Recently, at Terra Luz (Krista)

Scenes from the Classroom

Literacy:

Alaira, after we finished reading our 3rd book of the hour: "If I had it my way, I would just read and read books."

After reading We're going on a Bear Hunt, Jalie commented: "At home we hunt lots of things. Usually we go on a moon hunt, but we couldn't find it so we decided it must have forgotten to come out!"

Blocks:

Mia: "I'm building a bridge, and here's the cow. She likes it up here because she can see her mama from up here."

Jalie: "This was a tower, but now it's a silo for the cow in this park."

Dramatic Play:

Alaira to Allie: "I getting married today."

Allie: "To who?"

Damon: "Not ME!"

Alaira: "People fall in love and then they put a cape on their head and get married."

Allie: "Yep, they do that."

Scenes from the Naproom:

We've started a trend at nap time. I make the children into sandwiches. I thought that you might want to know about it , since it's a pretty popular naptime ritual.

First we put down one freshly baked slice of bread ( the nap mat) and then we put in the 'ingredients' (the child and whatever they've brought to sleep with), and finally we put on the top slice of bread (their blanket). And then I say, " Sleep tight little mayonnaise, cashew butter, green bean, popcorn sandwich (or whatever they're pretending to be)--I love you."

Here is a list of the most popular ingredients:

mayonnaise

yellow cheese

white cheese

cashew butter

green beans

popcorn

jelly

corn

sun spread

avocado

cereal

chocolate

grapes

Scenes from Outside:

Ryland, sitting back to review his sidewalk chalk creation: "This is a masterpiece!"

Mia S. and I doing partner tree pose together on one of the toad stool seats.

Mia S. in the sandbox: "Mommy and I went to the Domain but there were too many people there and we couldn't park so we went away."

Ava, placing a kind hand on her shoulder: "Parking is tough sometimes!"

Recently, at Terra Luz (Krista)

Scenes from the Classroom:

Tea Time:

Alaira: "I drink tea when I have coughs and hiccups."

Mia: "Here everyone, would you like a lot of tea for your good body?"

Jalie: "I sometimes like to dip just a little something sweet into my tea, and that's what my body needs."

Dramatic Play:

Ava, putting on one of the white bonnets: "I'm dressing up as somebody else's grandma."

Alaira: "I'm not old, I still young...it's not fun to be old."

On Halloween:

Jalie: "My nan was a stick in the mud for Halloween."

Anika: "This is true...we have REAL CANDY in our house right now!"

Atticus and Jason using the cylinder shaped blocks as rhythm sticks and imitating Andrea when she leads our welcoming songs.

Outside:

The children have been exploring light and shadow together, they chase each other's shadows and practice yoga poses, marveling at how looooooong their shadows are.

Jason, standing on one of the beautiful tree stump stools, blowing into one of the sea shells as if it were a conch shell. He looked so centered and regal...

Alaira and Ava sitting on the patio, arm in arm. Ava had just shared how she was missing Sophia. Alaira:"I know that you really love Sophia. She's having fun, but she be back to you."

Our Yoga Practice:

Princess, Dancer, Tree, Talking Turtle (in connection with our Spanish language study, we pop our heads up and say, "Hola' & "Adios"), Silly to Calm, Helicopter Breathing, Horse, Donkey, Seaweed Breathing, Take 5 Breath.

Recently, at Terra Luz (Krista)

Conversations about Autumn

As we painted with Autumnal colors, I asked the children, "What does Fall mean?"

Ava: "The leaves turn colors."

Alaira: "The Sun is farther away from the Earth...my daddy told me that--he knows everything."

Corbin: "We wear long sleeves."

Anika: "The leaves turn colors."

Mia S: "It rains more...this rain is CRAZY, and it's so, so COLD!"

Jalie: "There might be some germs going around...in our mucus."

Our Yoga Practice:

Lately, we've been chanting a peace mantra in our closing: OM SHANTI, SHANTI, SHANTI.

Like many mantras, this one begins with Om. Om is usually translated as, "The Universal Sound". Shanti means peace. We repeat it 3 times and use corresponding words and hand gestures to symbolize peace in my thoughts, peace in my words, peace in my heart.

Our physical yoga practice has been centered around: hoot owl, tree, frog, rainbow, elevator breathing, gorilla, cobra, lion, happy baby, fish, sky to ground, star, falling star, body drumming, gorilla drums, flower and birthday candle breath, and donkey.

