Hands Can… Eat Fruit!

We began our week reading Good Days, Bad Days. The sad day picture sparked an extensive conversation about why they were sad. After examining the illustration closely, someone realized it was because their pet died. Questions that came up: Why are they sad? Why do we bury dead animals? What insects and animals eat dead animals? Do we eat dead animals? The children took turns talking about times they had seen a dead insect, dead crab on the beach, or alive crabs on the beach. Many children said they eat dead fish that come from the ocean. Some children responded that we get it at the market, not the ocean.

This week we used our hands to catch and roll a ball. During circle, we rolled a ball to each other and said our favorite color and fruit when we caught it. It was a slow moving game where one person said their favorite fruit was fries and another said ice cream.

We also took turns playing a hand drum. We sang The Drum Goes Round and Round as we took turns beating the drum. Some played loudly and others quietly, some did one beat and others many.  

On Wednesday everyone took turns using the Feely Box. We used our sense of touch to feel something in the box and guess what it was. The guesses were: a nut, a little hook, a wooden hole, leather, a snail, a ring, a dinosaur, a monkey, yellow, a treat, a number, and something in German. 

The fruit cake and fruit tree were fantastical. What a wonderful surprise! We thoroughly enjoyed the fruit cake at snacktime. All of it! And thank you for the gift card too! Later when someone opened their lunch and saw they had grapes, they shouted, "Look! Just like at your party!" 

Thanks for making it a special day!

Have a fantabulous long weekend,

Therese

Fire Drill and Finger Paint

Dear Parents,

We began our week reading Firefighters A- Z and having our first fire drill. We confirmed with the class that our school was not really on fire, but we were pretending in case it ever caught on fire. We lined up quickly and quietly (sorta) and filed outside to line up along the fence. We used our serious voices and faces to let everyone know it was not time to play. Then, we went to the yard to play!

This week, we mixed more colors using fingerpaint on our table. The first day we mixed yellow and red. The next day we mixed yellow and blue. Some children knew what new colors to expect based on our past color mixing. Someone asked, “What happens if we add white?” We added white. 

People used their fingers, fingernails, palms, and even a few elbows, to draw in the paint. 

On Wednesday, we decorated our art folders using stamps with the first letters of our names. We did quiet stamps using red and yellow paint. 

The next day everyone made red hand prints to add to our Me books. Afterwards we read Hands Can, and made a list of things we can do with our hands: play, cuddle, sword fight, clap, hug, wave, hold hands, fingerpaint, buy things, run around, turn on the lights, and swing.

We also read Hello Fall, Fall Is Here! I love it!, Yoga Animals, Time to Pee, My Tree and Me, Wash Your Hands, It’s a Good Thing You’re Not an Octopus, Here Are My Hands, Hands Are Not for Hitting, and Whole Body Listening.

Everyone had their hands traced, and then used coloring crayons to fill them in. We used our hands to eat snacks and play in the big room. We rode wheels, climbed in the jungle gym, and built with soft and hard blocks. When we were finished, we used our hands to clean up.

Have a handy weekend,

Therese