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                                      TUCKER ROOM

PAJAMAS!

10/30/2020

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HAPPY PAJAMA-WEEN!

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Melanie: " Can I have a slice of pizza from your pajamas, Maxon?"
Maxon: "Noooo, haha, they're sewed on."
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Owly isn't afraid of the dark. ​(Reading I'm Not Scared.)
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Black and orange "Halloween" snack
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MORE BUILDING!

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Introducing hollow blocks into the building area. 

Sharing the slides and rainbow iMovie with the children

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Thank you everyone for being a part of our night to share and present the children's work. It is impossible to deliver all of the moments but we aim to capture what captivates the children and sustains our learning.
We appreciate all of you and all you do for our Rainey Room!
Videos are still processing but will be on Seesaw by Monday.
Have a great weekend! 

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October 30th, 2020

10/30/2020

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Rainey A

T’was the day before Halloween and on our class carpets, not a creature was stirring except for our boxitechts!

Yesterday we read Kim Smith’s Boxitechts, a charming story about two box focused architects who have to learn how to build together during a competition. Taking the lesson in stride, today we began a building project using a variety of boxes, some big enough to hold “a person!” as Elle put it.
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CC and Lochie: We are hiding, our PJs are glowing in the box. 
CC: Can we find Lochie?
LN: You need to find me!

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Jack: These are all my boxes for making my house! 
George: I’m making a house. Nobody can get in. Wow. Look at my house. 
Jack: I need tape.
Jack: I love my house. Can I cut a door in my house?

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In no time the boxes became all kinds of fantastic creations. From Rocket Ships to dog houses, the building projects really took on a life of their own! ​

Elle: I can’t get out. 
Jack: Here is the door. 
Elle: Oh thanks Jack! Come on, let's go build a house.

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In addition to our time building with nontraditional materials, we enjoyed spending the day in our jammies, hanging outside and even playing a couple games with our Rainey B Friends! We wish everyone a safe Halloweekend and can’t wait to see you back on Monday!
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October 29th, 2020

10/29/2020

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Rainey A

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Oh my, what a rainy day in Rainey A! Despite the weather outside, we were all kinds of bright and cheery indoors. Yesterday Elle and her Nona brought us several beautiful bouquets. The bouquets feature everything from Hydrangeas to Snapdragons and the children were transfixed. To capture their beauty, we decided to paint the bouquets, doing our best to color match the petals.
"I wanted green because the stems are green. You need to do the middle in yellow" - Jack 
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This one has three long flowers and a sun. I need black for the dirt under the flowers."  - Lochie 
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We also had a chance to finish up our October pumpkins, gluing our stems to the top. George thought they would make fantastic additions to our classroom decorations and Jack, inspired by the project, made all kinds of Jack O Lantern messages for friends and family.

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These are our Halloween decorations in the classroom! - George 
While the weather kept us inside, we certainly had fun. We built an obstacle course out of indoor materials such as a mat and carpet squares and played many games of “popcorn” on the parachute. We’re excited to see what tomorrow brings. Can’t wait to see everyone at Classroom Stories tonight!
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October 28th, 2020

10/28/2020

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Rainey A

This morning, during our time at the outside classroom, we gathered around the Kiln where our glazed, obstacle courses were baking. While we discussed the process of baking, some of the children offered the following observations about the kiln:


Looks like a house - George
Oh, there's the oven in there- Lochie
Its making a sound like a helicopter - CC
There’s a mouse trap - Marley



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After wishing our projects a successful bake, it was back up to the classroom where city building and messaging dominated most of the late afternoon.
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I’m making an up and a down, up and a down (the shape of an M). I’m going to send it to mom. It’s going to glow in the dark and say I wish you could stay with me, but you can’t. Love, Lochie
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​It’s for daddy. It doesn’t say anything yet. After it dries I’m going to color the middle - CC
My message is for Nona, my mom’s mom. I’m not done finishing it - Elle
My message is for Dad- Marley



It’s a city. This is the road - George
The school bus is driving around going to the school and Jack and Marley and Elle and Brigite are driving the bus! - Violet 
The dark blue is the water and the light blue is the ice-  CC

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Throughout all the independent play this week, the children have expressed interest in categorizing, sorting and negative space. For instance, in the above picture, George, CC and Violet carefully separated each of the vehicles first by color and then decided it was better to sort them based on their modem of movement (boats on water, trucks on road etc.). As for the negative space, particularly with building flat foundations and stacking blocks, Rainey A often builds around a space, leaving the a spot for a “long or short block” depending on the design. Brigitte and I hope to work these new interests into our intentions for next week! In the meantime, please enjoy this  picture of collaborative  dialogue as Rainey A problem solves how best to fit everyones "characters" into the narrative arc of their dramatic play.  
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October 28th

