Our exploration of Many Things Food continued this week. On Tuesday we debuted the new illustrated menu on the wall; the children were excited as they identified the pictures. As an invitation to writing, we now have two pad/pencil sets available for kids to 'write down' orders, just as real servers do. It's neat to see them scrawling horizontal scribble lines across the paper, which is markedly different from their drawings. The restaurant play often sparks some zoo play (I believe the restaurant is connected with the zoo as this is an ongoing theme), and I overheard S telling T that "the zoo is crowded. You need to hold my hand".
Tuesday found us gathered around a table full of playdough food: S offered a piece of "ravioli" to a friend while J was making lollipops and ice cream cones. Later J mashed the dough, announcing that he was "toggling it up", and then decided that he was "sticking sushi on a plate for Mama". T was busy with his own ideas, first joining in with J for "ice cream", then practicing rolling coils. "I have a Mama Snake and a Baby Snake" he showed me, then introduced "Zodzo the Snake" before holding two snakes up next to each other for comparison. "They're the same!" he concluded excitedly.
On Thursday we explored the process of making dough; I divided a salt dough recipe into thirds and each child was given a bowl of flour, a container of salt, some water and wooden spoon. Each child set to work, stirring their dry ingredients and very excited to add the water. Once we got to the point where the dough required handling to form the mass into a play dough, the children were a bit hesitant to get their hands gooey. S was done at this point and chose to play elsewhere; V wanted more water added in, then more flour, and J commented more than once "Look at all the flour!" V stuck around for a while, using a fork to poke a pattern into her dough. This activity was process-oriented so that, while we didn't actually get a usable batch of dough, the children had the fun of stirring, mixing and seeing the changes in the ingredients as they went from dry to wet. Big mess, but very big fun.
On Wednesday we read Lois Ehlert's "Growing Vegetable Soup", talked about which vegetables we liked, and filled out an illustrated check-mark chart with that information. Apparently, our children really like their veggies. Later, outside, we planted a big potful of carrot seeds. (We've also been reading Crockett Johnson's classic "The Carrot Seed".)We also planted chamomile seeds near the children's house, so we'll be checking to see what's coming up.
Outdoors, we've also been keeping track of those things we've planted recently. Our planter box of flowers has some buds growing already, and I'm glad that we'll have flowers before the children end school for this session. The sunflower seeds are coming up. Sadly, some of our other flower seeds were planted in what has become a mud flat; when the ground was saturated, puddle play ensued and the seeds didn't stand a chance.
The outdoors time has still been loads of fun. On Wednesday, T rediscovered a flat piece of driftwood and deemed it his "snowboard! Rock out!", and practiced his "tricks" by jumping off one of the cedar rounds and right onto it. This sparked a bunch of jumping play--all the kids were jumping off rocks and rounds, counting to ten aloud and then a big jump before their friend had a turn. I've also noticed that their games of "Hide the Shoe" are becoming less predictable. It used to be that the children often hid the shoe in the same place repeatedly. Now the shoe is being carried off to new and exciting places (behind the raspberries; tucked in under some grasses near the grapevines) and is harder than ever to find.
Some other moments:
S and T couldn't figure out how to use the dollhouse--S thought it should be a house, T wanted it to be a restaurant. I suggested the idea of a bed and breakfast and this was appealing; S ran the house side, while T managed the dining room and kitchen and a great inn-keeping team has been born.
Speaking of born, more baby play has been crawling and wahwah-ing through the preschool. This is one of V's favorite new activities, and she always has another 'baby' or 'parent' with her. On Wednesday, this turned into being baby animals, and our new picture book on the subject was explored.
We moved our ramps to the big wash bin full of beans. Tubes and funnels were also available; the children created their own experiments, standing the tubes vertically on the floor and pouring beans into them, then puling the tubes up to see what had happened to the beans.
T brought a cutting project to school and wanted to work on it. This sparked lots of scissors work at the table, which the children love to do. A table full of busy kids is a lovely sight!
Tuesday, our easel got a workout with large paper for markers on one side and watercolor sponge painting on the other. On Thursday we offered the watercolors again, only with chalk and dark paper opposite. The chalk side became a group work--no one asked for their own piece of paper, content to work side by side with a friend until it was their turn to paint.
Our week has been so busy that I didn't have time to get a lot of quotes, but there's always next week. And just to say--each of your children is truly a delight. They teach me so much. I wish I could spend my day tape-recording everything, because I hear such intelligence and imagination in how they play with each other, and in their stories and descriptions of their world. I am so grateful that my return to teaching has been with such a wonderful group of children. And I'm very much looking forward to seeing them next week. Have a great weekend!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
The Restaurant is Open!
