Spring Fever, Spring Cleaning and Paint

After yesterday's rain, the Turtles were eager to be out in the sunshine! We began our day by bringing the waffle blocks back outside to share with the other classes. "Can we play?" they queried the teacher. And how could she say no, with the sun shining and the blue sky peaking through the clouds? After a little while outside, we returned to the classroom for Morning Meeting. The children had wanted to see more pictures of Tamara's dad, and so she brought some in to share. The Turtles also explained to Tamara the seeds that they had put in wet paper towels to see if they would grow. One seed looked like it had started to sprout!
The children have also begun work on our Art Show Masterpieces! Using real artists tools like canvas boards, pencils and erasers for sketching, and acrylic paints, the Turtles are working on a still life!

Then it was time for more outdoor exploration! There was a "rock store," some biking and swinging, and lots of hide and seek on this glorious spring day!

Tamara's Back!

Tamara came back today! She got so many hugs and well wishes from the Turtles! At Morning Meeting, we had a beautiful discussion about Tamara's dad. She showed them pictures of him when he was a young man and Tamara was little, and when he was an old man, and the Turtles had lots of questions.

At Morning Meeting, we also made a picture of a peaceful place in our mind's eye. The children had all different kinds of ideas about peaceful places: Giggleberry Fair, with mommies or daddies, here at school, and at the the beach. At Choice Time, we used cut-out shapes to collage images of peaceful things, including "my mommy cause she is warm," and "the swimming pool with water that is blue." It is wonderful to see and hear the myriad ways that the children are connecting with the idea of peace.

The rest of the morning was filled with puzzles, dramatic play, reading books (including Remi Charlip's Fortunately), cleaning the guinea pigs cage, drawing pictures, and playing the keyboard.

Art Happens

Everywhere today was art. The Turtles came in ready to create and we nearly ran out of space for all the projects to happen - even before Choice Time. Friends were busy drawing, tracing, cutting and pasting and then decorating the room with their creations.

At Morning Meeting, we practiced using our "mind's eyes," and going to a place that makes us feel peaceful. Then, the Turtles shared their ideas about what makes a place peaceful for them - many describing not so much a place as the people who were there with them.

Next, we continued our Art exploration by looking at a variety of paper shapes and what we could make out of them. The Turtles have begun to notice that many of the things they draw are composed not only of lines and colors, but also collections of shapes.  We practiced using a variety of paper shapes to make houses trees and animals. The Turtles continued to work on this at Choice Time.

Outside time saw the re-emergence of our superheroes - eager to save anyone from anything! In the midst of all this heroism, there were also cakes being baked and parties being hosted. The entire playground was abuzz with dramatic play.

Inside, Naomi read a story to her friends, and then we read a book entitled, If You Were An Ant. The Turtles had many questions about the life of an ant, and were amazed at how much they can do. This book got mostly thumbs up.

An Invasion of Vampires

Please do not be alarmed, but this morning, the Turtles classroom was invaded by a band (herd? troop? flock?) of invisible vampires. Many of the Turtles donned capes and wands to protect us and eventually had to head outside for a full grounds hunt. Reportedly, over 15 vampires were eventually trapped and locked up with an especially big and strong lock. Thanks to their super-hero-ish efforts, AFS is once again vampire free.

At Morning Meeting, friends reported on their various vampire-related injuries and close calls, and presented a number of theories about where these monsters may have come from.

We also discussed the many projects that we would be working on during Choice Time, including our card for Tamara, our giant canvas for the art show, and our Treasure Box for upcoming sharing. Keyboard, snack and puzzles were also available.

After Choice Time, we headed back outside. On our walk, we played a game of "I Spy and Run," where the teacher gives a hint about something she spies (like "a green tree that's shaped like a triangle"), and the Turtles run to it as fast as they can. In this way, we meandered over to the lower school playground, where the Turtles displayed their growing strength and coordination on the pole, bridge, ladders and monkey bars. Everyone was invested in trying new things that they'd never been able to do before.

Back in the room, we read, Being With You This Way, a book about the being with friends who are different shapes, sizes and colors. The Turtles used this opportunity to look at one another's eye and skin color and to talk about what is the same and different.

Just Another Manic Monday

The Turtles were incredibly busy this morning.  After a brief Free Play time, we bundled up and headed outside. We stopped to visit our favorite trees, and to check for signs of Spring (but not for too long, because the temperature was decidedly NOT Spring-like).

We arrived at Lori's music room to find the 5th graders just unpacking their string instruments, and excited that the Turtles were coming to hear them play. Lori told us they would need a few minutes to tune up, so we toured around the school to look at the art and projects on the wall. We also stopped at the auditorium to check out the new stage set.

The Turtles liked the backdrop of painted trees, but thought that the play poster looked scary. We talked about what made it look ominous and what they thought the story might be about, based on the picture.

On returning to the Music Room, the 5th graders were ready for us. They played the lowest note on the cello, and the highest note on the violin.

Lori showed us all the parts of the violin, and told us their names. Then she taught us a song to teach us the names of each of the strings. Next, she played us some songs that we recognized and then the 5th graders played several new songs. We gave them an enthusiastic round of applause.

Then Lori had the Turtles line up and everyone got to play the violin! We thanked our hosts and made plans to return to learn more about music.

On our way back, we stopped at the Puddle Tree and the Turtles got to jump out and scare their teachers (a favorite Puddle Tree activity).

At Morning Meeting, we talked about our experience in the Music Room. Then, Carol shared some sad news with the Turtles. She told them that Tamara's dad had been quite sick and that he had died. The Turtles had a lot to say. Some friends shared that they had grandparents who had died. Others thought about Tamara having no dad, and imagined that she must feel very sad. There was also some discussion about the possibility of her getting a new dad, and the different ways she might do that. We decided to make her a card, and discussed what it should say. We continued talking over snack.

Next came Movement class with Missy. We did scarf dancing and played with a giant colorful piece of elastic. We also played "Seek," and had to find a bunch of colored rings that were hidden around the room. After a rousing game of Dodge-All, we stretched our muscles, got our stamps and headed out.

We had a short Choice Time and many of the Turtles became firefighters. Lots of things around the room erupted spontaneously into flame and required repeated rescues.

Our story today was called, Sometimes I Want to be Alone, and it spurred a discussion about the things Turtles like to do when they are by themselves. Before we knew it, it was time to sing good-bye to our half-day friends and have lunch.