The Classroom Experience:

Allie:"I'm just a grown-up having tea."

Me: "What will you eat?"

Allie:"Let's eat noodles, bread and tea and birthday cake."

Anika: "Maybe, when I get older, I can make some of that yummy, fancy food, like roti."

Anika, showing her babies to Ava: "My babies are sleeping now, so we just have to be really quiet. This one's name is Anika, like me. She's going to be 4 on her next birthday."

Corbin and Gwen, working with the small animals-- naming them, arranging them, counting them, and telling each other stories about animals they know.

Jason and Allie, collaborating on a zoo made out of books.

Sophia, Ava and Allie, playing doctor and talking about germs.

Dia De Los Muertos, as explained by Allie J:

"It's when we give dead people good food because they died. The Day of the Dead is in Spanish. That means that it's a party and we celebrate it."

In the Sandbox:

Ryland, after spending the afternoon on a project, " It's done! I built a canyon!"

Atticus, narrating, "There's a sandbox over here. I'm going to get IN the sandbox. I'm raking the sand, and LOOK, there is an excavator!"

The Nap room:

Ava, taking great care to tenderly comb every one's hair and tuck them in, before, reluctantly, going to her own nap mat.

Recently, at Terra Luz (Krista's Group)

Recent Comments:

Allie: "When is the 'offer' coming?

Me: " I'm not sure what you mean..."

Allie: "You know, the offer...the person who write the book..."

Me: "Oh, I think that you are asking about the author"

Allie: "No, I'm sure I'm talking about the offer."

Ava: "I had fun with my family this weekend!"

Natalie, pointing to one of the wooden Waldorf-inspired toys: "Oh look--a rainbow, how Marbleous!"

Scenes from Outside:

Corbin, (getting ready to race with Sophia), "I'm starting my engine, VROOM VROOM!"

Mia and Anika pretending to be cats as they crawled on their hands and knees across the patio, meowing and stopping periodically to do cat stretch pose.

All of the children, splishing and splashing in the puddles, tracing one another's feet with sidewalk chalk, forming conga lines and dancing to Music Together CDs.

Rainy Day Conversations:

Jalie, "The rain sounds like music--sometimes my mommy and daddy save a cup of rain for me to drink."

Me: "It's raining cats and dogs!'

This sparked a conversation about pet names. Here's what we now know:

• Corbin has two cats named Viscus and Barnaby (apparently, Barnaby likes to eat lotion)
• Jalie has a cat named Franny
• Anika has a cat named Paloo
• Mia has a dog named Niles
• Damon has a dog named Kona (and Bobie, the stuffed dog)
• Zaidan has a cat named Waffels
• Alaira has a dog named Sukie, and a cat named Sigh
• Ava has a cat named Bella ( she's black and white)

The Roly Poly's Odyssey:

Mia, Jalie, McKenna and Corbin followed the trail of a roly poly as it crossed the patio. The friends never touched the bug, just crawled behind him, watching carefully and narrating what they saw.

Mia G. said, "Oh he is so sweet and cute!"

Corbin said, "Maybe his name is McKenna!"

Scenes from the Sand Box

Jason and Mia collaborating on a sand village. Mia proclaiming, " I LOVE sitting next to Jason, he's sooooo awesome!"

Alaira ( the vegetarian) offering her friends a bowl of 'sand meat'.

Scenes from the Classroom:

Alaira and Anika cuddled up, looking at books in the book nook.

Mia G. lining up animals on a small rug. The rug had a bump in it and Mia said, "These animals want to climb the hill." She tried to balance them on the 'hill' to no avail, and finally said, "they'll just take the stairs."

Anika singing quietly to herself as she changed her baby doll at the changing table.

Corbin, Jalie, Jason, McKenna, Mia G., Natalie forming a spontaneous drum line through the nap room and the classroom

Lunchtime Conversation:

Alaira to Mia G.: "I love you!"

Mia: "Ms. Krista, Alaira LOVES ME, and I love you too."

Me: "Let's eat our good food so that we can grow big and strong."

Corbin: 'Food makes me tinkle and poo-poo."

Mia G.: "I drink a lot of prune juice and it makes me grow big like trees"

Anika: "I grow big like trees, too!"