The week before spring break brought us a last blast of winter. Finally, snow and school together. The Oaks enjoyed a just-right sledding hill and learned to roll giant snow balls to make a fort. A few children shaped snow into their special animals, including a chomping crocodile, a panda playing with a ball, and a 2D colobus monkey. Snow play is so great for gross motor development, along with all the social skills practice in negotiation, turn-taking, communication and more.

Whee!

Snow fort

Crocodile

Snow Picnic

So much conversation at lunch time

We finished up our long-term animal project before break, putting finishing touches on murals and animal books. The children were overjoyed to learn they could take their animals home to KEEP!

Adding the lobster’s food to the mural. The children learned so much from each other as they worked and shared what they knew with classmates.

Reading to friends (including koala and giraffe) about sting rays

Animal project murals

Animal project murals

Inside, stories flow through the children’s minds and into their dramatic play, building and art. Talking with each other and with adults about their stories and ideas is so important to development at this age.

There are stories everywhere in children’s play. Ask: What are you making? Who is that?

This is actually a laser light trap. Look how closely they are listening to her story.

Collaboration. When ideas come together successfully in a construction project, it smooths the way for collaboration on the play-yard and elsewhere.

The children are super into making their own graphic books

Beloved volunteer Carol reading a VERY engaging story

Sometimes the stories are really, really big

Outside, Hilltop Home is HOME, a place they know as well as the classroom, and a place where they turn to each other in cooperative play. Games that started there a week ago pick up and shift with new ideas. Lava, ice and fire ninjas have given way to Lizard Ninjas. Powerful Cats can be found prowling and making homes here, on the play-yard and in the classroom.

Climb!

Amidst celebration of the new beginnings of spring, we also sometimes have to think about endings. The Oaks found two dead raccoons in the past three weeks.

Connected

Negotiating the game

The ever-changing ninja game

After a week home with family, the Oaks returned to Real Spring.

Hoping for the return of the fairies, a two-story fairy house was built at the entrance to Hilltop Home

We celebrated a few birthdays and half-birthdays.

Picking lesser celandine

Blob tag. Lots of communication and motor planning.

You need a lot of materials to build a fort. Line up the wheelbarrows!

This is part of a museum. “We have a lot of pipes because that’s how people stored things a long time ago.”

“I’m doing a fanfare!” The museum is open for business/residents.

So many signs of play we just discover around the play-yard.

Hibernating caterpillar

We spent an afternoon at the Children’s Garden, where we planted the kale, chard and lettuce we started from seed a few weeks ago, checked on our pea sprouts, and enjoyed the smells and feel of freshly turned earth.

The children love the area around the Tree-Friendly Rain Garden and the magnificent walnut tree. At least two different group games got going involving panthers, lizard ninjas, and many other changing roles and rules. Negotiating these games with each other, without adults directing the play, is so important for both social emotional growth and for language development. The story-lines are rich and completely theirs. And this space is so enticing for both the open space to run AND all the hiding places.

Decorating the classroom for our Spring Celebration was one way the children thought about symbols of spring. They made flowers for our branch, and created a flower for our window.

Creating a map to show real or trickster hiding places

Making spring crowns

Using books to inspire artwork

Caroline continues to guide the Oaks in weekly mindfulness lessons. She read Anh’s Anger and Steps and Stone to talk about how to calm your mind and body when feelings are overwhelming.

This week we started a magical tales (fairy tales, myths and legends) unit. We’ll be talking about story elements, like characters, setting, plot. The children will be working together to create their own tales to share with the class.

The Spring Celebration brought families together to celebrate the warmth of the returning sun and the warmth of community.

Making butter

Songs we sang:

Books/stories we read:

The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz

When Spring Comes by Kevin Henke

Anh’s Anger and Steps and Stones by Gail Silver

The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci

Sleeping Beauty

Signs of Spring (adapted from an Equinox reading)

And many, many more…