We had a fun first week at Sunnybrook! It was great to see all of our returning friends again and to welcome new friends. Everyone quickly got into the routine and had fun exploring the classroom. The arrangement is new for everyone, but is working very well. We are quite thrilled with our new shelves! Thank you Zack Colby! 
The summer weather was still going strong and we enjoyed running, digging, jumping, taking train trips, and swimming around trying to get away from the crocodiles before racing and jumping back onto the boat.
At the art table the children used many bright colors to paint a large branch. Many children returned several times to add extra layers. By the end of the week it was quite colorful and it now brightens up our classroom atop the shelves. 
The sensory table was filled with water. The children enjoyed squirting, scooping, pouring, and stirring it up. When there was a spill, they used the towels to clean it up so no one would slip. 
The magnatiles and the farm were very popular as we began to gradually introduce the classroom and materials to new students and the returning students became familiar with the new set up. 
The dramatic play area, which is a new addition this year, has started out as a home. The children were busy cooking, serving, cleaning, taking phone calls, baking cookies, making food deliveries, and scooping up ice cream. This area will change throughout the year, inviting lots of social and imaginative role play activities. 
We spent our group times discussing the classroom expectations of safety and kindness, and the children all shared what this means and how we do this. We learned how to introduce ourselves to a new acquaintance and everyone had an opportunity to practice. We discussed nick names, what they are, and how some people have them and others do not. We read the story, My Name is Elizabeth, about a little girl who prefers to be called by her full name and has to ask everyone who shortens her name to call her Elizabeth rather than Betsy, Liz, Beth, or Lizzy.
For Friday Science the students were introduced to land, air, and water. We passed the sandpaper globe around and everyone had an opportunity to feel the smooth blue water and the rough tan sandpaper land parts. We then looked at the earth, water, and air jars each containing, respectively, soil and rocks, water, and air. We then took a basket of animals and decided how they travel – through the air, over the land, or in the water, and placed each animal on the picture that represented their travel areas. We discovered that some animals used more than one.
Songs we sang:
ABC’s
Hickety, Pickety, Bumblebee – a name introducing song
Stories we read – during circle time, afternoon quiet time, and morning work time 
Can I Play Too? by, Mo Willems
From Head to Toe by, Eric Carle
I’d Really Like to Eat a Child by, Sylviane Donnio
A Beginner’s Guide to Bearspotting by, Michelle Robinson
We Are All Alike, We Are All Different by, Cheltenham Elementary Kindergarteners
The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by, Don & Audrey Wood
Whose Mouse Are You? by, Robert Kraus