The Pajama ProjectYou might have already heard about our new all-school collaborative project, the Pajama Project! We will all work together with Cape's mom, LouLou, on creating St. John's pajamas.
To be able to gather more information, ask our questions and get a better understanding of the process we invited LouLou to the Brown Room (via Zoom). Today she showed us her work space, the watercolor pallets she uses to create her paintings and how a painting ends up on a pajama. After she completes a water color painting she uses a machine called a scanner to transfer in onto her computer. Once her painting is on the computer she can move individual parts of the painting around, adjust, resize and duplicate them. Then her finished design can get turned into pajamas.
Like using a printer. I have a printer. It prints drawings. - Hugh LouLou, how does the fabric turn into pajamas? - Wilder After the design got printed on the fabric, we learned that patterns are being used to cut the fabric. Those pieces of fabric are then being sewn together in a specific way in order to turn them into pajamas we can wear. Sewing was a great keyword, since we will start our introduction to sewing in the Brown Room next week! The process of creating pajamas from start to finish requires quite a few steps but we are excited to dive deeper into these individual processes and learn more about them as the project continues. Thank you LouLou for sharing your work with us! continuing our work on designing a dragon costume... |
 | Hugh worked on a large scale painting for a dragon costume idea. He started by painting the costume itself (a curvy body, sticks for people to hold the costume up underneath the body, a tail on the left side and a head on the right side) but then asked himself the question "But how are we gonna hold it? When we cut it out it's gonna drip?" (wondering if his painted design will work as the actual costume) |
Differentiating a design from the actual costume is a fairly new and complicated concept in the Brown Room. We are understanding that our drawing doesn't have to be or work as our actual costume. We can use other materials to create the costume and we can use our design as an inspiration or guide to create it. We discussed that making a design is similar to making a plan or creating a collection of ideas and thoughts. What do we want it to look like? What materials and tools do we need to create it?
Hugh then painted the materials and tools he thought we would need for his particular design underneath his painting of the dragon costume. For that, he identified details in his costume and used critical thinking to come up with materials that would fit his/his design's/his costume's needs. Here he drew on past classroom experiences with different materials such as scissors, glue, paint, paper, tape, and sticks.
"Yeah we have to find sticks outside. I was thinking of that. Maybe outside on the playground. Or at home." - Hugh
Here you can see Hugh's finished incredible design for a dragon costume:
0 Comments
Lucas's Family Tradition
Today, Lucas, his mom, and his dad shared their family tradition with us which is making a pancake brunch on Sunday's and other special occasions.
Before Megan and Dan (Lucas's parents) joined us on zoom this morning, we asked Lucas to tell us a little about what we would be learning about his family tradition today ...
Pancakes!
When we make pancakes at home, I help mom. - Lucas
Once we all realized that we would be eating pancakes today, we were extra excited!
Tita puts sprinkles on my pancakes! - Frances
Remy begins describing how to make pancakes ...
You stir, stir, stir. Then it gets hot, hot, hot. And you have to flip em!
You have to get a spoon (to flip them) - Remy
A magic spoon! - Luke
A spatula. - Jade
Then you have to get a fork and a knife and eat it into your tummy. - Remy
When we make pancakes at home, I help mom. - Lucas
Once we all realized that we would be eating pancakes today, we were extra excited!
Tita puts sprinkles on my pancakes! - Frances
Remy begins describing how to make pancakes ...
You stir, stir, stir. Then it gets hot, hot, hot. And you have to flip em!
You have to get a spoon (to flip them) - Remy
A magic spoon! - Luke
A spatula. - Jade
Then you have to get a fork and a knife and eat it into your tummy. - Remy
Lucas's family shared a few fun photos and videos with us of Lucas taking the lead on pancake making at home.
Lucas knows how to make the batter by mixing together flour, eggs, and milk. He and his family like to add vanilla to their pancakes too.
Lucas knows how to make the batter by mixing together flour, eggs, and milk. He and his family like to add vanilla to their pancakes too.
