 We would both just like to say thank you to our Brown Room families for joining us for classroom stories night. This was a first time experience for both of us (and many of you as well) and it felt so fulfilling to be able to share special moments with you from our school year so far. We love our Brown Room children so very much! Cape and Daniel both reflected on their experiences attending the presentation last night. Cape: I see you (Sam) in the video and the kiddies. Daniel: I also sawed you (Ines). I sawed Caped in the video. And I sawed Hugh in the video. He had a shirt on. A friendly reminder - on the last day of each month, the St. John's staff spends extra time cleaning and caring for our environment. Therefore, we will not be posting a typical blog post. BUT ... today we celebrated our friend Lily and had some extra fun movement time in Blake Hall. So, please enjoy some photos from our very fun day! Lily is 3 years old and she likes to "tell jokes"!
A tunnel! Guys! There's a tunnel down here! - Hugh |
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Happy Friday, Happy Weekend, Happy Halloween!
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Happy Halloween, Mystery Reader
Before a Mystery Reader joins us we give the children "clues" and they get to ask us questions about the reader to solve "the mystery". This morning Cape's mom, LouLou, joined us and read spook-tacular books. She read "Little Blue Truck Halloween" by Alice Schertle and "Happy Halloween, Curious George" by H. A. Rey. Cape was very excited to hear some of his favorite stories in the classroom. LouLou, thank you for a fa-boo-lous story time! Everyone loved sharing about their pumpkins at home as well.
What size, color or shape are they? Did you carve or decorate them?
| We started and also ended our Thursday at school by reading stories. Before we went downstairs for dismissal we read the book "Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site" by Sherri Duskey Rinker |  |
Let us take you on a tour
Today's tour of the school building will take you from the Brown Room, past classrooms and bathrooms, down the stairs, into the kitchen, through Blake Hall, to the church, up the stairs to Molly's office and into the bell tower. WOW! So let's begin...
| | Looking into Tucker Room A Daniel: Yes, they are really good at building (looking at their construction table) Daniel: There is two bathrooms. Bea: The teacher's bathroom. |
From the hallway we went down the "Scary Stairs" ...
| Daniel: What's down there, let's see. Bea: (to Finlay and Daniel) I want you guys to come up. Cause I'm worried. Because the lots of stairs. Daniel: I can hold the railing. It's not really scary. It's not a race. Bea: I don't want to be i the dark. I just want to be in light. I'm really nervous when I don't see him. (about Daniel and Finlay which are at the bottom of the staircase) Finlay: (Counting steps) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16. |  |
| | In the kitchen the children discovered a hole in the floor. They learned about what a drain is for and moved on... |
| | ... to Blake Hall Daniel: This is where we go outside! The black carpet when we go outside. Finlay: This is when we come to school. Bea: I'm gonna write Blake Hall down (on her clipboard) |
In the Atrium the children found a familiar symbol:
| Daniel: Whoaaa!! We found it! 2 gigantic ones. There's two symbols of them. That one and ours upstairs. Bea: I found it ! (the Imagination Brain at the bottom of the stairs) | |
When we entered the church for the first time it was dark.
 | Daniel: I hear your voice, Sam. (commenting on a noticeable echo) Finlay: Let's get out. I think someone's in here... someone's hiding in here. Sam: Have you been inside the church where mommy works? Finlay: Yeah. It's different. Let's get out of here. We made our way up the stairs to the "balcony", which is right in front of Molly's office. She offered us to turn on the lights in the church so we could explore it again. |
| The last stop on our tour was the bell tower. We hear the bells in the Brown Room every day during snack time and were curious about where exactly they are. Finlay: Molly, what's up there? Bea: I want to see. After we explored a fairly dusty staircase... Daniel: That was yucky. The rain made it yucky. Bea: (to Jessica) I was a little nervous, but I was safe with all my friends. |  |
Every day the Brown Room children show us how curious, brave, enthusiastic, caring, adventurous, considerate, and confident they are.
It is a true joy for us to be their teachers!
Thank you!
It is a true joy for us to be their teachers!
Thank you!
We experienced something new today!
Today was our first school Chapel. During chapel we were able to listen to and learn new songs, poems, and a story. Our special job in the Brown Room was to sing "This Little Light of Mine" for the rest of the school. Each child was able to hold their own (battery operated) candle for the duration of Chapel which was something new and exciting in itself!
