enjoying the new slide
enjoying the new slide

We continued to tour Europe this week, focusing on the Hebridian Islands of Scotland, where the author and illustrator Mairi Hedderwick lives.  We read several of the Katie Morag stories, which she wrote about a little girl who lives on a fictional island in the Hebrides.  We learned what islands are and saw many pictures of the Scottish Isles.

sand on bare feet
sand on bare feet
silly faces
silly faces
raking leaves
raking leaves
sorting tray
sorting tray
Water Colors
Water Colors

At the art table we were introduced to watercolor painting, the medium that Mairi Hedderwick uses to illustrate her stories.

water color painting
water color painting
Family Night Invite
Family Night Invite

Students made invitations to Bring Your Family to Sunnybrook Night on Thursday, October 17 from 5-7 PM, when your child will show you around our classroom and demonstrate a favorite material.

reptangles
reptangles
spindle boxes
spindle boxes
teen board
teen board
telling time
telling time
tweezer transfer
tweezer transfer
lap books and dioramas
lap books and dioramas

The students began fall projects this week.  Everyone is making a diorama, and the kindergarten students are also making fall lap books.  Our classroom is housing some bear caves, some fall forest scenes, and a pond with frogs burrowing in the mud.

forest diorama
forest diorama
o and r
o and r
polygon matching
polygon matching
pouring
pouring
copying a quote
copying a quote
dancing to Beethoven
dancing to Beethoven

During music we were introduced to Ludwig van Beethoven.  We listened to the first movement of his very dramatic 5th Symphony, which the children enjoyed dancing and acting to.  We also listened for string instruments playing.

writing
writing
journal writing
journal writing
dice addition
dice addition
knots
knots
number rod addition
number rod addition

We participated in the Great North East Shakeout when we learned and practiced a duck, cover, and hold drill.  We pretended that the whole earth was shaking and crawled under tables and held onto the table legs to keep ourselves safe.

Afternoon students were introduced to a Yoga breathing exercise, where we put little stuffed animals on our bellies then made our bellies go up when we breathed in, and down when we breathed out.  We will continue to learn some yoga positions and breathing exercises throughout the year.

bead chains
bead chains
busy in Practical Life
busy in Practical Life
e and c
e and c
calabaza a su casa
calabaza a su casa

During Spanish we began to learn a fun calabaza (pumpkin) song and a rhyme.  We practiced casa (house), pequeño (small), and grande (big).

Friday students continued to learn about water this week.  We read about the water cycle, evaporation, and water being a liquid, solid, and gas.  The students drew rainbows in their science notebooks, which we see when the sun shines on water droplets in the air, making beautiful “water colors” in the sky.

"water colors"
“water colors”

Kindergarten students began making their world maps.  They traced and cut out the two hemispheres, then traced Europe, pin punched around it, and colored it.  They will work throughout the year on their world maps.

working on their world maps
working on world maps

outside play

outside play