They also make really fun shapes with their pancakes by using special molds. Sometimes the molds can be for special occasions (like Valentine's Day heart pancakes) or just for fun to represent some of their favorite things (like Star Wars characters)!
 |  |
| Lucas is also learning how to flip the pancakes too! He uses a special Darth Vader spatula at home. His mom shared a special pancake making tip with us that we made sure to put into practice today ... wait for the pancake to bubble on one side before flipping it over. |  |
When the pancakes are done cooking, it's time for toppings!
Can you guess what Lucas's favorite topping is?
Can you guess what Lucas's favorite topping is?
To wrap up today's tradition sharing, Megan and Dan read two very silly stories to us.
The main characters are breakfast foods!
Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast
&
The Case of the Stinky Stench
By Josh Funk
Thank you to Megan, Dan, and Lucas for sharing your tradition with us and teaching us some special things about how to enjoy pancakes of our own!
Want to see what the Brown Room did next?
The main characters are breakfast foods!
Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast
&
The Case of the Stinky Stench
By Josh Funk
Thank you to Megan, Dan, and Lucas for sharing your tradition with us and teaching us some special things about how to enjoy pancakes of our own!
Want to see what the Brown Room did next?
First, we got some wiggles out by taking a music and movement break.
Then, we got to work making our very own pancakes!
Our first ever BR pancake day!
Again, a huge thanks to Lucas and family for providing us with all of the necessary ingredients to make this day so delicious.
To make pancakes, you have to first mix together all of the ingredients to prepare the batter.
It smells yummy, but it tastes yucky. - Wilder
(He decided to taste some of the pancake mix)
It smells yummy, but it tastes yucky. - Wilder
(He decided to taste some of the pancake mix)
| | |
Then, you have to cook the pancakes.
Each child had the opportunity to use the pancake pen to squeeze his/her own pancake onto the skillet.
Each child had the opportunity to use the pancake pen to squeeze his/her own pancake onto the skillet.
Frances volunteers to pass out napkins and plates to her friends while we wait for our pancakes to cook.
Finally, you get to add your favorite toppings and EAT the pancakes!
It takes a bit of patience to wait for your pancake to cook, but it's worth the wait.
Favorite Pancake Toppings:
Whipped cream. - Lucas
Um, stuff. - Jade
Stuff. Yeah, stuff. - Luke
I like syrup and sugar. - Wilder
I like maple syrup. - Cate
I like different syrup. Soft syrup. - Remy
I like serious syrup. - Cape
Those are yummy yummy! - Luke
Whipped cream. - Lucas
Um, stuff. - Jade
Stuff. Yeah, stuff. - Luke
I like syrup and sugar. - Wilder
I like maple syrup. - Cate
I like different syrup. Soft syrup. - Remy
I like serious syrup. - Cape
Those are yummy yummy! - Luke
 |  |
What an extra special fun day!
That's a wrap on family tradition sharing in the Brown Room for now.
Thank you to our families who volunteered to share some of your special moments with us.
We absolutely loved learning more about how you spend your time together!
That's a wrap on family tradition sharing in the Brown Room for now.
Thank you to our families who volunteered to share some of your special moments with us.
We absolutely loved learning more about how you spend your time together!
A Saturday with Jade's family
| Yesterday Jade, together with her parents, Paige and Tim, shared their Saturday family tradition with us. In the morning they come downstairs, read books and drink some milk together. Then Jade's dad get delicious chocolate croissants from Boulangerie Christophe (which is right around the corner from St. John's) for breakfast and they watch two cartoons together - Pinkalicious & Peterrific and Clifford the Big Red Dog. Afterwards they go on a family walk. But where are they walking to? Everyone in the Brown Room got a map so we could find out where they go - Dumbarton Oaks Park! Down Lover's Lane we followed the yellow path to the Old Stone Cobbhouse and across a bridge. One of Jade's favorite things to do on their walk is to collect rocks. "All of them. Big ones." - Jade And then she hides them in the 'moss bridge'. "Now we know how to get there!" - Finlay |  |
Thank you for sharing your traditions and delicious chocolate croissants with us! We will make sure to look for Jade's 'moss bridge' next time we're in Dumbarton Oaks Park!