Today was our first school Chapel. During chapel we were able to listen to and learn new songs, poems, and a story. Our special job in the Brown Room was to sing "This Little Light of Mine" for the rest of the school. Each child was able to hold their own (battery operated) candle for the duration of Chapel which was something new and exciting in itself!
| Later in the day, children reflected on their Chapel experience and some shared their favorite moments - Remy: I like Chapel. Cate: The stories. Wilder: Lighting candles up. Lucas: Umm, sing a song. With Saul. Jade: Reading the book. Michael: The candle fell off. | This Little Light of Mine (maybe you can practice at home!) This little light of mine I'm gonna let it shine This little light of mine I'm gonna let it shine This little light of mine I'm gonna let it shine Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine All around the great big world I'm gonna let it shine All around the great big world I'm gonna let it shine All around the great big world I'm gonna let it shine Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine |
Continuing Lily's birthday message
Today we worked on adding our final contributions to our friend Lily's birthday message. Using flowers to paint with yesterday produced some beautifully colored petals that had dried overnight and were ready to work with today! How could we add these to the message paper to bring more texture, dimension, and story to the painted message?
Here are some conversations and thoughts that took place while working with the painted flower materials today -
It smells like flowers. - Michael
Michael ate it! - Jade
(meaning Michael smelled the flower pieces)
Glueing. We need glue. - Jade
I used some glue. - Michael
This one is gonna be a monster. It's gonna be a scary monster. Not a nice one.
(arranging materials onto the painting)
It looks like have green teeth. And a yellow nose. And it has scary teeth!
And a big horn. It's gonna be big one. - Jade
Why is Jade making a monster? - Lucas
I making monster because... because I'm making a scary monster. And it's gonna be spooky! - Jade
It smells like flowers. - Michael
Michael ate it! - Jade
(meaning Michael smelled the flower pieces)
Glueing. We need glue. - Jade
I used some glue. - Michael
This one is gonna be a monster. It's gonna be a scary monster. Not a nice one.
(arranging materials onto the painting)
It looks like have green teeth. And a yellow nose. And it has scary teeth!
And a big horn. It's gonna be big one. - Jade
Why is Jade making a monster? - Lucas
I making monster because... because I'm making a scary monster. And it's gonna be spooky! - Jade
Both types of experiences involving introducing new materials as well as continuing to work with materials we are already familiar with continue to awaken all of our senses throughout the creative process.
What do we find interesting about the materials we are using?
How do they look, sound, feel, smell, and sometimes even taste?
How do they speak to us and what stories do they help us tell?
What do we find interesting about the materials we are using?
How do they look, sound, feel, smell, and sometimes even taste?
How do they speak to us and what stories do they help us tell?
Other happenings in the classroom today ...
 | Message making for mom, dad, dadas, mamas, and a mommy. |
| Frogs & Toads Whenever we read some of our classroom books about toads, frogs, and other creatures, we show lots of interest in the sounds they make. We spontaneously decided to play some recordings of both frog and toad sounds today and what we heard was very unexpected! Maybe not all frogs and toads say, "ribbit"... It says whooooooo. Who is an owl sound! - Wilder (listening to a toad "whistle") Like a little baby! - Frances He's screaming! - Remy Then, we were interested in making a "frog house" for some of our classroom frog friends. What should a frog house include? Soft carpets for mommy, daddy and baby frogs to sleep. A pond. Water. Grass. Trees. Bugs. A slide. Books. |   |
On Monday...
...we made nature collages
| | Daniel: - I'm making a house with all glue. It's all around. - I'm making a leave ball. - Look at my glue finger. |
| Lily: - I want it to stand up (about a silver flower). Why is it not standing up? - Can I cut this? (using scissors to cut a stick) - It's squirling. (when she squeezed out a thin stream of glue that curled on the base) | |
| | Bea: - Look at my collage! - I need scissors. This piece is over. (pointing to a piece that is hanging over the edge of the base) |
| Finlay: - It's doing jumping jacks. (while opening and closing a scissor) -Does this look like a collage? (Ines: Yes) But it has only 1,2,3,4,5 (counting items on his collage). (Ines: How many does it need to have to be a collage?) Six! After he added three more pieces: Look! I made a collage! | |
... we took a tour of St. John's
| | During morning meeting we discussed the schedule for Chapel on Wednesday morning. We will sing the song "This little light of mine" and practiced it together. On the program paper we noticed "a symbol". Maybe the school's symbol? Molly told us that it is called "The Imagination Brain" and that it can be found around the school. Have you seen it around school before? Cate, Jade, and Hugh set out to explore the school and to find the symbol. |
Together they explored the church, went up the bell tower (above Molly's office), discovered the atrium, used the elevator, met other classrooms and found the big "Imagination Brain". What an adventure!
On Tuesday ...
... the birthday committee worked on Lily's present
Lily knew immediately which color she would choose for her birthday celebration:
"Of course, my favorite color is red!"
