Visitors From the Lower School

Today the Turtles had a special surprise - a visit from Susan's first grade class. First, we had a mini-concert, as Leah played several songs on her guitar and then answered questions from the Turtles. Then, the Turtles each paired off with a first grade friend, and each first grader read a book they'd brought with them.

The Turtles were a little shy at first, then they really enjoyed the stories. Next, they got a chance to show the first graders around the room, and the fun really began. Our class pets and the climber were favorite hang outs.

We said goodbye to our new friends, after having made plans to come visit them in their classroom. Then we had our Morning Meeting, where we had a chance to talk about their visit and to start thinking about what we'll do for them when we go to their room. We also started to talk about our plans to write a digital storybook. The Turtles have no shortage of ideas and are excited to get started. Choice Time saw the return of the drum circle, some new puzzles and work on our big canvas. 

We got to spend some time out in the sunshine, with lots of running, climbing and swinging. Inside, we read Dr. Suess' ABC's, and all of the Turtles worked hard to figure out who had what letters in their names, and laughed as they tried to pronounce the book's many tongue twisters.

Mountains and Markers

The day began with a scientific exploration. The Turtles found a variety of seed pods on their adventure yesterday, and we examined them using magnifying glasses, looking them up in our books and online, and by taking the pods apart. Friends used their scientific eyes to sketch what they saw.

The Turtles also got in some new supplies - brand new markers and sandbox toys. So there were many friends making art and mountains in the sandbox.

Tamara read Llama Llama Mad at Mama, and the Turtles practiced making their own mad faces. Then we joined the Little Frogs for music in the John Barnes room. We played Freeze Dance, where everyone dances until the music stops and then has to jump into an "island," (a hula hoop). We did some yoga together and the classes shared some of their favorite songs with one another.

We had some outside time, and then came in to plant a couple of seeds on moist paper towels. Our research indicates that these are tree seeds - possibly Kentucky Coffee Tree seed, so we will see what happen. Katie also found seeds in her orange, which the Turtles decided to try and get to grow.

The Spring Sign

What a glorious spring day for Tamara's return! Jury duty completed, Tamara came back to the many hugs and "I missed you's" of the Turtles, and loved the sign that they had made for her! At Morning Meeting, Tamara explained jury duty to the children as a gigantic peace table with people who need help solving a problem so big it takes five days to talk about! Their eyes got big as they contemplated such a problem.

After a short Choice Time, we set out on a walk to the Abington Art Center to see if the wall was finished. Indeed, it was much further along, but not yet done. We will check on it again soon! Carol suggested that we look for signs of spring, and Matthew excitedly pointed to a construction sign just ahead of us, "I see one!" the children ran over to read the sign to see if it was actually a sign of spring. It said "Slow," which they found to be a fine sign of spring. We also saw robins, and clumps of onion grass, and little tiny green shoots.

We then went for a romp through the woods, which included a stone castle, giant tree faces, collecting treasures, and  a green house. We found a row of bushes that were not brown. Some were red and some were green, and in fact, there was a pattern in the planting, red-green-red-green, which the children gleefully counted out as they hopped from bush to bush.

Signs of Spring

It was quiet in Turtleland this morning, as friends built new kinds of structures, told stories, made art and even played cats and dogs in hushed tones. It was an unusual approach to play for the generally rambunctious Turtles, but no less fun was being had.

Before Morning Meeting, we ventured through the building on a hunt for the color blue and the letter B. We found lots of signs, words and names with the letter in them and lots of blue - our best find was a "Blue Burglar Alarm Button."

At Morning Meeting, we balanced tiny imaginary marbles on our fingertips - throwing them high in the air and catching them. We finished up by balancing them on our noses, then tossing them into our mouths and imagining what delicious flavor they were.  We used our "mind's eye" (or mind's tongue) to imagine our flavors during our moment of silence. 

We also got to look at the giant canvas we will be using for the art show. We read The Peace Book, again and then discussed the things that make each of us feel peaceful. We will be using our feelings about peace to make our large canvas.

Kailyn, Julian and Naomi each brought in something to show the class, so they took to the Storyteller's Stool to share with their friends and answer questions. At Choice Time, the Turtles were busy making music and art. Some friends gathered to play the drums, while others used the ever-popular keyboard.

The Turtles also decided to make a Welcome Back Sign for Tamara, who everybody is missing. (Tamara's jury has entered into deliberations, so we are hoping that she will return to us soon.)

Outside, the Turtles enjoyed the sunshine, as they made full use of the entire playground. It is so nice to go outside without snow pants! (Note: Tomorrow we are planning a walk to Alverthorpe, so please make sure kids are dressed for tromping through the woods).

Back inside, we began preparation for doing some Spring planting. We talked about the seed pod we'd found on our last hike, and then read a book about seeds. At lunch, kids found a variety of seeds in their food!