Animals!

I was out on Monday, but Tuesday was awesome! During circle time, we were sure to read a book about animal facts! We talked about the color of giraffe tonguesand the diets of monkeys! We had a chance to color some of our favorite animals—tigers, lions, whales, and more! We even talked about dragons—though we were sure to distinguish them as “pretend” animals. We met Leo the Lion, and then had awesome yoga time with Ms. Vanessa! She brought Madam butterfly and we were each allowed a kiss! At the end, the breathing ball was a treat, and a real opportunity to work on our breathing! Learning how to breathe with awareness really comes in handy when we’re trying to work through difficult or exciting emotions! It helps us to calm our bodies and get re-focused.

Wednesday started out with some awesome outside time in the cloudy and beautiful weather. An onion from the garden was just screaming to be picked, and so we picked it. Dom cut small pieces for those who wanted a taste. We find that for some kids, seeing their food come straight from the garden makes it more interesting and appetizing. Show and Tell was super awesome. Miles and Tula really showcased their pigs as they put on a pig performance for us—squeeling and snorting in the toys own way—it was a funny site to see. We had a chance to color toads and salamanders while we free-played. We had a few requests for batman masks, and so in Reggio Emilia spirit, we embraced this super-hero exploration. We added spots to our toads using candle wax. We talked about fire safety and closely guided them as they witnessed wax turn from a solid to a liquid to create raised spots on our frogs! We talked about the bumpy skin of toads, looked at some different varieties, and compared our creations to our big toad at the door of our class. Spanish time was also super awesome! We played a game of matching body parts to a human silhouette. In the process, we also learned numbers in Spanish and vocabulary related to turn taking!

Thursday morning we learned about teamwork and ways to use balls. We learned how to kick a ball in a step by step process. First, ask your partner “are you ready?” then you put the ball down, get “set up” by taking a step back, and then you kick! We waited in line to show we were interested in playing this game with other players, and then practiced kicking and catching the ball. In the afternoon, we watched a “volcano” erupt several times using vinegar and baking soda. Daphne visited us for Spanish again, and taught us a great song about moving body parts. It’s a fast song, jam-packed with things to learn—a challenge, and one they are certainly excited about! We also flew a dragon kite at the end of the day! It flew away and got stuck on a telephone pole! We were able to watch it, far as it was, all afternoon.

Friday we had dance party all morning! We were surprised to find the dragon kite flying strong! We also had an awesome car wash using soap, water, and sponges. In the afternoon, we had a pizza-making cooking project. Toni modeled for every one how she assembled her pizza with her favorite ingredients. Then, we passed out the ingredients along with some spoons to practice spreading sauce on their tortillas. Every one tasted it! At the very end of the day, we got caught in the rain and had an impromptu rain party in the welcome center! At last, the kite came down and Nick was able to show it to us! Such a great week! 

 Love,
Jackie