Amazing how quickly the weeks pass now that we have established a rhythm and an order to our days. The children are happy and engaged, and are really coming together as a cohesive group. More and more, I hear them spontaneously say to each other, “I can help you!” or “I can teach you that!” There is an atmostphere of caring and cooperation that has become the norm.
The class has finished distilling their “32 Grumpy Rules” to “30 Good Rules” to “3 Fabulous Rules.” Here they are:
1. Make good decisions.
2. Be nice and be friends with everyone.
3. Treat our stuff with care.
These have been signed by all and are now posted in our classroom!
We were able to observe many our of our caterpillars hanging in a “J” shape prior to going into a chrysalis. We even – amazingly – caught two of them as they were shedding their skin for the final time and building the chrysalis itself. We are now harboring 13 soon-to-be butterflies – maybe some as early as next week! Stay tuned.
As out butterfly unit winds down, we now begin a study of the human body. Alongside of this, October is a month where we also start to talk about the things that make us unique – things we’re good at, things we wish we could be better at, things that frighten us. By now, the children have a sense of trust in one another and are usually very honest with their feelings. We read books that support this unit and have some great projects and poems lined up, too. I think October may be my favorite month! And Halloween is of course a BIG topic of conversation. Costumes have already come up, so a few words of guidance – please no excessively scary or gory costumes, and no masks (they make it too hard to see when we parade around). I’ll send more details about the logistics of Halloween as we get closer to the actual celebration.
We had our first Lunch Bunch today – how fun! Thank you, Barbara and Zora for planning such a delicious meal for us. It was a great way to end this week!
This class loves the art center!
Have a good weekend!
Andrea