In the last few weeks, the children have initiated a lot of restaurant play. Picking up on their cues, the housekeeping area has been transformed into their own restaurant, with aprons for the cooks and a little table for customers to sit at. Atop the table sits a tray with condiments and a little vase with a flower tucked inside, just as a real restaurant might. We've also added a toaster, butter, forks, spoons and plates to our props, and right away the restaurant play began in earnest.
T was the customer, J made up some eggs and toast while S toiled over a hot stove, making "potato soup". I brought out the tiny pieces that belong to our tea set, and T was curious about the play tea bags, wondering aloud what they were.
Making teas is easy to demonstrate, and so became an experiment. I put a kettle on in the adult kitchen and got out two mugs; when the water boiled, one mug was filled with just water, the other with water and a tea bag. T watched how the water changed color as the tea bag let its liqueur seep into the hot water and then scampered off, satisfied with what he'd seen. The next morning he asked for the tea things right away when the restaurant opened.
On Wednesday, when all the children were present, I brought up the idea of a menu. Because our children aren't reading yet, we don't always show them the menu when we dine out, but they are very aware that we adults often use one. I asked them what should go on a menu for our restaurant. T suggested pasta, while V countered with "noonles" and we all agreed that pasta and noodles could both be on the menu. S thought soup should be included. Toast, eggs, pancakes, tea and fruit salad rounded it out. Like good cooks, they seemed to be referencing what was in the kitchen. (The menu is now on the wall, with illustrations as well as words, so that our young patrons might point to their selection if need be.)
A glimpse into our new venture:
V: "You cook and serve me."
T: "What do you want for food?"
V: "I don't know."
T: "Pasta or pizza?"
V: "Pizza"
T: "It's too hot. You'll burn your mouth."
A minute later:
T: "I like pizza because I like sauce."
J: "You have a saucy mouth."
Sometimes it gets a little silly. Somehow crackers came up. When asked what they liked on their crackers, S replied, "sauce, tomato sauce"; T said he liked pesto; and V emphatically added "gummy bears" to the list of toppings.
On Thursday, we changed the words of a children's rhythm song into a restaurant song, the children calling out their favorite foods to eat at a restaurant when their turn rolled around. I have a feeling we'll be singing it again next week. We also spent some time cutting up a grocery advertising circular, choosing the foods we like and taping them to a big piece of paper. There was such variety--steak, yogurt, bananas, broccoli, oranges, bread, as well as donuts, ice cream and cookies. The donut conversation kept on, so I cut out cardstock donuts and brought out markers so that the "decorations" could be added. Apparently, everyone likes lots of sprinkles on their donuts.
Wednesday we spent a bit of time on playing with letters. Along with singing our ABC's and making letter shapes with our bodies, I also had the letters of each child's name cut out for them to glue on. This was more about offering experiential, three-dimensional exposure to the letters in their names than anything else. Orienting letters can be challenging for some children at this age, and I believe that just having a chance to pick up each letter, to look at it, and to see it as an object all of it's own is a helpful experience, as our children only usually see their names two-dimensionally. I also offered small wooden spelling puzzles: each puzzle is a word accompanied by a corresponding picture, and each piece contains only one letter. It's a tangible way to see how words are formed, and we'll be bringing them out again. We also filled up the big washtub with water and foam letters for the kids to play with, as well as some sink/float items. They enjoyed finding the letters of their name in the "big soup".
I've written so much already, so here are a few more moments from our week:
Our dollhouse was a second, mini restaurant, complete with appropriate furniture. T was immersed in this, building a long footpath and adding a tv (the small coffee table was propped up diagonally against a wall). It was deemed a "zoo restaurant" and then T and S began playing zoo, complete with tickets to get in.
Sandcastle play is going strong in the sandbox. We are learning to ask before stomping someone else's castles. Rosemary sprigs, glass gems and leaves decorated the houses in one "community", and a lake was made in the corner of the sandbox, until it seeped down and became a bog. Oh well!
Ice was introduced to the sandbox. We propped some flat pieces of wood up as slides and experimented with sliding the ice cubes down and discovered that sandy boards don't work as well as clean ones with water.
Indoors, on the rug, T explaining how to use a ramp to V, rolling nuts down, while S and J used the second ramp to roll down some glass gems. They are now building enclosures with blocks to corral the sliding objects at the bottom.
S, J and V playing babies, crawling on the floor and making baby sounds. Later, they shouted in unison "I LIKE RATS!"
