(no title)

Entering the flow state, eating astronaut food, mixing up play dough and running away from something: MONDAY G WEEK

Our Monday “Red Day” Class started off H Week with two Golden Letter friends both named Henry! We had horses at the block corner and a big stuffed mama horse by the Sound Tunnel. Monday is the day to work on our alphabet projects and we had children figure this one out on their own. We had hole punchers, hole stickers and hole puzzles too.

At Circle Time we talked about different housing options. So far the common denominator is a doorway to get in and out.

Here are today’s questions…

What H things did we have for snack today?

Why were we mixing up the Play-Doh today?

What could you draw on the heads today?

What do you do when you’re done cleaning up?

What were people running away from on the playground today?

1. What H things did we have for snack today?

Heart shaped cheese, freeze dried mango (it was hard instead of soft!), harvest cookies, and honey Teddy Grahams. Thank you, Owen, for a hearty snack today. Freeze dried fruit seemed new to many children so there was a lot of exploring this and a fun fact that this is how astronauts eat food sometimes!

2.Why were we mixing up the Play-Doh today?

To make the color brown! It took a lot of muscle and a lot of different techniques to make it happen. The table grew from two children to eight within a half hour’s time.

3. What could you draw on the heads today?

Hair! We have laminated head drawings and dry erase markers available this week. There wasn’t only hair on TOP of the heads, someone drew hair ON the head in the form of a moustache so big it covered the mouth.

4. What do you do when you’re done cleaning up?

Find a book to look at. Enjoy this clip of the natural evolution to self guided reading. The sound of pages turning is absolutely delightful. At the beginning of the school year, many children are preoccupied with “not knowing how to read” or “not knowing what is happening” in the books. After modeling picture walks through the books, looking for clues, making predictions, verifying our guesses, they arrive to this flow state.

5. What were people running away from on the playground today?

The tires!

Grandpa Kelven helped get them up the slide. When the tires are let go of, they roll down the slide and roll down the hill! The children race to keep ahead of them or drop behind to chase it which so far, they always have.

We also had hoses on the playground for children to play with as well… these ended up being a child discovered tool for hauling the tires back up the hill. I adore the physical opportunities these children have.

BONUS:

Monday class discovered the first pumpkin seedling!

Hoses on the playground, rolling pumpkins and a boat left behind: FRIDAY G WEEK

Our Friday “Purple Day” Class gathered a week after our Halloween celebration day for lots of wonderful group time. The windows were open and we spent time outside. With it still being the beginning of November, the Color of the Month items are still new and interesting to many.

Read on to find the answers to these questions:

What G things did we have for snack today?
What did you use outside to put out pretend fires?
What table work did you do today?
In our book today, who left behind the boat?
What things were rolling around the playground today?

1. What G things did we have for snack today?

Graham crackers, green frosting that we could spread ourselves and grape Kool-Aid! With green napkins and green plates it felt like a real Friday party! Thank you, Jacob!

2. What did you use outside to put out pretend fires?

Hoses!

Last week during F week it was too cold and rainy to play outside in our costumes, so we use the hoses today. They will be a regular part of our playground for the next while. There was a wonderful “pack mentality” as these children followed Ms Brenda around to find the fire (orange pumpkins).

3. What table work did you do today?

There were people doing puzzles, collage work, alphabet projects, eating snack and kinetic sand building. We have a lot of tables and a lot of different options. Children will inevitably land at a table several times in a preschool morning.

4. In our book today, who left behind their boat?

The frog family! (Alfonzo the goat had made it for them out of his shirt cuffs)

Not even Ms Kristin ever noticed before that the frogs left there boat in the forest. We determined they must have been done with it since they were going to be hopping through the forest. We also discovered several other new things today. The children’s focus was remarkable.

Show your preschoolers these pictures and they might be able to point some new discoveries out to you:

5. What things were rolling around the playground today?

Tires, pumpkins and gourds!

The tires rolled down the slides with children running before or after them. Some friends had their pumpkins and gourds roll down slides or the dirt hill and some of us played a variation of bocce using pumpkins. Glorious!

2 horns, green grass and a new reading nook: THURSDAY G WEEK

Our Thursday “Blue Day” Class welcomed November with play inside and outside today. It was their first time to notice all the things that switched from orange to brown around the room. We have kinetic sand that got a lot of use and then used our hands to be a pretend turkey! In our class, everyone’s hand had 4 fingers but this poem can be adapted to any hand shape.

4 little feathers on my back,

I gobble-gobble-gobble (x3)

and then I take a nap!

Here are 5 questions to learn more about today…

What G things that we have for snack today?

What did you put on your G to make it represent a goat?

What color is the new color of the month?

What kind of grass did you draw in your journal?

What did you get to take home from the playground today?

1. What G things that we have for snack today?

Green grapes, Teddy Grahams, and ghost cheese from Ella and Everett. We also had Halloween rice crispy treats from Grandma Bonnie and Cheerios from Zander. Thank you, friends!

2. What did you put on your G to make it represent a goat?

Horns! Then we discovered that Alfonso the goat in our book, Goat’s Coat, also has horns!

3. What color is the new color of the month?

Brown!

