These are photos of yesterdays activities. We have been busy at nap time so haven't had any time to put any new updates on the blog lately!
The children learned about the life cycle of the ant yesterday. We also read the book "Hey Little Ant" about a boy that discovers an ant on the sidewalk and has to decide whether he should step on it or not. The children really thought about this book- I don't think they realized that ants have families and friends and have jobs to do each day just like people do! After reading the book we all came inside and drew a picture and answered the question "Should the boy step on the ant?" It was adorable to listen to the children's answers, especially the really little ones. Dru was the only child that answered with a "YES!". It was so funny!
The children enjoyed "bug hunting" in the garden, and pulling weeds along the side of the house (how do we get so many weeds everyday!?) They also put on their rain boots and rain jackets and went for a rainy day walk in the afternoon. As we walked we played follow the leader and "freeze" which they of course LOVED!
The oldest school age children started using the "quiet room" during nap time and have enjoyed it so far. There are new markers, colored pencils, pens and pencils with erasers and individual work books and notebooks for each of the children. They have their own folder with their name on it to keep their special items or put unfinished work in to save for the next day. They also have some quiet toys/puzzles/art activities that we will be rotating around so that each day there is something new and fun to enjoy in the quiet room. The only rules for the quiet room is that once you are in there you can not leave the quiet room, and you have to use a whisper voice while you are in there. It gives Ryan and I a quiet break and the other children the ability to rest and sleep without being bothered. We also plan on setting up an award system just for the oldest school age children to keep them motivated and feeling as though they are special and not just stuck in a "baby school" all summer long.