J building a "tickling place" with blocks.
V and J using forks and spoons as rhythm instruments and dancing. Blocks were used as guitars.
V balances a long block on her knee, tilting it up and down. "Look! A teeter-totter!"
We'll see all of you next week for more restaurant play and our new menu!
T was the customer, J made up some eggs and toast while S toiled over a hot stove, making "potato soup". I brought out the tiny pieces that belong to our tea set, and T was curious about the play tea bags, wondering aloud what they were.
Making teas is easy to demonstrate, and so became an experiment. I put a kettle on in the adult kitchen and got out two mugs; when the water boiled, one mug was filled with just water, the other with water and a tea bag. T watched how the water changed color as the tea bag let its liqueur seep into the hot water and then scampered off, satisfied with what he'd seen. The next morning he asked for the tea things right away when the restaurant opened.
On Wednesday, when all the children were present, I brought up the idea of a menu. Because our children aren't reading yet, we don't always show them the menu when we dine out, but they are very aware that we adults often use one. I asked them what should go on a menu for our restaurant. T suggested pasta, while V countered with "noonles" and we all agreed that pasta and noodles could both be on the menu. S thought soup should be included. Toast, eggs, pancakes, tea and fruit salad rounded it out. Like good cooks, they seemed to be referencing what was in the kitchen. (The menu is now on the wall, with illustrations as well as words, so that our young patrons might point to their selection if need be.)
A glimpse into our new venture:
V: "You cook and serve me."
T: "What do you want for food?"
V: "I don't know."
T: "Pasta or pizza?"
V: "Pizza"
T: "It's too hot. You'll burn your mouth."
A minute later:
T: "I like pizza because I like sauce."
J: "You have a saucy mouth."
Sometimes it gets a little silly. Somehow crackers came up. When asked what they liked on their crackers, S replied, "sauce, tomato sauce"; T said he liked pesto; and V emphatically added "gummy bears" to the list of toppings.
On Thursday, we changed the words of a children's rhythm song into a restaurant song, the children calling out their favorite foods to eat at a restaurant when their turn rolled around. I have a feeling we'll be singing it again next week. We also spent some time cutting up a grocery advertising circular, choosing the foods we like and taping them to a big piece of paper. There was such variety--steak, yogurt, bananas, broccoli, oranges, bread, as well as donuts, ice cream and cookies. The donut conversation kept on, so I cut out cardstock donuts and brought out markers so that the "decorations" could be added. Apparently, everyone likes lots of sprinkles on their donuts.
Wednesday we spent a bit of time on playing with letters. Along with singing our ABC's and making letter shapes with our bodies, I also had the letters of each child's name cut out for them to glue on. This was more about offering experiential, three-dimensional exposure to the letters in their names than anything else. Orienting letters can be challenging for some children at this age, and I believe that just having a chance to pick up each letter, to look at it, and to see it as an object all of it's own is a helpful experience, as our children only usually see their names two-dimensionally. I also offered small wooden spelling puzzles: each puzzle is a word accompanied by a corresponding picture, and each piece contains only one letter. It's a tangible way to see how words are formed, and we'll be bringing them out again. We also filled up the big washtub with water and foam letters for the kids to play with, as well as some sink/float items. They enjoyed finding the letters of their name in the "big soup".
I've written so much already, so here are a few more moments from our week:
Our dollhouse was a second, mini restaurant, complete with appropriate furniture. T was immersed in this, building a long footpath and adding a tv (the small coffee table was propped up diagonally against a wall). It was deemed a "zoo restaurant" and then T and S began playing zoo, complete with tickets to get in.
Sandcastle play is going strong in the sandbox. We are learning to ask before stomping someone else's castles. Rosemary sprigs, glass gems and leaves decorated the houses in one "community", and a lake was made in the corner of the sandbox, until it seeped down and became a bog. Oh well!
Ice was introduced to the sandbox. We propped some flat pieces of wood up as slides and experimented with sliding the ice cubes down and discovered that sandy boards don't work as well as clean ones with water.
Indoors, on the rug, T explaining how to use a ramp to V, rolling nuts down, while S and J used the second ramp to roll down some glass gems. They are now building enclosures with blocks to corral the sliding objects at the bottom.
S, J and V playing babies, crawling on the floor and making baby sounds. Later, they shouted in unison "I LIKE RATS!"
J building a "tickling place" with blocks.
V and J using forks and spoons as rhythm instruments and dancing. Blocks were used as guitars.
V balances a long block on her knee, tilting it up and down. "Look! A teeter-totter!"
