FROM UNDER OUR BIG TREE: Week 15

Discoveries at TKG
“It’s a good thing to learn more about nature in order to share this knowledge with children; it’s even better if the adult and child learn about nature together. And it’s a lot more fun.”
― Richard Louv
Wishing you and your family a wonderful 2013 filled with creativity, good stories and love! We have missed you In the classroom where play and transformation fill our days.  We are looking forward to getting back into our groove and exploring:

Intent
“Sounds are color!” in the studio
Making sound cards – adding to the word wall
Problem-Solving
Writing about our holidays
Exploring the transformation that occurs in nature
Hand washing
Independence

Exploring Sounds and Color:
“It’s colorful, very messy.  I put a line with green.  I didn’t know what color I should put so I put pink.”
“What are you doing here in France?”
“I’m having a cup of tea.”
“I used to be a teacher who could teach water color (as she’s painting with water color). ..I didn’t want to move away to a different country.  Maybe I could be a dancer.” 

Do you remember our adventures at Wilderness Park? Tree climbing, ‘skeleton’ leaves, wet shoes, rocky mountains. speedy, king duck, crane and number games:

“Now I’m going to put a golden 0.
He’s not real.  He’s a dog from Nightmare Before Christmas.
Zero.  Remember that number?  You always count it before one.
It’s not really much of a number, but it does make a number bigger.
100 has 2 zeros
10 has 1
20 has 1
200 has 2
you can do 200 another way, a one, a one, a zero, a zero.
or that could just be 1100.  That actually is a number.  That is actually 1100! (eleven hundred)
Can you cound to a billion trillion in one day?
I can do it on vacation so I can ask my mom.  Do you want to go on vacation with me so you can see me count.  It can take a day. 

How many ways to find your way to the shed?
One of our parents brought a compass and students tried to solve the problem: “how would you find the shed on a foggy day?”  The variety of answers solved the problem, and taught us all about resourcefulness:
“I would bring a fan.” 1
“I would bring a flashlight.” 2
“I would use my super power eyes.” 3
“I would use a compass.” 4

PROJECT IDEAS:
Bring back Bead Making
Mystery Word Game (hangman)
Collect Your Color Boxes !
Give your kids a massage (remember when they were infants?)
Tell your friends about our Parent Info Night, January 15th

SEE YOU MONDAY!

Your feedback and questions are encouraged:
CLASSROOM/CURRICULUM/PARK DAY – Michelle Goldbach-Johnson
CLASSROOM – Yvette Fenton
CURRICULUM – Lena Garcia Kaufman
SCHOOL BUSINESS – Trish Valdez

Our Flickr Stream features even more photos from this week!

We are the Puppet Show
Holiday Show Seating

Tending the Garden

January Park – Park in Hermosa Beach!  Drop off is usually near the swings/Red fire truck.  We roam into the Green Belt, in the Community Garden, we have been known to head to the beach…If our pick up location changes, you will receive a text from Michelle by 1pm.  Don’t forget your binoculars and please pack light-light-light.

Classroom Supplies, please bring on Tuesday:
index cards (blank- big and small) bulk packs- students enjoy the variety of sizes and it minimizes our big paper consumption
small baskets (no handles)
glass jars (variety of sizes and w or w/o lids
kleenex

Parent Info Night #2 is on January 15th @ 6pm Encourage your friends to come visit! Registration Link

The 5 Guiding Principals at TKG
  • CONSTRUCTIVISM, as teachers and parents, we provide the trellis on which students will expand their existing knowledge
  • WHOLE CHILD, cognitive, physical and social/emotional are inseparable
  • BRAIN FUNCTION & DEVELOPMENT, students are sensory learners, we will honor each student’s unique developmental map
  • CAPACITY BUILDING, supporting the development of creative thinkers who are encouraged to solve problems
  • CO-OPERATIVE LEARNING, small groups, low ratios, mixed ages and generations

Parent/Teacher Corner

Focus for the coming week, Paying Attention To Children. Many parents wonder why their children don’t talk to them.  They often feel it’s just a stage that kids go through–that’s it’s something going on within the child.  Parents rarely consider that it could be something they’re doing–or not doing–that prevents their children from wanting to talk to them.  Read more…