In order to represent current interests in the classroom we used natural materials to paint Lily's red birthday message. Cate, Remy, and Daniel could choose from different types of flowers such as roses, calla lilies, guernsey lilies, and tall sanicles. Remy described her experience as "Messy. Drippy. It is different". Daniel also said "The paint is dropping." after dipping a big rose into paint. Cate noticed that some flowers are more delicate than others, and that their stems can break more easily. While painting we practiced applying different amounts of pressure to the paper.
| The final masterpiece (for today...) |  |
... lovies got a new house
"Maybe I can make a house for Cooncoon and Cookie." - Finlay
And so it began...
| Finlay: "I can get blocks. But there's a small crack. (noticing spaces between the blocks) Oh, that's a great idea. (while using small bricks to fill the cracks) I made it! A Cooncoon house! It needs a roof and wings on it. A flying house! It needs one more thing... A roof! (the roof he's constructing keeps falling down) Okay, this is getting ridiculous! (adding pillows and trees) Them gonna get hungry. They eat trees. (finding rubber tubing on the shelf and bringing it to his construction) Pipes! For water going down. They got a perfect house! Now they need a bathroom. They can go to the roof for the bathroom." Hugh: This can be the toilet (adding a cylinder can) | |
... we searched through the school directory
The school's directory can be found right above our message center. In there the children can find every child or staff member at St. John's, their name, photo and symbol. The children show a great curiosity about other classrooms and teachers and this is another way we're trying support their interests. Besides fostering connections it also promotes face and name recognition and early literacy.
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Daniel: That's Maxon. I go to Maxon's house sometimes. When it's Fridays.
Lily: That's Grace's teacher. (pointing to Rachel) Why is there no Jessica on this page?
After asking and learning about Victor, the wonderful person that constructs, repairs and brings some of the teachers ideas to life here at St. John's, Daniel has a question about another employee as St. John's, Jackson, our business manager.
Daniel: What's that boy? Does he fix everything?
Lily: That's Grace's teacher. (pointing to Rachel) Why is there no Jessica on this page?
After asking and learning about Victor, the wonderful person that constructs, repairs and brings some of the teachers ideas to life here at St. John's, Daniel has a question about another employee as St. John's, Jackson, our business manager.
Daniel: What's that boy? Does he fix everything?
Outdoor Sing Along
Molly: Did you like sing along today?
Lily: It was outside!
Molly: So, did you like it?
Lily: It. Was. OUTSIDE!
I think that means that yes, sing along was extra fun today!
Because we started our day outside for backwards day, we brought our instruments and the tablet outside with us so that we could join the school sing along from the outdoor classroom. Even if we don't always know how to sing the words ourselves (we're still learning some school favorites), it's always fun to see our school community on the screen and listen to the songs being sung!
Lily: It was outside!
Molly: So, did you like it?
Lily: It. Was. OUTSIDE!
I think that means that yes, sing along was extra fun today!
Because we started our day outside for backwards day, we brought our instruments and the tablet outside with us so that we could join the school sing along from the outdoor classroom. Even if we don't always know how to sing the words ourselves (we're still learning some school favorites), it's always fun to see our school community on the screen and listen to the songs being sung!
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Where is the fire? - Cape
 | We had a surprise fire drill today during our outside time. Everyone did so well pausing what they were working on to make sure that we exited the gate quickly and safely together as a group. When we were out in front of our school, Cape looked around and asked, "Where is the fire?" This was the perfect opportunity to remind all of the children that although there wasn't any actual fire to be worried about, it's important that we practice so that we know how to leave the school and get to a safe place in case of a fire emergency! Does anyone practice fire safety at home? These type of drills can sometimes be unsettling, but our children handled it so well and were back to working and playing in the outdoor classroom in no time. Way to go Brown Room! |
This is the silliest thing ever! - Hugh & Daniel
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Earlier this week, Daniel and Hugh invented a game to play in the sandbox using our brand new dump truck. It turns out that it's actually large enough to use for dumping friends! Daniel and Hugh remembered how much fun they had together on Monday playing this game and decided to teach some other friends how to play today. As silly as it is, this game encourages turn taking, cooperation, practicing patience, and trusting your friends! Thanks for the lesson, Daniel and Hugh.
Happy Birthday to Cape!
Today we had our first yellow celebration for our friend, Cape.
Cape already knew weeks ago, during our first birthday celebrations at school, that his birthday message would be yellow when it was his turn to receive a gift!
Cape already knew weeks ago, during our first birthday celebrations at school, that his birthday message would be yellow when it was his turn to receive a gift!
