Restorative Reminder (Krista)

Hi Friends,

Just a quick reminder that our 4-week restorative yoga series begins next Tuesday, the 8th, and runs for 3 consecutive Tuesdays after that (8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th).

Here is the list of confirmed yoginis:

Tanya

Nicola

Melanie

Val

Christine

Ruxsandra

Heather

We'd like to keep the class small because of space and also so that KellyAnn has a manageable group of kiddos. I'm really looking forward to the class--just another way to connect with all of you wonderful mamas ;).

Namaste!

Yay! It's Monday! (Krista's Group)

Happy Monday Everyone!

Our day flowed beautifully--the weather this morning was cool and crisp and so, we opted to spend extra time playing outside.

In the classroom:

The children explored the new offerings that Andrea set out over the weekend. Initially, Corbin was drawn to the colorful glasses that are displayed on the light table, but he soon discovered the mirror that is now hanging at eye-level directly behind the table. He spent a good 5 minutes making funny faces at himself, and I got some terrific photos!

Jalie made a beeline for the new porcelain and silver tea service. She made a pot of chocolate tea for our group. Corbin wandered over, and as we were drinking our tea, I mentioned that 'fancy' people sometimes drink tea with their pinky extended, and then I stuck my pinky out and took a delicate sip of tea. Corbin asked, "Are YOU fancy Ms. Krista? I said, "No, not really." He slowly extended his pinky, took a sip of his tea, and then he replied, "No, I'm not either."

Sweet Sophia used the bead stringing supplies to make necklaces for our group and Gwen completed the pink tower (Montessori-based blocks) and then cuddled up with me in the book nook for a reading of The Runaway Bunny.

***A BIG thanks to Melissa and Melanie for gifting the teachers with wooden train whistles--ohhhh, they're so fun!***

Filling Up Our Cup

This afternoon the Terra Luz teaching guides had some fantastic staff development with Carrie Contey, PhD and I would like to share some of the “golden nuggets” we walked away with.

We focused a large amount of time on Brain and Emotional Development of our little friends. I’m always fascinated by what Carrie has to say about research and brain development.

The work we do as educators and caregivers is an awesome responsibility. Children are in the midst of profound growth. We are regulating little people’s nervous systems every day, so us, as caregivers need to check in with ourselves to see where our own nervous systems are.

Some children have a full cup right away, some of them, just getting out of the car depletes them. We need to recognize that what fills one child’s cup is not going to fill another child’s cup.

Welcoming ritual that is essential: Connection that’s intimate and special... that is, I see you and I wonder what you’re needing today.

We took so much from our session with Carrie this afternoon and what sticks out most prominently for me is this question:

How do we help the children to imprint in their brain that school equals safe? Because that is precisely what Terra Luz's philosophy is built on. Feeling safe.

And this Mantra:
The boundary lies within.
Take a breath.
Make eye contact.
And ask, how are you feeling right now?

::

Friends,
I would love for all the Terra Luz families to fill up their own cups with a parent workshop with Carrie. This will help continue to build our community and will be offered at here Terra Luz. We are looking at dates in late September or early October, probably on a Thursday evening. More information to come!

With a little help from our friends...(Krista's Group)

The weather was so beautiful this morning, we just had to have our morning gathering outside! In the spirit of bilingualism, we used both the English and Spanish yoga pose names. We did: rock the baby (bebe) pose, cat/cow(gato/vaca), lion's pose (leon), downward dog (pero). We also practiced some breathing techniques and rounded everything out with, 'OMMM...it's Thursday!'

Eddie and Natalie visited the school today--it was very exciting to spend time with our new friends!

In the classroom, the play silks were very popular--they were used as skirts, head wraps, baby slings, eye pillows and more... It was a reminder that simple materials and toys often spark the imagination and set the stage for dramatic play more than elaborate (read: expensive) materials and toys.

Our friend Annie was missing her mommy quite a bit today, and I was touched by how empathetic and kind the children were with her. At one point, we were all outside and Annie was sitting on my lap. She had just had some tears and was feeling quite tender. Anika observed us from across the patio and then pulled one of the little chairs over and put it down right in front of us. She sat down, grabbed one of Annie's hands, and in the kindest voice, said, "It's okay, sometimes I feel sad, too."

