"This is a miracle!"
"This room is so full of love!"
"We all live here and we are one giant family!
It is truly a pleasure witnessing such seamless cooperation and collective imagination from the children!
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
"Let's Make a Fort!"
It is a cold and rainy day. Some of the children asked to rake out their rest mats to get cozy, and one was overheard saying, "Let's make a fort!" And so it began... Soon signs were made saying, "Kindergarten Tent". Here are some quotes that were overheard during tent play and construction...
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Happy Earth Day!!!
We have enjoyed a spectacular Earth Day together. In Music class the children acted out the growth of a tree. Some were branches and some were roots, and they coordinated their movements to the beat of the drum.
We also had our annual Earth Day Parade through the school.
At the end of our parade we gathered outside in a circle with a found natural object and co-created a sculpture. As each child got up to place their piece on the sculpture, they spoke about what they love about the Earth. We then listened to the Earth sing to us as we sat in silent gratitude. Then we sang to the Earth!!
We also had our annual Earth Day Parade through the school.
At the end of our parade we gathered outside in a circle with a found natural object and co-created a sculpture. As each child got up to place their piece on the sculpture, they spoke about what they love about the Earth. We then listened to the Earth sing to us as we sat in silent gratitude. Then we sang to the Earth!!
Monday, April 21, 2014
Ensemble 7/4 Concert
This news comes in a little late but it seems worth trying. An group called Ensemble 7/4 will debut in Philadelphia with a medley of traditional music from the Americas: tango, bossa nova, chachachá, among others. For more information click here.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Measurement Math and the Morris Arboretum
Last week we continued our study of measurement. We explored measuring our bodies and how far we could jump using non-standard forms of measurement. Then we learned about rulers and measured various objects around our classroom. The children were careful to line up the end of the ruler with the object they measured. Then they all became excited to measure bigger things! The tape measure will be introduced tomorrow!
We have also been noticing interesting words as we read Charlie and the Chocolate factory and other books in kindergarten. When we came across the word "dozen" in one of the books, the children were excited to notice that there are a "dozen" inches on our rulers!
Last Thursday we went to the Morris Arboretum to celebrate spring! The children participated in lessons about trees and a lesson that reinforced the concept that all of nature is interconnected. Here are some lovely pictures...
We have also been noticing interesting words as we read Charlie and the Chocolate factory and other books in kindergarten. When we came across the word "dozen" in one of the books, the children were excited to notice that there are a "dozen" inches on our rulers!
Last Thursday we went to the Morris Arboretum to celebrate spring! The children participated in lessons about trees and a lesson that reinforced the concept that all of nature is interconnected. Here are some lovely pictures...
Thursday, April 17, 2014
WORMS!!!
Yesterday the children were so excited to find worms! Their enthusiasm was (to use one of our new words...) "extraordinary"! (Ask your kindergartner what that word means.) Here are some of their questions about worms...
Do worms have tongues? Alexander
How do they see? Grace
How do worms taste if they don't have tongues? Jacob
How do worms feel if they don't have any hands? Hannah
How do worms lick the food? Arrianna
Why do worms have slime? Samara
How do worms eat if they don't have teeth?
How did they survived when a stump lands on them? Amir
How can worms breathe if the stump lands on them? Shelby
How do the worms dig into the ground? Patrice
How do worms know how to steer around the roots? Matthew
Do worms have hearts and brains?
Here are a few pictures.
Be sure to ask me to show you the worm dance videos when you come into the classroom!
Do worms have tongues? Alexander
How do they see? Grace
How do worms taste if they don't have tongues? Jacob
How do worms feel if they don't have any hands? Hannah
How do worms lick the food? Arrianna
Why do worms have slime? Samara
How do worms eat if they don't have teeth?
How did they survived when a stump lands on them? Amir
How can worms breathe if the stump lands on them? Shelby
How do the worms dig into the ground? Patrice
How do worms know how to steer around the roots? Matthew
Do worms have hearts and brains?
Here are a few pictures.
Be sure to ask me to show you the worm dance videos when you come into the classroom!
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Pocoyó and Music
Queridos padres,
Since the beginning of 2014, Second Graders have been occasionally watching a cartoon called Pocoyó (the Spanish version). I have also been watching some of the episodes over the weekends. The show is great and wanted to recommend it to families.
Pocoyó involves a lot of body movement, music, colors and little dialogue. The dialogue targets specific language. There is only a narrator that provides context to the stories, which would be for more advance language learners like in Middle School.
However, Second Graders have been able to pick up key words when directed during class. It would be great idea to continue watching the show at home. They may resist a bit a the beginning under the excuse that they do not understand (they did the first time we watched it in class). But the show is too much fun to resist! They will certainly not understand the entire story, only a few words. But as they grow, it will become easier to understand whole sentences and learn new words. In the future, this will help them with speaking skills and phonetics.
