Welcome to Jen's Class

Week of November 3, 2008

• The children loved listening to Charlie Parker! We read a great book called Charlie Parker Played Bebop by Chris Raschka that used words and sounds to give voice this art form. The children noted the difference between bebop and jazz. Pretty cool!
• Cymbre Foster visited our room this week to share the vegetable of the month, cabbage. We heard how cabbage grows best. We felt it's waxy leaves. And we learned that cabbage is full of vitamin C. Ask your child what he/she thought about the taste!
• We practiced our safety drill this week and talked about what we can do to be safe at school. Already, this year, our school has practiced fire drills and the children have done a great job. When asked why we practice, I always say "It is good to have a plan."

Week of October 27, 2008

• Colors! This week the children listened to a story about the life and work of Marc Chagall. He led a hard and interesting life and loved to paint. He did not paint things the way that he saw them, he painted things the way that they made him feel.
• Democracy! In the coming week all of us who are over the age of 18 will have the opportunity to vote in an election. The children and I had a great conversation about what it means to vote, and how everybody in our country has a right to be heard.
• Jazz! The American art form was a topic of conversation this week. We have listened to the music of John Coltrane and his soulful saxophone. Charlie Parker is next on the list. Stay tuned for your children talking about the tunes that these cats play.

Week of October 20, 2008

• This week the children enjoyed pumpkin pancakes at the snack table! Thank you to the Church's for the delicious recipe. Ask your child about the ingredients. 
•  We are learning our colors in Spanish! Red is rojo, blue is azul, yellow is amarillo. Ask your child to tell you about the song we sing to help us learn. 
•  The poetry of Jack Prelutsky has been entertaining us the last couple of days. What fun it is to hear language used like this. Ask your child about their favorite poems.

Week of October 13, 2008

• We had some visitors in our classroom this week. A friend brought in two crayfish from Mickey Lake for us to observe. Ask your child how many sets of legs a crayfish has and what it uses it's two pairs of claws for. (The larger pair is for catching food and the smaller set is for tearing it into pieces.) 
• Yesterday our new sweatbands arrived in the mail! The children have a new work on the shelf they can choose after having a lesson, independent work in the gym with Steve. I feel so fortunate that our school has the time, space, and staffing to allow children to move outside of our classrooms when they need to. 
• Birds, birds, birds! We have been talking about one of those signs of fall being birds migrating south. After reading about which birds migrate south from our area and which birds stay, we decided to put out some new food. Ask your child about our new feeder and what kind of seed is inside.

Week of October 6, 2008

• This week the children heard the story of Dr. Maria Montessori. They listened as I told them that she studied the ways in which children learn and developed beautiful materials that are touched by hands around the world. That she believed in the potential of each child and through education we could make a peaceful planet. 
• Something great inside of me, something great inside of me, something great inside of me!" The ending words in The Oak Tree Song speak of the potential of its seed, an acorn. This week the children have examined an acorn, a pinecone, and a maple tree helicopter. See if you can find more seeds at home. 
• Today one of the extended day children baked muffins for the class and the children loved them. I would love to encourage these older children to prepare a part of each week's snack in this way. If you have tried and true simple recipes for biscuits, muffins, or breads, please send them in, we'll be the test kitchen! 

Week of September 22, 2008

• What a beautiful week it has been! Monday marked the advent of a new season and the children are learning about fall. Ask your child what we observed happening to some of the trees on campus and what we'll be looking for in weeks to come.
• Cymbre Foster our director of Della Terra visited our classroom this week. She introduced the children to a variety of watermelon called "moonbeam," which most of them tried, even though it was yellow. Ask your child about some of the ways watermelons have been used throughout history.
• We are learning more about our Cuban Tree Frog everyday. This week we studied the parts of the frog. We talked about the suction cups on the bottom of its feet, his fore legs for standing, his hind legs for jumping, and his ears for sound and smell.
• Thanks to all of you for such a great class picnic! Good food, good folks, good times. It was nice to see you catching up with each other and bringing our new families into the fold. The children looked like they were having a great time! 

Week of September 15, 2008

• The children have enjoyed the work of Pablo Picasso this week. Ask your child about some of the paintings we have studied and how he used color to convey feeling.
• The extended day children are off and running and learning a new language. Ask your child about the Spanish words for hello, goodbye, please and thank you.
• The continent of Africa has been a topic of many discussions this past week. The children have loved looking at dolls from South Africa, photographs of the land and its diversity, and learning a new song called Hello Children. Ask your child to sing it for you. 

Week of September 8, 2008

"At the beginning is a good place to be.
What will each day bring for you and for me?
New work, new friends, new things to do.
At the beginning is a good place to be."

• The children are learning the words to many new songs such as this one written by Sanford Jones.
• Our cuban tree frog is very sleepy. We are learning about what it needs to live without hibernating, and what it will eat. Some of our friends have had fun in the garden collecting crickets and other insects to feed the frog.
• The classroom smells delicious. We are making applesauce. The children are preparing apples and cinnamon that will simmer for a couple of days. They are excited to taste it!