Chocolate Croissants was one of the many "new foods" we have tried in the Brown Room lately. So far we've tried Anise cookies, raspberries, chocolate croissants, olives and today we added sweet potato fries to the list.
What do sweet potatoes look, feel, taste and smell like? Where do they grow? And how did they get so soft when they're in the shape of fries?
What do sweet potatoes look, feel, taste and smell like? Where do they grow? And how did they get so soft when they're in the shape of fries?
When one of the children tries a new food in the classroom they add their symbol to our "Tasting new foods" board in the studio.
Drawings by:
Anise Cookie - Cate
Olives - Jade
Raspberries - Finlay
Sweet potato fires - Hugh
Chocolate Croissants - Lily (top) and Jade (bottom)
Anise Cookie - Cate
Olives - Jade
Raspberries - Finlay
Sweet potato fires - Hugh
Chocolate Croissants - Lily (top) and Jade (bottom)
How do they make the dragon? - Hugh
| Since we learned about Chinese New Year from Michael and his mom Diana, the children have shown a continuous interest in the dragon and lion costumes. Discussions about how the costumes move, how many people can fit underneath or in and questions about the costumes come up daily. The man is wearing pink pants like the lion. He match the lions. - Wilder These guys are dressed up. They're holding the dragon and they're dressed up, too. - Bea |  Hugh and Bea studying a photo of a dragon costume. |
I see the lions are made out of water color and fur. - Hugh
Hugh's idea inspired us to design our own dragon costumes with watercolors, fabric and loose parts.
Designing is like making a plan, an idea, or "like construction" (Jade).
I make a lion that I can stick to my costume. Let's wait until it's dry and then I add it to my costume. - Daniel
Designing is like making a plan, an idea, or "like construction" (Jade).
I make a lion that I can stick to my costume. Let's wait until it's dry and then I add it to my costume. - Daniel
Work in progress:
| | |
This is Bea, explaining her design, her process and use of materials during our morning meeting:
During the design process Hugh had expressed concerns about the usability of these costume designs.
"But I'm not gonna fit in it. It's too small." (Hugh)
Jade explained to us how many people will be able to fit into her costume and how she can achieve the desired outcome (by creating holes for people to enter her costume):
We're excited to see where this process will take us...
Hello everyone,
We wanted you to know that there will not be a blog post today.
Because of the holiday on Monday, we were unable to meet collectively as a staff and have scheduled an all staff meeting for this afternoon instead. Thank you for understanding!
We wanted you to know that there will not be a blog post today.
Because of the holiday on Monday, we were unable to meet collectively as a staff and have scheduled an all staff meeting for this afternoon instead. Thank you for understanding!
In lieu of a typical blog post, please enjoy the video of Jade and Luke taking care of our classroom environment today while demonstrating some fantastic teamwork and cooperation skills during clean up time!
Have a great afternoon!
S for Sicily
Did you know that Cate is 1/4 Sicilian? Today we learned that Sicily is a region in Italy and it's where part of Cate's family is from.
Her family shared a family cookie recipe with us that can be traced back at least 5 generations. These cookies are traditionally enjoyed around the holidays, for Easter and also today, before the beginning of lent.
Cate learned the recipe from her grandmother and together with her mom they baked their very special Sicilian S-cookies for the Brown Room and today they presented to us how they are made.
Her family shared a family cookie recipe with us that can be traced back at least 5 generations. These cookies are traditionally enjoyed around the holidays, for Easter and also today, before the beginning of lent.
Cate learned the recipe from her grandmother and together with her mom they baked their very special Sicilian S-cookies for the Brown Room and today they presented to us how they are made.
   |  The ingredients you need are eggs, flour, sugar, vanilla extract, anise seeds, butter and baking powder. Traditionally all the ingredients are mixed together by hand, which is called "amano" ("by hand") in Italian. Cate used different tools, such as bowls, measuring cups and spoons, a whisk, a baking tray and parchment paper, and a rolling pin. ingredients for Sicilian cookies. |
The cookies can get flavored with traditional Sicilian ingredients like citrus, almonds or anise seeds. The finished dough needs to be rolled into coils and shaped like an S before it bakes in the oven at 350F for 15 minutes. Cate shared her delicious cookies with her friends and everyone decorated theirs with white frosting.
