Goodbye snow, hello grass!  The snow pants have all gone home and the mud boots have come out.  It was a beautiful spring week of mud and melting snow and ice.

On Monday we joined Lancaster Play and Learn and Centennial View for a parade down Main Street in celebration of the Week of the Young Child.  It was such a beautiful day that we spent almost the entire morning outside exploring.

For Monday art the children had a glorious time getting messy with finger paint.  The art table continued to be busy the rest of the week as children created multiple finger paint masterpieces, and just generally enjoyed the feeling of paint squishing and squeezing through their fingers.

We continued to learn about amphibians this week, more specifically toads.  We read the book Frog or Toad?  How Do you Know?  and learned that frogs have wet, smooth skin, long strong back legs for jumping, and teeth in the top jaw, while toads have drier, bumpy skin, shorter legs, and no teeth.

We celebrated three birthdays this week.  On Wednesday we enjoyed birthday cookies with the newest five year old, and on Thursday we enjoyed chocolate covered strawberries with the newest six year old and chocolate cupcakes with the newest seven year old.  Each birthday child took a turn holding the earth and orbiting the candle sun while everyone counted for them, then sang “Happy Birthday.”

We had some goodbyes with lots of hugs.  We will miss our two friends who are moving on!  We wish the best to you and your families.

The children were feeling the need to clean again this week.  They wiped down and washed chairs, tables, shelves, the floor, and the classroom materials.  They were busy, and all of their efforts have left us with a nice clean classroom.

For Friday science we read about frog metamorphosis then used clay to create the stages from egg, to tadpole, to frog.