Friends on Cape's birthday committee made him a beautiful water color message using shades of yellow and gold and laced it together to complete the gift. Cape's mom and dad (LouLou and Dave) both joined us for the celebration and helped us sing our special Brown Room birthday song. If you haven't had the chance to hear our birthday song yet, we sing for each birthday year starting from "0 years old" and parents help us sing about what the birthday child liked to do when they were different ages.
When it was time to sing about what Cape likes doing now that he's a three year old, he told all of us that he likes to... "Go to school!" We love it when you come to school too, Cape!
When it was time to sing about what Cape likes doing now that he's a three year old, he told all of us that he likes to... "Go to school!" We love it when you come to school too, Cape!
Sending a package to Saul
Today, we brought message making materials to the outdoor studio and reminded the children that we were almost ready to send our messages and owl drawings to our friend, Saul. Some children decided that they would take the opportunity to make Saul a final message before we send the envelope.
This week our friend Bea was thinking of Saul as well and brought a special owl light to "show him" even though he is not at school in person with us. It was such a thoughtful gesture. We hope that Saul is surprised and excited to receive our messages!
This week our friend Bea was thinking of Saul as well and brought a special owl light to "show him" even though he is not at school in person with us. It was such a thoughtful gesture. We hope that Saul is surprised and excited to receive our messages!
Ending the day with constructing a castle ...
 |  | Did you know that Daniel was a part of Cape's birthday committee and chose to paint him a "big castle" on his birthday message? Well, Daniel decided that he would build that castle during his final minutes at school. We make every minute of our day count while were here in the Brown Room. I'm gonna put little bricks here. Because so it doesn't fall. It's not gonna fall, Michael. Okay so now I'm gonna put a tree here. Look at my castle with bricks and a tree! - Daniel |
That wraps up our 7th week at school!
Hoping you all have the best weekend!
Hoping you all have the best weekend!
Morning Mystery Reader
| | After our morning meeting another fantastic Mystery Reader joined us - Camille, Finlay's mom! She read the books "Pigs make me sneeze!" by Mo Willems and "Spooky Pookie" by Sandra Boynton. Both were big hit and made everyone wiggle and giggle. Thank you, Camille, for reading to us this morning. We absolutely LOVED it! |
The Brown Room really likes to talk and share about pumpkins right now. A song which we love to sing during morning meetings is the "pumpkin song". Tucker Room thought us this song for Sing Along this week and we would like to share the lyrics with all of you at home as well:
Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.
The first one said: Oh my, it's getting late.
The second one said: There are witches in the air.
The third one said: But we don't care!
The fourth one said: Let's run and run and run.
The fifth one said:We're ready for some fun.
Then boo went the wind and out went the lights.
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.
The first one said: Oh my, it's getting late.
The second one said: There are witches in the air.
The third one said: But we don't care!
The fourth one said: Let's run and run and run.
The fifth one said:We're ready for some fun.
Then boo went the wind and out went the lights.
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.
If you would like you can also listen to the song here: Five Little Pumpkins Sitting On a Gate
Birthday Committee for Cape
In preparation for Cape's birthday celebration the birthday committee worked on creating his present today.
Earlier we had decided to create a yellow watercolor message for him. We started with three individual water color papers but in order to create one long message we had to connect them. Hugh, Bea and Frances used hole punchers and yarn to lace the three papers together. This required many kinds of fine motor skills, such as gripping, squeezing, and threading.
Hugh: Hey, they come to mine. They are connected. (while lacing "his" paper together with Bea's)
Earlier we had decided to create a yellow watercolor message for him. We started with three individual water color papers but in order to create one long message we had to connect them. Hugh, Bea and Frances used hole punchers and yarn to lace the three papers together. This required many kinds of fine motor skills, such as gripping, squeezing, and threading.
Hugh: Hey, they come to mine. They are connected. (while lacing "his" paper together with Bea's)
| As a continuation of our color explorations we studied different kinds of yellow and learned that each one has a unique name. Hugh named the four watercolors we were using the following: (from left to right) "Grayish yellow, reddish yellow, I think a little lighter yellow, this one is a little lighter, too." Bea: I want to make the very orange one. Daniel: It's dark. (about the golden/bronze shimmer) |  |
A few conversations during painting:
Hugh: Do you see what happens with my paper? It gets lighter and lighter. (moving the paint brush over the paper)
Bea: I make a lake.
Frannie: Can I paint with you Daniel?
Daniel: Yes.
Hugh: But how are you gonna fit it? (pointing out the length of the message) Fold it. But it's too big.
Bea: Lemon yellow. Yes, lemon. (naming the color she was painting with)
Frannie: A princess!