We had friends playing with the tiny brown things, the brown things in the tub table and making things with her brown collage supplies. Someone found the new reading nook UNDER the Tiny Things table. So cozy!

4. What kind of grass did you draw in your journal?

There were a variety of techniques: shark teeth zig zags, up and down scribbles, coloring in the pre drawn grass shape and individual blades of grass.

5. What did you get to take home from the playground today?

A gourd and a pumpkin!

Thank you to Grandma Brenda and Grandpa Kelven for bringing them to us from Stutzman Garden Center! There was a lot of play with our gourds in hand as well…rolling on the pumpkin, building the playhouse, walking on benches and more.

Happy Thursday, friends! Stay curious and kind!

Goodbye Goat, brown things, green grass and gourds: WEDNESDAY G WEEK

Our Wednesday “Green Day” Class welcomed November with beautiful brown things in the classroom (Tub Table, kinetic sand, Tiny Things and collage supplies). We carried on with other favorite activities like puzzles, Halloween talking, blocks and swinging.

We also had a throwback to 2020 and Goodbye Goat sat on my shoulder. A couple of the oldest preschoolers remembered!

1. What month is it today?

2. In our book, did the cat keep his bandage on?

3. Why were there scissors at Snack Time today?

4. What kind of grass did you draw in your journal?

5. What could you take home from the playground today?

1. What month is it today?

November!

The last time we were together it was October! We looked at the school calendar pages and spun the Months of the Year wheel. Turkey Rob and his feathers were out as well!

2. In our book, did the cat keep his bandage on?

Yes!

We had a very slow and leisurely reading of Goat’s Coat today. The children noticed things on pages that I hadn’t yet…including the fact that the cat in the book kept his bandage on through the end.

3. Why were there scissors at Snack Time today?

To open the wafer bar!

Axel brought us oranges and wafer bars…Ms Kristin tried to call them “granola bars” but then learned the new name. We also had goldfish for anyone who wanted those as well. Thank you, Axel!

4. What kind of grass did you draw in your journal?

There are many techniques: single line blades, zig zag lawn and tall scribbles. All are wonderful!

5. What could you take home from the playground today?

A gourd!

There was a cute carryover from Story Time because some children said their little gourd reminded them of the little chick who was stuck in a tree.

Curling up like a ball, dirt pumpkin rules, saying boo and glowing: TUESDAY G WEEK

Our Tuesday “Yellow Day” Class finished the Costume Parade days on actual Halloween! We had a delightful time playing amongst the candy pumpkins…they got a lot practice time in before our parade as well. We had an astronaut, Flash, Batman, an excavator, a cat, a doctor, Fiona the princess, Gecko, a pink princess, Patrick Mahomes, a dragon, Mario and someone wearing over 30 ghosts and pumpkins! Today was the last day for all the orange things before they switch up tomorrow in honor of November.

Once again we had no struggles with saving the candy for our parade. They excitedly counted it, sorted it and carried it around all day with no one eating any! Then they took it all home after tossing it in the treat bags grown ups were holding for them.

Here are the five questions for today….with hints!

1. What are some of our Dirt Pumpkin safety plans? (Hint: it is about your hands)
2. Why did Goat curl up in a small ball? (Hint: he was not hot)
3. What did Ms Kristin spill at snack time? (Hint: it was sweet)
4. How many glow sticks did you get? (Hint: more than 3)
5. What did you say when you hid behind your candy pumpkin? (Hint: it’s a surprise!)

1. What are some of our Dirt Pumpkin safety plans?

Don’t touch the dirt, don’t pick it up, don’t put bread in it (a child’s suggestion), yes you can look at it and yes you can touch the outside of it. We will keep adding Safety Plans I’m sure!

Grow, pumpkin, grow!

2. Why did Goat curl up in a small ball?

He was cold so he curled up like a small ball next to a boulder.

We copied him! Just like yesterday’s class, we got to see some of the ways Alfonzo the goat shared his coat with friends in need. We’ll look more at this book next time.

3. What did Ms Kristin spill at snack time?

The juice from the oranges! It’s okay, she wiped it up.

We had a real party snack today for a lot of hungry friends! Wilmer brought cheese sticks and oranges that his mama drew faces on. Max brought cake pops and Asher brought cupcake liners. We also had Cheerios that Zander’s family brought at the beginning of the school year! We are thankful!

4. How many glow sticks did you get? (Hint: more than 3)

Four!

When I told them that we had something that lights up to give them, this class guessed all sorts of things: a lamp, glow in the dark pants, glow in the dark shirts, glow in the dark socks, flashlights and candles. Instead they were glow sticks! There was a lot of careful bending and shaking before going to Grandma Bonnie for the connectors.

5. What did you say when you hid behind your candy pumpkin?

Short answer: Boo!

Longer answer: You might think it’s just a pumpkin looking at you, but really it’s me about to say, Boo!

After we did our pumpkin poem we went on our Costume Parade. There was a lot of waving and candy tossing. What a sweet end to the day.

Happy Tuesday, families! Stay curious and kind.

P.S. We did NOT want any grown ups to be hit with candy so hard that they were hurt. We were successful!