Make Believe

Today we worked some more on editing our story. We read the Turtles what we had so far, and then realized that our story did not have a beginning. So we figured out the setting. It is amazing to hear the children discuss their ideas. They are so deeply engaged in the serious work of being authors!

During Inside-Outside Day, the children were so industrious and engaged! They made an amazing fort on the playground, and then turned it into their house. Miranda, Robby and Julian were a family, and David built himself a bed nearby so that he could be their kitty.

Noah, Katie and Kailyn also made beds. They were chipmunks, and so they lined their beds with hay.

The Caterpillars had brought their babies out for baths, and the Turtles were eager to help.

Inside, the easel was open, and Naomi experimented with mixing different colors.

 Carol also made playdough with the children. It was her first time making it, and it looks great!

Maggie, Davie, and Max worked on their photo books which are turning into wonderful opportunities for the Turtles to remember the many many adventures we have had this year.

It seems like the closer we get to the end of the year, the more the Turtles are lovin' each other. Its like they can't get enough of being together!

Moon Sand and Movin' Around

Moon Sand is an amazing material that is like a mix of clay and sand, an amazing sensory experience. The Turtles experiment with the various sizes and shapes of molds to make everything from the moon to cookies.

 Tamara also shared a Rubik-cube like toy that was mesmerizing for the Turtles as they moved it around to create many many different shapes.

 Tamara read the book, "Buzzy's Boo Boo," which gave everyone a chance to talk about their many many boo boos.

Today was our last Movement Class with Missy! We gave her a card and a HUG ATTACK! She had lots of fun games for us like Limbo, Hula Hoop Hop Scotch, and Tunnel Crawl.

Outside, it was a little moist, but not actually precipitating, so the Turtles ventured out. They dried the slide off (albeit in an unconventional fashion) pushed each other on the tire swings, rode bikes, investigated the garden, staged a dance performance, and made magnificent birthday cakes.

The Plot Thickens

Today was Tamara's Treasure Box day, and we didn't know what to expect. First, she got out a beautiful rainbow from home.

Then she got out the other 14 things. Which turned out to be HOMEMADE BROWNIES! They were made from the special flour that Tamara can eat called spelt flour and they were delicious.

We also worked some more on our story. The Turtles decided to vote on which problem, but it was soon clear that the Turtles liked ALL of the problems they had come up with. Although Carol was dubious, she asked the Turtles how they could fit all of the problems into one story, and they did it.

Next, we will work on solving this complex set of problems and design our illustration.

While some Turtles headed outside, others took turns inside, working on a secret project.

Creek Walkin'

Today we headed out to the creek for some exploration, and boy were there a lot of things to see! We booted up and the teachers gave the standard (and totally pointless) warnings about not getting too wet because it isn't very sunny outside. Before we set out, we made some predictions about what we might see, including dolphins, fish, and "the creek!"

Almost as soon as we headed down to the creek, we spotted something new! A jumping frog! We saw it and perhaps a toad several more times!

We also found several rocks with things like algea and worms growing on them. Then we found a waterfall! At the top of the waterfall, the water went into a pipe, and when we went around to the bottom of the waterfall, there was a gushing stream of water!