Daniel: I'm painting a big dragon for the princess. I'm painting a big big castle for Cape.
Hugh: A garden. There's another color inside the garden. A grayish color. (pointing out a golden shimmer)
Frannie: And it's a biiiig castle.
Hugh: It's kinda hard to get the water color out. I'm using it all.
Hugh: Do you see what happens with my paper? It gets lighter and lighter. (moving the paint brush over the paper)
Bea: I make a lake.
Frannie: Can I paint with you Daniel?
Daniel: Yes.
Hugh: But how are you gonna fit it? (pointing out the length of the message) Fold it. But it's too big.
Bea: Lemon yellow. Yes, lemon. (naming the color she was painting with)
Frannie: A princess!
Daniel: I'm painting a big dragon for the princess. I'm painting a big big castle for Cape.
Hugh: A garden. There's another color inside the garden. A grayish color. (pointing out a golden shimmer)
Frannie: And it's a biiiig castle.
Hugh: It's kinda hard to get the water color out. I'm using it all.
This message was created through beautiful collaboration by Hugh, Bea, Wilder, Frances and Daniel. We can not wait to share it with Cape tomorrow!
 | This morning Wilder noticed a frog on the bench outside of our classroom and was beyond excited about it. What a find! And it perfectly tied into our ideas for the day... |  |
Where do toads live? What do they like to eat?
 | The Brown Room is continuing to develop a deeper interest in toads. Today we learned more about the American Toad which is native to our region. We asked, what they thought toads like to eat. Wilder: Bugs. Lucas: It likes to eat bees. Wilder: Maybe it likes to eat those bugs (pointing to a beetle in a resin casing, which we picked up from the light table in the greeting hallway this morning). Maybe they eat different frogs. |
We expected they would live "on the water" (Cate) or "under ground" (Lucas) but they actually don't like to be in the water and prefer to hide under rocks and wood piles.
Wilder: Maybe they like to be under rocks hiding from people. They hide under this rock (picking up a small tile from the table). Maybe they hide under other frogs. Yeah, that's funny.
The conversation about different kind of hiding spaces for toads inspired Cate, Wilder, Michael and Lucas to create their own houses for toads.
Wilder: Maybe they like to be under rocks hiding from people. They hide under this rock (picking up a small tile from the table). Maybe they hide under other frogs. Yeah, that's funny.
The conversation about different kind of hiding spaces for toads inspired Cate, Wilder, Michael and Lucas to create their own houses for toads.
| | For his house creation Lucas chose a hollow stump, which he surrounded by trees, filled it with keys and closed the top with a door knob. |
| | Cate and Wilder started by using small tiles to create a "room". Cate then decided to use wood instead and stacked wooden disks to build different levels for the toad to hide underneath. |
| | Wilder and Michael collaborated and used blocks from the light table to create different kind of homes for their toads. Michael: Woah! That's a big tower. Wilder: That's a house for toad. Michael: The froggy live here. Wilder: Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit (making the frog hop over to the structure). |
| Building houses together is also a favorite in the morning when we arrive at school. In Blake Hall houses are being constructed with magna-tiles for items that were brought from home like stuffed animals or cars, berries that were found outside and lovies. Remy: I want to put something inside. clockwise from the top: Frannie, Michael, Wilder, Jade and Remy constructing different types of houses this morning. |  |
Ohh, that smell - Michael (smelling flower petals)
 | After exploring our front lawn and collecting natural materials yesterday, we revisited them during a collage making process today. In addition to the natural materials a variety of items from our studio was provided. A special focus was placed on intentionality, self-control and proportions. The children were encouraged to choose an item before using glue. This assisted with choosing the appropriate amount of glue for the size of the chosen material. The smaller collage base (2.5x5 inches) promoted and demanded awareness of dimensions and to make intentional choices. Instead of dumping a larger amount of items at once, individual items were placed with purpose on a previously chosen space. Collages left to right, top to bottom: Lucas, Frances, Michael, Wilder, Cape, Cate |
How can we get the materials to stick onto the collage?
Cape: With collage (holding up the glue bottle)
Michael: Can I have the glue?
Michael: I get the rock (using small pebbles). It's covered in glue.
Frannie: I want to use these (shiny copper paper)
I put lots of things. Feathers! (finding beechnut covers)
Cape: With collage (holding up the glue bottle)
Michael: Can I have the glue?
Michael: I get the rock (using small pebbles). It's covered in glue.
Frannie: I want to use these (shiny copper paper)
I put lots of things. Feathers! (finding beechnut covers)
Collages in progress:
What will we find outside?
