We finished up G Week and Election Week holding space for all feelings while focusing on our feet touching the ground and being in the air. Read on to find out why this is so important and how you can continue to practice it at home. We welcomed November with soothing brown things all over the classroom! We’ve been enjoying the easy weather for outside time and playing hard inside too. We had some visitors from Newton High School today as well…and all of them were once preschoolers here!
Our Story Time book this week is Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball. This book doesn’t appear to be at our local library, but you’re welcome to borrow one of our copies from preschool if you’re interested. This book describes and illustrates movements like curling up into a ball, jumping hard, shouting as loud as possible (once lol), standing still as a tree…each of which is an opportunity for children to express themselves.
We also read about Rosie the Hen going on her walk all over her yard (then walked like her). There is a fox that keeps following her all over the yard but never gets too close to Rosie and he keeps having trouble. We noticed that the fox truly looked scared and ran away so he didn’t get stung by the bees. That’s another great skill to use: if you are afraid or getting hurt, get away! Make noise! Go fast!
G Week Activities
Here are some G things for the week you can look for in photos, conversations and backpacks!
Voting: every day this week children got a chance to vote for something. Voting is an opportunity to express our preferences while standing strong in our choice regardless of outcome. “No matter if I am the only one who votes for it, I like it. I chose it. I stand by it.” In the end, the vote stays and we get what we get and yes, we can be upset. Teachers are here to be supportive in honoring each child’s position while holding boundaries of how that distress is expressed.
Green Grass cutting: children practiced the skill of cutting and stopping in this week’s Alphabet Project. There are many skills needed with cutting and this project taps into them all! While it may feel tedious to pick up snips and scraps of paper around home, it is one of my favorite things to find in the classroom.
Gary the Grassy G: The morning class finished up adding grass to Gary and the afternoon class took him outside to feel real grass. We decided he would like to do that every day, so we’ll see what next week brings! Oh Gary, you’re already a great friend.
Turkeys: we added feathers to our turkey bodies and are letting the glue dry. Next week we’ll add another layer of paint to the paper before turning them into table decorations for our Favorite Foods Pot Luck during I Week (details will come via email soon).
Ground drawing in our journals: We are continuing our conversations of where things grow and using our own pumpkin and gourds as examples. Both of these grow ON the ground (unlike carrots and potatoes which grow under the ground or apples and bananas which grow in trees, etc).
Brown things: in honor of November, we have brown Tiny Things, brown kinetic sand with brown wooden tools, brown scoops and bowls in the Tub Table, new books about bears, goats, turkeys and leaves.
Here are 3 questions to learn more about our day:
What was wrong with our sink?
Perfect for G Week, our church friend and former preschool dad Mr Garth came and fixed our bathroom sink. He found paper towel in the pipe! Now we know for sure that we should NOT put paper towel in the sink holes and we have a sign to remind us. Thank you, Mr Garth!
What did you eat for snack today?
In the morning we had leftover green grapes, cheese balls and Golden Grahams! Thank you to everyone who brings us snacks! In the afternoon we had turkey cookies made by Annie and cheese sticks decorated by her mama. Thank you Annie and Annie’s mama!
Did you like the smell of the grass scratch and sniff sticker?
We only had a yes and no column which really pushed us into making a decision. Given the very definite scent, it seemed like an easy choice for children!
P.S. These are from a Retro Sticker collection and I am 99% sure I remember smelling them back in the late 70s – early 80s.
Coping Skill of the Week
This week we are exploring “Feeling my feet” as an act of mindfulness and grounding. Taking a moment to simply notice our feet, what they are in contact with, if and how they want to move is beneficial. These actions bring us into the present moment and can increase a sense of safety.
This week’s Coping Skill activity you can do with your child:
What is your favorite thing to feel with your feet? Offer a variety of textures that can be stepped or rubbed on feet: big rocks, tiny rocks, grass, dirt, pillows, smooth floor, blankets, a pan of water. You can also offer a foot rub with lotion or during bath time with soap.
Pro tip: remember to do all of this for yourself too!
newcreationpreschool.com 