A day in the Brown Room

In today's blog post we would like to focus on some of the small moments that happen throughout the day that make our Brown Room so very special...

A firetruck song

My mommy knows 
​a fire truck song! 
- Bea

Here in the Brown Room, we love to sing songs! Since we had our first Sing Along we usually sings a couple of songs during our morning meeting and sometimes we also use different types of instruments (shakers are a big hit!). Songs that are in our frequent rotation are "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "You Are My Sunshine", and "Two Little Black Birds". This week we also added "Baby Shark" (requested by Daniel and Hugh). Hugh also asked for a "fire truck song", but unfortunately Sam and Ines didn't know any. Bea came to the rescue and said that her mommy knows a fire truck song. We want to send out a huge thank you to Abby, Mike, and Bea for recording an awesome video singing the "fire engine song" for us. Today during morning meeting we watched their video and learned the new song - the Brown Room loved it! 
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If you have a favorite song that you like to sing at home together, please share it with us. We would love to include it in our morning meetings!  

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Our Bubble Sink

It makes that sound. The pipes.
- Michael

Not only do we love to clean up and use the sink in the outdoor classroom but also in our classroom. Even though our sink it is a "grumbly sink" (due to the older pipes in the building the sink in the Brown Room has a pump underneath it to support proper drainage) we learned to love it. Being a bit suspicious about the sink at first, Lucas is now washing his hands by himself, unfazed by the grumbling sound of the sink. Now he also enjoys his snack alongside his peers at the big table in the studio. We are so proud of you, Lucas! Working on self-confidence, ability to communicate emotions, perseverance, self-assurance, and independence are big areas we are focusing on in the Brown Room. 

ONE pump.
- Daniel

The studio is the place where we work on special art and material exploration and also have our snack. That means we have to clean up together before we can eat. When it's time to clean up the children are a big part of washing the used materials and wiping down the table. After snack each child independently brings their plate to the sink and drops it into the "bubble sink" (a plastic container filled with water and soap). We are also working on "portion control" or the question "How much soap do I need?". Hand washing, during which the feeling of the smooth soap on our hands is being explored, is a Brown Room favorite. Especially Daniel enjoys to clean up dishes and other materials and to wash his hands. He frequently reminds the rest of the Brown Room that one pump of soap is enough for our hands. Thank you, Daniel!

It's coming off. See. I only use one pump. - Daniel, cleaning chains in the sink 
More spray. More spray right here. - Cape, wiping down the table

Today, after working on Michael's birthday present, Daniel and Cape helped cleaning up materials and tables and getting the studio ready for snack time. Caring for and valuing our environment as well as taking ownership are further focus points in the Brown Room right now. 

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Toad and the Rainy Room

We are also starting to make connections to the St. John's school community. Every morning, after we hang up our cubby bags we make our way down the hallway to the bathroom for potty breaks and hand washing before we enter our classroom. Someone we never forget to greet and sometimes give a little hug and squeeze (or flying lesson) is Toad. Toad sits right outside of Rainy Room on a little shelf and he (or she?) feels "Squishy" (Hugh). We are so grateful that our friends in the Rainy Room share Toad with us. 

One, two, three, jump. - Wilder, flying Toad high up in the air

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While we got ready to go outside Lily noticed the Rainy Room friends through the little window in the hallway. Finlay and Lucas joined her and noticed they were having a dance party in there. Some Rainy Room children also noticed us and came to the window to wave at us. We could hear their music in the hallway a little bit and Lucas enjoyed dancing to it as well. 
We look forward to making deeper and meaningful connections with the rest of St. John's in the future.