We'll see all of you next week for more restaurant play and our new menu!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Imaginative Play
This week, we spent a lot of time immersed in imaginative play. On Tuesday, we found several stories unfolding as the children played with cars on a table covered with soap suds. First T and J were "crashing the cars", and then S joined in. I asked where their busy cars were going. "To a restaurant" answered T. J seconded the idea: "It's going to drive to that restaurant", while S came up with a whole new destination. "It's going to asotk", which a pretend place, and she was kind enough to spell it out for me. This play continued for quite a while, and we added some containers to the table too, to see what sort of tracks they made in the suds.
We've also been doing a lot of driving together. I'd cut out the center of several paper plates and these were introduced to the children as props to use for a steering wheel. We have had a lot of 'bus rides' recently, as well as singing songs about the bus. Later in the day, we spent some time setting up ramps to roll nuts down on. This activity requires some thought and trial and error: how to support the ramp to keep it from sliding around at the bottom as well as how to contain the nuts being rolled down. The children played that the ramp slid down into "water. There are sharks in there!" T placed a cluster of nuts inside the middle of a paper plate and announced that the nuts were "stuck in a tent".
Sometimes, more elaborate stories unfold. On Thursday, S had some of the wooden animals and decided that she wanted to make a zoo. J was holding cars and wanted to use the rug for roads, so we worked out a plan of roads that led to the zoo. Then, enclosures were built for the zoo. By now, V had joined in; she wanted to make a restaurant (notice a theme here?), so we designated a space on the rug for this. V scattered the smaller unit blocks around, telling us that these were the chairs and tables, and we brought in the dollhouse people to eat there. But S had a concern: her doll needed to use the potty ( a very reasonable concern, I have to say) and so she began to use one of the restaurant chairs. V protested loudly that "It's a chair, not a potty" and so S found a wedge shaped block to use for a toilet. But where to put the toilet? Apparently, the middle of the restaurant was the ideal first choice, so as not to miss out on the action, but after a question ("When you go to a restaurant and have to go potty, where to you usually go?") it was mutually agreed that the restroom could be located next to the restaurant dining area. Many of the children's concerns were reflected in their play, and this has probably been our most in-depth group story yet.
Open-ended props and toys contribute greatly to our children's freedom to imagine. S and V used clipped fern leaves as fishing poles, poking them out of the back gate. "Look Hazel, I caught a flounder!" said both girls at different times, holding up their invisible fish. The ferns also became ingredients for the soup they were concocting in the backyard; they have been used as a floor for the Children's House and were stacked over at the trunk of the plum tree, which is also a play house. Pieces of wood in the sandbox were used as a bridge over a valley--and then a makeshift balance beam. The valley was flooded by torrential watering cans the next day, and I noticed aloud that all the water had buried some of our cars partway under sand. This led to scraping out the cars (which are actually bulldozer tractors) and scooping the sand began in earnest. I showed them how to use the long side of the wood pieces to smooth the sand, and many sandcastles were built, then promptly squashed by the rainboots of our little giants.
Some other fine moments this week:
The children using the paper lacing cards as "kites", swinging them around in the "wind".
A continuation of our collage work: we used our glitter glue pens to add more color, beads and crepe paper to the car track collage we started two weeks ago.
Planting sunflower and flower seeds in the backyard; the children brought scoops of sand to help prepare the soil and planted seeds.
Children working together on a small pegboard to make a "Christmas tree" --a random pattern with many colors.
Coffee filters dipped into watercolor became butterflies, once we added pipe cleaners. The children enjoyed the folding and dipping parts most.
Water play in the big washtub; examining things that float and sink.
Decorating colorful birds, as we are reading a lot about birds and nests right now.*
Working together to build a big transportation floor puzzle.
S says to J: "I'm growing, J. And you're growing too!"
See you again next week for more fun outdoors and in!
*Just a note: One of the books we are reading is Leo Lionni's "Nathaniel, Where Have You Been?" about a mouse who, being seized by a crow, falls into a friendly birds nest. Because some of the conflict between the mice and birds is depicted a bit strongly, I've edited the book for our group. While the conflict is integral to the story, some of the words and depictions are not exactly pleasant. Please know that we skip several pages and get to the happy resolution without visiting the darker parts of the story.
