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                                      TUCKER ROOM

A little something to take home

12/19/2019

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We made something to take home!  Our room was fragrant with pine and greenery.  It required some fine motor strength and coordination to wrap the wire, make the crinkly paper stay on, etc.  They are beautiful, and we  hope that you all enjoy the "ornaments"/wreaths.  It was such a joyful experience in the studio today! 

Sewing!

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Happy  Birthday Melanie

12/17/2019

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Happy Birthday Melanie!  It was so wonderful to celebrate Melanie this morning with a short video, singing, some small gifts, and some delicious treats and coffee.  

St. John's has created a beautiful culture around celebrating the birthdays for each child and staff member.  It is such a wonderful opportunity to learn about each other and celebrate our uniqueness as we work on birthday committees, develop a sense of community in our classrooms, and lay the foundation for empathetic gift giving and thoughtfulness for another person.  
We have celebrated a few birthdays already, and each of them has been special and has taught us something new about each child and family.  We are so grateful that you have shared photos, videos, favorite books and snacks, and spent time with us in the classroom.  
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The children were enthusiastic about sharing Melanie's gifts, singing "Happy Birthday", and snuggling with her for a quick birthday photo!  We hope that Melanie felt all of our love for her!  
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"It's for Janie!" - Cedar
Another important part of our culture here at St. John's is the exchange of messages with our "all school" mailboxes.  As you know, each child and staff member has their own mailbox.  Thus far, the children are most excited to make "messages" for their parents and siblings, and the mailboxes have been used for making messages for themselves.  The children have been noticing that some of their mailboxes are empty.  This started a conversation about why they are empty and how we can change that.  Again, they wanted to make messages for themselves, so we presented the idea of making messages for each other.  

​Another intention was to focus on the composition of their messages and the tools and techniques involved (e.g. glue sticks, scissors, layering materials, using our stamps for to/from, etc.).  
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First, we checked the message center for empty mailboxes.
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Second, we had to choose which materials to use. 
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Third, we used these materials, and our tools, to compose the message. 
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Fourth, we focused on using the symbols for indicating who should be receiving the message, and who sent it. 
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Finally, we had to deliver the messages to the recipient's mailbox.  

A new language: Sewing

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December 16, 2019

12/16/2019

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GIACOMO!

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A warm and wonderful birthday celebration! We saw video footage of Giacomo the his mother Carola put together. We shared in the company of his mom and dad, his sister Rose or "Lala" (also a St. John's alum), and his grandmother who is visiting from Italy. The children presented Giacomo with his animal inspired birthday gift: a zebra mobile. We sang happy birthday two times, first in Italian and then in English. In between singing, Giacomo walked around the candle with Rose and blew out his candle. Lastly, we enjoyed "apfeltaschen" a German apple pastry, homemade by Carola's mom. An absolutely delightful morning!
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The GIFT

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The CANDLE

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Thank you to Giacomo and his family for the celebration memories!

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Blocks, puzzles, and wire

12/13/2019

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"Can we save this?" - Jack
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As our morning meeting ended, Jack made a plan to move to the construction area first.  He and Janie immediately got to work on a rather elaborate structure.  The majority of their work was done side by side without words, until they needed to agree on placement.  

Janie added a bowl of dog food that Jack agreed was best hidden inside of one of the hollow blocks, and this sparked Giacomo's interest.  Giacomo joined for awhile, and by the end of our work time, they had created a complex, multi-level structure that Jack wanted to save. 
We all agreed to save the structure so that it would be in the classroom on Friday morning.  Unfortunately, after hours, we remembered that something would be happening in our classroom the next morning, and we would actually have to deconstruct the structure before Jack, Janie, and Giacomo could return to the classroom. 

Revisiting our work the next day (12.13.19)

The idea for helping Jack remember his structure was to create a book with photographs of his work.  We included photos from every angle, close-up photos of the details, and the photograph that Cedar requested to take of Jack's structure.  The idea was to explain the situation to Jack and invite him to use this tool to "recreate" his structure.  We also wanted to ask him to invite others to assist him.  
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This book is hanging in the construction area if you would like to take a look. 

