We welcomed two new students this week.  We were excited to have new friends to play with, and they were quickly integrated into the class.  Welcome, welcome to our new friends!

We began to learn about trees this week.  At the science table we examined a cross cut of a tree and learned the names for the different sections – outer bark, cambium, sapwood, heartwood, and pith.  We are also using nomenclature cards to learn about the parts of a tree – crown, leaves, branches, trunk, and roots.  On Thursday we made pancakes and read the story Sugarbush Spring, about a little girl who helps her grandfather tap trees, collect the sap, and boil it down into syrup.

During music time on Tuesday we took out the parachute and had fun pulling it down over us, sitting on it, and singing songs together in our big orange cave.  We also had a great time taking turns running underneath and switching spots.

At the art table we did some bubble painting.  Children took straws and blew into small cups of paint, water, and dish detergent to create colorful bubbles, then set the paper on top to take a bubble print.  Some children also used the straws to blow the paint across the paper, creating a different effect.

We started working on some long overdue thank you cards to our classroom visitors, which everyone will sign next week.

The kindergarten students have started tracing, pin punching, and coloring the continents for their continent maps.   We are looking forward to seeing the completed projects.

On Thursday morning we had some special visitors.  Eight baby bunnies came to our classroom, and we all very carefully and quietly sat in a circle to help them feel calm and safe.  They hopped around, visiting and exploring.  Everyone had a chance to hold them, and many of them fell asleep on laps.

During Spanish we continued to learn about duro (hard) and suave (soft).   Zeanny read Mortimer again, one of our very favorite books because we get to sing very, very loudly, and Rubio and the three Osos.  We also sang and moved to some of our favorite songs.

Next week we will continue to learn about maple sugaring, and begin to learn about composting, recycling, and worms.