We've also been doing a lot of driving together. I'd cut out the center of several paper plates and these were introduced to the children as props to use for a steering wheel. We have had a lot of 'bus rides' recently, as well as singing songs about the bus. Later in the day, we spent some time setting up ramps to roll nuts down on. This activity requires some thought and trial and error: how to support the ramp to keep it from sliding around at the bottom as well as how to contain the nuts being rolled down. The children played that the ramp slid down into "water. There are sharks in there!" T placed a cluster of nuts inside the middle of a paper plate and announced that the nuts were "stuck in a tent".
Sometimes, more elaborate stories unfold. On Thursday, S had some of the wooden animals and decided that she wanted to make a zoo. J was holding cars and wanted to use the rug for roads, so we worked out a plan of roads that led to the zoo. Then, enclosures were built for the zoo. By now, V had joined in; she wanted to make a restaurant (notice a theme here?), so we designated a space on the rug for this. V scattered the smaller unit blocks around, telling us that these were the chairs and tables, and we brought in the dollhouse people to eat there. But S had a concern: her doll needed to use the potty ( a very reasonable concern, I have to say) and so she began to use one of the restaurant chairs. V protested loudly that "It's a chair, not a potty" and so S found a wedge shaped block to use for a toilet. But where to put the toilet? Apparently, the middle of the restaurant was the ideal first choice, so as not to miss out on the action, but after a question ("When you go to a restaurant and have to go potty, where to you usually go?") it was mutually agreed that the restroom could be located next to the restaurant dining area. Many of the children's concerns were reflected in their play, and this has probably been our most in-depth group story yet.
Open-ended props and toys contribute greatly to our children's freedom to imagine. S and V used clipped fern leaves as fishing poles, poking them out of the back gate. "Look Hazel, I caught a flounder!" said both girls at different times, holding up their invisible fish. The ferns also became ingredients for the soup they were concocting in the backyard; they have been used as a floor for the Children's House and were stacked over at the trunk of the plum tree, which is also a play house. Pieces of wood in the sandbox were used as a bridge over a valley--and then a makeshift balance beam. The valley was flooded by torrential watering cans the next day, and I noticed aloud that all the water had buried some of our cars partway under sand. This led to scraping out the cars (which are actually bulldozer tractors) and scooping the sand began in earnest. I showed them how to use the long side of the wood pieces to smooth the sand, and many sandcastles were built, then promptly squashed by the rainboots of our little giants.
Some other fine moments this week:
The children using the paper lacing cards as "kites", swinging them around in the "wind".
A continuation of our collage work: we used our glitter glue pens to add more color, beads and crepe paper to the car track collage we started two weeks ago.
Planting sunflower and flower seeds in the backyard; the children brought scoops of sand to help prepare the soil and planted seeds.
Children working together on a small pegboard to make a "Christmas tree" --a random pattern with many colors.
Coffee filters dipped into watercolor became butterflies, once we added pipe cleaners. The children enjoyed the folding and dipping parts most.
Water play in the big washtub; examining things that float and sink.
Decorating colorful birds, as we are reading a lot about birds and nests right now.*
Working together to build a big transportation floor puzzle.
S says to J: "I'm growing, J. And you're growing too!"
See you again next week for more fun outdoors and in!
*Just a note: One of the books we are reading is Leo Lionni's "Nathaniel, Where Have You Been?" about a mouse who, being seized by a crow, falls into a friendly birds nest. Because some of the conflict between the mice and birds is depicted a bit strongly, I've edited the book for our group. While the conflict is integral to the story, some of the words and depictions are not exactly pleasant. Please know that we skip several pages and get to the happy resolution without visiting the darker parts of the story.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Cars and Collages
New to our posts: children will be referred to by their first initial. This will hopefully provide a little more detail as well as keeping the children's identities secure.
Tuesday morning brought us all together again, in an imaginary car. We took a trip around town to various places; each child took turns driving and chose a couple destinations. First to drive was S, who stopped at the library and picked up a book for each child (distributing them from our book basket) and then headed to Por Que No, where she picked up burritos (blocks) for one and all. Then T drove for a bit; we stopped for a dog show and then a cat show before the car ran into some problems: we needed gas (lucky we had a gas can!) and then a trip to the mechanic, who also happened to be the driver. Finally, J had his turn and we ended up at the zoo.
This has been a week for group activities. We gathered around a big piece of paper on the table; using spoons to drop paint on the paper, we then ran our cars through it, their wheels making tracks all over the paper. This was great for watching how the colors change when they are worked into each other, and noticing that the spoons could also be used to make designs in the paint.
We have also been discussing the word "collage". I think it's important for the children to know that this mix-up of materials has a special name, because so much of their work is based in collage-type creation and it's just nice to have a word handy when describing one's work. This week, we had three different collage experiences.
