We have been so fortunate with the beautiful weather that we've almost forgotten the peace and calm that come from a rainy day.
Knowing we are going to be inside together all day (and long into the night for your teachers!!) we use our environment to create the mood and energy for our space.
As we have continued with our exploration of paint, today we switched something new...the kind of paint we were using! We chose to layer color on top of our maps that we created a few weeks ago. With beautiful music and a nature-filled scene to view, our friends were invited to paint. There was no big question asked today, just an invitation to allow their senses to be filled, and translate that into their art.
Since this was our first experience with water colors, our friends were experimenting with the way it worked. Tempera paint gives bright opaque colors. It allows us to mix and create new colors. Water colors aren't like that at all! They are soft and almost translucent. When you mix them you often get shades of grey and brown. It is a different process. The paint combines on the paper, creating swirls, drips, and hazy lines.
Some friends created a single line and were done. Others spent great time covering every single section of paper with unique colors.
Some friends added color to the pictures that were on the maps that had been drawn.
Other friends created their own designs and lines in the white spaces of the papers.
It was evident that our Birch friends enjoyed this new medium.
Along with a new way to paint, our friends were SO excited to be using a few of the new materials that some of our families have gifted to the Birch class.
These new building materials allow our brains to work in new ways.
How can these fit together?
Some friends built flat, interlocking structures almost as if they were doing a puzzle.
Some friends stacked their structures up-up-up.
A moment that made my teacher-heart overflow with happiness was hearing this conversation.
"Can I add to your structure?" HW
"Sure! You can connect with mine."
"Can I add to your structure?" DM
"We can ALL connect together!" EM
I love hearing the words used in our space being used among these young learners. It is our deep desire to create those meaningful connections with every single one of our friends. When we work together we share experiences, conversations, ideas, and...we connect!
AS, you LOVED the peg people that came with these building blocks. You began lining them all up on the shelf next to our building carpet. We were talking together as you were working when your friend CF noticed what was going on.
"Hey! I didn't know we could build on the shelf!" CF
Sure you can!
And another connection happened. These friends took turns stacking, creating, smiling, balancing, negotiating, helping...connecting!
While we are usually outside for a good part of the morning, today gave us new opportunities.
Every morning as part of our meeting time we take deep, mindful breaths. We learn a new breath each week and use them to help us through moments of big feelings. We have seen our friends truly take this important way to care for yourself to heart.
Today the rain brought us the added time in the classroom to add a new piece to our mindfulness, yoga!
Our friends loved this 10 minute chance to still their bodies and move with intention and focus.
Despite the start of the rain outside, our time indoors was filled with beautiful moments.
A special thank you to the families who have gifted our room through the purchase of items on our classroom Amazon wish list. We are excited to continue to explore new materials. The link is posted below for those who have asked to see it. We are grateful for your support of our learning!
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