Cooper's Last Day at the Sprout

Howdy Folks,,

Our day got off to a great start outside with morning drop off! Cooper and Archer were 2 of the first Primary friends to arrive and we together helped water the gardens then went straight to brainstorming on what special things we could do at school today to celebrate Cooper's last day at Green Sprout. I left most of the decision making in Cooper's hands as we like to honor our friend's last day by giving them the say in what games, activities, art projects, etc we will do! 
Cooper has been announcing to the entire school the exact number of days he has left at the Sprout since July and the big "last day" has finally come! Cooper has been such a large piece of energy and light here within the Green Sprout Community. He is usually first to greet adults and children with a big "Hi, my name is Cooper!" and a hug to go with it. He has such a special connection with just about every infant,pre-tot, toddler, and teacher as he can recite each persons first and sometimes last names. Cooper has brought so many fun and interesting facts, stories, ideas, & jokes to the ears of all of us and in group circle we took a turn sharing one fun thing we will miss when Cooper is gone from the classroom.

•  Leina: "Me and Caden play together with him, especially when we chase Nick" Cooper responded: "Thanks Leina"
  
• Caden "Because he plays & he's really a good bomb bird when we play angry birds" Cooper responded " Of course,I play with you! "
• Archer "Nope,, nothing" Cooper responded " I am a little disappointed Archer"

We started class with some delicious cantaloupe, strawberries, and raisins. The group discussion focused on ways we can share extra love with Cooper today and the class decided that they all needed to make him cards sealed in specially decorated envelopes (you will notice that our class has a special liking for envelope art right now) So after a great line of dish washing we went through the classroom gathering materials we could use to make Cooper's cards. We picked out corks and a variety of wooden shapes that were dipped in paint and used as stamps. We cut pictures that we thought Cooper would enjoy out of magazines and used them in collages. We also used shiny small cut outs and glued them to our envelopes. Each friend was very proud of their work and Cooper was smitten!

During  Classroom Work/Exploration time Mo took a great interest in the moon sand. She decided to mix the moon and magic sand and said, " We like it like this, its more simple" Nick then asked "Does Mo like simple things?" Mo replied, "Yes, more is too much."

After morning "Cooper art" and classroom exploration we went outside for some fierce games of chase. Wrenn, a toddler friend, found a dead dried out grasshopper that was the talk of the playground. We also played "bulls eye" where we try to throw a ball in the center of the hanging heart! We had a great morning outdoor play time! 

Cooper announced to his friends that he brought a special treat to share at lunch time and that they were "fudgesicles and lemonadesicles" They were definitely a treat! Friends could  not lick fast enough as the sun melted them very quickly! We all thanked Cooper with a big group "Thank You Hug."

Our nap time routine has gotten to be pretty solid and so we had another great rest time. We have a group of friends (Caden,Leina, Archer, Alma) that only rest for 30 minutes then are able to pick out either a writting lesson or a book to read on the big table. They rocked this quiet time today! Their ability to use very soft whisper voices has drastically improved. Great Work Team, as they are fully aware that the reason they use these soft voices is to respect their "teammates" who are sleeping! 

Cooper also had a special request for our schedule today. He told me one of his favorite things to do at Green Sprout are cooking projects and so he asked if we could make "pizzas" today. We used pita bread, red cherry tomatoes basil leaves and cheese! Sprouts used wooden Popsicle sticks to mash and stir up tomatoes juices then did some spreading on the pita bread. Their favorite part was getting to sprinkle cheese on top! Each friend waited patiently and eagerly for their pizza's to toast and there were ooooooo's and ahhhhhhhh's as they watched the cheese melt!

The day rapped up with a great spanish class with Miss Leona! She brought her bells and shakers and Mo requested that she do so for class today. It was a true dance party!   

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