Capering!

Spruce: http://afcspruce.blogspot.com/

Maple: http://afcmaple.blogspot.com/

Magnolia: http://afcmagnoliaam.blogspot.com/

Today was caper day! We began the morning by singing a few morning greeting songs. While making choices, some friends wrote words and drew pictures with dry erase markers. Others built with connector toys and built a mall out of light table lego pieces. A few students designed with rubber bands at the geoboard. We read a few books before capering.

Capers...

We were very busy in our room during capers! Some students created delicious cookies out of play-dough while others colored on pre-drawn shapes at the art table. Students built ships and other extravagant creations out of magnets and continued creating shapes on the geoboard.

Over in the building area, our SLU student had a building challenge for the students. She printed out four pictures of bridges and built a simple bridge and asked the students "How can you represent the shapes you see in these bridges?" Of course, the students were up for the challenge! They were telling her how every week they do a lot of building in Birch!

They began their building by "nailing" the blocks together and had to "get the construction part done first, and then we build the bridge." Other friends drew their bridge with pencil and paper and then built their drawings. 

One student drew and built a bridge that looked similar to the Golden Gate Bridge. Other friends began to build their bridges and their construction became taller and taller until the bridge was almost as tall as them! They were very proud of how sturdy and strong their bridge was and they ended up connecting the two bridges! The students discovered that they could crawl under the two bridges and were very careful not to touch the bridge while crawling through. 

Our class stretched and did some yoga after capers, before lunch. Have a great few days with your child!

Forest day!

Today was forest day! The Birch room began the morning by making choices in the classroom. The choices consisted of creating with play-dough, being authors and illustrators of books, building at the light table, designing with rubber bands and the geo-board and playing a matching game with Ms. Susie.

One student created a museum of sculptures with play-dough. Other friends drew pictures in their books and used classroom books as their inspiration to their illustrations. 

The matching game consisted of pictures of all of our Birch friends! This game supports the students' memory development and helps them recognize and recall. 

In the forest taking risks...

Later in the morning, we adventured down to the forest with Willow and Maple. The students seized the day with the warm weather and sunshine! The children really focused on taking chances and risks while climbing on a big tree that fell down in the forest. Once two students began climbing, the idea became contagious and so many friends wanted to take on this climbing challenge! They climbed really high, and encouraged one another along the way. 

"I'm scooting like this so I don't fall."

"Good Job, L. Just put your feet on the ground, you're almost there!"

"Look Ms. Abby, I put my feet here so I don't fall."

"I'm going to get back up so I can practice my balancing."

A: "I worked really hard to climb all the way up here. I'm very high."

"I hold onto this so I don't fall."

"Look Ms. Susie, we climbed all the way up here. We are so high! I'm holding onto this (a branch) so I don't fall."

"I'm crawling so I don't fall. I'm balancing."

When a friend had enough climbing, the students had to figure out how they would let their classmate get down from the fallen branches and trunks. The students were able to practice their problem solving and communication skills with one another. Several students helped guide a friend down from the trunk, telling them where to place their legs and they supported one another by offering a hand to hold. Taking risks helps children develop a deeper understanding of what they are capable of doing physically and mentally. It's fun experiencing new adventures with friends and opens your mind to the great possibilities that lie ahead of you.

Family Pictures

Today there was a drawing invitation on large paper with small squares drawn all over.  I was wondering what the children were going to do with this.  Was each child going to take one square for themselves?  Were they going to draw in or out of the box?  What designs were they going to do?  I purposefully set out the skinny markers so their lines would be smaller for the smaller spaces.  The kids got right to work.  Many began drawing in the boxes.  Some making rainbows, other hearts and butterflies

A. came over and immediately began to draw a face into the square. Once she completed her face  she moved on to a new square.  A took a look at all the markers and matched her hand up to the marker that fit her sink.  She smiled proudly "This is me!" Once she completed her face she went on the the next one.  

"This is my daddy.  He smiles a lot." A. continued to draw faces into the squares.  She then went back and revisited her work.  "My sister has circle earrings" She added ears and earrings to her drawing.  She then went over to the picture of her dad.  "My dad had a phone."  A. completed each person in her family adding body parts and phones. 

A. 

A's Sister

A's Dad

A's family. 

Notice A had to add squares to complete her family portrait.