This week, we collaborated with the library and spent some time reading about and exploring owls! Here is a poem that we have been rehearsing as a class:
A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he heard, the less he spoke
The less he spoke, the more he heard
Why aren't we all like that wise old bird?
The class did such a good job reciting this poem each day. We enjoyed stories such as "Owl Babies" and "Barn Owls," and enjoyed making little owl crafts with pinecones. This week, we tried our first "directed drawing" at circle time. We broke down the steps for drawing a simple owl, with lots of room for individualization. They did an amazing job, and loved this activity so much that we did another directed drawing the next day! We've loved seeing them take more of an interest in thoughtfully adding to their portfolio books, taking so much pride in their work!
Another highlight of this week was playing some wonderful collaborative group games! We enjoyed the cooperative board game Hoot Owl Hoot, in which we all had to stategically work together to get the owls back to their nest before the sun came up! We talked about how owls are nocturnal creatures, and imagined what it would be like to fly through the night sky. We then had fun covering our windows with tissue paper star sun catchers!
Another wonderful group game that we enjoyed was our new letter- sound object matching game. This has been such a great game to play as a large group, because it allows the children to jump in with their own knowledge without the pressure to have all of the answers. In this way they are able to fill in the gaps for one another and learn so much through listening to each other.
Music class was very exciting this week as well. The class enjoyed the story and soundtrack to Peter and the Wolf, and enjoyed observing how the various instruments of the orchestra can portray various characters, emotions, and themes. They did such a great job practicing identifying these instruments through a game afterwards, and we can't wait to continue building their familiarity with orchestral instruments.
Other lovely experiences this week included:
* Measuring and tracking the growth of a new class plant we have been caring for
* Practicing our culinary skills (making fruit salad on Tuesday and banana bread on Friday)
* playing in the snow
* celebrating Harris' birthday- Happy Birthday, Harris!!!!! <3
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!!
Monday- Wednesday pictures:
Thursday- Friday Pictures:
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