All Aboard....Choo Choo! (Krista's Group)

The baby love is picking up steam! Ave brought Annabelle and Darla to school today. Anika introduced us to her baby, Lila, and Mia brought in her new born baby, as well. The emphasis was on feeding the babies, and there was some discussion about the best way to get the babies to drink their bottles. Tomorrow, I'll try to record some of the baby care dialogue.

Because we have expanded, it is necessary for us to be a bit more organized in the way that we transition through various parts of the day. We have been encouraging the children to form choo-choo train lines when they move between rooms. It's been fun introducing terms like, caboose, conductor and freight. Does anyone happen to have one of those wooden train whistles? We'd love to borrow one!

Creative expression was inside and out today. In the Atelier, the children blended watercolors on wet paper. Outside, they used large brushes and their hands to paint an abstract acrylic mural on a large piece of canvas.

Our yoga practice was centered around a rainbow meditation. We also rain danced our fingers over our bodies and practiced sunshine breathing (aka: breath of fire).

Si! Si! [Andrea's Group]

After singing our Buenos Dias and Good Morning song, we read Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother Too? by Eric Carle. Krista finished off our Morning Gathering with some yummy yoga before we lined up to wash hands for snack. Since we have a larger group of children now, we have been working on walking to the restroom and sitting on the new colorful circles while we wait in line for our turn. Many of the children choose to read a book while they wait. After handwashing, they grab their waterbottles off the tray and choose a place to sit at the large table in the Atelier for their morning snack. Our friends are doing a wonderful job getting this rhythm down!

Building on yesterday’s watercolor, pipette, and coffee filter exploration, in the Atelier today we explored with liquid watercolors on diffusing paper. The children are aware that the liquid watercolors are very concentrated and that a little goes a long way. When Allie began moving the watercolor from her tray to her diffusing paper, she exclaimed, “look, it’s spreading!"After our friends carefully placed their pieces on the drying rack, we moved outside again for some fresh air before moving into the classroom. Allie, Ava, Mia and Anika took turns painting on the large canvas which is hanging from the wall and also enjoyed chatting with Ryland who was visiting (and will be joining us next week!)

In the classroom, Damon got right to building in the block area and worked on stacking the pink tower. Mia and Allie played in the playstand, then had a puppet show. Damon joined in on the puppet show and asked me “Ms Andrea, did you like my puppet show with Bobe?”

Ava brought me ¿El Canguro Tiene Mamá? (Spanish version of Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother Too?) and asked me to read it. Ava and Anika enjoyed repeating and chanting the animal names in Spanish (Giraffe = Jirafa, Lion = León, Sheep = Oveja) and Ava said that she “knows and loves Spanish.” Anika then informed me that she knows Spanish as well! ;) I just love their enthusiasm and eagerness to learn the language and I’ve considered breaking out more often into full dialogue with them for more immersion. I will, of course, repeat what I've said in English, so they understand. They all have mastery of the English language and what a perfect way to introduce Spanish in a more natural way. What do you think? I had [conversational] mastery of both languages when I was 4 because my maternal grandmother only knew Spanish and my father only knew English. I feel very fortunate to know Spanish and only regret not speaking it more. The saying is true--if you don't use it, you lose it.

Speaking of Spanish books, I do have a couple board books that are still checked out to families. When you have a moment, please send back to school.

Muchas Gracias!

Annabelle (Krista's Group)

Our day was a peaceful and playful one! The little playhouse was especially popular today. On several occasions, I found our friends inside, involved in an elaborate game of "home time", as Alaira called it. From what I can tell, playing 'home time' means that the children drink endless cups of tea and take turns checking to see if Ava's baby doll, Annabelle, needs to be changed...

We practiced cat/cow, downward dog, 'potty dog', child's pose and happy bubble blowing breath in yoga this morning. I am encouraging the children to take child's pose if/when they feel overwhelmed by anything or simply need to take a break--it's a wonderful calming pose, and it's a great one for home, as well.

Comments and Conversations:

Allie (regarding nap): "I'm Sleeping Beauty today...I'm just going to sleep and sleep and sleep..."

