Our second week was mostly sunshiny and warm, with some showers that ceased just in time for outside. We brought the balls out so we could kick and toss them back and forth. We played Red Light, Green Light with balls in our hands, stopping to balance on one foot when Red Light was called. We searched for and collected a multitude of worms, tipping over the logs to find them in moist, dark places. We observed lots of caterpillars but were cautious not to touch the fuzzy white or yellow ones with long black hairs, as they can cause a skin rash. We did lots of digging in the sand, biking, driving trucks, jumping off the tunnel into the sand, and balancing on the logs. We enjoyed every moment of our time outside!Monday students were introduced to the artist Yves Klein, who created his own unique color blue, and made monochrome paintings using only that color. We learned that mono means one, and chrome means color, so monochrome means one color. We then created our own monochrome paintings using six shades of the same color. We introduced monochrome painting to all students on Tuesday, and monochrome art was created throughout the week.We continued to learn about our classroom, the routines, expectations, how to treat our materials, the process of putting something back when we are finished, and being responsible for our belongings and needs. Everyone already knows to freeze bodies and voices whenever the lights go out and the bell rings, and then carefully head to the rug for group time when the lights come back on. They are so still like statues, one would think they were carved from stone!

We sang several of the songs we learned last week and added some new ones. We learned a second version of the “Peanut Butter and Jelly” song, which we liked a bit better, as it has hand motions. We sang “Old McDonald Had a Farm,” “Mary Wore a Red Dress,” “Do As I’m Doing,” and “Shake Your Sillies Out.”We learned how to get a teacher’s attention by placing a hand on a shoulder or grasping a hand until a teacher can turn and engage. The children have picked this up quickly, which has helped to reduce the verbal attention cues that can get lost in the classroom chatter.

A favorite book, We Are All Alike, We Are All Different was read, which introduced the concept of having similarities and differences and celebrating both. We also read My Name Is Elizabeth, about a girl who wants to be called by her full name, not a nickname. We realized that only a few people in our class have nicknames. The story What I Like introduced the concept of liking and disliking different things. We discovered that the boy in the book does not like fleas, peas, or bees, but several of us really love peas and bees (though no one loved fleas). We played the game “When A Warm Wind Blows.” The leader says, “A warm wind blows for anyone who _____________” and lists something that might be similar or different about us. The first day we listed colors that one might be wearing. When the statement “A warm wind blows for anyone wearing orange” was spoken, all children wearing orange would silently step into the center of the rug. We played several times, listing many colors. The following day we played listing preferences, such as “a warm wind blows for anyone who loves spaghetti.”Wednesday was our first woodworking day with Mr. Bond. Many children were super excited for their turn to use the tools. Mr. Bond created some screwdriver and wrench boards where children could use Phillips head screwdrivers, flat head screwdrivers, allen wrenches, and hex wrenches to insert screws into their matching spots in the boards. The children were placed in one of six groups of four children each. Some enjoyed it so much, they attempted to join other groups to continue their turn. We are looking forward to next week and working with Mr. Bond again. Thank you to Mr. Bond for volunteering his time and skills! This is going to be a great year together!
Thursday was our first music group with Susan. She began by introducing songs about friendship. First we learned the song “Make New Friends” then we learned “Love Grows.” When Susan introduced the second verse of “Love Grows” she helped us go around the circle, shaking hands first with the person on the right, then turning and shaking hands with the person on the left, who then turned to shake hands with the person on their left, and all around the circle back to the beginning. At the end, she brought out some maracas and rhythm instruments, and the children enjoyed playing with and without a conductor guiding them.Friday students read Becoming Butterflies about a class who had caterpillars that turned into chrysalises then monarch butterflies, just like us. We continued reading What Is a Scientist, then practiced observing and documenting skills. The scientists took turns observing the caterpillar and chrysalis in the tank, then documented their observations by drawing what they saw, trying to be accurate in their depictions. We labeled, signed, and dated the documentation, then posted them on the wall.