Although the week was shortened by one day, we still had many adventures. Sadly, we learned that Tomie dePaola had to cancel his trip to Miami due to an accident. His stories have been a wonderful delight to our afternoon and we hope he recovers soon! This week we read the stories of "Strega Nona Her Story" and "Big Anthony His Story". Both shared a great amount of humor and insight into Italian culture.
On Monday we watched the crisis of nine unfold as we counted each decimal level only to discover that once we reach 10, it no longer stays as it once was. This material is illustrated in the above photo. We use our golden bead work to demonstrate this principal and it can be found with the other bank works such as the exchange game, and the 45 decimal layout.
Mechanical writing is a skill that comes through hand strength and practice. We support our children's developing hands by giving them modeling clay and many practical life activities such as spooning, painting, tweezing, using an eye dropper, and small knobs for large cylinders or puzzle pieces to help control the hand and develop the three-finger pincer grip. Once children lean the sounds of the letters, they are able to write words, phrases, and stories phonetically with the movable alphabet. Through this, we find interesting stories which originate in the mind of each child.
We also enjoy hearing the stories of those that share their photos and timelines with us on or around the day that they were born. Ms. Regalado showed the children photos of her as an infant, child, teenager, adult, wife, and mother. We wish her and her family all the best as she continues to share her joy of music and dance.
On Friday I shared several Senna alata, (candle bush), seed pods with the classroom for a new work called de-seeding a pod. If you found a ziploc bag with seeds in it, this came from our newest practical life work. Candle bush is a butterfly attractor and has medical properties to fight against skin fungal infections. Before going outside we acted out the life cycle of a plant and made ourselves tiny like seeds. Slowly we grew roots and shoots, leaves, and a flower. After the flower was pollinated, (some by bees, and others by butterflies, bats, and beetles), we developed a new seed. Some seeds then traveled by wind and others through animal droppings, but all miraculously survived!
Next week we will look at designing a book mark for 2015's Baynanza as part of this year's Fairchild Challenge. If you would like to help with this project, please send me an e-mail. We will also begin looking much closer at our planet Earth and its landforms.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Ms. Joanna Boone