What Do Trees Give Us?

Dear Parents,

We compared five apples and made a list of how they were alike and different. The class said: they all have stems on top, seeds, they’re crunchy, and the inside is the same. How are they different? Some have dots, the skins are different colors- red, gold, and green, some were hard, one was soft, and they were different sizes. 

We all tasted each apple. Someone said, “I like the Granny Smith.” Someone else noticed when we cut them, “It splashed!” They were juicy. 

We read Same, Same, Different and heard about two children who had many things the same, but differences too. We made a list of how we're the same and different also. The children said we all have two arms, two feet, two legs, and skeletons, but our hair, eyes, and skin are different colors. 

We asked the class, “What do trees give us?” Their list was long. It took a minute to move past the fruits: apples, bananas, lemons, and more. They added: leaves, paper, and books. We looked around the classroom: tables, chairs, puzzles, bookshelves, walls, and doors. We pictured the big room in our mind’s eye: our play kitchen, blocks, our boat, the balance bike, the play oven, the stage, and even the floors! 

After making our list we read Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree, and heard more ideas. We guessed how old the boy was in the book at different stages of life. Children said when he was a little boy he was one to three years old, and when he was an old man he was eighteen. 

While half the class posed in yoga, the other half wrote with pencils. In yoga we saw the children posing with pink scarves on their heads. 

We did our fourth fire drill this week. We left the building quickly and quietly, sort of. We read Even Firefighters Hug Their Moms, Fire Fighters A-Z, and Flashing Fire Engines! in preparation for our trip to the fire station.

On Thursday we made apple juice. Everyone got a turn to use The Amazing Apple Peeler. It cores, it skins, and it slices, all with one handle turn! After we sliced the apples using our muscles to turn the handle, we took turns pressing them into a small electric juicer. Everyone wanted apple juice except for one. Many wanted seconds. 

On Friday we played with Duplos, made animal trains, drew with crayons, and constructed waterfalls and ponies with tangrams. Friends were singing Jingle Bells while they colored. We read Teeny Tiny and Flashing Fire Engines, again. In thinking about our upcoming trip someone said, “I hope I can go in the fire truck” and another asked “Will we see the fire hose?”

Have an exciting weekend,

Therese

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far

Dear Parents,

This week we began our week boiling our sweet potatoes. The children took turns going down to the kitchen to put the potatoes to boil, see if they were ready, and to skin them. We examined the potatoes before and after to see how they had changed. Some said, “They were hard”, and now, “They are mushed.” 

Everyone had a turn to help mix the potatoes using an electric mixer. We could smell them as we mixed. All the children wanted a taste when we were done, except one person. 

The next day we made cranberry sauce. Again we examined and felt one cranberry to see the difference before and after. Someone noticed that some of the cranberries looked black. We boiled them and upon inspection the children said, “They turned to mush!” It was similar to our observation of the cooked sweet potatoes. 

In the yard, some children were pretending to ride on a double-decker bus bed-house ice-cream truck. True story. 

We asked some children what their family would bring for the feast. They said chocolate cookies, lemon bars, and a turkey made out of fruit. We did not see these at the feast, but what was there was feast worthy! It was delicious! Thanks to everyone. 

Have a thankful Thanksgiving,

Therese