It is time!  Springish weather brought springish play.  The blocks were used to build castles.  A store was set up.  The snow was turning to water, and oh what fun that makes!  If there is water, it must be played in.  The ice was broken and dug out of the one puddle, which happened to be right at the gate, and put into sleds.  The muddy water was shoveled out and put into the sleds as well.  As the days got warmer, more snow melted, creating rivers running all over.  It was interesting to watch the water flow from higher to lower ground and observe the swirling silt.

Spring weather brought some small friends into the classroom, which initiated some excitement.  We observed several beetles,  a caterpillar, and some ladybugs.  It was fun to watch them crawling and wondering where they came from.

Monday students did some sewing for art.  They traced and cut out circles, then used a straight stitch to sew all the way around the edge, creating little bags for their Quiet rocks.  The older students volunteered to help the younger students, and many made additional bags for themselves, family, or friends.

We wrapped up our fish study by learning about eels and rays.  We read and discussed the stories Think of an Eel, Manta Rays, and Rosie Ray – A Tale of Watery Wings.

The afternoon students drew, labeled, and filled their own fish, including hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, great white sharks, goldfish, clownfish, and flying fish, which we hung from the ceiling in the art area.

At the art table the children did some blow painting.  They used pipettes to drop paint onto paper, then used a straw to blow it around, creating lots of beautiful pictures.  Some students also folded their papers in half, further mixing the paints and creating Rorschach type inkblot prints.

We celebrated three birthdays this week!  The birthday girl and two birthday boys all turned four, so they each held the earth and orbited the sun four times while the class counted for them.  There were lots of yummy cupcakes to enjoy.  Happy birthday to our newest four year olds!

On Wednesday the children that chose to did a baking project.  We measured, poured, mashed, and mixed up ingredients for whole wheat banana muffins.

Thursday morning we opened up the piano to see the complexity inside.  We watched as a key was pressed and how it pushed on one part, which pushed another, which pushed a felt covered hammer against some strings.  When the strings are struck, they vibrate, which creates sound.  Everyone had a turn to play the piano while classmates conducted, played drums, maracas, sticks, tone blocks, a kalimba thumb piano, or the frog guiro.

Friday students were in the spring cleaning mood.  They started by cleaning the easels, then moved on to the rest of the classroom.  They cleaned the mats under the painting rack, the rack itself, the art shelves, the tables, and the floor.  They were busy cleaning when the Easter Bunny arrived for a visit.  It was exciting to see the Easter Bunny, as his Sunday visit was much talked about and anticipated.  There was some discussion about whether it was the real Easter Bunny or Gerrie Scott helping out the Easter Bunny, and everyone came to their own conclusions.

With the fabulously warm weather we spent so much time outside that we got a late start on science, so we decided to save it for Monday so that friends did not miss out on it.  It is still a surprise, so we are looking forward to seeing what we will be doing!