Creative Spelling and more instrument experimentation. Have a great weekend!

Ellee and Alex practiced creative (or inventive) spelling while making messages for the Rainey Room children who had previously sent messages to us.  Together with a teacher, they listened for the sounds in the words and thought of the letter representing that sound.

More experimentation with instruments in the studio which is slowly becoming a "music studio."

Prater's Winnie the Pooh illustration (based on her book she's been sharing with our class)

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At second meeting, we had a discussion about "conflict resolution", which is an important skill for all children at St. Johns.
 
Joci – Let’s talk about saying you’re sorry to another person when either they’re doing something they shouldn’t be doing or when it was an accident. 
Alex – Like if you kick someone in the forehead.
Cassius - Then it will be on purpose and they might kick you out of the building or something.
Joci – Teachers would never do that.
Grace – Teachers are nice.
Joci – A teacher’s job is to keep everyone SAFE.  Your job is also to keep yourself and others safe.  That means in your body and with your feelings.  Everyone needs to be safe.
Alex – What if someone kicks you out of a game?  Like you can’t play the game.
Carl – Hockey people throw people against the bench.  They go to the penalty box.
Joci – Yeah, you have to wait . . .
Carl – . . . for 5 minutes.
Joci - When something happens in our class, we don’t have a penalty box or a time- out.  We think you are all responsible children and we are part of a community and we’re all friends.  If you do something that hurts another friend by accident or on purpose, you need to say, “I’m sorry,” “I didn’t mean to do that” or what else can you say?
Hadley – Do you forgive me?
Mac – What if the lifeguard kicks you out of the pool?
Joci – Yeah, lifeguards do that.  It’s part of their job.  But that’s not how we do it here at St. John’s.
Ellee – During the day, someone took my turn playing a game.  I got kind of upset, then I asked her, “Can you stop that?”  And I walked away.
Hadley - When I was playing the keyboard with a friend she strummed it when it was my turn.  She said she was sorry.
Joci - Grace said earlier, “ya know, it just takes a second to say you’re sorry.”  Then you can go back to playing.  But you have to mean it.  You have to care.
Joci and Melanie roleplay what apologizing looks like. 
Bruno – If someone says something mean to you, you just walk away. 
Cassius – Sometimes if someone did something that you didn’t want them to do, they’ll say I’m not gonna play with you.
Bruno – You could not listen to that person.
Joci – What if instead, that person says, “I don’t like that.”  “Please don’t do that again.”  You use your strong voice.  Then you don’t have to walk away.  The other person could say, “I’m sorry” or “Is there anything I can do for you?” or “Are you okay?”  Then you can both move on and play.
Melanie and Joci role-play using “strong” voices.
 
Later, Ellee shared that when she had difficulty earlier she asked her friend to speak nicely and when that wouldn’t work, she went to a teacher for help.
 

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The "buds" chased each other in the alleyway at the end of the morning.