Welcome to Jen's Class

June 15, 2008

Oh what a year it has been! Thank you for sharing your children with me. We have had such fun learning and growing together. I hope you all have a relaxing summer. We'll see you in the fall!

-Jen
 

May 29, 2008

We are closing in on the end of the school year, I can't believe it! What a wonderful year it has been! Thank you all so very much for your good help and support. Your children are so fortunate to be part of such loving families.

• The children will say goodbye to each other next week. This is a song we will sing together. I just love these words...

"Make new friends, but keep the old.
One is silver, and the other gold.
Circle is round, it has no end.
That's how long I want to be your friend."

• The extended day children will be heading to the Sleeping Bear Dunes tomorrow. I bet they will be excited to share stories of the day with you when they return.
• Looking forward to the end of the year celebration, The Dance of the Cosmos. Ask your child about the part they will play. Hope to see you all there!

May 22, 2008

• Our conversations about the solar system continue as we talk about each of the eight primary planets defining features. Ask your child which planet is about the same size as earth but covered in a toxic gas, which planet is the largest, and which planet has rings of rock and ice that surround it.
• All grandparents and special friends joining us this Friday, May 23, should be in the barn by 9:30am for the welcome program. The children have been excited all week to have you in our classroom and to show you some of their favorite works. We look forward to seeing you!
• The extended day students, primary faculty, and several parent volunteers spent last Friday afternoon at the Great Lakes Alpaca Ranch in Maple City. Our guide led us to a peaceful pasture where when we sat, we were surrounded by alpacas. What fun it was to learn about this beautiful animal and to tour such a beautiful place!
• Have a great weekend! Happy Memorial Day!

May 15, 2008

• The painted lady butterflies have emerged! What fun it has been to watch them grow and change. This week we will release them in the flower garden. Ask your child what they will eat and what part of their body they will use to extract the nectar.
• The tadpoles have taken over the fish tank and wow are they small! We added several gallons of swamp water to the tank to help them feel at home. Ask your child how many stages frogs have in their life cycle and what stage the tadpoles are in now.
• Cymbre Foster visited our classroom with the plant of the month, asparagus! She described how it was grown, in large trenches, and how long we had to wait to harvest the asparagus that was planted at school this year, three years.

May 8, 2008

• We are waiting patiently for our caterpillars to make their final change inside their chrysalis'. We will let you know when they emerge! Ask your child what the first few hours of life will be like for the painted lady butterflies.
• Beans, beans, beans! We are planting beans. The children have been making paper pots, filling them with potting soil, and carefully sowing seeds. We are hoping to have a small garden outside our classroom where we can watch them grow!
• Our solar system is such a big place! In the weeks to come we will be learning about our place in the universe and what else is out there. Ask your child what is at the very center of our solar system and what it is made of.

May 1, 2008

• Metamorphosis! Our classroom has five new guests and the children have been so excited to learn what will soon happen in the lives of our young caterpillars. Thank you to Chloe Sniff and her family for their gift!
• Happy May Day! We all gathered in the barn this week to welcome the month of May. Ask your child about the songs we sang and dance we watched around the may pole.
• Honeycomb! Everyone enjoyed a sampling of local honey and it's sweet story. Ask your child who made the honey and what other important jobs the honeybees have.

April 24, 2008

• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Our school celebrated Earth Day on Tuesday and all the children had a chance to help plant a tree! We learned about ways we can keep the earth clean and healthy. Ask your child about the commitment they made to the earth.

"Tulips are blooming in Holland, Michigan,
Tulips bright colored and gay.
Dance on the cobble streets of Holland, Michigan,
When tulips bloom in May!"

• Ask your child to sing this song for you...I just love it!
• We, after great amounts of labor, opened a coconut this week. The children enjoyed tasting its meat and milk. Ask your child what the parts of the coconut are called, where the trees grow, and how long they have been living on our earth! 