First, we discussed the idea of collage at our Morning Gathering on Wednesday. I'd brought to our circle a large piece of sticky paper and precut pieces of various papers. The children put this together, but T was confused because the group piece didn't have his name on it anywhere. I suggested doing another and the kids jumped on the idea. This time, they wrote their names on little squares of paper and cut all the paper to their own liking. We used ribbons, bread bag tabs, mulberry paper and sequins. The difference between the two collages was remarkable--left to their own devices, the children created something far more artistic in both balance and placement of the materials. V used long pieces of curling ribbon to create striking lines; S distributed the bread bag tabs and sequins with some thought. All of the children added bits and pieces; the result is hanging in our back window, catching the light.
Our last collage was done on Thursday. We used our car painting paper and practiced using the little glue bottles. We had beads, buttons, little puff balls, sequins and macaroni to stick on. The glue flowed thick and fast and our paper was soon covered with objects.
Wednesday, too, found us working together. Last week we made our "hand flowers"- hand tracings which the children decorated and then cut out. We dipped paper leaves and the hand flowers into little dishes of glue, and then stuck them on a large paper tree. Colorful, the tree now hangs in our library area and the children can tell their hands from their friends'.
On Thursday morning, we had such a rambunctious group that we needed a neighborhood walk to get our wiggles out. S, V, and J first ventured out to the front yard to explore. We sniffed the spicy scent of the native currants, tasted the rosemary flowers (great for salads, by the way), parsley and tarragon, and smelled the strong lemony Melissa (lemon balm) before gathering up fallen camellias and walking around the block. After our tasting, V asked a lot of questions regarding which plants were edible and which weren't, and it's always great when our kids ask before putting something into their mouths. We collected more flowers on our walk as well as some pricklies, the sweet gum pods we find everywhere in our neighborhood. These materials were used outside later to make a rainwater 'soup' of petals, pinecones and pricklies. V and S stirred the soup from afar with long branches of the currant, then pretended the branches were fishing poles, sticking out of the gate. "I caught a flounder!" exclaimed S.
Other moments this week:
Cutting fabric scraps with S, T and J. "I'm going to save these for my mommy" said T, before loading up an envelope with pieces of cloth.
Snugglebunnies! V and J playing bedtime on the rug with pillows and blankets. Such giggling!
Sandpaper and chalk were introduced outdoors. The sandpaper was actually paired with pieces of wood, but the children were far more interested in making the chalk into fairy dust by scrubbing it onto the sandpaper. They've also decorated parts of the fence, the children's house, the sandbox and the cedar rounds...we have a very colorful backyard!
T and J using ramps, rolling down wooden animals as well as the wooden play food and nuts.
S explaining the windsock, and how it works, to T.
A quiet moment: V reading The Three Bears (Paul Galdone's book) to T while J and S worked together to build the silo of the big barn puzzle in the other room.
V and S playing bus ride. "We are going to the zoo" announced S; then she and V were peering under the kitchen table, in another world. "See the chickens in there?" V asked.
J making 'pretzels' in the sandbox as S walked over a piece of wood which lay over a 'valley'. S:"I'm standing on a bridge!"
As usual, we'll see you next Tuesday for another busy, fun week.
Tuesday morning brought us all together again, in an imaginary car. We took a trip around town to various places; each child took turns driving and chose a couple destinations. First to drive was S, who stopped at the library and picked up a book for each child (distributing them from our book basket) and then headed to Por Que No, where she picked up burritos (blocks) for one and all. Then T drove for a bit; we stopped for a dog show and then a cat show before the car ran into some problems: we needed gas (lucky we had a gas can!) and then a trip to the mechanic, who also happened to be the driver. Finally, J had his turn and we ended up at the zoo.
This has been a week for group activities. We gathered around a big piece of paper on the table; using spoons to drop paint on the paper, we then ran our cars through it, their wheels making tracks all over the paper. This was great for watching how the colors change when they are worked into each other, and noticing that the spoons could also be used to make designs in the paint.
We have also been discussing the word "collage". I think it's important for the children to know that this mix-up of materials has a special name, because so much of their work is based in collage-type creation and it's just nice to have a word handy when describing one's work. This week, we had three different collage experiences.