10/28/2020

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Rainey Room B

Rainey Room's Recipe for Banana Bread

Friday was our first attempt at baking. Lucia brought in a family recipe and was so excited to share. While some friends went on an adventure to find rainbows (more on that next time), we stayed behind to make a surprise for them. We loved measuring, cutting, mixing and smelling our baked goods. The recipe, courtesy of the Keymer family, is at the bottom if you would like to give it a try. Here's our version:
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Step 1:
​"Cut the Bananas little" - Audrey
"I get a banana, peel it and cut it" - Maxon

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Step 2:
"Make the bananas squishy" - Jane
"Get in there. Really get in there. It's soggy and funny. - Maxon

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Step 3:
"Heat butter and it becomes watery" - Maxon
"Add the sugar" - Jane
"Hit egg against the bowl" - Audrey
"Mix it with that. It's a whisk." - Lucia
"I like to smell everything" - Jane
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Step 4:

Mix it up! - Jane
Whisk it. - Jane

Step 5:
These are dry - Lucia
I can mix it - Jane
Careful Maxon! - Audrey

Step 6:

A spray for in here - Maxon

Maybe to keep it clean? - Audrey


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Step 7:

Pour it in - Lucia

We can't touch the oven, its hot - Jane


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October 27th, 2020

10/27/2020

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Rainey Room A: Aging and Glazing 

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Happy Birthday to Lochie! Although we celebrated yesterday, there was no blog so today we are featuring his birthday celebration! After spending time outside, we came back in to see Lochie’s mom on zoom! She read us one of Lochie’s newest and funniest books, The Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid of Anything. As Lochie describes it “shhh, this is a funny book!” Following the little old lady’s antics, we counted as Lochie took his four turns around the sun and enjoyed celebratory mini cupcakes from Sprinkles! 

As a member of the birthday committee, Elle took the responsibility of presenting Lochie with his gift. 
    EK:I made this for you. Look it has your favorite giraffe and blue!
    LN: Does this spell Peter?  It's my whole name!

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Lochie also enjoyed the chance to wear the Rainey Room birthday cape showing off RRB’s recent decorative additions to his mom and the class 

"Look there's a bow and beads. And and and Rainey Room B sewed some yeah." 

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Today we glazed our clay obstacle courses to prepare them for firing tomorrow. Meticulously each child glazed over each inch of the course to ensure it fires correctly. While doing so, some even took the time to reflect on the features they added:
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George: Look at my slide for the racecar
CC: Ah that's my ball! It's rolling away! ​

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Rainey B

Special guest performance by Lauren!
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We enjoyed a lovely concert today thanks to Lucia's sister Lauren. As we learn more about music and musical instrument, we got the chance to learn more about a clarinet. We learned about pieces like the reed and mouth piece and how to put one together.
We thought about good questions with Melanie beforehand like what the instrument was made of. After the concert, we got to take a closer look at the clarinet. What a wonderful event. Thanks Lauren
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October 23rd, 2020

10/23/2020

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Rainey A: Cakes and Community 

Not a week goes by where we don’t try our hand at baking, and this week was no different. At George’s request today we attempted a lemon cake. In went the yogurt, zest, flour and sugar and after 30 minutes in the oven, a delicious lemon cake was born! ​


George: mmmmm
 Marley: It’s so lemony
 George: Actually the pumpkin was my favorite
 CC: yeah, I like the pumpkin too 
 Jack: Remember how we added… chocolate chips?!
    






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Lochie: When we are finished with our pieces of cake, we can give Rainey Room B our cake!
Jack: Jordan loves cake, we have to give him a little piece because if we give him a big piece he will eat too much!

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We took Lochie’s advice and delivered half of our freshly baked lemon cake to Rainey Room B. We even had a chance to visit with them in their room for a little bit! Speaking of Rainey Room B, when we were out on the playground CC decided we should “make the house from Melanie again!”. Referring, of course, to the surprise that RRB left us in the middle of the obstacle course yesterday.
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CC: Go get the top for the roof
Jack: Me wants to make this house bigger so me friends can come in. It’s going to be this way between this thing. 
CC: How did they make the floor?
Elle: I’ve got one (block)!
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As for the rest of the day we enjoyed a wonderful singalong hosted by the Tucker Room and spent much time playing with the newly gifted doll house. Thanks Bailey family! Wishing you all the best this weekend. We hope you have a chance to soak up some of this gorgeous weather! Check back on Tuesday for more updates. :)
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Friday

10/23/2020

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A day full of experiences and surprises!

What happened today?
  • Using our calendar
  • Sing Along
  • A fire drill
  • A walking field trip (and meeting a welder) 
  • Banana bread (more to come on this next week's blog)
  • Lemon cake surprise gift from RR-A
  • A brief intro to a guitar
  • Jackson recommends music from Ethiopia

Highlights from our full Friday:

"I want to go see the rainbows.
​Let's go see the Rainbows."
-Janie
How can we capture the rainbow? 
"With a camera." -Sylvie
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"I finally caught a picture!" -Giacomo
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A phenomenal and magical exhibit awaited our small walking field trip group. First things, first though, and so we sat on the steps following out fire drill to discuss field trip etiquette and safety in addition to discussing the use and intention of our cameras and a few hints about our destination. Cedar was gleefully snapping photos, Janie was eager to see the rainbows, Sylvie was quietly studying the camera and Giacomo was pontificating that "the biggest rainbows in the world are in the sky." We were about to find out!
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What else did we capture along the way to our color surprise?
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"The sky is on the ground!" -Sylvie
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"Rainbows are in the sky! Are you kidding me?"-Maxon
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Wait... There's more!