And later in the nap room, when she was not sleeping: "I'm not Sleeping Beauty anymore, I'm just Allie".

Anika (Smiling): "I'm a big girl already. Right now, my baby is about to come out. It's a brother!"

Jalie (playing tea party and holding her favorite baby doll): "This is green bean tea, and this is green bean salad. I get green beans and cookies at Whole Foods. This is my baby. Her name is Melissa Grassy. She's just about 5 years old."

Our Day in Snippets [Andrea's Group]

Namaste ~

Nap Time

Jalie, sound asleep; after a long day of nurturing the baby dolls in the class room.

I`m too cute for nap time :)

Mia peacefully resting with her new stuffed animal, from her "New house."

Sound asleep.

Precious little sleeper.

Restorative Yoga for Terra Luz Families

Hello! Thanks so much for your interest in Restorative Yoga classes--Andrea and I are both excited to offer these classes for Terra Luz families.

Our first Restorative Yoga 4-week session will be offered on Tuesday afternoons in September. Even if your child doesn't attend school on Tuesdays, you are welcome to attend class! We have room for 6 mommies/daddies. We're asking that you commit to the 4-week session and reserve your spot by paying in advance.

I promise that you'll emerge from class relaxed, centered and deeply stretched...and your children will be extra-happy after spending an hour playing with the wonderful KellyAnn!

What: Restorative Yoga 4-Week Session @ Terra Luz

When: Tuesdays, September 8, 15, 22, 29

Time: 3:30P-4:30P

Total Investment: $12 x 4 =$60.00 * this price includes childcare for 1 child, please add $3/class for each sibling receiving childcare

We want to accommodate everyone's scheduling needs, and so, if necessary, we will switch the class day to Wednesdays for the month of October.

OMMMM...It's Nap Time (Krista's Group)

Happy Monday everyone! Today, we welcomed Jason back. It's always so nice to reconnect with old friends.

We rounded out our morning gathering with a nice yoga practice. We practiced child's pose, camel pose, head nods and shoulder shrugs, and played our belly drums before greeting the day with an OM.

After snack, our group moved into the classroom. Gwen and Zaidan worked on puzzles in the book nook, while Corbin and Sophia blended colors at the light table. Jalie took a little (pretend) nap with the baby dolls, and Jason played with the wooden trains.

In the Atelier, the children are beginning to work with watercolors. We had a discussion about the importance of caring for our nice art materials, and then the children set to work painting with black and grey watercolors.

After lunch, the children and I played Ring Around the Rosie several times and then we played the Name Game ( I think that's what it's called--you know the one,'Krista, Krista bo bista, me my mo mista...'), before going in for nap.

In the nap room, everyone got situated on their mats, and as I was preparing to read our story, Allie sat up on her mat and sang, "OMMMMM....it's Nap Time...OMMMMM". ;-)

Comfort Hearts

Being a photo enthusiast myself, I have a list of blogs that I enjoy following in my spare time--one being the Shutter Sisters blog. Tracey's post today caught my attention because it's on the topic of back to school. So, thought I would share this wonderful idea for those families who would like to create one for their child. :)

Terra Luz, a day in 3 acts (Krista's Group)

A feeling of relaxation and peace prevailed today. The weather was mild and our friends were in fine spirits. We started our day outside, blowing bubbles, running, jumping and playing in the sandbox.

Shortly after arriving at school, Corbin took my hand and asked, "Ms. Krista will you come do (yoga) poses with me?" Be still my heart! Naturally, I obliged! Corbin and I did star pose, falling star, princess pose, shark pose and boat pose before he ditched me to play in the sandbox with the rest of the children. It was 3 minutes of pure bliss...thanks Corbin!

Other Scenes from this Morning:

Annie and Allie getting to know each other, holding hands while running and jumping off of the little slide together.

Anika traveling around the yard with her dress gathered up and full of sand, proudly showing off her "sand baby!"

Sophia blowing bubbles and exclaiming, "Ooh look! They're flying!"

Alaira holding court in the playhouse, asking everyone who entered to refer to her as a princess.