Smell it! Mmm... - Luke
They're dry. - Finlay
Children investigated this new type of food by smelling, feeling and licking it before taking a bite of it.
Smell it! Mmm... - Luke
They're dry. - Finlay
Children investigated this new type of food by smelling, feeling and licking it before taking a bite of it.
This is kind of like we're having dessert. - Hugh
Some cookies taste like eggs. - Finlay
Some cookies taste like eggs. - Finlay
This family tradition was a real treat for all of us! Thank you to the Anderson family for sharing your beautiful tradition and recipe with us.
Speaking of trying new foods....
Luke brought us OLIVES for snack today
When we try foods we have never seen or tasted before we sometimes have to be brave. Brave like Jabari, in the book "Jabari jumps" by Gaia Cornwall, which we read during snack time. We always try to encourage the children to give new things and experiences a try - may it be a sniff, a lick or a brave bite. And it is also okay to not like everything... After trying one, Daniel and Lily told us that they aren't big fans of olives. Hugh, Cate and Luke really enjoyed them, while Bea and Jade didn't have strong feelings either way. Finlay might give them a try next time :)
| | |
It's kinda a little sour. - Hugh
I don't really like it. But I licked it. - Lily
They have different colors. - Jade
Me like them. - Luke
I really like them. They're kind of like blueberries. - Hugh
Yeah. Because they are blue. And blueberries are blue.
That's why they're called blueberries. - Lily
 Luke loved his olives so much, he drank even the last bit of brine out of his bowl. | Thank you for the olives, Luke! What a great way to kick off our "try new foods" series in the Brown Room! |
The end of our Tuesday-Valentines Day was very musical - inside and outside...
 |  |
Hugh, Cate, Daniel and Luke playing the xylophone in the outdoor classroom:
| | |
First sing along, then backwards day.
Today we joined the rest of our school in a Tucker led sing along. They even gave our class a special shout out and sang one of our FAVORITE songs - Hurry Hurry Drive the Fire Truck! That was fun!
After sing along, we went outside for backwards day and really didn't seem to mind the chilly temperature!
Lately, our outside times have consisted of ...
Lately, our outside times have consisted of ...
Teamwork
and Embracing Challenges
Remy is our 2nd brown room friend to successfully get her body onto the rope swing.
What an accomplishment!
What an accomplishment!
and a little Storytelling & some MAGIC
Friday's are always fun
We started our day with dancing ...
Lily demonstrates how to "tap dance" for Wilder this morning during arrival in Blake Hall.
... and finished our day with more dancing too!
Guess what we realized after dismissal??
Amidst all of the excitement of the day, Sam and Ines completely forgot to pass out their own valentine messages to friends! Oh my goodness! They are waiting for you here at school, friends!
Good thing we can give special messages to our friends any day of the year no matter what the occasion, right?
Speaking of giving others messages - just a quick reminder to periodically check your child's cubby bag for anything they might have either worked on themselves to take home OR that they may have received from a kind friend at school to bring home.
If you find a "message" in your child's cubby bag, ask them about it!
We hope that your L O N G weekend is filled with lots of love!
It looks like a dinosaur. - Frannie
It's the lion. - Michael
It's the lion. - Michael
After being introduced to the upcoming holiday, Chinese New Year, by Michael and his mom yesterday, today we reflected on what we have learned about it and shared it with our friends who weren't here.
Finlay told his friends"I watched a parade about Chinese New Year one the computer with Maisie."
Many children expressed their interest in the lion and dragon dances with their colorful and elaborate costumes. Looking at pictures of them made them remember the lion dance video we watched yesterday (in case you would like to watch it, we linked it in our last blogpost). On popular demand we rewatched yesterday's video and also a couple new ones during snack (linked below).