"But I don't remember everything that I used." - Jack
Friday morning, during morning meeting, we explained everything to the whole group.  
"Jack, I want to invite you to revisit and recreate your structure if you'd like to." - Elyse
​"But, I don't remember everything that I used." - Jack
"Well, we made this book for you that includes many photos of your work that you did with Janie and Giacomo." - Elyse
"But, I cannot see the little things." - Jack 
"We included photos of it from every side, and some close up photos of your details." - Elyse
"Oh, okay." - Jack 
"I'd like to have you invite some friends to help you." - Elyse
"Okay, I want to ask Cedar." - Jack
"And me too!" - Reed
"And me!" - Jane 
"I want to help Jack." - Giacomo
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We took a look at the plan before we started, but Jack also chose to work differently than he had the day before.  

There will be more information about this process next week because we had a lot of work within this work.  For now, here are some photos from the beginning of the process.  

Blocks in the outdoor classroom 12.12 and 12.13

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This was the first day that we used the large blocks while we were in the outdoor classroom.  They require strength, stability, and some determination.  The children also collected rocks and stones to add to their pathway, and this required even more strength and a bit of team work.  
"We're making a choo-choo!" - Cedar (Day 2 - 12.13)

"We did it [our first floor puzzle]!" - Group 

We missed you, Melanie!

"We can take a photo for her [Melanie}." - Cedar
"Like this!" - Reed

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October 12, 2019

12/12/2019

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From Process to Product: the making of another birthday gift

"Let's paint it white." -Reed
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Having already creatively worked, on the beginning steps of a multi-step process, to make a birthday present for Giacomo, we picked up where we left off and continued on to the next steps. We needed to do some painting. So, we set up the room to give lots of space to paint. Then we let the painting begin.
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We shared the paint jars, we worked closely next to each other, we took turns without complaint, we observed as we waited for our turn, we handed off the paint bottle to the next person, and we traded places in the line rotation to keep going. We did it all while enjoying the process of creating a gift for a friend. 
"Let's paint some black." -Lochie
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The process was joyful and the results were pleasing.
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Why is it on your hands?
"Because we were painting." -Jane
What's on your hands? 
"Paint." -Audrey
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When we are painting, getting paint on our hands is all part of the process!
The "clean-up" (wink wink) was also joyful. 

Additional highlights from the day:

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October 11, 2019

12/11/2019

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE!
Jane's School Birthday Celebration

A morning full of merriment, community, and a birthday celebration for Jane!
We enjoyed hearing two books that Jane loves.
We gave a present to Jane inspired by her favorite animal, an elephant. To complete the celebration we sang happy birthday and then Jane blew out her candle. 
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Thank you, Lauren and Yaya (and so many parents) for sharing the morning with us!

Lauren reads two books

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Jane opens her gift

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The "elephant" gift! What does it make you think of? "An elephant." -Hillary

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The elephant in the room

12/10/2019

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Thank you Grandmommy

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We are so grateful that Sophia, Maxon's Grandmommy, came to share her piano playing skills with us this morning, and Maxon was able to accompany her from the bench. She added some lively piano to our sing-a-long, and we sang some cheerful, holiday favorites.  Thank you to everyone who joined us this morning.  

After our incredible professional development session with the Levine School, we are looking forward to adding some new and exciting songs and elements to sing-a-long in the near future.    We are looking forward to having you join us on this journey!  

"There was an elephant at sing-a-long today!" - Lochie
Wait, what?  Did you see it?  Did you see the elephant at sing-a-long today? If you are like the other grown-ups, you might have missed it, but he was certainly there; the children reassured of us this fact.  They all agreed, there was an elephant in Blake Hall, and then he followed us up to the classroom.  
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"Did you see me? I was right next to the elephant [at sing-a-long]." - Lochie 

​Once we determined he was in the room, of course we had to know where we could find him.  The first location was up above the shadow screen, on the wall.  Then he was hanging out behind the shadow screen, so we had to take a look.  