Scenes from the Classroom:

Jalie to Annie: " I'm having a tea party, would you like to have a tea party with me? (Pouring tea) "This is camel tea...and this is actually raspberry bread."

Scenes from the Nap Room:

Anika greeting her fellow nappers at the door with the basket of eye pillows, and asking, "Does everyone have their own blankies? I can cover you up!" She then walked around, and with great care, tucked in blankets and fluffed pillows for her friends before returning to her own nap mat.

Corbin's Words of Wisdom:

Corbin: "Ms. Krista, why were you talking to Ms. Andrea?"

Me: "Well, she's a good friend."

Corbin: (placing a kind hand on my arm and looking amused) " Ms. Andrea is actually a teacher."

Introducings Materials and Mediums [Andrea and Kellyann's Group]

It was a mild and overcast morning, and our group was smaller than usual today, so we opted to spend a bit more time outdoors this morning to enjoy the weather. The sandbox is a common place for the children to gather and play in the morning. Anika moved around the yard carrying her "sandbaby"--very popular among the girls now ;). My group also read Today is Monday by Eric Carle while we enjoyed the weather on the patio.

In The Atelier



In the Atelier, we've been slowly introducing/reintroducing materials in a simple and direct way. We want to make sure that each child has a full turn with each art medium, and we're coaching the children about how to work with an art medium or tool. Children need and deserve direct teaching about how to use these materials and media we give them (not to be confused with direct teaching and telling the children what to create, because we do NOT do that!). From these first sensual encounters, we then can build other explorations of a medium and the children can begin to ask themselves, what tools are useful with this medium? How do these tools they work on the medium? These types of encounters involve teacher guidance, as children "apprentice" themselves to learn specific techniques for using tools. Today, we worked with black and white chalk pastels on white paper.



Another way that children become intimate with an art medium is by learning how to set up a work space. What's needed for watercoloring painting? For clay? For loose-parts construction? How are they best arranged on the table? And how do we clean up these materials? Our goal is for children to develop familiarity with art media so that they can take a project from start to finish, gather materials they need, setting up the work space, and carry out their vision for their work.

Overhead Projector
Anika and Allie spent a good amount of time with the light projector this morning. Allie was quite taken with this new machine and when she saw her shadow projected on to the wall she squealed, "LOOK! Look at my arm!" We did a lot of counting today using materials on the projector too.









Lunchtime Funnies...



We also noticed a beautiful connection today between newbie Allie and Sophia. They gave each other many gentle hugs and kisses, and enjoyed sitting next to each other in the choo-choo train line on the way outside, and even held hands.

It was a very sweet day.

Happy Birthday Corbin! (Krista's Group)

Our friends are really into running these days! The morning started with the children dashing back and forth across the yard. Sophia grabbed Gwen's hand and said, "Come on! Let's run away!" Corbin asked me to run with him and then cautioned, "Don't run too fast or a policeman will pull you over!"

We practiced bee buzzing breath, hero pose, surfer pose and tree pose during yoga practice this morning. We also sang, "Ommmmm....it's Wednesday...."

In the classroom, Sophia examined her freshly mined crystal at the light table. After careful inspection, she announced, "Ooohh, it's all REALLY LIGHT!" Corbin built a railroad with the blocks, and made silly faces at the camera ( I was trying to get a special birthday photo, but he was having none of it). Gwen gazed lovingly into the face of her favorite little Asian baby doll and said, " He's just so tiny!" Zaidan built a tower with the block and sang, London Bridge, while Jalie lined up all of the baby dolls by order of size.

In the Atelier, the children continued their exploration of black and white. Jalie filled her entire paper with paint and Corbin experimented with painting beyond the edges of his paper.

During lunch, Ms. Andrea brought out the celebration candle and the children joined together to sing Happy Birthday to Corbin--everyone was very excited for him!

**Friends, I've been taking lots of photos of my group, and soon, I will learn how to post them on the blog--thanks so much for your patience!

Welcome Alejandra (Allie) and Annie!

We are so very happy to welcome Allie and Annie to Terra Luz.
Today was their first day to join our small community and we had a wonderful day!



