September 10th, 2020

Our First Birthday Committee of the Tucker Room Year! 
At St. John’s, we have a tradition of making gifts for each child’s birthday.  This year, the children in Tucker A will make gifts for the children in Tucker B, and vice versa.

We asked the children, “What is a birthday committee?”
Maren: You make a present at school for someone.
Palmer:  It has to be a surprise.
Maren:  So we can work on it in here.

Through the glass door, they ask Aida’s favorite color...

Aida: Red orange yellow green blue purple.
Maren: Do you like rainbows?
Aida: Yes!

Maren: What’s your favorite animal?
Aida: Bunny.  Like Hophop and Superbunny.

Dakota: I want to draw her a picture.  A bunny.
Palmer: I’ll do her favorite colors.
Maren: I can do a rainbow. I’ll need help to remember the colors.

A Sign for the Message Center...
The children in Tucker A made part of a sign a new sign for the Message Center by spelling out each letter in "message".  

Sewing Machine...
Aida wanted to make a dress for her lovey, Hophop.  We used her Piggy to measure and assess our progress.  When we had reached a stopping point, she made a plan for the next sewing session: "I think probably let's add carrots!"  She modeled the dress on Piggy, saying "Piggy is a really good dancer."

Olivia heard about Aida's plans and liked the idea.  She said "I want to make a dress too.  I have a lot of dollies at home."  she worked diligently with the sewing machine, which she has become increasingly comfortable using since last year.  She used the metal 'foot' to press down the fabric, used the 'backwards' lever, and cuts the leftover thread with confidence.  "I know that the needle has to go up to take it out."  Then she said, "Now one more bit.  We're so close! Almost done! Stamp it down." 

More in-progress sewing work...

Reading Together 

Freeze Dance on a Rainy Day!
(short slideshow)

The Construction & Dramatic Play Areas (Welcome back to school Oliver!)
Oliver: Maybe we can make a house with a telephone and a couch.
Andy: And an excellent computer.
Oliver: Melanie this is a house we’re making, and I think I love it.

Fletcher constructed a line of tubes which he said were carrying water into the house.

Lastly, two studio stories....

Aida: I’m drawing the planets.  I’m going to draw Jupiter after Mars.  Did you know Mars has two moons, and Jupiter has sixty two moons?

(She names them in order: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.)

Aida:  The sun’s not here because it’s on vacation.
​

​"Silly rectangles" by Olivia (Two large papers side by side)