"Look! I found him!" - Lochie 
"He's a big one!" - Lochie 
{children screaming with joy]
"If we scream, does it scare him?" - Elyse 
"No." - Lochie
"He's scary." - Janie 
"I petted him!" - Lochie 
"We can pet the elephant?" - Elyse 
"YES!" - The group 

The children had many theories about how big he and his teeth were: 
"He's this big [stretching hands to the ceiling]!" - George
"No, I think this big {holding hand wide open}!" - Giacomo
"Or like this [arms stretched side to side]!" - Janie
"I think he is medium." - Jack 

After a discussion about the elephant's size, where he was located, and how he got there (still wondering about this one), we shifted the conversation towards their similar spotting of an elephant (and other animals) in the sky over the past few months.  This also had loose ties to their theory that the spotlight on the shadow screen is the moon.  With all of these thoughts and theories in mind, we invited them back to the shadow screen to explore, create, and construct.  

Did the children tell you all about this elephant?  Did they share any additional information or theories about what he looks like, or where he came from?  We'd love to hear what else they may have had to say about it.  
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Friday, December 6, 2019

12/6/2019

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"I think it might be a baby elephant." -Lochie
Pretend play as elephants presented a problem of not enough elephant trunks. There were only two "trunks" and we needed more. What can we use to make elephant trunks? More rubber tubing was found in the school and brought back to the Brown Room for more trunks. Then questions emerged: Can we make the elephant sound? What sound do elephants make?  We realized that we didn't know how or why elephants make the sound(s) that they do. We paused at this pondering and decided to listen to elephants vocalizing their sound. (Possible questions for later: What are they saying? What are they communicating?)
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​An elephant as a pet? 

Yesterday, morning we read a new book.
​A book about friendship, inclusivity, and well...elephants of course!
This elephant was a pet. The children were delighted by all the animals, with which the children had friendships, and they were able to name all of the animals except for one.
Can you guess which animal was the most obscure to them?
(A: the armadillo. A few children thought it was a pig.)
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"I love skunks.
​And hedgehogs."
-Audrey

Painting: Standing at the easel. Sitting on the floor.

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Birthday committee work in action!
Looking forward to presenting another collaboratively
​created gift next week!
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Continuing with Elephants Projected on the Big Screen

12/5/2019

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"They eat leaves." -Giacomo
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"You can't touch it because it's flat... in the picture. You can't touch it because the picture is in here." (projector) - Giacomo 
Later: "There's another picture on this side." -Giacomo (He was looking behind the screen then back and forth a few times and moving his head from one side of the screen to the other.) 
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"The elephant is in the sky."​-Reed
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"An elephant is flying through the sky," Jack said after hearing Reed's comment. Reed was out of the room this morning, while we were reading a conversation, from weeks ago (see below), about how the animals got in the sky. We wanted to check back with the children about the "animals in the sky" thread to gauge their interest and memory connected to it. Surprisingly, Reed delivered, and she wasn't even in the room to be privy to the conversation!

Conversation (10/28/19): 
How did the animals get in the sky? -Melanie and Elyse
"They climbed a tall ladder, the biggest ladder ever." -Jack
"The animals climbed up the tree." -Cedar
"They fly." -Janie
"They go almost up to the moon. ...They run on a board, and they get a ladder and climb up to the platform of a tall tower. and then they go back on the ground... to the moon they can't reach...from the ground...lift off..." -Giacomo
"They took off, they fly." -Lochie
"From a ladder." -Maxon
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Elephants have been on the big  screen all week! However, the children have been including other animals into their imaginative play and thought processes. There was a lot of roaring and expressions of "I am a lion" as they interacted with each other and with the image on the screen. Perhaps next week lions will have their turn!