During morning gathering, we sang some of our favorite songs so our new friends could begin to learn them. A common favorite is Chocolate in Spanish and we also sang Los Pollitos. I've had several parents ask me for the words to the bilingual/Spanish songs we sing, so I've photographed the two we sang today (apologies for the low quality of photos--I'm having technical issues with my scanner). We then read We're Going on a Bear Hunt, (big hit with the children) and our morning gathering was concluded with Krista leading us in the lovely Om chant (Om, It's Tuesday).

In the Atelier, we have reintroduced the paints this week, and the colors the children are working with are black and white on black and white paper. I thought this would be a good extension to the napkin exploration done last week with the black and white colors in those compositions. It's always interesting to see what the children will do on their own when offered materials, and you guessed it. Mixing! Yesterday, my group was extremely interested in mixing the two colors and we discovered many different shades of gray. Some children even created a baby blue with their black and white paint mixing. Today, there was a more focus on moving the paint from the tray to their papers, and we got some interesting pieces of art. :)

In the classroom, Allie really enjoyed the dramatic play area and the puppets. She spent the majority of the classroom time exploring this area. :) Alaira was very drawn to the color paddles on the light table and seeing the colors change when different paddles were placed on top of others. Ava and Sophia (who happened to migrate into my group for a short while) read There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, while Anika gathered all the playsilks and meticulously opened some, and spread them on the floor, then gathered the basket of rocks, and intricately placed them on a playsilk. We talked about the colors of the rocks and even touched on some of the colors in Spanish. During lunch at my table, we enjoyed some Bob Marley and chatting with one another. Conversations are always peppy!

Allie: "I went to the dentist and she fixed by teef. They're clean! We can't get cavities."

Jalie: "I sleep really well at school."

Corbin, Anika and Sophia chatter away about what they have in their lunchbox.

Allie: [While showing me her dried fruit], "This grows you big. Veggies good for your body and they grow you! After few seconds pass. ..."You know, I like to run!"

We were epecially tickled to find these in Annie's lunchbox today. Aw.

Friends, old and new! (Krista's group)

We welcomed two new friends today. Allie is joining Ms. Andrea's group and Annie is joining our group. Both girls are bubbly and kind. We're very lucky to have these new friends!

After our morning gathering, my group moved into the classroom. Jalie and Annie looked at books together and then played with the baby dolls and the dramatic play materials. Sophia shared a few of her favorite classroom materials with Annie and then she and Corbin worked at the light table while Zaidan built a train station with the blocks.

In the Atelier, the children continued their exploration of black and white paper and paint. Annie spent her time painting white paint on white paper.
Corbin said, "Look guys! look what I made! I made a circle---it's a tire shape!"
Zaidan said, " I making a choo-train."
Sophia said, " I'm making a tomato sauce."
Jalie said, " I'm making a pink tornado cloud and that's lightening. It's a huge tornado cloud!"

We also spent a lot of time outside today--the absence of the sun made for a cooler sandbox, and so, it was even more popular than usual. It was really lovely to watch friends, old and new, playing together so beautifully!

Africa

Mia: "Where did Ms. Andrea get this new soap?"

Ms. Kellyann :" I'm not sure Mia. I'm sure if you ask Ms. Andrea she could tell you. "

Mia: "Did she get it from Africa... when she was a little girl?"

Ms. Kellyann: "Africa? Hmm.. I don't think she got it from Africa. Can you tell me about Africa?"

Mia: " There are lots of animals! Giraffes, Monkeys, and Elephants!"

Ms. Kellyann: " Have you ever been to Africa Mia?"

Mia: " umm... yes!"

Ready or not....here am I ! (Krista's Group)

We were very pleased to welcome Gwen back today! And Gwen was happy to be back at school with her friends. She was especially happy to see her favorite doll, 'little Asian baby'.

This morning, my group worked in the classroom first. The children were immediately drawn to the color paddles that were displayed on the light table. After working together to arrange the paddles into patterns, the children began to explore different areas of the room. Sophia, Corbin, Damon and Gwen joined Ms. KellyAnn for an interactive reading of The Wheels on the Bus. Jalie selected her favorite baby and then set about building a house for her. She said, "I'm building a house for my baby. She can live here forever. This is the new water tank next to her house---animals can go in and drink some water."

