Upcoming Local Event: Kidpalooza!

This will be our 6th year attending.  We always have a great time!

We ♥ the Earth

We celebrated Earth Day all week by reading books about caring for our planet, and getting lots of time outdoors to explore and enjoy nature first hand.  We also traced and finger-painted to make this craft:

Benefits of Mixed-Age Interaction

One of my favorite things about our group is watching some of the "littles" grow to become "bigs" - and seeing them interact with younger peers in the same way that older children once did with them.

Here is a wonderful example of this cycle of friendship: Jacob has been with us since he was six weeks old, and is now a helpful, sociable five-year-old. Today, he spent some time building a train for his little buddy Austyn to play with. After working to get it just right, Jacob proudly presented his creation to his friend. Austyn excitedly crawled over and began grabbing individual pieces. Jacob laughed and said, "Well, that's okay. I think he likes it!"  :)

It Began as a Cloud Race...

A group activity to go with our Wind theme this week: tape on the floor, straws, and cotton ball "clouds." It was great fun blowing through the straws to make our clouds race down the track!

After a while, some of the children wanted to try out other items to race on the track.

Eventually, the monster trucks tired from racing and joined us in sensory play instead.

 

A Sneak Peek for This Week

We have a new setup at the sand table this week.  Dinosaurs and lizards have joined our dump truck and digger.  Take a look: 

SiLLy WeEk!

"Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face." -Victor Hugo

Welcome to another annual "Silly Week"...

where all kinds of unexpected things may happen!  :)

We ate off of funny plates,

and played with monster eyeballs!

They were so slippery, slimy, and silly!

Mommies and Daddies found a HUGE pen at the sign-in station. We tried it out to write our names too:

During story time, Ms. Steph read a book backwards! And one of them was upside down!

Goofy signs were popping up all over the place! On our food, in the toilet, on the restroom door:

When we went on our weekly Field Trip to the library, Miss Katy read us books all about funny things.  She said it was "Sloof Lirpa!"

We ate crazy-colored noodles with lunch

and had some other tricky foods, too.  We thought we were having juice for a treat, but when we couldn't drink it, we realized that it was really jello. Ms. Steph gave us these "french fries" too (apple slices with caramel dip.)

We came up with all sorts of silly ideas on our own during play time.

It was such a FUN and SILLY week!

Resources:
Water beads can be purchased through Amazon here (affiliate link):
Mixed Colors Water Pearls

We Read for the Record!

We participated in the We Give Books reading event to celebrate Jumpstart's Read for the Record!

This year, we read Otis by Loren Long. It is a beautiful story about friendship. We were all enthralled with kind Otis, and the tractor enthusiasts in our group were pleased that he was the hero of the story.  ;)

"New York Times bestselling author/artist Loren Long creates an unforgettable children's classic.

Otis is a special tractor. He loves his farmer and he loves to work. And he loves the little calf in the next stall, whom he purrs to sleep with his soft motor. In fact, the two become great friends: they play in the fields, leap hay bales, and play ring-around-the-rosy by Mud Pond.

But when Otis is replaced with the big yellow tractor, he is cast away behind the barn, unused, unnoticed . . . until the little calf gets stuck in Mud Pond. Then there is only one tractor—and it’s not big or yellow—who can come to the rescue. It is little old Otis who saves his friend. It is Otis who saves the day."

There are three copies of this book at the Logan-Hocking County District Library. Otis by Loren Long may also be purchased through Amazon (affiliate link):

Photo Update - Wrapping Up 2012

My husband designed the new train seats in the Children's area at the county library:

Below are some final random photos for the year, including the first day of school for our older elementary students and a field trip to Old Man's Cave to see a program by Naturalist Pat Quackenbush.

I was impressed to learn that three children from our group had all been honored by their elementary school teachers as "Students of the Month" - so proud of them!

Group Literacy Project

In conjunction with an assignment for a course that I am taking on Intentional Teaching, the "big kids" recently completed a group literacy project.  First, the children chose a book.  They selected The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri.  We read the book several times.

Next came the planning phase.

They assigned characters,



designed the set,







and found items to create costumes.




Then came rehearsal:



And the final production:

Great work, everyone. Take a bow!




There are two copies of this book at the Logan-Hocking County District Library. The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri may also be purchased through Amazon (affiliate link):

Our Annual Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

We had another wonderful visit to Walker Farm.  This has become a yearly tradition for our group each fall.  The children enjoy pulling wagons and pushing wheelbarrows into the field to choose the perfect pumpkins, exploring along the way.



Click to enlarge the photo below, and look closely.  While we were at the pumpkin patch, Air Force One, carrying President Obama, flew over on the way to Athens.  What an exciting moment!



As always, I am so grateful for the involved parents that we have here at Kinder Beginnings.  The children were excited to share this experience with their families.