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Brown ice, attached seeds, real ice cream and no tire game: MONDAY I WEEK

Our Monday “Red Day” Class started I week off with some interesting work. We had ice to melt, ice block alphabet projects, pretend igloo colanders at the tub table. There were ice trays at the playdough table and some friends worked on their November turkeys today (everyone will make one sometime this week).

Here are five questions to learn more about our day…

What did we use tongs for today?

What happened with the ice today?

Why was the iguana upset in our book today?

What did you have for snack today? Hint: both start with I

What did we discover about the dirt pumpkin today?

1. What did we use tongs for today?

Inch blocks! The highest number that was stacked today before falling was 13. That’s 1 inch more than a foot.

2. What happened with the ice today?

It melted! We follow the safety plans and all ice cubes were water by the time the day ended.

3. Why was the iguana upset in our book today?

He didn’t want to go to school. We decided it was because it was his first day of school and he was very very scared.

4. What did you have for snack today? Hint: both start with I

Ice cream sandwiches from Nessa and iced cookies from Henry R. What a sweet snack it was. We thank you both very much. We also practiced dumping and stacking our trays!

5. What did we discover about the dirt pumpkin today?

A second seedling is growing…with the seed still attached to one of the leaves! There’s another seed that has pushed its way to the top of the dirt so we will see if a plant sprouts from it as well.

Bonus Question: Did we play the tire game today?

No. Grandpa Kelven had to leave for a little bit so we made the plan that we would not play the tire game until he came back. But we did a lot of other things!

Glue surgery, streaks of pink, roofs and a horrible smell: FRIDAY H WEEK

Our Friday “Purple Day” Class finished H Week with lots of play. The letter H has a lot of natural connections to our classroom and ourselves: hair, heads, hats, hands, horses, help, holes, hoses, hop, high, hello, hip, house, home, etc.

Here are 5 questions to learn more details about our day…

What do you do if your glue bottle isn’t working?
How did you turn the H into a house?
What did we eat for snack today?
What colors of playdough did you see today?
Why was there a horrible smell at the Dirt Pumpkin?

1. What do you do if your glue bottle isn’t working?

Get a new one!

Children can get up and go to get any other glue bottle from the table or the Project Shelf. They can ask a teacher to help get their bottle to work or drop it in the GLUE SURGERY bucket for a teacher to fix sometime.

2. How did you turn the H into a house?

Added orange triangle roofs! We know from our house study that houses can have all variations of roofs…flat, peaked, domed, sloped, multiple ones, etc.

3. What did we eat for snack today?

Thank you, Theo, for a hearty H snack: hot dogs, Honeycomb cereal and hard boiled eggs. YUM!

4. What colors of playdough did you see today?

We have been working all week to mix 10 colors of play dough to make brown. As of Friday, there were still streaks of pink and green in the brown. Great work, hand and arm muscles!

5. Why was there a horrible smell at the Dirt Pumpkin?

Ms Kristin discovered it had been overwatered. She poked three holes in the bottom and CUPS of stinky water drained out during the morning. She felt sorry for the plant and hoped it would have a good weekend. We scouted out some good sunny spots for it to rest and settled on Ms Brenda’s office.

A grown up preschooler, a hummus birthday cake and Peace Pal puppet shows: THURSDAY H WEEK

Our Thursday “Blue Day” Class continued our house study and designed houses of our own. There was a lot of inside and outside play and had a special visitor from Newton High School today. Fun fact, Ms Mara, used to be a preschooler herself! A couple of friends remembered her from when she volunteered during our summer play days. We love having you, Ms Mara and hope you’ll return! What H things did you do today? Ride on mama horse? Use the hole punches? Put hats on dress up dolls? Carry a hose outside? Help build the plastic play house outside? Go on the dirt hill?

Here are five questions to learn more details about our day:

What did you add to your house?

What did we have for snack today?

What big thing was on Pine Street today?

Who came back from their trip and brought seashells to show us?

Did you go to or participate in a puppet show today?

1. What did you add to your house?

Check their backpacks to see! All houses started with the essential roof and doorway, but each house got something new added to it. We had windows, siding, doorbells, video cameras and even a slide from the attic.

2. What did we have for snack today?

Heath brought hummus, honeycomb, carrots and some Hello panda treats! Thank you Golden Letter snack friend Heath! Our table was very full with our houses, snacks and then journals! Lilah’s teddy bear, Baby Bear Love, also had a birthday with a cake made out of hummus and pretzel sticks. We all sang Happy Birthday while she sat in her high chair.

3. What big thing was on Pine Street today?

A delivery truck! It was so big it took up a lot of the playground fence. When the driver noticed us, he honked his horn for us!