April 17, 2008

• Wow! It finally feels like Spring! What fun it has been to be outside, running and playing in this beautiful weather!
• This week we celebrated April as National Poetry month. We traveled to the barn to take part in our school's second annual Poetry Jam. The children were delighted as we listened to many readers share their favorite poems. Ask your child which poem we decided to bring.
• Our fish tank is occupied! The children have loved watching our new snail and guppy get comfortable in our classroom. Ask your child what the snail is eating and how it will help with keeping our fish tank clean. Stay tuned for news on our next new residents!
• The children took turns examining a real ostrich egg! They are really big! Ask your child where this particular egg came from and how strong it was. 

April 10, 2008

• Welcome back! It has been such fun to have our group together again. Your children have been sharing bits and pieces of their Spring Vacations with us and it sounds like you all had a great break.
• The extended day children took a field trip to the Lars Hokstead Auditorium to see a special performance of the Little Theater for the Deaf. Ask your child about the signs for walk, stand, run, jump, and knee bend.
• We have been talking about manners this week. Manners are words and actions that people use to show others that they care about them. Ask your child how they use good manners.
• Our classroom has been preparing for a safety drill that will happen at our school in the next week. It is important for us all to know exactly what we do in case of an emergency.

March 27, 2008

• It snowed this week! Our classroom celebrated by making a batch of "keep warm cookies" and rolling some of the largest snowballs I have ever seen! Ask your child about the healthy ingredients we used for the delicious cookies and how big the snowballs were.
• One of our friends just returned from Spring Break in the Florida Keys. While on vacation, she and her family visited a Sea Turtle Hospital and a Dolphin Research Center. Ask your child about the sea turtle she adopted and how we will follow Bubbles' life at the hospital.
• We examined some of Rembrandt's paintings this week. He was an artist that lived in the seventeenth century and painted primarily in Amsterdam, Holland. Rembrandt made all his own paints and often made friends with anyone he met. Ask your child about one of materials he used for pigments in his paints. 

March 20, 2008

• Spring, Spring, Spring!!! Hurray for the changing of the seasons! On Thursday our classroom welcomed the season of Spring by singing songs and looking for signs of spring outside. Ask your child what we found and what we hope to see in the days soon to come.
• Our classroom has experienced a great loss this week in the passing away of our old guarami fish. We have had several conversations about the life cycle and what happens at the end. "Old things die and new things are born." Ask your child who is a part of that cycle and what it looks like.
• The extended day children visited a maple syrup farm. Farmer Tom Casier took us on a tour of his beautiful maple forest and showed us how to tap a maple tree. What fun it was to watch the sap run and learn about the process of making maple syrup. 

March 13, 2008

• "Cockles and Mussels, Alive-Alive-O!" We learned a new song this week, a song that comes from the island of Ireland. It is the story of a woman who sells cockles and mussels to the people of Dublin. Saint Patrick's Day is just around the corner. Ask your child to describe cockles and mussels.
• The children have been practicing a new signal. Oftentimes a child will need the attention of the adult or another child even if they are already engaged in conversation with someone else. Waiting for your turn is an important skill to master. Ask your child to show you the signal.
• We read a story about using words to solve problems and solving problems to maintain friends. The story was called "The Peace Rose" and it introduced to the children the idea of using a symbolic flower of peace to talk things out. Ask your child to give you an example of when they would use the peace rose.
• Marc Schollette came and spent some time with the extended day children. He talked about static electricity and likened that to the surface tension of water. Using a balloon and a hair comb the children "bent" water and using water droppers and pennies the children experimented with the idea that "water loves water." 

February 28, 2008

• This week the children enjoyed watching a science experiment. With a long clear piece of tubing we made an underwater vacuum. After we created a seal, the children watched as we transferred water from pitcher to pitcher without pouring. Ask your child about the siphon.
• "Big A, Little A, What begins with A?" The Upper Elementary Theater Troop performed at the beginning of the week. What a show! The children loved the stories and rhymes of Dr. Seuss and also the alphabet number. Ask your child which of the skits was their favorite.
• It's conference time already! Next week, on March 6 and 7, we will have a chance then to sit down and talk about your children. If you have not scheduled a conference yet, please call the front desk to do so. I look forward to our time together.