We also had a very special snack today: Oranges! But why are we eating oranges today?
Frannie: Because we watch the lion dance.
Bea: For Chinese holiday.
Oranges are one of the foods that can bring good luck!
What what does "Good Luck" mean?
Hugh: Luck is when you loose something and you find it.
We agree and could not have said it any better ourselves...
Lucas opened up the book to see the dragon in full length.
While (re)watching the video from yesterday the children were extremely observant and shared many thoughts and questions with us:
Michael: It's lion time! He's gonna knock it down. He makes it drop. (remembering and anticipating a scene from the video in which the lion drops an urn.)
Frannie: He's tired. Oh, so cute!
Hugh: How is he falling all the time?
Bea: It's a costume.
Wilder: He has a heavy head.
Hugh: Why does he close his eyes so much?
Frannie: Because the music stopped, Hugh. (many children noticed the change in music and volume again)
Daniel: Why is he not falling down anymore?
Frannie: Because he's standing up.
Michael: He drank it all.
Lucas: The lion dance is my favorite.
Bea: The lion dance is funny.
In these new videos we also finally spotted dancing dragons along with more colorful lions.
It's lion time! - Michael
A few of us were wondering, are the lions real or not? Are these costumes? How can we tell?
Some friends noticed people "inside the lion" by spotting arms or heads.
Wilder: I can see the people in there!
Lucas: No! He ate the person!
Hugh: You see the shoes?
Lily: Right. Lions don't wear shoes.
Wilder: Why would lions wear shoes?
Wilder showed us his fantastic interpretation of the lion dance:
| We also continued our work on creating paper lanterns to decorate our room for the festivities tomorrow. |  |
| |  Bea's cutting work for her lantern before assembling it. |
Our Brown Room is starting to look very festive!
Happy New Year, Michael! We hope that you and your family will have a wonderful celebration!
Wilder wishing Michael a "happy new year" in Chinese!
Sharing Another Family Tradition
Did you know that on Friday, many people will celebrate Chinese New Year?
Michael's mom, Diana, joined us today to tell us a little more about this special holiday that Michael and his family celebrate together.
Diana told us that Chinese New Year is based on the cycles of the moon (Lunar New Year).
On the Chinese calendar, each year is represented by a symbol. The symbols are animals! Currently, it is the year of the rat. On Friday, the new year will be the year of the cow/ox.
Diana also shared with the children that they too have their own Chinese zodiac symbol based on the year they were born. If they were born in 2017, like Michael, they are the year of the rooster! If they were born in 2018, they are the year of the dog.
Diana told us that Chinese New Year is based on the cycles of the moon (Lunar New Year).
On the Chinese calendar, each year is represented by a symbol. The symbols are animals! Currently, it is the year of the rat. On Friday, the new year will be the year of the cow/ox.
Diana also shared with the children that they too have their own Chinese zodiac symbol based on the year they were born. If they were born in 2017, like Michael, they are the year of the rooster! If they were born in 2018, they are the year of the dog.
What do Michael and his family do to celebrate the New Year?
 2021 - Year of the Ox / cow | Diana told us that families who celebrate like to clean their homes to start the new year. They also wear RED because red is a lucky color! Michael wore red to school today and we noticed other friends wearing red too! |
She then went on to share that on Chinese New Year's Eve, their family will have dinner together and eat special foods that bring them good luck, long life, and happiness.
| Oranges look similar to the shape of a round gold coin and represent wealth! Long noodles represent a long life. Fish represents abundance and prosperity. Dumplings are bent like an old Chinese coin and also bring wealth! |  |
 Michael shared red envelopes with everyone today. Inside is a Chinese coin! Check your child's cubby bag to find theirs. | Another tradition is receiving red envelopes! Envelopes are given to children and single adults by "elders" or married couples. There is usually money inside of the envelopes! Cape asked Ms. Diana, "Who are the elders?" She told us, "elders are the older people or grown ups like grandma and grandpas. They are more mature and wiser!" |
| Michael also brought everyone beautiful Chinese fans made out of sandalwood. You can also find your children's fans with their envelopes in their cubby bags. |  |
Diana even taught us how to say "Happy New Year" in Chinese!
