Show & Tell

This is one of our "best things"... SHOW & TELL! Since our class doesn't do this on a weekly basis, it is a big deal when we do have a special day to share something with our friends. We had computers, family pictures, special toys and sports items. Everyone always has so much fun looking at things that their friends bring to share. I will have to admit that we do not "pass" our special things around because sometimes it takes a really long time and sometimes items are breakable. We usually just let our friends walk around the rug and display their item. Here is our November show & tell. I always love to see what each child chooses to select from all of their things at home. It was a special day for our class.

A Peek Into Our Room

Just some random pictures of our room at work & play. It is always buzzing with laughter and talking. The boys and girls had the most fun playing with our Lincoln Logs and building log cabins. Who knew an old childhood toy could be so much fun?

Ready To Travel?

We did a little survey about traveling aboard the Mayflower and there were only three brave souls willing to take the journey, of course as we discussed it, those three lone individuals changed their mind. (As I probably would have.) The biggest concerns were getting sick and missing our mom. I know that the real Thanksgiving story is bigger than the children and it is really hard to understand, but I think they all realize that it was a big sacrifice for those Pilgrims who made this journey. (Especially the part about not being able to take a bath and having to wear the same clothes for 60+ days. We all agreed that the Mayflower would have smelled really bad and we are mostly thankful for clean clothes.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today was our class feast and it was so wonderful. The children were all dressed up and enjoyed some fun with our Thanksgiving celebration. There was yummy vegetable soup, corn muffins, applesauce and pumpkin shaped rice krispie treats. I will have to admit that everyone tasted almost everything...but that does not mean they all liked it. I am just proud that they used their nicest manners while eating. This is always a special day that gets us in a thankful frame of mind. (Of course the children are most thankful that they do not have to wear this type of clothing on a daily basis.) Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!

Smart Cookies

Look at these "Smart Cookies." They did the phonics puzzle all by themselves. This is a big deal because they did not complain or say "this is too hard" one time. Way to go boys!

Judi's Lazy Day

Here is Judi, my sweet little kitty. She is so beautiful and was having a lazy day. Happy thoughts for a chilly day.

Praying Thanks For The Pilgrims

Today we continued our Thanksgiving lesson and talked a little bit more about why the Pilgrims left England. Most of us got the idea that the King was mean, but religious freedom is too much for our four year old students to understand. Mostly they just say because "the King was super mean & bossy. Well we took a few minutes to visit the church Sanctuary and sat quietly. It is a huge room with beautiful stained glass, so it feels quite peaceful...even when 12 four year old children in walking around. Being quiet can sometimes be a prayer in itself, so here we are saying thank you to God for the very brave Pilgrims, who came across the ocean in the "stinky" Mayflower for 66 days. We don't know what it means to be able to worship God in our own way, but we are really glad that they met the Native Americans and learned to grow corn. (and one of us is mostly grateful for the color turquoise, because Native Americans invented it.)

Applesauce Anyone?

The four year old class feast is Monday and we are making the applesauce. Here you can see some of us cutting up the apples. (Don't worry, it was a plastic knife and it was under close supervision.) Mrs. Laurie and I were so proud of everyone for using their best manners and being so careful with this task. Of course, cooking the apples is the most time consuming part of the process and I will finish this at home. It always makes my house smell so warm and cozy. The children have no idea what our special ingredient will be on Monday morning...red hot candies. We add them before we reheat the applesauce for the feast. It sounds crazy, but it makes it taste great and turns it a funny pink color. Every year the children aren't so keen on tasting pink applesauce, but every year this isn't one drop left over to share.

Life Is Good

I think I can use this phrase because life really is good, especially if your are four and it is almost the Thanksgiving holiday. It is also good because the playground was more than perfect for playing. We made it to the playground a little early today because it was calling us through the open window in our classroom. The breeze was just right and the magic of the swirling leaves was inviting us to come out and play. So here we are... just having fun. (Don't you want to be four again?)
I think I say this often - but it is always true...God is is so good to us and He is truly good all of the time! Thanks Be To God!

Is This A Fort?

This question just made me smile because "fort" is not something you hear every day. Children move so fast these days that playing in "forts" is kind of a lost art. When I was a little girl, we made forts all of the time. They were tents inside, hide-outs in trees, straw houses, "hide aways" under stairs...but it was great fun to pretend to play in these imaginary places. Well this isn't really a fort, it is our tee pee. Since we have been spending time learning about Native American lifestyle, we introduced the tee pee to help the children get an idea of just how little they really had. Every year it is always interesting to see how the children interact with the tee pee. Some are rowdy and play rough, some don't really seem interested, but this year's class has quietly done the activities inside the tee pee that might represent Native American lifestyle. (such as lacing cards to simulate sewing.) Stop in to see our tee pee and ask your child to share what we have been learning.