February 21, 2008

• The extended day students started a new novel. Ask your child about the main character in the book.
• Our classroom enjoyed the experience of passion fruit. Ask your child to describe it to you.
• Parent's Visiting Day is coming up Thursday, February 28. Please come and see the joy in your child's work! 

February 14, 2008

• This week a friend brought in an alligator head for the museum table. The children were fascinated by its teeth and so we counted them, 74! Ask your child about the symbiotic relationship the alligator has with the small birds that live around the swamp. What do the birds do for the alligator?
• Our school had a very special performer come to visit us this week. We were so very fortunate to hear the beautiful music of world renowned violinist Stass Pronin. Ask your child about the performance.
• On Friday we gathered with all the children in our school to celebrate President's Day. Our classroom talked about Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Ask your child how long he was president and what people called him. 

February 7, 2008

• Gung hey fat choy! Our school celebrated Chinese New Year today. Ask your child about the Dragon Dance and the special snack we enjoyed.

• Valentine's Day is next week! The children will begin decorating their bags here at school and a letter will be coming home soon that indicates how we will exchange valentines.
• Ludwig van Beetoven was a topic of conversation this week. He was a composer that was born in Germany over two hundred years ago. Ask your child what instrument he played as a child.
• The Fitness Festival is this weekend. What a great way for us to come together and do some healthy living. Looking forward to seeing you there!

January 31, 2008

• This week we read a book about Jackson Pollock. He was an artist that lived in the first part of the twentieth century. Jackson experimented with pouring painting, splattering paint, and throwing paint on canvas. He portrayed the energy involved in painting. Ask your child about the new work on the art shelf, "action painting."
• The extended day students attended a car safety discussion lead by officer Needham. They learned the importance of booster seats and how to correctly wear a seatbelt. Where should the lower strap go? Where should the upper strap go?
• Our classroom is growing crystals! One of our friends brought in a beautiful sample of quartz rock crystals. We identified them as hexagonal crystals and discussed how crystals are formed. Ask your child about the experiment and what materials we used. 

January 24, 2008

• Preparations for the Chinese New Year celebration have begun! The extended day children have found the country China on the map of Asia, listened to several cultural stories, and started to decorate our doorway with wishes for a Happy New Year!
• What fun it was to have you visit our classroom this morning! I know the children love having you here and I certainly delight in watching all of you in your joyful work.
• Our art shelf has a new edition! Children have been painting simple designs on creased paper and folding it in half to experiment with symmetry. Ask your child what the difference is between symmetry and asymmetry.

January 17, 2008

• Our week began with an amazing performance in the barn. Marc and Deedee Alderman were here with a friend playing some of their original music. The children so enjoyed their rhythms and words. Ask your child about the instruments that were played.
• We celebrated the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this week. After reading a book about his life and his work, we talked about some of his big words. "Peace, love, and togetherness" were words the children heard. Ask your child to sing the song about him.
• After enjoying a delicious snack of tortilla chips, pineapple salsa, and fresh guacamole we talked about the fruit called avocado. We examined the tough skin and the soft flesh and removed the pit. Ask your child about the avocado plant we are growing.

January 10, 2008

• This week we learned about the country called Japan. Ask your child which continent these islands are part of and where they are in comparison to Traverse City, MI. You might also ask them about the land and what it looks like and about the people and where they live.
• The extended day students spent some time with Marc Schollet this week, learning about the process called sublimation, a solid becoming a gas. With the help of dry ice and soapy water Marc created a fog, made metal sing, and blew up a balloon without using his mouth.
• We have two new students in our classroom! Please help me in welcoming Lauren Bavikatty and McKenzie Oh. We are so happy to have both of them join us! Ask your children about our new students and what they like to do in the classroom.  

December 13, 2007

• To all the families of extended day children, thank you for your generosity! Your children have delighted in bringing hats, mittens, and coats for those in our area who are less fortunate this winter season. I thank you for providing them with an oppurtunity to feel the gift of giving.
• The children have been stringing cereal for the birds and animals to eat over Holiday Break. Next week, before we depart, we will trudge through the snow and find a special tree on which to hang our very long string of cheerios. Ask your child what animals and birds eat in the winter.
• "Sing we joyous all together!" Please join us for the school wide Holiday Sing-Along on December 19 at 2pm. If that is not a day your child is scheduled to come to school, please send them. If your child needs to stay for the afternoon in order to make it possible for you all to come and sing, please sign them up. It promises to be great fun! 