Xīnnián kuàilè
(pronounced shin nee-an kwai le)
Xīnnián kuàilè
(pronounced shin nee-an kwai le)
| To finish the tradition sharing, Diana read us a book called, "Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas" by Natasha Yim. Michael was kind enough to bring in two additional stories to share with all of us that we were able to read together at snack time today!  |  |
Children were fascinated by both Lion and Dragon dancing as part of the new year celebration!
We watched the following video together of a beautiful Lion Dance
Children enjoyed using their fans to play along to the beat of the music.
| | |
After we said goodbye to Ms. Diana, we offered an additional new year themed activity to anyone interested in -
making Chinese lanterns!
This was such a fun opportunity to practice a lot of patience and cutting skills.
Try making your own lanterns at home. The ability to cut a straight line is not necessary!
Look at our beautiful lanterns now hanging up in our classroom!
Thank you, Diana and Michael, for teaching us so much about this exciting holiday and your family traditions.
| | Do you know the story of Peter Rabbit? Finlay's family - his mom Camille, sister Maisie, grandma Peg and grandpa AJ from Arizona - shared a fantastical family tradition with us! |
| When Maisie and Finlay visit their grandparents they love to play "Peter Rabbit". Together with Peter (grandma Peg) they love to build rabbit holes out of pillows and blankets and steal carrots from Mr. McGregor (grandpa AJ) who is trying to scare them away from his precious garden. They shared photos and stories about their pretend play over zoom with us. But Peter Rabbit even came and visited us in the Brown Room! He also brought carrots for us... Did he steal them from Mr. McGregor's garden? |  |
After Finlay's mom read the story of Peter Rabbit to us Finlay invited his friends to play Peter Rabbit with him in the classroom. They started by constructing their rabbit hole. What would be a good place for it? What do we need for it?
"We need walls!" - Hugh
"We need walls!" - Hugh
| The children also considered how the entrance to their rabbit hole should look like. In the end they decided on using a bench surrounded by pillows, which you had to crawl under in order to get in and out of the rabbit hole. (Electric) candles were used to illuminate the hole, which is fairly dark because it is under ground. We pulled the shades down and turned off the lights in the classroom to enhance this experience.  |  |
Sam pretended to be Mr. McGregor, who sometimes likes to take a nap in the warm sunshine. Then the rabbits can sneak out of their rabbit hole and quietly make their way over to Mr. McGregors garden to steal some of his carrots (books, scarves, ...). But beware when Mr. McGregor wakes back up! You better run back to your rabbit hole before he catches you!
| Looking through "binoculars" can help you spot Mr. McGregor in his garden or a bunny that is coming out of its hole... | |
Everyone absolutely LOVED "playing rabbit". Right as Luke walked in to school this morning he asked "Can we play rabbit? Run away from bad guy."
Thank you to Finlay and his family for sharing their tradition with us!
| The upcoming holiday ties in perfectly with our focus in the classroom on friendship - Valentine's Day! What a wonderful occasion to celebrate friendship and love. How can we celebrate Valentine's Day? Making cards! - Finlay I'm gonna celebrate Molly. I'm gonna make something for her. Cause she's nice. Just making something for Molly and Lily. - Bea I already made some valentines cards. - Lily You need to put hearts on them. - Daniel |  |
Today the children started to decorate their Valentines Bags. They will be set up in the classroom and ready to be filled with lovely messages. Every child is invited to make cards at school or if you would like you can also prepare cards at home for all the children. If you decide to do that, please consider that we have 15 children in the Brown Room and remember to not address them to a specific child. That will make it easier for handing them out.
Since Valentine's Day falls on a weekend this year, we will celebrate it
on Friday, February 12th and Tuesday, February 16th.
Enjoying the last few remnants of snow ...
| If you noticed that your child changed clothes today (especially pants or socks) that's because we were outside until 10:30am enjoying our extra outside time for Backwards Day, and the outdoor classroom was a bit messy! Will we see more snow this winter? Hugh told us that we can expect more winter in our future ... The groundhog saw it's shadow so that means more winter. 16 more days. - Hugh | |
Taking on a new outdoor challenge!
