Week 2: Sept 5-8th, 2017
Hello Parents!
What a wonderful four day week!
“Let the children be free; encourage them; let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water; and when the grass of the meadows is wet with dew, let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet; let them rest peacefully when a tree invites them to sleep beneath its shade; let them shout and laugh when the sun wakes them in the morning.” - Maria Montessori
Monday of course was a holiday (Labor Day). I spent my date in the wood shop laboring on some beautiful nametags for the class.
Tuesday- We discussed as a class how to greet our friends and how to politely accept or decline an invitation. Coming off the long weekend we had a slightly longer recess, as we adjust back to the work week. New works include “push broom with leaves” and “tracing wooden name tags.” Many of our returning students used this day to review some math and language works, such as stamp game and the 100 board.
Wednesday- A wonderful rainy day, as many parents noted we went out for mid day puddle jumping break, and many children ended up changing into dry clothes afterwards. Although recess in the rain is fun, there is also a lesson in all that hard work independently changing outfits. Students enjoyed morning circle and starting our geography unit with “Land, Water and Air.” Many students also enjoy categorizing “living and nonliving” objects on our science tray. Practical life added a “Whale pouring work,” “Napkin rolling work” and another easier “bamboo mat rolling work” to challenge many of the new students, although it also drew the attention of some of the returning students. Charlette’s Web was particularly engaging with many students asking for another chapter. At the closing circle of the day we talked about how to keep track of time (days) and determined that like some early humans, we will use sticks to mark the passing of time.
Thursday- A cloudy morning but a beautiful warm day. At morning circle we introduced our new compost bin and talked briefly about how our food will eventually turn into soil rather than going into the landfill. We also reviewed the safe way to carry a bucket and walk around workspaces. More children discovered the wooden nametag work, as well as the dry erase nametag work. Additional language works were explored such as the movable alphabet and for a few students, introduction to the spelling work. We also introduced the work folders and the drawers where they store works.
Friday- Another warm beautiful day! At morning circle we explored the sandpaper globe; reviewed land, water and air on the globe; and then named/labeled the four oceans. We then sang an ocean song and then started our work cycle. A few inspired children began Maps of the Oceans work, while other explored the shell matching work. A popular new work was the letter writing work, where creative writing and drawing is encouraged, while building a positive community. Several younger students worked on sandpaper letter and sound association, and a few older students used the moveable alphabet to start their spelling works. Discrimination of size works were explored such as Knobbed cylinders.
We appreciate everyone’s continued cooperation on keeping our classroom safe and free of nuts. As some of you have noticed I have started posting a wish list on the parent bulletin board. Do not feel that you have to get any of these items. This is just a wish list, for those of you that may have excess and are willing to share. But as September continues, I would like to explore some important cultural events and these items may be nice to share with the kids.
Also keep in mind some important dates:
September 15th – Pizza Friday starts.
September 22nd is our annual Barn Dance
Oct 4th (Wednesday)- Class Pictures
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