Friday, October 22, 2021

Welcome Marley and Violet & Welcome Back, Sylvie!

This week we welcomed two Tucker Room friends to KW!  Marley attended both yesterday and today, while Violet joined us this afternoon.  Both girls had a chance to set the table for the first time.  As she was setting the table, Violet noticed a bird on George's place card and said, "I guess Georgie likes birdies like I do."   this illustrated the way in which the place cards created by families supports connections between the children.  We also welcomed back Sylvie, who we had missed during her trip to California. 

Paper Airplanes

Recently, Lochie and George  spent part of the afternoon making and flying paper airplanes.  We brought this experience to our time in the outdoor classroom today.  Before we got started, we had several questions:

• Would the size of the paper airplane affect how well it flew?
• Would paper or cardstock make a better airplane?
• Would the design of the airplane affect how well it flew?
• Would adding weight (like a paper clip) to the plane affect the flight of the airplane?

As it turned out, all children chose to use the paper for their airplanes.  There didn't seem to be notable differences between the various design methods when it came to the flight of the plane.  the group thoroughly enjoyed folding, decorating, flaying their planes.  
         Maxon - We can fly them through the hula hoops.
      Giacomo - The higher you are, the higher it goes.  (He then stands on the tunnel to gain additional height.)
      Maxon - (Adding a paper clip to his plane) I want to make it strong.
        C.C. - (Adjusts the hula hoops to be parallel). See!  I can go through both (hoops).
      Lochie - (Using the cardboard target) I got it through 100.
        C.C. - I got it through 100.
       George - I got 100 points.  (He repeats the process, over and over).   200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 10 hundred.  I got 10 hundred points.  
        Lochie - Mine through the double hula hoops.
      

Creating an Underwater World

On occasion, Maxon has mentioned how much he loves the sea and sea animals.  Today children had the opportunity to transform the light table to an undersea world.  Maxon, Elle, Marley and C.C. worked in this area.  The scenario they developed primarily involved an aggressive crocodile that wanted to eat the other sea animals.  Luckily, the sting ray was there to protect the smaller sea creatures.  

Using our New Paints

Recently, the Rainey KW children mixed some new paints.  Several children used them today:
    Violet - I was making shells and seeds.  And these (indicating some dots on her paper) are the bubbles.  My picture is beautiful.
​      Reed - This is a sunset.
      C.C. - (After painting waves). Now I'm going to do sea animals.  (She eventually included a sting ray, reflecting her earlier experience at the light table.)
​      

A little of everything else from today...

We had not planned on opening the message center, but, once again, it was back by popular demand.  Children also played games and worked on a large floor puzzle.  During these processes, we saw a great deal of collaboration and building off of each other's ideas.

Thursday's Neighborhood Walk

The Halloween Decor

​Like today, yesterday was a beautiful day to be outside.  Children took a scenic route to Volta Park, checking out the halloween decorations along the way.  The group seemed to agree that the "girl in the bushes" and the "girl on the swing" were pretty creepy.  In addition, the yard with "steam" rising from the ground make a big impression.

Volta Park

"When we get to Volta Park, can we just go crazy?"  Jack 

Jack was probably referring to the fact that there are a lot of rules when we are on a walking field trip, and hoping that he could do whatever he wanted once we arrived.   Indeed, the fun continued at the park as children climbed, ran, and went on the spinners and swings.  We noticed that children challenged themselves physically, taking pride when they accomplished various goals.  
 Thank you, Molly for walking with us!

Have a wonderful weekend!  We look forward to seeing you at the preview party and the book fair!