a Leaf Man. I want to make a Leaf Man so I can hold it and sit with the Leaf Man!" said Harry.

"How do you want to make Leaf Man?" Jenny asked.

"From up there! Up there in our tree!" suggested Brandon as he pointed to the Friendship Tree in our classroom.

"No. I need to go out there and find one!" said Lili.

"I have to go all the way up there to the tree to make him and bring it down." Harry said.

"Yeah we have to go all the way up there in the tree!" Brandon responded.

"Go outside," suggested Jacob.

Nico, Lili, and Jenny went in to the Daisies' classroom to see if we could find enough natural materials to make Leaf Man. When we returned back into the Sweet Peas classroom we gathered together on the rug and looked at the leaves in the basket. "Do we have enough leaves to make Leaf Man?" Jenny asked the class. "No," said Harry. "We need more." The other children agreed with Harry that we needed more leaves. We came to the conclusion that we need to go out for a walk and collect more leaves to make Leaf Man. (We will do this on Wednesday if it is not too cold or raining.)

Then it was time for Project Work! Jacob shared with the class the different shape cut-outs he brought from home. The children used the shapes to make individual collages on white paper with glue bottles. Next, some children played at the train table while others explored the magnets in the sensory table. 

The children danced and sang with Evan during Music as they imagined to take a train to Candy Land. Evan also sang We'll Roll Down the Mountain and See Who Gets There First. Then Evan shared his "magic wish spinner" with the class and each child had a turn to spin it. What a terrific day!

"I Liked Marching Around Like a Cupcake!"

What a busy morning we had ! The children greeted one another as they entered the classroom and invited each other to play. "Hi Lili! Sit next to me!" Scarlett said to Lili as she walked to the table. Harry, Lili, and Scarlett cut paper with scissors while Jamie drew with a yellow marker. At Morning Meeting, we read The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams. We talked about how Jenny and Rebecca were going to act the story for all the children and the Sweet Peas class were going to be a part of the audience.

During Free Play, Harry and Jamie painted with watercolor while Scarlett, Lili, Nico, and Brandon played doctor and also played with Scarlett's dog "Army". Next, we had Yoga with Lakshmi. The children enjoyed making poses as they sang songs with her.

Then it was time to watch the BMS production of The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams in the Sunflowers' classroom. The children watched with excitement while Sandra narrated the story, Rebecca moved around the different props, and as Jenny pretended to be "The Little Old Lady". 

During our Reflective Meeting, we asked the children what they liked about the Halloween parade. Here is what they said:

"I be a green grape." - Harry

"I was a cupcake. I liked marching around like a cupcake. My mommy came with make-up sticking on." - Nico

"Good." - Lili

"Mommy came!" - Brandon

"Fun!" - Jamie

"I be a lollipop!" - Scarlett

We concluded our morning singing There's A Spider On the Floor with spiders as props.