Our Birthday Calendar and Birthday Committee Work 

Look below at the number three and four. What do you see? On the number three is Jane's symbol and on the number four is Giacomo's symbol. (Happy birthday Jane and Giacomo! Their school celebrations will take place in the next two weeks!)  "Where's mine?" Reed asked. The children will learn to know who is having a birthday relative to each month and day in relationship to the symbol hanging on that number.

Below the literal, monthly calendar are photos of the children.  Cedar points to an image next to her photograph. What is it? Next to every child's photograph, an image of their birthday gift will be placed next to it as the birthday celebrations happen. This will allow the children to witness and track the passing of time. There is picture next to Cedar, C.C., Lochie... So who comes next? Jane! Then who? Giacomo! And so on and so forth.  
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"Where is Elyse? But why is Elyse not here today?" -Cedar
We missed you, Elyse! Thank you Brigitte!
Brigitte taught us how to say good morning in French: Bonjour! She also taught us a twinkle twinkle little star in French. 
Brille, brille, petite étoile (twinkle, twinkle, little star)
(the tune originally belongs to the French song titled, Vous dirai-je Maman) 
Brille brille petite étoile,
Dans la nuit qui se dévoile
Tout là-haut au firmament
Tu scintilles comme un diamant
Brille brille petite étoile
Vieille sur ceux qui dorment en bas
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Projection

12/4/2019

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Day one

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As you know, animals have been a conversation among the children in the Brown Room lately (all year?). Elephants, zebras, giraffes, and lions have been a focus.  With this in mind, we have been asking ourselves, what is it they know about these animals; what do they want to know?; how can we experience these animals?; what are they thinking about when they are talking about them?; and more.  These questions led us to wonder about how we could bring these animals into the classroom, beyond our wooden/plastic animals, and since inviting an actual elephant/giraffe/lion/zebra into the classroom is not possible (or is it?), we chose projection.

We've invited the children into experiences with the projection before, and to be honest, the large images did not seem to hold their attention.  Each instance (as noted in their conversation below) had exciting, rich, engaging moments, but the focus always seemed to be on other materials involved (e.g. wooden animals, blocks, etc.).  Our conversation at today's morning meeting made it very clear that they were  engaging with the projection, and they formulated clear memories about it.  It was a great reminder to never underestimate what children are experiencing, hearing, internalizing, and processing.  
"Do you remember anything we've shown on this white screen?" - Elyse and Melanie
"A deer." - Maxon
"An elephant." - Janie
"Pictures from outside." - Lochie    **the first experience when we projected the photos he had taken of the sky**
"Oh, a book. That book."  - Giacomo     **we projected two or three images from Head to Toe**
"Oh, Head to Toe?" - Melanie 
"A bear." - Maxon     **during the first experience, Mason compared his bear to the bear's shadow**
"A lion." - Cedar
"My lion." - Janie 
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“Woah!” - Violet
“Look at this elephant. What do you see?” - Elyse 
“His eye.” -Janie
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Yesterday, the children interacted both with the projection and other materials.  The projection sparked many comments about what the elephants were doing, the body parts, and other animals that make appearances.  There was dramatic play with elephant skin, trunks, and quite a few lions.  Some of the children also built more animal houses to the side. **more to come about this later** 

Day Two

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Today was a quieter engagement with the projection, but we saw the observations of the moving elephants influence their work with the blocks, rubber tubes (trunks), and light table materials.  
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"Could we use the light table materials for an elephant?" - Elyse
"Maybe, we can try." - Audrey
"What could it be?" - Elyse
"Ear." - Audrey
"I have two ears." - Audrey
"But maybe him have big ear." - Audrey
"I need a long trunk. I'm gonna make a really long trunk." - Audrey
"I make an elephant in the water." - Audrey 

During clean up for the past two days, Sylvie has used the shelf to make an arrangement of zebras.  
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