(Dora Maar)

Don't cry! What's the matter? There there. We looked at this painting on a morning when a few children were feeling sad. We asked everyone a why the woman might be crying, or to comment on what they see:

"She's looking in the mirror."
"Someone hurt her."
"She is in her room, and it was so dark, and someone scared her."
"Someone said boo."
"She's crying because she has a tissue. . . It's white."
"Someone pushed her."

Lately, we have been observing artwork and discussing it, and we have twice painted with our feet. The children enjoy talking about paintings they made, as well as ones in the art books we examine. Picasso and Van Gogh have been favorites.

On Thursday, we said goodbye and thank you to our student teacher Farrah from Columbia. Her kindness, instincts, and assistance will be missed. The children made an enormous card for her, and she donated some new books and also a plush pigeon from the "Pigeon" book series that they adore. Farrah also organized a special snack on Thursday, where the children made edible faces from crackers, cheese, carrots, and dried fruit. Thanks, Farrah!










Paper plates: cheap, durable, versatile. We turned them into ice skates on Friday, and practiced our gliding skills while listening to "Skating" by Vince Guaraldi.









As a class, we are the most talented group of dancers you've ever seen. We enjoy doing 'three-step' dances, and the dancers have begun to spin their partners. They are all doing such an amazing job, and we are very proud.

















Our time on the playground is not all fun and games. Oh wait, it totally is. But there are countless opportunities for growth and learning. When the children get into traffic jams with their cars, they try to organize a way to let everyone through. With the mileage the children accumulate on these foot-powered buggies, they are basically getting a gym-caliber workout. When someone wants to play with a ball that is taken, the children practice using their politely asking nicely skills. Just say please! And when you are working in the sandbox, you are getting a fine motor/sensory explosion ! Watch these two diligent workers in the movie below:



As you can see from the photos below, there are plenty of smiles on the playground.
















Remember, this is our last week of school before the winter break. Thanks for stopping by!

Prehistoric Preschool

We have begun our curriculum unit on dinosaurs! The children have been talking about dinosaurs pretty much since September, and it is a suitable segue from our Flight Unit, since there are many flying dinosaurs to talk of.

This activity, painting with our feet, was inspired by the children's interest in dinosaur footprints. They loved making their own tracks on the floor, and next week, we will begin examining other animal tracks to see if we can identify an animal based on its footprint shape.


We have a TON of dinosaur figures in our classroom to play with. Some are enormous, some are the size of your hand, and some are really small. The smallest ones are made of rubber and come in four bold colors- these are great for sorting and patterning as well.



Jake and Christopher enjoyed making 'dinosaur meat' and baking it in the oven.




We made some really amazing dinosaur art this week. The children enjoyed using large paper for their drawings, especially the experience of drawing on the floor. We have created space for them to do this during freeplay as well, which has encouraged even the occasional artist to have fun on the floor. (You can see pictures of non-dino floor drawings at the bottom of this post.)









For snack, we've been enjoying eating 'dinosaur bones' (veggie stix) and 'lava' (applesauce).





As you can see, we have many great resources for learning about dinosaurs. Books, flash cards, posters, and an eventual trip to the Museum of Natural History (suggested and approved by the children) all help to create supplementary imagery and information about these awesome animals.






Remember, our Annual International Pot Luck Dinner is this Thursday at 6:00. Please sign up to bring in an internationally-flavored dish, preferably one that reflects your family's heritage.

After we eat, there will be entertainment in the main lobby from 7:00 to 7:30 for everyone to enjoy.

Here are the rest of my photos from our awesome week, including a movie at the bottom of the class rehearsing a holiday song with Adelaide.