What a glorious week we had running, chasing, throwing, catching, picking flowers, making dirt stew, biking, and having an overall great time with our friends. The children were so full of energy this week that we made sure to spend lots and lots of time outside.  We set up an obstacle course on Thursday, and the children had a lot of fun bouncing on a hoppy ball, trying out a hula hoop, jumping through rings, tossing bean bags, walking with marbles on spoons, walking the balance beam, spinning on the dizzy disc, and crawling through a tunnel.

This time of year always amazes me with the strength of the friendships that the children have made with each other and the enjoyment they get from just being together. I can see how much they have grown and the progress they have made in all areas. I love to just watch them interact, share their knowledge, work through challenges, solve problems, and communicate with each other in productive, positive ways. It truly is a joy to know these young humans!

For Monday art the children made pour paintings in the style of Holton Rower. They were very cool! Everyone was excited about the process and the end results.  The children could not wait for their art to dry so they could take them home.

On Tuesday many of the students made foot paintings.  It was either a love it or not art activity, so most of the children that chose to do it did several, while other students stayed as far away as possible.  At the art table the children also used a hexagon punch to punch out hexagon shapes, which they could use to create cells in a beehive.

We continued to learn about insects, particularly bees and butterflies. We read several books about bees, and learned how important they are to our survival. Their role as pollinators makes them responsible for much of the yummy food that we eat. We also read the book, Butterfly or Moth? How Do You Know? We learned that butterflies have long, thin antennae, while moths have short feathery antennae. Butterflies have smoother scales as they are diurnal, and moths, who are nocturnal, have furrier scales to keep them warm. Butterflies rest with their wings together, and moths rest with their wings lying flat. We also enjoyed the story Gotta Go Gotta Go about a monarch caterpillar who knows he has to go to Mexico, but is not sure how he will get there.

We have been preparing for the last day performance and graduation by practicing the songs we will sing. The Monday/Friday students have been very busy finishing up their animal presentations, and we have been tweaking the format of our presentation, working out where we need to make changes and improvements.

Friday students were so busy finishing up projects for the year that we never made it to science time. They have been requesting a visit to Colonel Town Playground for several weeks, so we decided to spend some time there on the slides, the train, the swings, and the climbing dinosaurs. They particularly enjoyed making several runs down the long silver slide before heading back to school for a late lunch and starting on their mammal dioramas.