Cycle

We had a fun, weather wacky week. Early in the week we read a book called Sonya's Chickens, by Phoebe Wahl. In this sweet book a young girl raises some chickens, caring for them deeply. One day, a chicken disappears and it becomes clear that the cause was a predator. The book does a beautiful job validating Sonya's feelings, while gently expressing the bigger ecological perspective, that a fox needs to eat and feed its babies too. Sonya’s Chickens prompted a beautiful conversation about predators and prey, what we need to keep our chickens safe from in this area, as well as ideas on how to do that.

Finally, we had a rainy day with no storm. We captured water funneled off the roof to use it in all kinds of ways, repurposed the newly delivered chicken coop as a play house and rain shelter, and experimented with watercolor pencils, using rain to run the colors. And of course, the Oobleck we made was a sensation!

It''s always a joy to observe children as they become engrossed in the simple practice of seemingly "adult" things: watering the garden plants, harvesting herbs, raking, shoveling, sweeping the porch, filling the water dispensers, and more. They gain and hone skills all the while: concentration (to see a task through), spatial awareness and language (above, below, behind), and they practice control over their bodies, learning to anticipate and master their movements, such as how much pressure to apply in a given task. Even more, the child sees a purpose in what they are doing. They gain a sense of belonging, accomplishment, and service for others.

Our neighborhood creek play was alive with adventure on Thursday, using nets to try and capture tadpoles and minnows. Students spent time observing how various things float on water and are moved by the current.

Finally, the first field trip was blessed with great weather! We moved and climbed on the playground, relocated for circle time, played some games such as What Time is it Mr Fox? and Red Light/Green Light. Simple forest play is always a hit and Piney Woods supplied a few great spots for it.

Hoping your family enjoys the weekend time together.

Teacher Maddi

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