December 6, 2007

• This week the children have been learning about a holiday many people around the world celebrate. Today was the first of the eight days of Hannukah. We read about the history of the celebration and how it is the people of the Jewish faith celebrate it. Ask your children about the menorah's lights and the tasty potato pancakes we made.
• The gifting of the season has begun! At group we have been talking about why people give gifts and how we can receive them. Look for special packages to be coming home in the next couple of weeks...
• Michelangelo was a topic of many small group discussions this week. The children studied pictures of his beautiful marble sculptures and his amazing work on the Sistene Chapel. Ask your child how long it took for him to complete that monumental work.

November 29, 2007

• Music is in the air! We listened to a several pieces of music composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and even learned a song about his life. We have been watching birds at the feeder and learned a song about a black capped chickadee. And now, with the holidays just around the corner, we will be learning many more!
• What fun it was to have you all come to visit our classroom. I know how much it means to your children to be able to show you what they can do. Please know that if you missed us this month there will be more dates to come. Stay tuned!
• We planted an amaryllis bulb this week and will be watching to see how much it grows. After making certain the roots were in soil, and the soil was properly watered, we placed the bulb in a sunny window on the science shelf. Ask your child what color it will be.

November 20, 2007

"Land of the silver birch,
home of the beaver,
where once the mighty moose,
wandered at will.
Blue lake and rocky shore,
I will return once more.
Boom-didi-boom-boom,
boom-didi-boom-boom,
boom-didi-boom-boom-boom,
boom-boom."

• This is the first verse to a song the children are learning in the classroom. Ask your child to make the rhythm for you.
• Several of the children were able to watch a performance in the barn this week. The upper elementary students sang, played instruments, and told the story of Daganoweda "The Great Peacemaker" and Hiawatha coming together to join brother to brother and tribe to tribe to bring an end to war and a time of peace amongst the Indian Nations.
• What a lovely Harvest Feast! The children had such fun sharing this beautiful meal together. Thank you to all of you for sending in such delicious food. Please ask your child about the poem of Thanksgiving that we composed and what it is they are thankful for. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

November 15, 2007

Considering that we have two short weeks in a row, I will not be updating my page this week. Please make sure to stop by next Wednesday for a recap of both weeks. Thanks! 

November 8, 2007

• Georgia O'Keefe and her beautiful paintings were a topic of conversation this week in our class. Ask your child what kinds of things she painted and why.
• The extended day students spent some time with watershed expert Marc Schollett this week. Ask your child about the pollution experiment.
• We have had a couple of visitors in our room! Salt and Pepper are two red-bellied frogs that belong to one of our friends. Ask your child what they look like and what they eat.

November 1, 2007

• We celebrated pumpkin fun day on Wednesday by scooping out the pulp and seeds of two pumpkins. We rinsed the seeds and mixed them with butter and salt for roasting. Yum! We also heard a story about a man named Jack and carved some funny faces in the pumpkins.
• The children watched a science experiment that demonstrated how to fight fire with carbon dioxide. We mixed sodium bicarbonate with vinegar and watched as the gas that was created smothered the flame of our candle. Ask your child what gas fire needs to burn.
• After talking about the five senses we each have and what parts of our bodies we use to engage these different senses, we were able to put them to use. We looked at, smelled, tasted, and felt the fruit called a dragon fruit. Ask your child what they thought.
• Welcome to our new friends and their families! Serenity Williams and Ethan Chadwick joined our class this week. We are so happy to have them!

October 25, 2007

• This week we enjoyed more music in the barn! A trio of musicians played for us a well rounded selection that even involved some audience participation. Electric piano, flute, and clarinet were well received. Ask your child about the harpsichord button on the electric piano and how it changed the sound of the music.
• The extended day students have had a busy week! Exploring the Boardman River Valley with Marc Schollett, listening to Paleo Joe talk about paleontology, beginning a new read aloud novel, and learning a new song in music with curricular specialist Stephanie Slawnik.
• What a week for food! Thank you everyone for the fun and healthy snacks you have been sending for our classroom. This week the children have enjoyed many favorites and have been able to taste some new things. Ask your child about jicima and pomegranate.

