Hemlock Class
As we entered fall the children have had a chance to explore different topics. They learned about fall season and why leaves change color.
We talked about apples , parts of an apple, types of apples and learned the “Apple tree “ song. All the children were very interested in the “ little star“ story.
Next we discussed about bats
The history of bats and types of bats, their foods and habitats and environments. How bats catch their prey using echolocation.
Next we looked at spiders. How are they different from insects. We learned what kind of arachnids exist and which ones live around us. Now our children can sing “Itsy bitsy spider”
We did not forget the pumpkins the class learned about the life cycle of a pumpkin, parts of a pumpkin. They got to see a cut cross section of a pumpkin. They felt the seeds , pulp meat and got to smell a fresh cut pumpkin.
With Halloween around the corner we are getting ready for our Halloween fun day by learning the “Witches Brew” song as well as the “Five little Pumpkins sitting on a gate” song. On the day of Halloween the children can come in costumes.( any kind of weapon that come with the costume stays home ) The two classrooms will meet on the playground to share a big circle for songs and a costume parade. Then when we are back in our individual classrooms, we will serve spooky snack as small Halloween treat which is taken care of by the teachers.
This year we have introduced classroom meetings for circle time where we discuss classroom problems that children come to the teaches with. We let them come up with solutions for the problem and solve it. We have just started and children are getting into it.
Weekly Nature walk is been enjoyed by most of the children. They look forward to go for the walk. With change in weather please dress you your children appropriately if they are been chosen for the walk.
All the Hemlock teachers are looking forward to meeting with you for our upcoming conferences .
Buckeye Class
This has been a busy month filled with learning about Fall changes, pumpkins, spiders, bats and more. Our new students are settling into the classroom routine and learning the ins and outs from our returning students.
In keeping with maintaining a calm and peaceful classroom environment, we’ve introduced a new activity. Our “class meetings” will be practiced a few times weekly and give children the opportunity to share by talking about their feelings and offer solutions for problems. We begin the circle passing a talking stick to those interested in sharing something that they appreciated about another student. Next, we introduce an issue and practice problem-solving. Lastly, we end with a group bonding/connection activity. These class meetings will continue throughout the year encouraging belonging, building empathy, inspiring respect for others, and teaching problem-solving skills.
We talked about the parts of a spider along with the several types of spiders. Children learned what they eat, how they eat and how and where they build their webs. We also got to harvest and dissect the sunflowers that we had grown from seed! At circle time we dissected a pumpkin and learned about the parts and the life cycle of a pumpkin. We have enjoyed practicing our “5 Little Pumpkins” rhyme and our “Witches Brew” song in preparation for our meeting and costume sharing event with the Hemlock class on Halloween Day. At the end of the month, we plan to learn all about bats. In geography we will show how a playdough sphere of the Earth can be sliced in half and rolled out flat revealing the two hemispheres of Earth and the idea of a flat map. Here’s to lots of fun in store for November!