Our time in the Atelier was spent experimenting with black and white paint and paper. The children each had a mixing tray so that they could mix and create new colors. Corbin said, "Look guys, I made gray! No it's kind of blue!" I asked him how he made the colors and he said, "...by mixing white and black and black and white and white and black." Gwen used the paintbrush, her hands and one elbow to paint her picture. Sophia narrated as she painted, "Painting black now...and now, painting white...mixing!"

After lunch we played outside. Ava requested that we play hide and seek. Everyone was interested in playing and so we played 9 times! As I counted to 25, the children ran to hide, well everyone hid except for Gwen. Each time, she stood quietly behind me until I reached 25, and then she would jump up and down, calling out, "Ready or not, here AM I!!!"

Slides, Africa, and Sand Castles [Andrea and Kellyann's Group]

We are getting into a nice flow at the house and we're very pleased with how the groupings have worked. We begin our morning in the backyard to get some fresh air, play, and wake our bodies up. At 9:20, we come together for an informal morning gathering to greet one another (sing our hello songs in English or Spanish), maybe read a book, chat about our day, finish off with some yoga with Krista, then break up into our groups. I have to say, watching the children do sun saluations or hearing them chant Om, fills me with such happiness because there is such a sense of harmony in the house, and what a beautiful way for our children to start their day!

On Friday, when Kellyann's and my group headed into the classroom, a lot of discoveries took place. Ayla discovered the vintage slides and placed them in rows on the light table, then Alaira and Anika took turns exploring on the light table. During pretend play, Ava and Sophia took a trip to Africa and Ava prepared them both by putting on scarves to keep them warm "because its very cold in Africa", she explained. In the Atelier, we continued the napkin exploration and the children discovered that even though the napkin is not transparent, light still comes through a napkin. We also gently rubbed our hands over the napkins and noticed, like watercolor paper, it's bumpy and has grooves. More napkin compositions were created and Mia finished off with cutting paper up, and would exclaim, "Look Ms. Andrea! These are triangles!" Mia was also very excited because it was her Mama's birthday on Friday and she even wore a party dress to school. ;) When I asked her what she wanted to make for her Mama, she said, "a cake!" I told her we probably didn't have enough time to bake a cake and if there was anything else she had in mind. "A SANDCASTLE!!" So, a sandcastle it was. Did you know if you boil cornstarch with sand and water, you can make a permanent sandcastle? Ms. Kellyann helped Mia with her special project for her Mama. Thank you Ms. Kellyann for helping (and making a last minute run to the store for cornstarch.) =)











Yoga Yummies
For a description of the om-mazing poses the children worked on, hop over to Krista's post!





Next week, we will welcome back Gwen and also newbies Alejandra (Allie) and Annie!

ommmm...it's Friday [Krista's Group]

During this morning's yoga class, the children and I chanted, "Ommmmmm, it's Friday", we then practiced 'fountain of oms', which is, essentially, a round of oms. Looking around the circle at all of the sweet faces with their mouths forming perfect little 'Os' made me so happy! I mentioned that om sounds like home, and this inspired Ava to say, "and bee rhymes with tree." We also practiced gorilla breathing, ocean arms and bunny pose. After our gathering, my group moved into the classroom, where Damon built a city with blocks, and Sophia hosted a tea party for Jalie and Zaidan.

In the Atelier, the children were incredibly focused on their exploration of cutting and pasting. Damon said, "I need some more paper to cut. I'm making something...it's art. Look at me, I'm an artist. I can make stuff. This is for my mommy!" He moved around the Atelier, choosing his art supplies with certainty--he clearly had a vision. Zaidan said, "I making a rainbow, man."

After lunch we went outside to watch Mia make a special present for her momma's birthday ( Happy Happy Birthday Tanya, your girl is so proud of you;))!! Sophia felt so good that she said, " I need to dance! I take my boots off so I can dance...come on Zaidan!"

Have a great weekend everyone, and thank you all for allowing me to spend my days with your children!

