Thursday Capers and Forest Friday

 It was a marvelous caper day!  We expanded our cube art installation and invited our Magnolia and Sycamore friends to join us in creating wrapped art!

"I made an awesome pattern!"

"I want to collect all the red ones!" ESE

"I did it!  It didn't fall this time!" CF

CF you were drawn to the beauty of this installation and strung bead after bead after bead...and they all fell off. You kept at it. You tried, and tried again. 

It worked, you did it. 

A peak into Forest Friday. 

Have a great weekend!

Team Work to Make the Dream Work

 What do you do with a problem that is too big to solve alone?

A game of catch, turned quickly into a hat stuck up too high. 

I heard yelling, was someone hurt? Mad? Arguing? Having WAY too much fun? As I made my way down to the snail a herd of students ran my way. 

HIS HAT IS STUCK! - AD

My hat is too high, I can't reach it! - JB

JB was throwing his hat for me and now we can't reach it, it's too hard. - HW

I approached the snail, ready to help brainstorm a way to solve this problem.

We need a ladder. - HW

Ya, and a tall person! - EM

I walked in. 

Hey Ms. Nicki - YOU ARE THE TALLEST PERSON HERE! (EM, you made my week with that observation!) - EM

I am pretty tall. Thank you for noticing. 

You are tall and we need to reach that hat. - JB

We tried and tried, JB giving me very detailed directions on how to reach the hat. 

At last, SUCCESS!

Well, 5 minutes later that same herd came running my way yelling the very same things!

This time, I wandered down to the snail. When I arrived, I noticed a few friends excitedly working together. Stacking and moving, shifting and piling. Problem solving like it was their job. 

Then slowly, JB climbed a top the stack, to be only inches from reaching his hat. 

What could we do? 

What could we do differently?

More joined, more ideas flowed. 

I was on the edge of my seat - would we get that hat back?!

Still not tall enough.

We wished for something taller to stand on. 

Something sturdy.

MS to the rescue! 

Who would be brave enough to test it?

It's not stable! - JB

I will try anyway.

Here, hold my spoon.

So close. Can we do it?!

What do you do with a problem that is too big to solve alone?

You think.

You plan. 

You communicate.

You try. 

You try again.

You listen.  

You solve the problem TOGETHER.

Happy Thursday Birch Room.

Art Cube

 

Yesterday's invitation to create beautiful, wrapped-tape art has transformed into a permanent art installation.

With a bit of wire and some patience, your teachers created this amazing wooden cube that now dangles from the ceiling.

Wire, beads, string, and patterned washi-tape presented atop a mirror drew children in.

Wrapping

Twisting

Threading

Stringing

Our hands and fingers worked diligently to exercise the muscles in them.  The muscles we will need to later write letters, words, and sentences.

"I'm just...I'm just...do you see, I'm working so hard!" EM

Sitting

Standing

Kneeling

Laying

Our shoulders, arms, and tummy muscles worked diligently to gain strength, the strength they will later need to maintain our bodies for school.

"Oooooh, so pretty." AS

"We're not making jewelry because we're not wearing it we're making cube decorations." JI

"I'm collecting all the beautiful gems." CW

Some friends came and went quickly.

Some friends came and went again and again.

Some friends came, layed down, and immersed themselves in the experience.

We are excited to watch this invitation grow.

Colorful Tuesday

 

What could be more fun than a container of sensory-filled amazingness???

Well...not much actually!

Corn starch, water, food coloring and imagination were all that was needed to create a morning filled with wonder.

Yesterday's outdoor invitation was moved inside and paired with the beauty of shadows.

We know our Birch friends LOVE all things rainbow.  We have been working hard on our fine motor skills by cutting these beautiful paint swatches.  With all of those colors all mixed together what is our next step?

We paired this frame with our colors and let the magic happen organically.

Of course our friends began sorting!

    
  

Though the weather wasn't as beautiful as yesterday, our colorful invitations filled us with joy!