Snack Time

We turn off lights to promote calm and peaceful snack time. We notice the amount of natural light that comes into our room. This will depend on the time of the year (leaves shades the sunlight in fall. angles of the sun changes through the season) and also the weather for the day(cloudy day as opposed to sunny day. snow reflect sunshine to make the room brighter). We wonder together all the reason this happens in nature. We have been lighting a candle during late fall and winter. We simply appreciate the light. Everyone enjoys sharing snack and stories around the table.

Tuesday walk

Tuesday walks are comforting. No big uphill or downhill so it is a good warm up for the first day of a week. Many layers of clothes come off by the end of a walk as children warm up and the temperature raises by mid-day. We enjoy seasonal activities as making a dam in late summer and fall, collecting seeds in fall and winter, and checking out wild flowers in spring. It is always nice to see elderly neighbors we meet on our walk. This was Anna and Julia's last walk as they are moving onto different school next year. Enjoy pictures.

Martinmas and Lantern Walk

beginning

November 8, we had our annual Martinmas and Lantern Walk. Opal's parents hosted us at a cozy neighborhood with a beautiful stream running by their home. We were blessed to have the strong wind subside half way through the day, so when we gather late afternoon to evening, it was calm and peaceful. Sherry Lovett started off the evening with a great story of Martin. She told us that Martin was a little boy who was very kind. Then he grow up and became a Roman soldier because it was the law. She talked about his kindness to his servant and to other people who were under-privileged. When the story was over, she lead us all to sing: See Martin's light is all around Within your heart it can be found Ha la, ha la, ha la, ha lo Shine your light every where you go Then we sang more songs of lanterns together. We walked with our lanterns on the driveway through the quiet neighborhood. It started to get dark and we could see the glimmers of our lanterns. We went back to the outdoor pavilion at Opal's house to have warm soup and bread and other food that people had brought to share. Gretchen and Jona treated us with home-made hot apple cider. We gathered around a campfire and we felt warm and I believe our heart felt light. Blessings to all.

Jack-O-Lantern

It took us two days to make Jack-o-lantern. First day, we cut open and got all the seeds out. Boys in particular were very excited with using spoons and tongs as tools to get the seeds out. David said excitedly that he is going to start 10 pumpkin patch from the seeds! We have in our classroom, some beans sprouting from the beans that children shelled, so maybe he was thinking about sprouting pumpkin seeds. We used an heirloom pumpkin I bought from a store since mine rotted in the garden due to the rainy summer this year. The outside of the pumpkin was dull orange color, but the inside was a bright orange! Julia drew the face on the pumpkin and I cut them out. We sang "Once I had a pumpkin" as we cut out the eyes, nose, mouth and ears (she drew cheeks too). They enjoyed plugging the cut out pieces back, and pulling them out again like pieces of puzzles. When it was finished, we talked about how the pumpkin will no longer hold water in as it did the day before. (Children pored water in the pumpkin using a small pitcher. It took 6 pitchers of water to fill the pumpkin.) We also talked about roasting the seeds to eat. We have been reading "Pumpkin Soup" at preschool, so I said maybe I will make a pumpkin soup for the Lantern Walk. They all thought would be a great idea. We lit the candle in the freshly made Jack-o-Lantern for snack time.

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Helping Annelise, indoor activities.

We have had lovely days when everyone found interest things to do indoor before we set out for a walk. Our virtue is cooperation this month. I have written many messages (filed in the art folder) about how each child showed his or her cooperation. When we cooperate, we can move towards the goal together.

We have been having wonderful indoor time. On Tuesdays paintings, we have been featuring apples, leaves, and pumpkins. On Wednesday, we do clay or modeling wax activities. On Thursdays, we have been cutting and gluing papers with pictures of seeds, vegetables, and pumpkins. On Fridays, we have been opening bean pods and collecting beans. They are big beans and when they come out, they are shiny and beautiful. We have been making patterns, pairing, counting and making designs with them.

Spring Masquerade

On March 15, We had a wonderful annual Spring Masquerade.  Children dressed in hand- made silk sash and a woolen head ornament had a joyful procession to where all the parents and friends were "still sleeping through the winter".  Children woke them up gently and told them that spring has sprung!  We sang "Winter Good bye" and had a wonderful potluck lunch afterwords.

Celebrating Chinese New Year

We learned about the Chinese New year.  Having the guest presenter was very exciting and meaningful for the children. Over the week, we read a story called Celebrating Chinese New Year,  made snake paper ornament, and learned to say a few words in Mandarin.   Children had good questions such as "Do you throw candy on your new year parade?", "Why do Chinese people make chopsticks out of wood?", "Why do you write like this (Chinese characters)?", "Why do letters look different?".  It shows their minds are wondering, comparing, and searching for explanation.  It was a great cultural exposure.  Special thanks to Kai-en and David's family.

Foot bath

January 23, 2013   We had a foot bath after a chilly walk.  Children were so excited and helpful getting themselves ready for it.  We usually read stories or tell a story while they soak their feet in a warm tub.  Last week though, Amanda brought special salt to rub their feet with.  It was so soothing and relaxing.

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