This week we were able to really dig in to some rich curriculum since, on a whole, the separation process is getting easier and easier. We have even managed to get the children outside- both on a buggy ride to the park and on a walk holding the rope around the block. Eudenis and I are impressed! Everyone has been doing an amazing job listening and following directions even though these are activities that are completely new. We are really proud of our 2A friends!
For our music and movement project, we started off by listening to pieces of violin music (modern songs turned instrumental by the Vitamin String Quartet). As the violin notes filled the classroom, we took turns drawing what we heard. The lines and motions of the drawings made by the children really represented what we were listening to. There were short lines, circular shapes, and lines that looped up and down. We have the finished work hanging up in the classroom so you can view! We will continue to work with the violin next week, but we will pair it with a painting project to see how that influences the artwork.
Barak was particularly interested in spelling out V-I-O-L-I-N - we constantly talk about letters and the alphabet as we work.
This week we had our very first science experiment - actually, we did two in one day. First we mixed up a batch of playdough, and learned that when we add in an extra cup of water, it’s too slimy to play with! But it was really enjoyable to mix and add all of the ingredients together. We use: flour, salt, vegetable oil, cream of tartar (a stabilizer so we can keep it for a while), and food coloring or watercolor paint. Our second experiment was adding vinegar to baking soda. Each and every time more vinegar was added we got to see more bubbles! What a joyful experience!
If you’ve done any really fun experiments at home, please let us know- we are always looking for fun ideas to incorporate into the classroom.
On our buggy ride to the park we were able to take turns collecting leaves. This prompted a really wonderful discussion about where all of those leaves are coming from! Finn was so emphatic - “The leaves fall down! They fall down from the trees!” He also noted that the leaves were different colors, “I got a red one. I found a brown one. There was a yellow one!” And when it was Sloane’s turn to collect the leaves, she happily announced that they came from, “The trees!” Next week we will be using our leaf collection for some really fun art projects.
Another project that we started this week was making drawings for a class we will be penpals with in Australia! They are also a group of twos and their first mail to us is en route. We will be hanging up a world map and talking a lot about Australia as we prep for our package! And soon we will be sending post cards to ten other classes around the world! Our mailbox will be installed next week in anticipation.
Other projects this week included:
Felt balls and ocean animals in the sensory table
Tempera painting - mixing red and yellow
Color mixing bags
Drawing with oil pastels, crayons and markers
Finishing our self portraits and taking our portrait photos
Yoga during circle time
Gluing tissue paper circles onto canvas
Starting to talk about class rules (we will revisit next week and sign with our hand prints)
Working with the block of clay
Reading — so much reading! The passion for books is huge in this group. Our favorite book of the week was Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.