A Quiet Day [Krista's Group]

We were a small group today--Zaidan and Damon were not here, and so, Sophia, Jalie, Corbin and I spent a quiet day together. Corbin requested The Wheels on the Bus song during our morning gathering. We also sang The Itsy Bitsy Spider in English and in Spanish. During yoga practice, we did clothes dryer pose, buzzing bee breath, snake pose and Jack in the Box. After snack, our group worked in the Atelier first. The children continued their exploration of napkins today. Jalie really focused intently on her project. She said, "I stick one (piece of torn napkin) on...it seems like I'm really sticking a LOT on here". Sophia made a castle with her napkin and Corbin made a rainbow Popsicle and a snake.

When the children were finished with their projects, we moved into the classroom. Jalie chose to play with the little Asian baby. She placed her baby in the swing, set the swing into motion and then ran over to the book area to observe her swinging baby. She said, "My baby loves to swing; this is just like the swing at the front of my house". Corbin and Sophia built a huge bridge with the wooden blocks and then joined Jalie and I for some stories. After story time, the children had lunch and then moved outside to the sandbox before transitioning home or to the nap room. It was a very relaxed and peaceful day!

Manners [Andrea and Kellyann's group]

From Kellyann~

::

When I arrived at school, Ava was in the kitchen missing her mommy. I was sad to see that she was upset, so I asked her if she would like me to read her a story in the nap room. She went over to the books and brought me the book on manners. I could tell that Ava was really enjoying the book as we laid there reading it, so we also went over many scenerios on how to react to and prevent bad manners. It was nice to spend some one on one time with Ava.

Then the day began as the other children joined us in the nap room for our morning gathering. The children enjoyed singing buenos dias, and were excited to sing along with the wheels on the bus book. Krista did some yoga with the children, then we were off in our groups to start the day.

Alaira, Ava , and Anika started out in the classroom. Alaira really enjoys pretending to be a princess; she loves wearing the princess hat and twirling around. :) To my suprise, Ava asked if I would read her the manners book to her again; this time with the other girls. As I read the book, Ava would say to Anika and Alaira "If someone has a toy you want to play with, you can say 'can I please have that when you are done?' " She was really excited to give the examples as I read the book. :)

Next, our group moved into the art room to continue our exploration with the napkins. Anika enjoyed getting out the materials for all the other children when we were in the artroom. It was Alaira's first exposure to this new exploration, and with little instruction she began to tear and crunch up little pieces and glue them on the black piece of paper she had chosen. "This is for my daddy" she said. When she finished, she decided to practice drawing mermaids on a black sheet of paper with her white pencil.

What's So Exciting About a Napkin?

From Andrea and Kellyann's Group

::

8.12.09

After free play outside, this morning we came together in the back room for our morning gathering and greeted each other with our Buenos Dias song, followed by Chocolate song in Spanish, per Ava's request. I read the book Wheels on the Bus which was Sophia's older brother's book when he was young, so it's about 17 years old! The children enjoyed the book as it has the tabs to move the characters on the pages. Krista finished off morning gathering with some fun yoga inside. For a description of the yoga done today, scroll down to read Krista's post. :)



My group headed into the Atelier and the children were greeted by a stack of white paper napkins on the table.

When I invited them to take one napkin and begin to explore with it, they weren't quite sure what to do with the napkin, and looked me, confused. This makes sense as a napkin is an everyday object, and well, there is nothing exciting about a napking, really. I encouraged the children to begin to explore with the napkin--open it up, roll it, wrinkle it, tear it. They began to manipulate their napkin and their little hands and brains began to have a different and new encounter with their napkin. Once glue was offered, the children began to make compositions. The glue was the big hit today as they enjoyed moving it from the bottle to their paper. Much more exploration with this to come.







"Here is my snake"
-Anika


"I made a snake too"
-Mia

Compositions



"I have lots of snakes here"
-Alya

"I made this for my mom"
-Ava

"First, it was a square, then it became a triangle."
-Mia

"I wrapped it up like a gift, for my mom."
-Anika

Krista's group in the Atelier today




More Photo Snippets from the Week

Light Table Exploration





Alaira became a big sister this week! Congratulations to your family, Karen!



Krista doing Sun Salutations with the children in the morning. What a great way to start the day!