FROM UNDER OUR BIG TREE: Week 34

The Knowing Garden

From under our big tree…

Week 34: Highlights & Important Information

Reading

• Library Time: Where The Sidewalk Ends is becoming a new favorite.  Throughout the week we took turns choosing poems and acted them out, repeated the words, altered and imagined a different version, or just giggled along with the rhyming silliness.  We continue to enjoy Yoko’s Paper Cranes
• Park Day:  Students practiced initial letter sounds while they searched sounds and words of plant names.
• Choice:  The meeting leader chooses the book we will read.  When other students are interested in hearing other books, we discuss and make plans to read all the books that are requested.

Writing

• Sidewalk chalk: We REALLY got into it on Thursday.  Students were telling vivid stories as they mixed chalk with water.  There was a “tsunami” that was “destroying” everything…I wrote the word destroy and then offered it up to be destroyed.  Others were interested and began telling me what verbs (and other words) to write and then acted out.  Chalk learning supports fine and gross motor skills.
• Origami: Fine motor skills, following sequencing directions, coloring and writing.  We followed two sets of directions and even pulled up a video…
• Schedules:  We have mastered creating our schedules.  In the following weeks we will be working on checking back in with our schedules and altering them as needed. Here is a tip on managing the “getting out of the house” routine at home.

Math

• Math Workshop: From ships to rides and stores, students’ creations evolved.  We used an abacus as we built and two students (who were parallel building) used 67 shapes in each ship!  Stores had everything from freezer aisles to music playing.  (cross-curricular learning at its finest)   Singing while building has been occurring more and more.
• Time:  How long does it take to brush your teeth?  When does school start?  We practiced skip counting by 5s to tell time.
• Counting: Counting and visualizing numbers continues to be part of many of our projects.

Science/Environmental

• Farms:  What makes a farm?  Who lives on a farm and why?  We made clay animals and people while discussing animals, roles and jobs.  We experimented with using material scraps for animal parts like beaks and feathers.

Social Studies/History

• Farms Long Ago and Now:  We briefly touched upon and will dive into more next week.
• Scooter City:  Students, teacher, and parent volunteer collaborated and created a city.  Highlights included safety guidelines, directions, symbols, houses, prices, Fun Zone, gas stations, homes, house warming block party, police, and so much more!

Emotional Intelligence

• Leading Meeting meetings are happening regularly
• Responsibility:  Cleaning up crayons after schedule is made, snack pack up, eating at snack table, checking in with the teacher, etc.

Physical Development 

• Dance: A student added “modern ballet” to her schedule…she held a captive audience.
• Yoga: breathing, stretching
• Ride-On Plan:  a blend of gross motor skills and fine motor skills, safety concepts, problem solving, and cross-curricular goodness!

Social Development

• Taking Turns:  Can I go next?  Are you still using this?  I’m almost done.  I need one more time….
• Sharing Ideas: clay animal creations, math workshop, Scooter City
• Divergent Thinking:  looking at things differently, making different versions is encouraged

Mindfulness/Self-Awareness

• Personal Schedules: While we are working on autonomy, we have also been coming together as a group more often and flowing through our day as a whole while still expressing different ideas.
• Personal Space: Observation of spatial relation to other students, safe distance for ride on plan.
• Yoga: meditation, breathing, stretching
• Physical Needs: Moving outdoors to release physical energy

Creative Arts

• Crafts:  Clay animals, painting, origami and beading support fine motor skills. We attempted making paper cranes too.  We followed two sets of directions and even pulled up a video…we made it pretty far considering the complexity of some of the folds. We made clay animals and experimented with using material scraps for animal parts like beaks and feathers.  We are also painting our portfolio boxes.
• Music:  The stores (math workshop) needed music to play for shopping customers.  I put on some music and they said it was TOO classical and wanted more rock, so I switched to my jazz/gypsy station…perfect for shoppers looking for veggies and toys!
• Play: we took turns choosing poems from Where The Sidewalk Ends and acted them out, repeated the words, altered and imagined different versions.  Check out this Summer Lesson Idea Here!

Overheard in our Classroom/Play Yard:

• A student was painting and asking my favorite colors.  I replied green, yellow, and pink.  (I’m not a pink girl, but I’ve overheard “pink” ideas in the past and wanted to open the door for conversation.)  Student:  Pink is a girl’s color.  Me:  I know some boys who like pink.  Student:  Who?  Me:  My former students (listed a couple).  Student:  Oh, look, I used pink.  Me:  I see!
• “I have 8 and you have 6.  If I give you 1, we will both have 7!”
• Parent Volunteer: “At 9:45, Student A has 39 shapes…(little while later)…At 10:00am, Student B has 31 shapes…”  Student: “Hey, I have 8 more shapes!”  PV: “8 more shapes than what?” Student: “8 more shapes than Student B!”
• “We EAT pigs?!”
• “Does anyone want to help prune roses?” “I do!”

Things to reflect onover the weekend– in preparation for next week:

• If your child is interested in painting/stamping a T-shirt (old or new) bring one in this week.  This is for a student led lesson; I will have extra fabric on hand if needed.
• What do you know about farms? Farm animals? People who work on farms?
• TKG memories:  anything your child may want to revisit in the coming weeks.
• Minimizing branded toys, items during school time
• Practice moving to outdoors or play area when physical energy is bubbling up, even at home

For your reference, below is our key to planning lessons and scaffolding emergent plans:

• CONSTRUCTIVISM(expanding existing knowledge)
• WHOLE CHILD (emotional/cognitive/social/physical)
• BRAIN FUNCTION & DEVELOPMENT (developmental readiness and willingness)
• CAPACITY BUILDING (critical thinking, skills for the global marketplace)
• CO-OPERATIVE LEARNING (learning from one another)

If you have any questions, please reach us as follows:

CLASSROOM/CURRICULUM/PARK DAY – Michelle Goldbach-Johnson
PARENT VOLUNTEER/JOBS/FIELD TRIP – MJ Garcia
ADMINISTRATIVE – Trish Valdez

“30 Days of Creativity is a global social initiative encouraging people to create stuff (anything) every day for 30 days in June. 2012 is our 3rd year. We hope to make it a big one.

Your brain is like a muscle. When you exercise it, it gets stronger.”

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