Butterflies and Bees

Dear Parents,

We began our week painting butterfly wings with watercolors. Everyone chose what color wings they wanted, and got to work. We read The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Many children excitedly shouted that they had this book at home. We also read What Eats That?, a book about the food chain. 

On Tuesday we listened to songs and thought about which ones were slow, medium, or fast. We went into the big room to flutter our wings to the music. We started in slow flight, around and around we flew. The butterflies fluttered by gracefully, and eventually quickly. Some had to sit down to rest. 

We found new insects in the yard this week: maybe baby centipedes and two caterpillars. The children have been observing the insects to learn about behaviors. Where is the insect going? How many legs does it have? Where does it live? We wonder a lot about what they eat. Our books have been answering some of these questions and more. 

We talked about how many legs, wings, and body parts an insect has. Is a worm an insect? A spider? How does a butterfly drink?

Our apple seeds sprouted this week! We’re continuing to see how they will grow before we pot them in soil. 

While half the class beat a drum with Alex, the rest of us worked on our second self portrait of the year. We used black for the first, and red for the second. They are hanging by the cubbies. 

On Thursday we spent the whole morning in the yard. After reading butterfly and bee books, we made bumblebees using pipe cleaners. The bees buzzed around the yard all morning pollinating flowers. Some of them were friendly bees, but they still stung us. 

We read The Dandelion Seed and found a dandelion in our grass. We took turns blowing the seeds into the yard in hopes for more dandelions. 

We hokey pokey-ed our way into rainy Friday, and painted paper plates. Next week we will connect them to make one giant class caterpillar.  We drew in our books and played in the big room, building tall towers with blocks and riding bikes. There was even an impromptu conga line happening! Someone said that all this rain is giving drinks to the flowers in our garden.

Thanks a million for the teachers' appreciation bouquets and kudoboards! We appreciate your appreciation!! It is such a joy to spend time with all y’all’s offspring. 

Have a super weekend,

Therese and Nicole

A Seed Grows

Dear Parents,

We began our week examining our seeds for changes. The children said, “I see roots!” “Mine has grown!” “I see little green leaves.”  “They’re growing, like people when they’re a little younger.” “Those little roots, they grow into corn.” And, “They’re sprouts.” 

We charted the growth on a paper. Everyone colored in a square if their seeds had grown. We all colored in squares, yellow for popcorn, black for chia seeds, and brown for garbanzo beans. 

We took our tether ball into the yard and tied it to our tree. Many are thrilled to play the game, even if it means the ball occasionally comes back and bonks you in the head. Some children thought it was funny. 

After discovering many insects in the yard, we talked about closing the doors to keep the bugs outside. This sparked an exciting conversation about roaches getting into the house. One person said they live in the basement of his house. Another said that when they were in Paris, one got into their hotel room and they put a cup on it until Daddy got back. Another person said one was in his house and Mama hit it with a pan! Someone else said they had one in their bedroom one time and Mama and Daddy got it. 

On Tuesday we made collages using different textures and glue. We also made new green play dough. The children rolled long and short snakes, pancakes, and a caterpillar.

The children told us that they bloomed like flowers, in music with Alex. While half the class was blooming, in the classroom we read about seeds and used coloring crayons in our blank books - which are blank no more.

We took turns replanting our seeds from their baggies in the window, to cups with dirt. We added water, and now we wait for more growth. 

After eating apples for snacks, we decided to put our apple seeds into a baggie with a paper towel and water too.  So far, the only thing that happened was that the water turned orange. Why is it orange? We thought of all the apple colors we know: green, yellow, and red. Hmmmm. Someone asked, "How are we going to grow a tree in that little bag?"

We found a dead baby bird still in its shell. There were flies surrounding it. The children wondered what happened to it. We talked about other birds, and animals, robbing eggs from nests. “Why do they do that?” someone asked. The class knew that many animals eat other animals. We talked about the flies and ants eating dead animals too.

We played outside the whole day on Thursday. And Friday! We had circle and snacks outside too. 

On Friday we took turns making butterfly prints. Everyone chose between yellow, black, purple, or pink paint. We folded our papers, pressed, and opened to reveal…butterflies! A few friends gasped with delight at seeing the designs. 

We made birthday cakes in the sandbox, played family, swung up to the treetops, and the jungle gym became an airplane where the flight attendants passionately discussed whether they served everything, or only tacos!

Have a grrrrrreat weekend,

Therese