Dear Parents,
We began growing our family tree this week. We brainstormed trees we know. The class list consisted of maple, oak, apple, orange, weeping willow, and redwood trees.
We used our scissors to cut shapes. Several friends asked to make sure they were holding the scissors properly; they were. We cut up paper into tiny bits. Cutting with scissors, playing with play dough, and coloring with small pieces of crayon are all hand strengthening tasks. We need strong hands for fine motor skills, like snapping and buttoning, and for writing and drawing too. Later in the week, we cut up green paper to make leaves for our tree.
On Wednesday we voted on which tree to make into our family tree. Everyone came to the table to make a mark for which tree they wanted. We used our math skills to count up the votes. Weeping willow won.
On Friday we made the strongest part of the tree, the trunk. We painted it, using black, brown, and white mixed together on brown mural paper.
We read Trees, A Tree Is Nice, Apple Trees and the Seasons, and Have You Seen Trees?
We placed our jack-o-lantern and our uncut pumpkin in the yard on Friday. We asked the class, "What will happen to our pumpkins? "The children had many predictions: It will break, it will mold, and it will rot like the pumpkin last year. Another person said it will "slap". When we asked what that means, he said sometimes he speaks French. Another friend said it’s going to turn into a big tarantula. Time will tell.
This month as we create our family tree, we can begin family shares. A family share is when a parent comes to visit during circle to share something that interests your family. It can be as simple as reading your favorite book from home, or sharing about a family custom or holiday. You could bring in your pet and tell us about them, or a baby sibling. Sharing photos from a family trip, or letting a grandparent, or other relative come in is fine too. Playing an instrument or singing is also great! Let us know what you’d like to do and when. Tuesdays or Thursdays at 9:45 am are good, but we can be flexible.
Please oh please bring us your 4x6 family photos! If you haven’t already. We will be using them this week.
Have a photogenic weekend,
Therese