First, we discussed the idea of collage at our Morning Gathering on Wednesday. I'd brought to our circle a large piece of sticky paper and precut pieces of various papers. The children put this together, but T was confused because the group piece didn't have his name on it anywhere. I suggested doing another and the kids jumped on the idea. This time, they wrote their names on little squares of paper and cut all the paper to their own liking. We used ribbons, bread bag tabs, mulberry paper and sequins. The difference between the two collages was remarkable--left to their own devices, the children created something far more artistic in both balance and placement of the materials. V used long pieces of curling ribbon to create striking lines; S distributed the bread bag tabs and sequins with some thought. All of the children added bits and pieces; the result is hanging in our back window, catching the light.
Our last collage was done on Thursday. We used our car painting paper and practiced using the little glue bottles. We had beads, buttons, little puff balls, sequins and macaroni to stick on. The glue flowed thick and fast and our paper was soon covered with objects.
Wednesday, too, found us working together. Last week we made our "hand flowers"- hand tracings which the children decorated and then cut out. We dipped paper leaves and the hand flowers into little dishes of glue, and then stuck them on a large paper tree. Colorful, the tree now hangs in our library area and the children can tell their hands from their friends'.
On Thursday morning, we had such a rambunctious group that we needed a neighborhood walk to get our wiggles out. S, V, and J first ventured out to the front yard to explore. We sniffed the spicy scent of the native currants, tasted the rosemary flowers (great for salads, by the way), parsley and tarragon, and smelled the strong lemony Melissa (lemon balm) before gathering up fallen camellias and walking around the block. After our tasting, V asked a lot of questions regarding which plants were edible and which weren't, and it's always great when our kids ask before putting something into their mouths. We collected more flowers on our walk as well as some pricklies, the sweet gum pods we find everywhere in our neighborhood. These materials were used outside later to make a rainwater 'soup' of petals, pinecones and pricklies. V and S stirred the soup from afar with long branches of the currant, then pretended the branches were fishing poles, sticking out of the gate. "I caught a flounder!" exclaimed S.
Other moments this week:
Cutting fabric scraps with S, T and J. "I'm going to save these for my mommy" said T, before loading up an envelope with pieces of cloth.
Snugglebunnies! V and J playing bedtime on the rug with pillows and blankets. Such giggling!
Sandpaper and chalk were introduced outdoors. The sandpaper was actually paired with pieces of wood, but the children were far more interested in making the chalk into fairy dust by scrubbing it onto the sandpaper. They've also decorated parts of the fence, the children's house, the sandbox and the cedar rounds...we have a very colorful backyard!
T and J using ramps, rolling down wooden animals as well as the wooden play food and nuts.
S explaining the windsock, and how it works, to T.
A quiet moment: V reading The Three Bears (Paul Galdone's book) to T while J and S worked together to build the silo of the big barn puzzle in the other room.
V and S playing bus ride. "We are going to the zoo" announced S; then she and V were peering under the kitchen table, in another world. "See the chickens in there?" V asked.
J making 'pretzels' in the sandbox as S walked over a piece of wood which lay over a 'valley'. S:"I'm standing on a bridge!"
As usual, we'll see you next Tuesday for another busy, fun week.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Back to School
We returned from our break with some wonderful sharing opportunities. One child brought a book from home for us to read as a group; another brought some blackberries she had picked with her grandmother last summer and then frozen. Not only did we have a delicious treat with our morning snack, but a conversation arose regarding berry picking and then, where the children like to go with their parents. On my end, this was very fun to listen to. The children's stories of what they did on their spring break revealed what was important to them during those times (and not necessarily what their parents might have remembered!), and it sounded like everyone had a good time.
Getting back into the school swing of things takes a little getting used to again, and so we picked up where we left off, with our triangles. We taped a large piece of tracing paper onto the table and had several paper triangles to place beneath it for the children to trace around. One child traced the triangles and then moved them to trace again. One child was happier tracing the shape and then scribbling over it; another made one triangle and declared he was all done and signed with the first letter of his name. We then taped it up in our library area for all to see.
Because our tulips are up, as well as so many flowers, we traced each child's hands on two pieces of paper; one set was for the children to do with as they wished and take home; the other is for making a "hand flower collage" which we will work on next week. We'll have some bright flowers on our wall soon.
We also tried out marble painting. The children picked out a color of paper,placed it in a box and added marbles with different colors of paint on them. Then we covered the little box and they shook, shook, shook it, causing the marbles to track through the paint blobs. This was a very popular activity that we are sure to repeat again.
Puzzles have been the ongoing theme at school this week. We moved the rice tub out of the kitchen in favor of some large space for floor puzzle work. Each day we had at least one time where we all worked together on the large puzzles; the newly introduced barn puzzle with its animals, tractor and silo is a treat. The kids had questions about the names of the animals, the parts of the barn (hayloft, silo) and the tools and other farm ephemera (bushel baskets of apples, sacks of grain, pitchforks).
