4/16-4/20

This was the "birthday week." On Monday, we celebrated TK's birthday, again, and Ms. Hussey's birthday -- then SK's on Tuesday and BH's on Wednesday. All the children had a sun ceremony to celebrate the years they have been alive. The children hear similarities and differences that relate their own lives to that of the birthday child.

TK's family brought in a craft project for all the children to paint.

SK shared ice cream cups,
and BH celebrated with cupcakes. His family donated two books for our class to enjoy. Mom even read one to us! