Sunnybrook Montessori School

Things were buzzing this week inside and out.  Running, running, running was the name of the game.  As soon as we got in the fence everyone was off and away, expending all of that excited energy.   We even took some extra trips outside in the mornings when it was just too much to contain.  The children once again enjoyed wrestling with Sue outside, and Friday afternoon we absolutely had to have a tickle battle.  The children also made up a game they called “bumper cars,” where they would push on each other with their hands.  They really loved this rough and tumble game, which we supervised closely to provide safety guidance. Research has demonstrated how valuable this type of play is for building self-regulation, social skills, empathy, physical control, self-confidence, and for overall physical and mental health. Monday morning the children were excited to visit the library with Tammy while we had our monthly play date.  They had fun with all of the big vehicles, legos, train table, etc. For Monday art we painted “white” pictures on gray paper, inspired by the gorgeous frosty mornings that left the trees white and sparkling. The art table was very busy throughout the week as children painted with Q-tips, made their jingle bell shakers and Peace Round pictures for the winter performance, and wrote thank you notes to Officer Lyon (finally!) and Dr. Tarkleson.  They also continued tracing pictures at the light table and many children have been creating books, adding illustrations and stories. Once again our circle times were dedicated to practicing for the winter performance and reading stories. For Friday science we once again explored water, this time as a solid.  Everyone was excited to feel the cold ice and make some observations about melting.  We found that salt melted holes in a chunk of ice and that ice cubes float in water, with only a little sticking out above the surface.  We also compared which melted faster – an ice cube surrounded by water or an ice cube surrounded by air.   The ice in the water melted a lot faster! At the end of recess we decided to take a walk across the meadow behind school, as we had noticed a large orange “thing” across the field.  We guessed that it was either a big pumpkin or a ball, so we went to check it out.  It was indeed a pumpkin and we wondered how it got there.  Did it grow?  Did someone bring it?  We noticed that it had no stem, and it was still solid, so it seemed likely that it did not grow there. Some stories your children may have heard this week:

If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don’t! by Elise Parsley

Trouble with Trolls by Jan Brett

D’Aulaires’ Book of Animals

Outside by Deirdre Gill

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost, Illustrated by Susan Jeffers

Jingle Bells Illustrated by Darcy May

When Winter Comes by Nancy Van Laan

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Forgive and Let Go by Cheri Meiners

The Nutcracker by Susan Jeffers

Who’s That Knocking on Christmas Eve by Jan Brett

The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde, Illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger

Sun, clouds, wind, frost, rain, snow, puddles and mud – we had it all this week!  We realized how much we value that active outside time after being stuck inside for two days of recess time, though the children did enjoy the variety of rainy day activities.
For Monday art the students used the centrifugal force created by a salad spinner to create art.  They dripped paint drops on coffee filters, then placed them in the salad spinner.  When they pumped it, the paint pulled out to the edges, creating triangular lines of color.
The art table was very busy during the week, while each of the children worked to create a top secret holiday gift for their families.  It will be exciting to see them all displayed together the night of the winter performance to appreciate the variety between them. Gerrie Scott joined us for a story on Monday.  Unfortunately, I cannot remember the title of it!Our circle times have been dedicated to preparing for the winter performance.  The children will be singing 4 songs and reciting one poem, and they are quickly mastering them.  The Monday & Friday students will be putting on a skit, which they had a lot of fun practicing. On Wednesday morning we had a special visitor.  The children were excited to welcome Dr. Tarkleson, who introduced the instruments that she uses when examining patients, and demonstrated how to use each one.  Everyone was very excited to have a turn with the stethoscopes, otoscope, and sphygmomanometer.  They also had fun dressing up in Dr. Tarkleson’s white coats and surgery caps and using their own individual tongue depressors and syringes.  Thank you Dr. Tarkleson!  It was a lot of fun and there were a LOT of “immunizations” given this week to keep us healthy! The afternoon students walked the donated food over to the food pantry on Wednesday after lunch.  Each child carried a bag all the way over, into the church, and down to the room where donations are accepted.  The volunteers were very thankful. Friday students have been learning about matter this year, and this week we began to explore water.  We read several books about water then did a sink/float experiment.  Each child chose three items from around the classroom to test.  We observed that the wooden items floated, while rocks, hard plastic, and metal items sank.
Some books we read throughout the week:

Art by Patrick McDonnell

Trouble with Trolls by Jan Brett

Frosty the Snowman by Annie North Bedford

The Grinch Who Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

The Mitten: An Old Ukranian Folktale by Alvin Tresselt

Water Is Water by Miranda Paul

National Geographic Readers: Water

Who Sank the Boat by Pamela Allen

Songs we have been singing:

If You’re Happy and You Know It

Jingle Bells

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

The Peace Round

This Little Light of Mine

It Snowed Last Night

The first snow fell this week!  Although it was just a dusting, everyone was excited to see it and “play” with it.
Monday students were introduced to drawing with chalk dipped in water, which they observed made it darker and smoother.  They created some vibrant pictures!  Students continued to use this technique throughout the week. We continued to work on our map of the town, adding Colonel Town Community Center, Dance Images, Shipee Eye Care, Rite Aid, and Cones n More.
Tuesday was the day for the making of Stone Soup (which did not actually contain any stones).  The children worked with Tammy all day, washing, peeling, and chopping the potatoes, carrots, celery, green beans, tomatoes, and onion.  They really enjoyed working together to prepare for our meal on Wednesday. We talked about Thanksgiving and read one more version of Stone Soup.  We also read The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak, which was wildly popular, with many requests for repeat readings, so we read it again on Wednesday.  We also read Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano, about a turkey who dresses up like different farm animals so the farmer cannot find and eat him for Thanksgiving.

Wednesday was stone soup day.  The scent of the soup wafted into the classroom, making everyone hungry.  We sat together and everyone used their Thankful placemats to set their soup on.  Almost everyone tried it, and several were surprised by how much they liked it despite being quite sure that they did not.  Thank you to everyone for sending in ingredients to make a most delicious soup! 

Frosty mornings preceded chilly days this week.  We were all thankful for our warm winter clothes.  Running also helped to keep us warm and build up our strong muscles.   Some of the children have been having a great time wrestling, which is a valuable activity for social, self-regulation, and brain development. We were also excited to be able to make mud due to some rainy weather, despite the cold. Monday students learned about the artist Jackson Pollock, who created enormous works of art by splattering and dribbling paint all over giant canvases.  The students were very excited to create their own splatter art out on the playground.  They bundled up in giant T-shirt smocks, wrapped their feet with plastic bags, and got to work flicking and dribbling paint all over their large papers. At the art table the children made place mats with pictures of all the things they are thankful for.  Some of the things they are thankful for: Christmas, sheep, cousins, when doctors give me stickers when I get a shot, Momma and Poppa, playing around with daddy, fire and rain, snowmen, blue, the sky, 3 because I am 3, a log truck, Mommy, rainbows, Me, Uncle Bob, my house, the mountains, and when people make me sad they say “sorry.” The children enjoyed drawing the various buildings and landmarks in town to put up on our wall map.  So far we have Sunnybrook, the fox statue, the library, Lancaster Dental, Weeks Medical Center, Passumpsic Savings Bank, the Post Office, The Polish Princess, Scorpios, Shaws, the gas station, the Community Garden, the Police Station, and the Fire Station.  We will continue to draw and add more throughout the year. In the sensory table the children helped Tammy make cloud dough with flour and baby oil.  They had a lot of fun molding and building with it, then cleaning it up afterwards.  They used brooms and carpet sweepers to sweep it up, then “skated” on washcloths to scrub the floor clean. Doctors and nurses cared for many patients in the Doctor’s office.  There were a lot of immunizations given to keep people healthy, and many injuries were tended to.
We continued to learn about bones, muscles, and organs and how we all have them.  We talked about how we all have similarities inside and out, including the things we enjoy, how we feel, and how we respond to different situations.  We had a lot of fun doing “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” and “The Hokey Pokey.”

We also discussed how to take care of our teeth.  We sang the song, “Brush your Teeth” and practiced brushing ALL the sides of ALL of our teeth.

On Thursday everyone was very excited to visit Lancaster Dental where Liz demonstrated how to floss our teeth to get out all of the plaque.  We practiced flossing with play dough, duplos, and string, brushed a fish’s teeth, had fun doing some mouth and tooth puzzles, got to practice drilling out cavities and filling them, had a tour of the office to see all of the equipment, and observed Dr. Schmidt demonstrate how he gives an oral exam.  Everyone was given a sticker, a coloring book, a tooth necklace, and goody bag with flossers and a toothbrush.  When we returned to school, we began making thank you pictures for such a great field trip.  Thank you to Dr. Schmidt, Liz, Betsy, and all of the hygienists who worked so hard to make it a fun and educational visit!

Friday students spent the morning learning more about the organs of the body and their jobs. We read the book The Human Body, which taught us a lot of things about our bodies. We learned that we need energy to function, which we get from resting, eating, and breathing. The children felt their chests rise as they breathed in and lower as they breathed out.  They blew air into paper bags then sucked all of the air out to see how lungs inflate and deflate. All of the children took turns getting traced, then they cut out organs (brain, heart, lungs, liver, stomach, & intestines) and glued them onto their bodies in the proper places.