We decided that it would be a great day to further explore St. John's and become more acquainted with another area of our school. We took a trip to the front lawn to go on a Nature Hunt! Last week, we introduced a "natural materials tray" to the children and decided to use it for collecting items found in the outdoor classroom space. We collected sand, mulch, moss, sticks, and dried leaves. Children have also started to bring in their own natural material findings from home (or found on the way to school) and we have enjoyed sharing those with each other as we arrive.
Today, we hoped that being in a different outdoor area would provide more opportunities for collecting a larger variety of natural materials.
That being said, we knew that before we began to explore freely we would have to discuss a new set of expectations for how to keep our bodies safe while outside of the school. We came up with some great thoughts together!
Stay on the sidewalk. And maybe hold hands. - Lily
Don't get hit by a car. - Finlay
Don't touch garbage. - Bea
What did we think we would find out in the front lawn? We had a discussion during morning meeting and these were some of our thoughts ...
A Dinosaur, A Book, A Tower, Leaves, Acorns, Phones, Trees, and Trucks.
Today, we hoped that being in a different outdoor area would provide more opportunities for collecting a larger variety of natural materials.
That being said, we knew that before we began to explore freely we would have to discuss a new set of expectations for how to keep our bodies safe while outside of the school. We came up with some great thoughts together!
Stay on the sidewalk. And maybe hold hands. - Lily
Don't get hit by a car. - Finlay
Don't touch garbage. - Bea
What did we think we would find out in the front lawn? We had a discussion during morning meeting and these were some of our thoughts ...
A Dinosaur, A Book, A Tower, Leaves, Acorns, Phones, Trees, and Trucks.
What did we actually find? No phones or dinosaurs, but LOTS of other interesting things!
This includes some things on the property that we have never really noticed before.
This includes some things on the property that we have never really noticed before.
| Finlay: It's Metal Lily: It's a picture. Finlay: What? I've never seen these before! |  |  |
We also took notice of some things that we did recognize.
One of those things being our friend, Cape, who was on a walk with his mom and brother while we were outside!
One of those things being our friend, Cape, who was on a walk with his mom and brother while we were outside!
| A sketch by Cate - herself and a gingko leaf she found while nature hunting today. |  |
 | Now, what will we do with these beautiful materials that we have discovered and collected today? Maybe we will be inspired by the wonderful illustrations in Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert. We thoroughly enjoyed reading this book together out on the lawn this morning before our nature hunt began. |
Responding to the message from Elyse
After receiving a message from Elyse last week, we knew that we would love to create a message of our own send to her in response! Yesterday, we were able to create a beautiful message using collage materials similar to the message that Elyse sent to us.
As we revisited our work from yesterday we wondered aloud, "how will she know who the message is from"?
Finlay: Use the symbols!
We also discussed what type of text / words we would like to include in the message response.
Cate has spent some really fun virtual learning days with Elyse and shared with us that she most recently worked on a project using paper.
"I crumble papers up with her on the computer." - Cate
We had some very interesting group discussions about Elyse's symbol both yesterday and today. We have now not only seen her symbol on the message we received, but also in other areas of the school including our school post office. What does Elyse call her symbol?
It's a swirl - Cate
No, a plate. - Jade
A whirlpool! - Finlay
A snake. - Daniel
A snail. - Hugh
What do snails look like? - Lily
Finlay made a suggestion that we ask her to write us another message back. It seems like we might be developing a penpal relationship with our friend, Elyse!
"Please can you write us a message back?" - Finlay
Finlay: Use the symbols!
We also discussed what type of text / words we would like to include in the message response.
Cate has spent some really fun virtual learning days with Elyse and shared with us that she most recently worked on a project using paper.
"I crumble papers up with her on the computer." - Cate
We had some very interesting group discussions about Elyse's symbol both yesterday and today. We have now not only seen her symbol on the message we received, but also in other areas of the school including our school post office. What does Elyse call her symbol?
It's a swirl - Cate
No, a plate. - Jade
A whirlpool! - Finlay
A snake. - Daniel
A snail. - Hugh
What do snails look like? - Lily
Finlay made a suggestion that we ask her to write us another message back. It seems like we might be developing a penpal relationship with our friend, Elyse!
"Please can you write us a message back?" - Finlay
Before you can mail a letter you need to address the envelope and most importantly, choose a really nice postage stamp!
I want the hearts because it's my symbol. - Lily
Berries! - Finlay
(Finlay often brings "berries" to school that he finds on his walk here in the mornings)
I want the hearts because it's my symbol. - Lily
Berries! - Finlay
(Finlay often brings "berries" to school that he finds on his walk here in the mornings)
We can't wait until we receive our next message from you, Elyse!
Mystery Reader - Katie!