You may have noticed on our blog yesterday that a couple of children wanted to attempt to find a way to climb on top of the tunnel in the outdoor classroom. Large snow piles were useful and acted as "steps" to help Hugh and Wilder get on top of the tunnel. Well, circumstances were a bit different today because the large snow piles had melted significantly.
Would they be able to figure out a way to get on top of the tunnel again? Additional children became invested in this challenge today! It was communicated that steps were needed to get on top of the tunnel, but what could be used as steps in the outdoor classroom? Good thing we have a shed full of blocks available to use! It didn't take long before a climbing structure was being built by many of the children in order to assist their friends in making it to the top of the tunnel.
Would they be able to figure out a way to get on top of the tunnel again? Additional children became invested in this challenge today! It was communicated that steps were needed to get on top of the tunnel, but what could be used as steps in the outdoor classroom? Good thing we have a shed full of blocks available to use! It didn't take long before a climbing structure was being built by many of the children in order to assist their friends in making it to the top of the tunnel.
Many adjustments, additions, and rearrangements were made to the step structure throughout the morning while the children tested its stability, strength, and functionality.
Wilder was clearly thrilled when his friend Hugh made it to the top!!
| Frances persisted and took on the climbing challenge today as well. | |
Even if we're not quite ready to climb on top of it yet, the tunnel is still really fun to play in.
Reflecting on our Work
Recently, we have intentionally made a stronger effort to have the children take time (in both small and large group discussions) to reflect on their work. One tool we use as a means of initiating these conversations is documentation! Displaying the children's work, photos of their process, and recording their conversations to recall upon at later times are all very useful in the reflection process. Taking the time to recall on past experiences we've had together deepens our understandings of concepts that have been introduced, allows us an opportunity to share feelings about the experience, and also helps guide our future work as well.
Today, when entering the studio for snack, children immediately noticed this large painting hanging on the wall and began to have a discussion about it together.
 | Wilder painted that! And Hugh. I like the painting. I really want all of my friends to do it with me. - Wilder Remember we painted pinecones? I was looking at the paintings. Remember when I painted my pinecone orange? - Daniel It kinda remind me when we did that. When we all painted on it and we painted pinecones. - Lily |
Please encourage your child to use the blog as a form of documentation that they can reference when you reflect on their day together in the evenings at home.
If they ever share their feelings or thoughts on an experience and you'd like to pass those reflections on to us, please do so!
Introducing New Foods
You may remember reading in the room parent update that we would like to begin introducing "new" and/or unfamiliar fruits and vegetables during our snack times! We began this discussion together today while reading one of our favorite books, "How are you Peeling?"
 |  |
We asked the question - what are some fruits and vegetables that you eat at home that we typically do not have here at school?
Based on some inspiration from the book, we came up with some initial ideas for our "new foods" taste testing experience.
Based on some inspiration from the book, we came up with some initial ideas for our "new foods" taste testing experience.
Bea: Carrots
Hugh: Strawberries
Frannie: Spaghetti
Hugh: Cheese
Lily: Peppers. I think red peppers.
Lucas: I like green peppers.
Hugh: Blueberries
Tomatoes
Lemons ... nobody in my family likes them. I don't like them. They're too sour! - Lily
Finlay: Cucumber
Bea: Celery
Hugh: Avocado
Kiwi ... we have those at our home! You eat it. - Bea
Hugh: Strawberries
Frannie: Spaghetti
Hugh: Cheese
Lily: Peppers. I think red peppers.
Lucas: I like green peppers.
Hugh: Blueberries
Tomatoes
Lemons ... nobody in my family likes them. I don't like them. They're too sour! - Lily
Finlay: Cucumber
Bea: Celery
Hugh: Avocado
Kiwi ... we have those at our home! You eat it. - Bea
Please look for a sign up sometime next week if you'd like to contribute to our new foods snacking experience!
RSS Feed