This morning we started our morning with some new toys! We got a shipment of wooden dinosaurs, farm animals and a little wool home with people in it. The children enjoyed playing with the new things. After some free time we went outside to run in the sunshine with Ryan while Heather and Elia prepared the classroom for our learning activities and group time.
When it was time to come inside we were ready for lots of activities! We first read a book about lots of different kinds of birds and learned about where different birds lived and what they ate. Then we sang our "Little Bird" song, but this time, instead of singing it all the way through we sang the beginning and then I pointed to the children and sang "What is your favorite bird?" and each child had a turn to answer "My favorite bird is....".
Our activities for the day were counting/sorting wooden eggs, counting and gluing spring colored cotton in rows or circles- the younger class counted up to 5, the older class counted up to 10. We also painted our glue/shampoo dough bird nests, and practiced sorting feathers by using a tweezer. When a child had finished all of the activities they were free to play with the new wooden toys or read bird themed books.
After everyone had finished each activity we cleaned up our toys being careful to find a new special place for each new toy. We played a new "transition time game" while Ryan was finishing up lunch by putting all of the chairs in a circle in the middle of the room. Then each child sat down in a chair and closed their eyes as I quietly placed alphabet letters under each chair. When I was done with the letters the children stood up and we marched together around the chairs singing "Marching Around The Alphabet" when we were finished with the song I said "SIT!" and everyone scrambled to a chair. Once everyone was in a chair the children reached under their own chair and pulled out their letter. We then went around the room giving each child a turn to say the letter that was hiding under their chair. By this time lunch was ready so we packed up the letters and marched upstairs to wash our hands. Since we have been talking about manners lately the children have found it really fun to say "ladies first" to the girls of the classroom so we often let the girls lead.
We had our friendship vegetable soup today and it was really yummy! We also had apples and a slice of cheese with lunch. Ryan had made some whole wheat bread but didn't have it quite finished when lunch started so we kept it warm and waited until after yoga to eat it.
Our yoga class was wild today! I don't think we had enough time outside today!
Rachel, our yoga teacher and also Miel and Isaiah's mom, read us the story "The Root Children" by Sibylle Von Olfers. It is really a beautiful book the illustrations are so magical and the story is very sweet. All through the winter the Root Children are asleep underground, but when spring comes Mother Nature wakes them up. Then the Root Children are busy cleaning and painting the beetles and bugs. When summer comes they play in the fields, ponds and meadows. The children enjoyed acting out the story by playing the different characters in the book as Rachel read the story.
When yoga was finished we sat on the front steps and ate our fresh home made bread with some honey on top! Yum!
Then we piled our jackets on the entryway bench and split up to go potty - girls in line at the upstairs bathroom and boys in line at the downstairs bathroom. Slowly everyone makes their way to their sleeping mat and blanket. Then we turn out the lights and start singing out story time song. This signals the children to gather around the "teacher" chair for a story if they want to. Usually all come for the story but sometimes the really tired ones stay on their mat and listen from there. Today we read the book "Egg Story" and learned all about how baby chicks are born! The children were very interested in seeing the baby chick grow and change inside the egg and then finally break his way out into the world.
When our story was finished we sang "Spring Is Coming" and then went to our sleeping mats and got tucked under our blankets before saying our goodnight poem.
Blueberry muffins were our snack today with milk and our afternoon activity was playing outside~ we love the warmer weather...just being able to go outside without snowpants and boots is wonderful for everyone (including teachers!)