Days Of The Week

We are so smart! We know our days of the week. I am sure if you have not heard our silly song about the days of the week, you could ask and hear it on demand, but it works. (Sometimes we sing it fast, sing it slow, sing it really soft, sing it really low....) Not only can we sing them and say them, we can read them and put them in order! Way to go smart cookies!!!

The Real Way The Question Of The Day Works

Okay here is how the question of the day should really work. This is the question of the day. It is based on the planned lesson about Native American life and work. As we continue to learn about the Pilgrim's adjustment to America, we are learning about how Native Americans helped with the transition. We watched a really good video about Squanto and made traditional pinch pots.
So the question really does relate to our class discussion...sometimes the teacher just needs to slow down and get it all together. Yes the pinch pots are drying and we have to wait to bring them home when it is completely dry. Many of us did not want to leave them at school, but they will come home before Thanksgiving. Hopefully you have already heard about them and learned a tiny bit about Native American life.

Pilgrim Snacks

Yesterday's snack was quite a shock to the class. Since we started our journey to Thanksgiving, we started talking about the differences from then and now. Although they are young, they are learning about what it means to be thankful and grateful. We talked about how difficult it was for the Pilgrims to leave England and come to the New World and how much they had to sacrifice. A legend from the first Thanksgiving talks about how little food was available for the Pilgrims and states that some days there was only enough food for each person to have five kernels of corn. For snack, we set out this sparse amount of food. The children were pretty shocked to learn that this may have been all that some Pilgrim boys and girls had to eat for an entire day. Don't worry though, we also had some cheese cubes and more popcorn to fill our tummies. Now that was something to be thankful for.

The Original Map Quest

Before computers and guidance systems, there were real maps. They are fun to look at and tell you where you should go. I'm pretty sure that all existing paper maps will become collector's items because no one really uses them anymore. Well, our friends LOVE to play "map" in our room. Today they were on a search for "Pretzel Land." They gathered around a map of the United States but pretended they were on a journey. It was so much fun to listen to them try and make up stories for their game. Imagination is priceless, especially in a society where electronics have taken over. They look so engaged in this game and really are plotting a trip to find the elusive "Pretzel Land." I'll keep you posted on their progress.

Thank You Veterans!

Here is our salute to all of our Veterans! Thank you for your bravery and keeping us safe! We are too little to really understand what the sacrifice really means, but love "army men!"

The Job Chart

This is our job chart. It was a recent addition to our class due to overwhelming demands by the children to help. There are a total of 5 jobs with some jobs requiring 2 helpers. The jobs are as follows: electrician (turns out the light), door holder, chair patrol (pushes in chairs after work time and lunch), center monitors (inspects centers for neatness after center time) and clean up helper (wipes tables after lunch.) The children are so excited and love the new responsibilities. I worked out a schedule for the class to ensure that everyone gets a least one turn at each job, with the rotation occurring every two weeks. I am so excited to see how easily we made this transition and the children love it. Yeah for our job chart!

Question of the Day?

If you brought your child in yesterday you saw one of my best "questions of the day." It was "do you know the name of our November?" Yes you found out the truth...I am a person who makes up trick questions. Actually I am a person who tries to "multi task" but makes mistakes when trying to do too much. The question of the day is something that I do before school and is usually a question about what we are doing or have been talking about. This question came as a result of a review of the months, but did not come out of my brain as it should. Yesterday's questions reveals one of the dangers of talking and writing at the same time. I could have been clever and said something like "yes we have another name for our November...it is the month of thankfulness." But I admitted fault. Mornings can be a little hectic, especially during holiday months. This is one of the craziest times of the year, but the most fun. The excitement builds until our Christmas holiday and the arrival of Baby Jesus! My excitement must have already gotten the best of me because I am thankful everyday for the gift of Baby Jesus in life! Happy November!

C is for Chicken

Yes we really did have a visit from chickens today. A parent from another class brought their pet chickens for a visit. This was in honor of the letter of the week "c." The children really loved seeing these feathery friends and will probably tell you all about this afternoon. These were both "girl" chickens called "hens." We learned about the sounds they make and how many eggs they can lay in one day. Thanks so much to this friend who brought her chickens up to say "hi."

Veterans Day!

If you missed it yesterday, it was a beautiful day for a parade. Of course, I probably would have had no idea that it was the Veterans Day Parade for the Town of Lexington if my son's Boy Scout Troop wasn't participating, but it was really inspiring. Lexington celebrates a little bit early, with Veterans Day being 11/11/11. The patriotic music and floats with war veterans reminded me just how lucky we are to be living in the United States of America. Our class will spend some time this week talking about the brave people who serve in our military and why it is so important. We will also make a special card for a war veteran to thank him for keeping us safe! If your child tells you that Mrs. Laura told him/her to say thank you to a service member in uniform, that is 100% true. It is really the simplest thing we can do to show our appreciation for their bravery and willingness to commit to the military. Thank You Veterans for your service to our country!