Week 27 Update and Pictures

Our animal project continues to flourish in a new direction…a kind of diorama has been started at the request of our students! There is much discussion about animals on land, in oceans, animal habitats…thinking of a zoo field trip in April. Will keep you updated. Also, interest in literacy and symbolic language in general has continued to snowball into a magnificent and beautiful exploration of early writing, reading, labeling, sorting (last names came out with gusto!)

I am really looking forward to talking with you at our student led conferences next week, and being a part of our children sharing some of their learning with you!  Please do a double check of your day and time before next week. I can’t wait!

If you would like to have Mango and Oreo Cookie stay with your family over the spring break holiday, please let me know! J

REMINDERS

*Please return the BLUE BAG and RED LIBRARY BAG on Monday.

*We would love you to send in more fruit for our classroom!  We have VERY hungry morning eaters! And thank you so much to those who have already sent fruit in! We really appreciate it!

*March 22^nd and 23^rd: STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES- Students attend the conferences with you. Please refer to the conference e-mail and attached letters I sent for all of the information you need. Please double check your date and time.

*March 24^th to April 1^st: SPRING BREAK—No School

Week 27 March 12 to 16

53 new photos · Album by Lynsey Howitt

Exploring New Materials

Children need the freedom to appreciate the infinite resources of their hands, their eyes and their ears, the resources of forms, materials, sounds, and colors.

-Loris Malaguzzi

Week 26 Update and Pictures

Mango and Oreo spent a lot of time outside their cage today visiting everyone and helping out, so they will have a sleepy weekend! Interest in letters, sounds, reading and writing has continued to skyrocket, and out “kid book” library is growing in size. Many different explorations with letters and numbers happening. Tad Hills inspired drawings and stories from many students, and there has been much sharing and reading to each other. I thought the class interest in animals, animal rights and the impact of the environment had faded, but it came back in full force this week. More to come. J

REMINDERS

*Please return the BLUE BAG and RED LIBRARY BAG on Monday.

*We would love you to send in more fruit for our classroom!  We have VERY hungry morning eaters!

*March 22^nd and 23^rd: STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES- Students attend the conferences with you. Please refer to the conference e-mail and attached letters I sent for all of the information you need. You should all have received an e-mail to sign up.

*March 24^th to April 1^st: SPRING BREAK—No School

Week 26 March 5 to 9

74 new photos · Album by Lynsey Howitt

Tad Hills is Here!

“Is your dog really named Rocket?”

“How did you learn to draw so well?”

“Do you draw every single picture?”

“Where do you get your ideas for your books?”

“How long does it take to make a book?”

“Do you love our school?”

Tad Hills was ambushed by our very curious and enthusiastic young readers and writers! He tried to answer as many questions as possible!

Tad Hills is an author and illustrator of such beautiful books as Rocket Learns to Read and Duck and Goose. We were privileged to spend time with him while he shared some of his stories with us, talked about how he comes up with ideas for his books and showed us how he draws the illustrations.

Tad Hills also spent some time in our classroom demonstrating how he starts his illustrations and he told us that “drawing eyebrows gives the characters life and feelings!” The students drew from the initials in their names and from one of his duck pictures that he put together with simple shapes. He was very impressed with our classroom library that included student books!

A quote from his website…

“As an author and illustrator of children’s books, my greatest satisfaction comes from visiting schools. The kids’ excitement and enthusiasm for books is very real. I especially enjoy the responses I get from children when I ask if they have any questions or comments. ‘Where do you get your ideas? What’s the difference between a book and a story? My birthday is June 12th. How do you make the cover shiny? My Dad has socks like yours. Do you have an agent? Do you write the story first or draw the pictures? How do you make a book?’ But what I love most is when a lower school kid smiles and says proudly, ‘I’m writing a book.’”

Tad Hills March 1

60 new photos · Album by Lynsey Howitt

Weeks 24 and 25 Update and Pictures

So much has happened in the last week and a half! This week we were lucky to have author and illustrator Tad Hills visit us, to share some of his stories, how he draws duck and goose, and answer some of his questions!  See blog for details and pictures.

Over the last couple of weeks, Aidah and I noticed our students interacting with a lot of our documentation from the year, as well as reading and presenting their favorite books to each other. Together, we brainstormed “book making” supplies and gathered them. Our new authors have had their creations added to our classroom library/book corner and shared their stories  with the class.

After our Empty Bowls experience in the art room with high school students helping us out, we have had a very big interest in exploring clay. The students used some of the new tools, but also found a variety of interesting objects in our makerspace, from around our classroom and from outside to use to interact with the clay.

REMINDERS

*Please return the BLUE BAG and RED LIBRARY BAG on Monday.

*We would love you to send in more fruit for our classroom!  We have VERY hungry morning eaters!

*March 22^nd and 23^rd: STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES- Students attend the conferences with you. Please refer to the conference e-mail and attached letters I sent last week for all of the information you need. You should either have already received an e-mail to sign up or will be receiving one soon.

*March 24^th to April 1^st: SPRING BREAK—No School

                                                                                         

Week 24 February 21 to 23

52 new photos · Album by Lynsey Howitt

Week 25 February 26 to March 2

55 new photos · Album by Lynsey Howitt