January 09th, 2020

In the Kinetic Sand area, often two people will play collaboratively.  This area gives children the chance to negotiate and make decisions together.  They must discuss what they want to do, and why.  Watch here as Oliver and Wolf M listen closely to each other and bring new ideas to the collaboration, working side by side.

(Wolf squeezes one stick into place, straight up and down. He names this the Christmas tree.  Oliver takes handful of kinetic sand, rolls it in hands to create a coil shape.)
Oliver: Wolfie, good.  Now we need to add the tanks.
Wolf: The tanks.  Squish, squish, squish. (He presses his hands down on top of the sand firmly.)
Oliver: Well these need to go in the trench.  The acorns, they need to go in the trench. (Oliver lifts up section of netting and slides acorn under. )
Wolf: The rocks need to go right on top.
Oliver: No.  You can’t squish it, otherwise people won’t get out, so that’s why you just have to leave them where they are.
Wolf begins rolling the sand like Oliver.
Wolf: Is there a star on top of the Christmas tree, is there a star?
(Oliver takes a very small amount of sand and tries to bunch it carefully at the top of the stick, like a star.  It falls down.  Wolf gives it a try, but it still falls down. )
Wolf: That looks just like a Christmas tree.
Oliver: Almost done with the big house.  Now it’s time to build a big roof.
(He takes a large handful of sticks out of the cup and places them down on the sand.  He presses each one in, with Wolf’s help. )
Wolf: But that could be the fire!  We don’t need a roof in our house.
Oliver: Yes we can.  We need a roof.
Wolf: We just need a couple more things.
Oliver:  Upstairs can be… Wolfie, here’s gonna be the bed.
Wolf: Maybe we could get the gnomes to chill in here, let’s get the gnomes.

The Snake Game!

In this card game, each player has 4 cards.  A random card from the deck is put down to start the game, and then each player waits for their turn to add to the snake body.  They must look for a color in their hand that corresponds with one incomplete end of the snake.  If they don't have any matching colors, we move along to the next player.  Eventually the snake is completed, and everyone wins!  During one round we played today with Gigi, Fletcher, Emilia, and Palmer, the snake got SUPER long!

​A quick slideshow of Evelyn's painting today...

Quotes from the Travel area today:

Lane: So do you have your phone?
Emilia:  Yes I do darling.
Lane: My baby has her seatbelt on.
Emilia: These are all the fish we're going to see.  (indicates fish diagram on back of Bahamas map) I want to see this one, I've never seen it before.  They can make you die! 
Melanie: Oh no, a piranha?
Emilia: Yes. They can eat your skin!
Lane: No... they just want to follow you and be your friend.
Emilia: I got a snack for the babies.  Bye... I'm going out in the deep sea.  There's one hundred sharks out there.
Lane: If you see a piranha... Just swim back. Okay sweetie?
Emilia:  Okay mother.  I have everything I need mother. 

We finished Gigi's present today by wrapping wire around tin foil.  Stay tuned to find out what it looks like! (Feel free to celebrate with us after singalong tomorrow)