October 18, 2007

• This week our classroom made applesauce! Each of the children had a turn peeling, slicing, coring and then adding the apples to our crock pot. Some of the children grated cinnamon and some ground cloves. All have been enjoying!
• We all traveled down to the barn to hear a woman who played percussion. She played several ragtime pieces and some really interesting instruments. Ask your child what the xylophone sounded like and how she changed the sounds on the tambourine.
• Colors have been a topic of discussion this week. We have been learning the primary colors in Spanish and singing a song that asks children wearing that color to stand up together and do a little dance. Ask your child what rojo, azul, and amarillo are in English.

October 11, 2007

• The season called fall is truly here! We have been reading some poetry of the season, learning some songs of autumn, and examining different plants to see how they spread their seeds. Ask your child about some of the seed pods we have dissected.
• The elementary students visited us twice this week; once to tell us about BoxTops and how we could all help to raise money for our school, and a second time to tell us about the recycling program that we all can participate in.
• The extended day children are listening to a new read aloud novel called James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. It is a fantastical story about a young boy and his adventures. Ask your child where James has just gone and who he has discovered there. 

October 4, 2007

• This week we had a great discussion about the three states of matter; solid, liquid, and gas. After defining a gas and giving some examples we actually made a gas called carbon dioxide. Ask your child about the experiment that involved vinegar and baking soda and what happened when the two mixed.
• In our classroom hangs a beautiful photograph of Dr. Maria Montessori during her time spent in India. The children listened to a story about her life and all that she did for the lives of children everywhere. You could ask your child why our school is called a Montessori school.
• Janis Keyser is here tonight...hope to see you there! 

September 27, 2007

• Cymbre Foster is our resident gardener in charge of our school's garden to kitchen program Della Terra.  She came to speak to our students this week about eggplants.  After learning how old they are (4000 years), feeling their smooth purple skin (and their prickly green spines), we were able to taste a dish called baba ganoush.  Yum!
• The extended day students participated in Great Books on Wednesday.  They listened to a Hindu fable from the country called India.  Ask your child about "The Mouse and The Wizard."  Specifically, ask them about the main character (a timid mouse) and his transformation.
• "Round the Oak Tree" is a song the children are singing this week.  It talks about walking through the woods, finding an acorn, and realizing that inside the acorn, is a tree waiting to grow.  Ask your child about the song, the movements that accompany, and the second part we just learned.

September 20, 2007

• This week we explored the garden! We cut many beautiful flowers; cosmos, zinnias, trumpet vines and others. Some children spotted pumpkins, some enjoyed ripe cherry tomatoes, all loved being outside in this perfect weather. Ask your child how the chives tasted!
• We have been studying the work of Vincent VanGogh. After choosing many other professions Vincent decided to become a painter and so he went to lots of art schools. He studied very hard and became one of the worlds most remembered artists. Ask your child about his painting style. How much paint did he use on his canvases?
• The seasons will change this weekend. It feels hard to believe that summer is coming to a close and fall is just around the corner. Outside on the playground, we have already spotted some signs of autumn. Inside the classroom, we have been tasting different varieties of apples. See if you can find a sign of fall at your house.

 September 13, 2007

• Welcome back! What fun it has been to see how big everyone has grown and to hear about all your wonderful summer adventures. The children both new and returning have enjoyed singing songs, sharing snacks, exploring outside, and learning inside the classroom. Ask your child about a new lesson they have received this week.
• There is a small silver box filled with stones on our museum table, a box from Ecuador. Today we talked about Ecuador being a small country on the continent of South America. If your child has special cultural objects to share from home, send them! We would love to learn about where they came from.
• We spotted a large red-tailed hawk the other day. After identifying it in our field guide and then listening to it's sound on a CD, we were certain! With fall approaching, the opportunities to see amazing birds in flight will just get greater. Have you observed the enormous flocks of starlings gathering on wires around town?