Focus on you, Pour Some Sugar on It!  Check out this Pinterest board for treats you can make for yourself…

PT SCHEDULE, WEEK OF JAN 7…

Monday – TV/RD
Tuesday – ME

Thursday – LS/NL
Friday – TS/BW
Please contact Trish if you have any concerns about this week’s schedule

The Seeds (Core Standards)

We are creating intention around these standards:

READING
Grade 1, 2. Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
Grade 2, 2. Identify the main topic of a multi paragraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text.
Kinder, 3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words both in isolation and in text.
a. Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary or many of the most frequent sound for each consonant.

WRITING
Grade 2 Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.
Grade 1: b. Use end punctuation for sentences.

SPEAKING AND LISTENING STANDARDS
CCLS Grade 1 4.a Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or a phrase.
Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).

MATH
Number and Operations in Base Ten 
K.NBT Work with numbers 11–19 to gain foundations for place value.
1. Compose and decompose numbers from 11 to 19 into ten ones and some further ones, e.g., by using objects or drawings, and record each composition or decomposition by a drawing or equation (e.g., 18= 10 + 8); understand that these numbers are composed of ten ones and one, two, three, four, five, six,
seven, eight, or nine.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of concepts time (e.g., morning, afternoon, evening, today,yesterday, tomorrow, week, year) and tools that measure time (e.g., clock, calendar). (CAStandard MG 1.2)
1. Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as abovebelowbesidein front ofbehind, and next to.

Work with addition and subtraction equations.
7. Understand the meaning of the equal sign, and determine if equations involving addition and
subtraction are true or false. For example, which of the following equations are true and which are
false? 6 = 6, 7 = 8 – 1, 5 + 2 = 2 + 5, 4 + 1 = 5 + 2.

SCIENCE
Earth Sciences
3.  Weather can be observed, measured, and described. As a basis for understanding this concept: a. Students know how to use simple tools (e.g., thermometer, wind vane) to measure weather conditions and record changes from day to day and across the seasons. b. Students know that the weather changes from day to day but that trends in temperature or of rain (or snow) tend to be predictable during a season.
c. Students know the sun warms the land, air, and water.
Physical Sciences
1.  Materials come in different forms (states), including solids, liquids, and gases. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know solids, liquids, and gases have different properties.
b. Students know the properties of substances can change when the substances are mixed, cooled, or heated.

HISTORY
Grade 1: 4.Describe how location, weather, and physical environment affect the way people live, including the effects on their food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and recreation

ARTS: Music
Listen to, Analyze, and Describe Music
1.2 Identify and describe basic elements in music (e.g., high/low, fast/slow, loud/soft, beat).

Derive Meaning
4.1 Create movements that correspond to specific music.

FEATURED WORKSHOP: Big Feelings Workshop with Melody Elder & Laura Dotson, Learn More…

From the TKG Office:

  • Pay Tuition Online!  We are now offering an e-pay via a monthly invoice system.  For a small $2 fee per month, you can now pay tuition online.  Request invoice system by sending an email to Trish whenever you are ready!
  • Parent Information Nights: We encourage you to invite your friends to our next General Info Night on January 15th.   Registration is available,here.
  • JANUARY TUITION IS NOW DUE, Thank you!
Thank you Families!  Admin Questions, please email t.valdez@knowinggarden.org.
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
― E.E. Cummings

Resource Of The Week

EFT with Kids
by Dr. Laura Markham

Parents often ask me how they can de-stress and stay calm with their kids. I highly recommend the Emotional Freedom Technique, or EFT. It couldn’t be simpler, and takes almost no time. There are no side effects. It becomes more effective over time.

What is it? EFT uses the energy meridians from traditional acupuncture to treat physical and emotional ailments, but instead of inserting needles, you simply tap the acupressure points with your fingertips. Research shows that tapping these acupressure points calms the nervous system.

Read More…

Wilcox Elementary - Los Angeles

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