You can watch the show on Univision. The channel number depends on your channel lineup and provider, but it is normally shown on Saturday mornings. You can also find some of the episodes on YouTube.
I also wanted to pass along information about an interactive concert tailored for children. The Chamber Orchestra from ArCoNet will be performing next week in Philadelphia. The title of concert is "Dances From Around the World", which will include music from Puerto Rico and Venezuela.
Since the beginning of 2014, Second Graders have been occasionally watching a cartoon called Pocoyó (the Spanish version). I have also been watching some of the episodes over the weekends. The show is great and wanted to recommend it to families.
Pocoyó involves a lot of body movement, music, colors and little dialogue. The dialogue targets specific language. There is only a narrator that provides context to the stories, which would be for more advance language learners like in Middle School.
However, Second Graders have been able to pick up key words when directed during class. It would be great idea to continue watching the show at home. They may resist a bit a the beginning under the excuse that they do not understand (they did the first time we watched it in class). But the show is too much fun to resist! They will certainly not understand the entire story, only a few words. But as they grow, it will become easier to understand whole sentences and learn new words. In the future, this will help them with speaking skills and phonetics.
You can watch the show on Univision. The channel number depends on your channel lineup and provider, but it is normally shown on Saturday mornings. You can also find some of the episodes on YouTube.
I also wanted to pass along information about an interactive concert tailored for children. The Chamber Orchestra from ArCoNet will be performing next week in Philadelphia. The title of concert is "Dances From Around the World", which will include music from Puerto Rico and Venezuela.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Week's Highlights
If you have not been in to see the chicks yet, they are leaving for the farm on Friday! The children have been ecstatic!! They all hatched on Monday...
We read a beautiful book, Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco. As a follow up activity to this book, we made our own class book about our different talents.
We are moving forward in our body study. We have been learning about our bones and muscles. Ask your children how many muscles you use to smile! We read about muscles and then practiced using them in our outdoor play space.
In gym they used their muscles, worked on agility, cardiovascular fitness and hand-eye coordination.
We are currently conducting an experiment. We are eating protein rich foods during snack time to see if keeping our blood sugar levels more even will result in us feeling better and paying attention more effectively!
We are moving forward in our body study. We have been learning about our bones and muscles. Ask your children how many muscles you use to smile! We read about muscles and then practiced using them in our outdoor play space.
In gym they used their muscles, worked on agility, cardiovascular fitness and hand-eye coordination.
We are currently conducting an experiment. We are eating protein rich foods during snack time to see if keeping our blood sugar levels more even will result in us feeling better and paying attention more effectively!
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Science Night!
Science Night is tomorrow night! Come to see student work and participate in lots of science activities. This event is for the entire Abington Friends Community so there will be opportunities to see great Middle and Upper School projects and experiments as well. 
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Enrichment Courses Are Filling Up!
The Extended Day Spring
Enrichment Courses are close to reaching full capacity. There's still
time to enroll this week if you would like to be a part of
Intermediate Chess and/or Spring Soccer.
Intermediate Chess and/or Spring Soccer.
Visit this link to our brochure for program costs and additional registration information:
Spring Soccer
Grades: K— 2, Wednesdays
Dates: April 9 – May 28
In this program, children will learn the basic rules and concepts of
the game of soccer in a fun and enthusiastic setting. Using theme
based games, we will focus on the core skills of the game. Coach Drew’s program will help children develop proper dribbling and shooting techniques; practice sportsmanship; and hone in on children’s ability to listen and follow directions. Children will
improve their ball handling skills, game awareness, speed and
agility in a fun yet challenging environment.
Grades: K— 2, Wednesdays
Dates: April 9 – May 28
In this program, children will learn the basic rules and concepts of
the game of soccer in a fun and enthusiastic setting. Using theme
based games, we will focus on the core skills of the game. Coach Drew’s program will help children develop proper dribbling and shooting techniques; practice sportsmanship; and hone in on children’s ability to listen and follow directions. Children will
improve their ball handling skills, game awareness, speed and
agility in a fun yet challenging environment.
Intermediate Chess
Grades: K - 6, Thursdays
Spring: April 10 –May 29
Do you want to learn how to apply chess thinking throughout your life? Chess presents a fun
way to learn how to think strategically, mathematically, and creatively. Students will learn individually and, as a group, the best ways to take their chess game to the next level. This course does have a requirement of first completing the Chess for Beginners course or other prior Chess experiences.
Spring: April 10 –May 29
Do you want to learn how to apply chess thinking throughout your life? Chess presents a fun
way to learn how to think strategically, mathematically, and creatively. Students will learn individually and, as a group, the best ways to take their chess game to the next level. This course does have a requirement of first completing the Chess for Beginners course or other prior Chess experiences.
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