We LOVE mystery readers! Today we read three really great stories.
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything - by Linda Williams
Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn - by Kenard Pak
Hair Love - by Matthew A. Cherry
Hair Love is a book that you can purchase through our own school book fair site!
Some children recognized it today and were excited to tell us that they also read it at home.
Thank you, Katie (Remy's wonderful mommy) for reading some really awesome books to us today!
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything - by Linda Williams
Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn - by Kenard Pak
Hair Love - by Matthew A. Cherry
Hair Love is a book that you can purchase through our own school book fair site!
Some children recognized it today and were excited to tell us that they also read it at home.
Thank you, Katie (Remy's wonderful mommy) for reading some really awesome books to us today!
Today as we walked outside to the outdoor classroom to begin our day,
Wilder exclaimed, "This is my favorite day!"
We knew that the weather wouldn't be a burden on our creativity or prevent our enjoyment of a fantastic Friday!
Wilder exclaimed, "This is my favorite day!"
We knew that the weather wouldn't be a burden on our creativity or prevent our enjoyment of a fantastic Friday!
Hmm... yellow and red... orange! - Lily
Outside at the easel in the outdoor studio space, we continue our exploration of color mixing! There were so many wonderful observations made throughout this process. Each child took a slightly different approach to painting on his/her own while also taking notice of how peers utilized their brushes and paints and learned new techniques from these observations. Watching each child learn from his/her own independent decision making, experiences, and consequential results is such a joy on it's own, but watching a child learn from observing a friend is its own special kind of magic!
Lily & Bea
Lily & LucasLucas & WilderDaniel & Frances | Lily: I can't see because it's white. And the paper is white. Bea: I'm painting something. (also using white) Lily: Mama calls these things 'redders' and 'bluers', but I don't know why really. Bea: That's funny. Bea: I mixed them! Now it's changing to green. My paintbrush. Bea: I'm done painting. Now I'll go back to working. Lily: Maybe he mixed the colors. (looking at Lucas) Red and ... white? Maybe he put yellow on top. I don't know how he did it. Lucas: Blue. And this color in the middle. Red! I did it. Lily: It's getting darker. (adding more blue on top of her first coat of blue paint) Lily: Hmm... yellow and red... orange. Lily: Ohhhh yeahhhh. Pink! (looking at her brush) Wilder: I'm trying to make green. I don't see green. Red and yellow. And white to go on top. Then we make green! (tests his theory) ... pink! Then we do blue on top to make green... no. Then some more white. (continues testing) Wilder: Why's there no water? It's not water paint? Why? What is this paint? (Tempera Paint) Frannie: Mom will love this! And my dad can love this! Daniel: My mom will love this. And Isa will love this too. Daniel: Paint is not food. Only allowed to paint our fingers. Frannie: Look at my footprint! Daniel: I'm painting myself. ( painting his skin) Frannie: It's pink like you, Daniel! (looking at her own body) |
It's a little wobbly. - Lily
Another highlight of our morning outside (besides from the rain stopping right when we walked out) were the new toys we found in the outdoor classroom. Everyone loved using the new shovels, trucks and brooms. The functions of a new excavator sparked interest and a few children collaborated to find out how to manipulate it in different ways.
| Hugh was wondering where all these new toys came from. After learning that Molly and Jessica had gotten those for us, Bea, Lily, Wilder, Lucas and Hugh created "thank you notes" for both of them. Bea: I'm drawing a lake for them. A black lake. Lucas: New toys. Wilder: A boy. That's me. Here. Hugh: I don't know. Kinda like a rainbow thingy. Wilder: We can send it in the mail. |  |
    | Many children were interested in the climbing net today. Everyone waited patiently for their turn and supported their peers during their try. Daniel: I'm not done yet. I'm trying to make it harder. (going up one more step) Lily: It's a little wobbly. Did Grace like this when she was at Brown Room? And how about that? The red thing. Did she like that when she was at Brown Room? (pointing at the red monkey bar) |
Brooke is in Tucker Room
... and today was her birthday! Yesterday, when we waited for our turn to go potty, we saw Grace and Olivia with their teacher (Rachel) in the hallway. They told us that they were on their way to deliver a birthday message to Brooke's mailbox because it would be her birthday on Friday. Brooke's co-teacher, Jill, told us that Brooke's favorite color is orange and every single child wanted to be part of creating a birthday message collage for Brooke today! We each took turns adding pieces to the birthday message and then delivered it all together.