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Our Calendar with color coded circles: Today=green (like our green grass rug!) Yesterday=yellow Tomorrow=white (Weekend=black and blue) Other symbols: Lochie's birthday=mushroom Halloween=monster by Sylvie
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Sing Along
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Meeting a welder in the neighborhood.
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Lucia shares a banana bread recipe that is a family favorite.
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"It smells like flour." -Audrey "It smells like chocolate." -Lucia "It smells like sugar!" -Giacomo
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"Its beautiful!" Jane "It's as big as us!" -Giacomo "What does that sound make?" -Janie "That guitar is bigger than Maxon." -Giacomo "Whoa I can't touch your (Jordan) head!" -Maxon "My mom has a rockin guitar." -Janie
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Rainey Room A delivers a surprise gift to us -- Lemon cake!

Have a wonderful weekend!
We'll see you back here next week.

November is on the way!

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October 22nd, 2020

10/22/2020

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Rainey A


“We’ve left you a present in the middle of your obstacle course” said Melanie and Rainey B as we got outside today. Rainey B has been enjoying the obstacle course so much, they decided to add their own spin to our course.

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What do you think it is?
Lochie: Decoration? Well maybe a house?
George: Yeah, a house!
CC: Let’s sit in it like this, come here!
Marley: Come here!
Elle: What is it? Are they sitting in it?

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Rainey B with the help of Melanie and Jordan added a big beautiful tree branch for balancing as well as two intricate block towers to the middle of the course. Now, more than ever, we think they’re going to love the guidebook we’ve been working on!

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Speaking of, inside we added some more pieces to the project. In a discussion earlier this week we decided every good book has not just pictures, but words! For those interested today, we made time to practice writing some of the words to accompany our guidebook drawings. 

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We also spent some time today working on additions to our classroom decorations. Yesterday, George suggested that we should add "more ghosts and pumpkins" and CC suggested “we could sew one”. Today, we tried our hand at sewing some pumpkins. Look for pictures of our completed Rainey Room pumpkin patch soon!
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Rainey Room B
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Woah! What is that? Is that new? - Maxon

Spoiler alert, it was not new. It was the remnants of yesterday cutting extravaganza, reorganized by students and teachers. But what to do with it? Immediately, inspiration hits!

"We recognize it. We can use it." - Maxon
"Collage!" - Sylvie
"How are going to use it?" - Jordan
"Cut first. Cut little stuff off the slices. Then crinkle it. Then make them into small pieces."
"We don't have scissors today, so how can we manipulate it?" - Jordan
"I'm really strong, I can tear it" - Sylvie
"Crush it." - Audrey
"Remember to take your time and think about your work" - Melanie

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Once we found our base, we searched for the perfect paper to manipulate. We had to practice being purposeful and thoughtful with our choices. Not just any paper would do. We methodically chose paper to work with. After much tearing, squishing, pulling, folding and crunching, we were ready to glue.
"I can't tear it." Jane
"I did it! Jane do this." - Cedar
"I did it. Cedar showed me." - Jane
"Yours and mine are different." Janie
"Mine has bumps. I'm making more (folds). - Lucia
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Wednesday

10/21/2020

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 COLLAGE

The children's photographs are now pinned up above the mail boxes. Next comes a signature piece of work to be pinned below each child's photo. For this, we ventured into collage using primary colors and reflective materials. This was a preliminary experience that we will continue to build upon as we continue to explore color and invest in collage experiences. There is value  in introducing a creative objective and taking our time to arrive at a finished creative product.
"It's beautiful!." -Sylvie
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"What color is this?"  -Jane
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by Janie
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by Sylvie
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by Cedar
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by Audrey
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by Jane
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by Giacomo
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by Maxon
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by Lucia

Acknowledging a Problem & Exploring Solutions

And in the blink of an eye, the message table became a  beautiful mess!
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What to do about this?
Questions relevant to the acknowledged problem::
How can we effectively work with so many materials layered and scattered?
How will others make messages if they want to?
Why are there so many scissors under paper?
Why are we cutting the letters? 
Why is there so much paper?
What can we do with it now? 
How can reuse the paper?



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​"I have an idea. Maybe we can make a collage."
-Sylvie

​"We can throw some away and make messages with the rest." -Giacomo



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Message Center Turned Collage
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Papers were sorted into color and tomorrow we will make "message center collages" to repurpose our bounty of paper cuttings.
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Adding to the Obstacle Course

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