Fire Drill and Finger Paint

Dear Parents,

We began our week reading Firefighters A- Z and having our first fire drill. We confirmed with the class that our school was not really on fire, but we were pretending in case it ever caught on fire. We lined up quickly and quietly (sorta) and filed outside to line up along the fence. We used our serious voices and faces to let everyone know it was not time to play. Then, we went to the yard to play!

This week, we mixed more colors using fingerpaint on our table. The first day we mixed yellow and red. The next day we mixed yellow and blue. Some children knew what new colors to expect based on our past color mixing. Someone asked, “What happens if we add white?” We added white. 

People used their fingers, fingernails, palms, and even a few elbows, to draw in the paint. 

On Wednesday, we decorated our art folders using stamps with the first letters of our names. We did quiet stamps using red and yellow paint. 

The next day everyone made red hand prints to add to our Me books. Afterwards we read Hands Can, and made a list of things we can do with our hands: play, cuddle, sword fight, clap, hug, wave, hold hands, fingerpaint, buy things, run around, turn on the lights, and swing.

We also read Hello Fall, Fall Is Here! I love it!, Yoga Animals, Time to Pee, My Tree and Me, Wash Your Hands, It’s a Good Thing You’re Not an Octopus, Here Are My Hands, Hands Are Not for Hitting, and Whole Body Listening.

Everyone had their hands traced, and then used coloring crayons to fill them in. We used our hands to eat snacks and play in the big room. We rode wheels, climbed in the jungle gym, and built with soft and hard blocks. When we were finished, we used our hands to clean up.

Have a handy weekend,

Therese

Simon Says Shaving Cream and Summer Tree

Dear Parents,

We began our week playing with shaving cream on the table top. Everyone was excited to feel the shaving cream. The children said it felt warm, soft, gooey, and it smelled like bread and bananas. Someone said, “What about banana bread?”

The children used their fingernails to draw circles in it. The next day we added yellow and red food coloring to our white shaving cream. We noticed a new color. 

During snacks someone asked, “Is tomorrow a school day?” When we responded yes, he said, “Yay!”

We took a group photo under a tree in our yard that we call Our Tree. We document each season and observe the changes in our tree all year long. On Wednesday we took our first photo and noticed the color of the leaves. “They’re green” someone shouted. Many thought it was fall already because of the chilly days and the fact that a few leaves had already begun to turn yellow. Sunday will be the first day of fall. 

On Thursday we played Simon Says. Simon said to flap our wings, get a bubble in our mouths, hold the rail, take giant steps, tippy toe, fly like a plane, and take deep breaths. 

While playing in the yard we have been observing birds and insects. We heard two blue jays squawking back and forth repeatedly. We asked the children, "What do you think they’re saying to each other?" They said, “I love you” and “Do you want to play?”

On Friday Simon said to crawl like kitties, fly like eagles, hop like bunnies, gallop like horses, and slither like snakes. After all the snakes slithered to the peanut butter wall, we played in the big room. Everyone got to choose between big blocks, wheels, balls, or the jungle gym. 

Simon says have a glorious weekend,

Therese