We also had available a bowl of small beach treasures--smooth shells and rocks--to practice spooning and dumping into other little dishes. The children really liked this activity. On the first day they imported it into their kitchen play and stirred it into a soup full of wooden vegetables, felt noodles and nuts. The next day I explained that it was a separate activity and that it needed to stay on its own little table. The children really took this to heart. As tempting as it was, I'm sure, to spirit it away to the soup-making that happens daily, everyone exhibited an admirable amount of self-regulation and willpower and kept the activity in its place.
Some other lovely moments:
The two girls pretending to be "crawly alligators" and wriggling around, laughing.
One child offering to "read" a story to her friend, and then sitting down with him and telling the story from memory, pointing to the pictures.
Making sandcastles in the new sandbox, and climbing up on the large, new cedar rounds in the backyard.
The children picking the withered primroses from the plants to put into their Flower Soup. Pinecone Soup was the next day's Soup du Jour outdoors.
Our new wooden train and familiar puzzle blocks train going around the rug on a "track": the dark border of the rug. The children built several stations with blocks. The train carried nuts, blue glass 'gems' and stones this week.
Making playdough lollipops, pretzels, ravioli and a few other treats we read about in Eric Carle's "Walter the Baker". There is more practice going on with rolling out the dough and cutting shapes with cutters; the children are expanding their playdough skills.
Let's hope for a little more blue sky next week, and I do hope that you all have a moment to get out and see all the other colors out in the gardens around us. This is such a great time to take a walk under an umbrella and examine the flowers and budding plants in the neighborhood...just don't forget the boots for puddlestomping!
Getting back into the school swing of things takes a little getting used to again, and so we picked up where we left off, with our triangles. We taped a large piece of tracing paper onto the table and had several paper triangles to place beneath it for the children to trace around. One child traced the triangles and then moved them to trace again. One child was happier tracing the shape and then scribbling over it; another made one triangle and declared he was all done and signed with the first letter of his name. We then taped it up in our library area for all to see.
Because our tulips are up, as well as so many flowers, we traced each child's hands on two pieces of paper; one set was for the children to do with as they wished and take home; the other is for making a "hand flower collage" which we will work on next week. We'll have some bright flowers on our wall soon.
We also tried out marble painting. The children picked out a color of paper,placed it in a box and added marbles with different colors of paint on them. Then we covered the little box and they shook, shook, shook it, causing the marbles to track through the paint blobs. This was a very popular activity that we are sure to repeat again.
Puzzles have been the ongoing theme at school this week. We moved the rice tub out of the kitchen in favor of some large space for floor puzzle work. Each day we had at least one time where we all worked together on the large puzzles; the newly introduced barn puzzle with its animals, tractor and silo is a treat. The kids had questions about the names of the animals, the parts of the barn (hayloft, silo) and the tools and other farm ephemera (bushel baskets of apples, sacks of grain, pitchforks).
We also had available a bowl of small beach treasures--smooth shells and rocks--to practice spooning and dumping into other little dishes. The children really liked this activity. On the first day they imported it into their kitchen play and stirred it into a soup full of wooden vegetables, felt noodles and nuts. The next day I explained that it was a separate activity and that it needed to stay on its own little table. The children really took this to heart. As tempting as it was, I'm sure, to spirit it away to the soup-making that happens daily, everyone exhibited an admirable amount of self-regulation and willpower and kept the activity in its place.
Some other lovely moments:
The two girls pretending to be "crawly alligators" and wriggling around, laughing.
One child offering to "read" a story to her friend, and then sitting down with him and telling the story from memory, pointing to the pictures.
Making sandcastles in the new sandbox, and climbing up on the large, new cedar rounds in the backyard.
The children picking the withered primroses from the plants to put into their Flower Soup. Pinecone Soup was the next day's Soup du Jour outdoors.
Our new wooden train and familiar puzzle blocks train going around the rug on a "track": the dark border of the rug. The children built several stations with blocks. The train carried nuts, blue glass 'gems' and stones this week.
Making playdough lollipops, pretzels, ravioli and a few other treats we read about in Eric Carle's "Walter the Baker". There is more practice going on with rolling out the dough and cutting shapes with cutters; the children are expanding their playdough skills.
Let's hope for a little more blue sky next week, and I do hope that you all have a moment to get out and see all the other colors out in the gardens around us. This is such a great time to take a walk under an umbrella and examine the flowers and budding plants in the neighborhood...just don't forget the boots for puddlestomping!
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