4. Who came back from their trip and brought seashells to show us?

Wilmer! These friends are catching on to each other’s comings and goings.

5. Did you go to or participate in a puppet show today?

We had several spontaneous puppet shows featuring our lovely knitted Peace Pals. Ms Kristin makes up the stories for children to act out. We had wonderful audiences and cast members.

Banana baby, a noise from upstairs, millions of windows and Honey Buns: WEDNESDAY H WEEK

Our Wednesday “Green Day” Class enjoyed indoor and outdoor time today. We had a classroom busy in all corners with the block rug getting the most action we’ve seen all year…all the animals were out and being used for intricate play. This translated into an amazing group effort to get all of the toys away. Well done, children!

Here are five questions to learn more specifics about today….

Did you add any windows to your paper house today?

Who had their birthday and brought a special snack today?

What characters lived in the same neighborhood as the Muffin Man?

Who was making the noise upstairs today?

What page did Ms Kristin look for in the book at the end of the day? Follow up question…why?

1. Did you add any windows to your paper house today?

Maybe yes, maybe no…you can check their backpacks!

We had big papers to turn into houses today. From our house study so far, we’ve discovered that all houses have a roof shelter and a way to get in and out of the house. Not all houses necessarily have windows or rooms so we had a lot of flexibility and how we designed our paper houses. The spectrum is from a house with no windows (and a robotic door) to a house with a million windows!

2. Who had their birthday and brought a Birthday snack today?

Lane! He turned five years old and also brought H things for snack: honey buns, honey nut Cheerios and Hi-C fruit punch. He also brought a favorite color napkin…it felt like a real party! We had our house collages as placeholders and added in Journal Time as we finished eating as well. A busy Snack Time indeed!

3. What characters lived in the same neighborhood as the muffin man?

Some examples are banana baby, tortilla turtle, gravy grandma, doughnut dog, and salami sibling. It is spinoff from the familiar song, Do you know the Muffin Man? I showed the children cards of other members of the neighborhood. and they had a chance to play with these cards further in the day as well.

4. Who was making the noise upstairs today?

Mr George! We never saw him but we could hear some tools now and then…he is a church friend working on the AV system for our church. Ms Kristin took a video of the work site so the children would know where and what it was. This is a warm reminder that if you are looking for a church home, our little community is very welcoming.

5. What page did Ms Kristin look for in the book at the end of the day? Follow up question…why?

After our outside play time, we looked through the entire Busy, Busy Town book to find the picture of the supermarket. Why? Because at Snack Time we decided that we would keep the empty snack boxes to use in our Family Corner. The honey bun box is empty and will be waiting for play next time!

DIRT PUMPKIN UPDATE:

“It is still growing. It is not dead. There is only one seedling.”

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Election results, someone in their car, a seedling and loose hoses: TUESDAY H WEEK

Our Tuesday “Yellow Day” Class started off H week with a Golden Letter friend, Heath! He held onto his golden letter all day, knowing exactly where it was at all times. There was play inside and out, time with mama horse, painting turkey feathers for next week’s project, hole punchers, book reading, alphabet project making, drawing hair on heads, mixing the playdough to make brown and so much more!

Here are five questions to find out more about things that happened today…

Which book did you vote for today?

What did you do in the puzzle corner today?

What what is happening with the dirt pumpkin?

Who was in their car when we went out to the playground today?

How did you use a hose on the playground today?

In honor of Election Day, we voted on which book would be read aloud today. At Circle Time we had the election results: Richard Scary’s Busy, Busy Town had twice the votes. Fear not, A Ride on Mother’s Back will be read on Thursday. While we would have definitely honored any disappointment or complaints, there happened to be none today. It was a very smooth election experience.

Don’t forget the fun of getting your “I Voted Today” sticker!

2.What did you do in the puzzle corner today?

At one point or another, I saw every child spend time in the Puzzle Corner, though I didn’t get photos of them all. There were magnet dress up dolls, Chutes and Ladders, dice, alphabet dinosaurs, magnet tiles, rainbow arches, jigsaw puzzles, sequencing cards, a number balance and I’m confident there was more than I even saw.

3.What what is happening with the dirt pumpkin?

The seedling sprouted yesterday and is growing today! Bravo to the friends who are following our plan: observing and telling about their findings.

4. Who was in their car when we went out to the playground today?

Pastor Shana ! It’s pretty sweet and amazing to watch the connection these children have with Pastor Shana…”I have something to tell you!”

5. How did you use a hose on the playground today?

Following the example from a friend yesterday, some friends used it to haul the tires back to the top of the hill. Other friends use them as horns, fire, hoses, and pointers. What a fun addition to our playground! There were even hoses accompanying some friends during their trips around the pavilion.