This was also the first time Frannie got to add her symbol! Yesterday, she started to show interest in symbols when her friends used them to sign their messages and collages. She studied the symbol organizer and tried a few out. Some that stuck out to her were a tea kettle, dog bone, bear paw, and a school of fish. But she wasn't ready to make a decision just yet. During morning meeting when everyone "checked in" by hanging up their symbol next to their picture, she said "I want to add my symbol." Ines explained to her that she had not chosen one yet and asked her which one she would like to have as her symbol.
Frannie: The foot.
Ines: Do you mean the bear paw?
Frannie: Yes!
Frannie: The foot.
Ines: Do you mean the bear paw?
Frannie: Yes!
 | When Brooke looked all the symbols on her birthday collage she also pointed out Sam's symbol "the deer feet." To which Frannie responded: I got the foot! We love seeing how connected she is to her symbol already! |
Thank you for a great week and we hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
We got mail from Elyse
| Today we received the most beautiful message from one of our St. John's teachers - Elyse. We saw that the message got send via the post office because it has the Brown Room's address on it and a return address. We also found two stamps on the envelope. We noticed the message Elyse made us looks like fall and a few friends shared about pumpkins they have at home. In her message Elyse tells us that she loves to send and receive messages and she asks us: "If you respond to my message, how will you send it to me?" Finlay: The mailbox. And then she can send on back to us. Hugh: We bring it. Out. Outside. In the mail truck and then we send it. Sam: How do we find the mail truck? Hugh: I don't know. Hugh wondered if we could go and look for it outside because we had never seen someone deliver mail inside St. John's. And then he decided that he would like to check his own mailbox in the hallway first. Finlay and Bea shared that interest and joined him. |    |
Finlay expected mail from his mom and was surprised to find even more mail in his mailbox. He had received messages from Grace, Lily's sister, and Aida who are both in the Tucker Room. He especially loved the feather that was attached to one of the messages Lily had created for him.
Finlay: The feather! Look at this. The feather coming out. (when he opened and closed the message)
Finlay: The feather! Look at this. The feather coming out. (when he opened and closed the message)
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 | Finlay remembered that Grace is Lily's sister and looked for her on the mailboxes. When asked if he wanted to go to the Tucker Room to thank her he responded: Let's make her a message back. He remembered that Grace's symbol is a penguin and he delivered his response. |
It is so wonderful to witness these personal and thoughtful relationships growing every day. Having a stronger awareness of and connection with their room and the school as a whole, children in the Brown Room are starting to more and more make messages for friends in the Brown Room and outside of it.
This is Lucy. - Frances
On her second day at St. John's, Frannie deepened her explorations of the Brown Room and especially the message center and some of our art materials. She noticed Daniel making a message and joined him. She started using a glue stick and added different pieces of blue cellophane paper. Once her piece was covered she decided against it and started to peel the sticky pieces back off the paper. She had found a golden paper and kept it next to her collage until all the blue pieces were removed. She then added it, got up and brought over gems from the light table. She proceeded to glue those on one by one and finished with a strip of orange tape. While she added the round gems she said "This is Lucy." What a beautiful first collage!
Our first Mystery Reader
For snack we had Almond Nut-Thins and cantaloupe, which is one of our Brown Room favorites. After we learned that Frannie didn't know what it tastes like, Daniel encouraged her to try it.
They are sweet. You will like it. - Daniel
Hugh found a seed on his cantaloupe piece....
Sam: What are you going to do with it?
Bea: Grow it! In your back yard.
Hugh: Yeah, because seeds grow watermelon trees.
 | And we had our very first Mystery Reader join us during snack today! Yay! To solve the "mystery" of who would read to us we gave the children the clue "It's the mom of a boy in the Brown Room." Who could it be? Hugh: Saul! --- Finlay: Me. --- Wilder: Me. Willoughby, Wilder's mom, joined us via Zoom to read the book "The Circus Ship" by Chris Van Dusen. Everyone loved listening to the story while finishing up snack. Thank you so much for reading to us today, Willoughby! |
I liked it. I liked it because it was silly. - Lucas
Wilder's mom read this. - Daniel,
picking out a book about animals to read while waiting in from of the bathroom.
Wilder's mom read this. - Daniel,
picking out a book about animals to read while waiting in from of the bathroom.
When you sign up to be one of our Mystery readers in the future please make sure to sign up on a day that is still available. Please keep in mind that we can only accommodate one Mystery Reader per day. But we are already looking forward to you joining us soon!
Natural Material Collection
We noticed that some children are bringing in natural materials, such as berries, apples, pine cones, and sticks, to school in the morning and love to look for them when we are outside. We wanted to expand on this interest and started our natural materials collection tray. We are excited to see where it takes us and the interesting items we will find. If you are finding special natural materials on your way to school, in the park or in your backyard, feel free to bring them in.
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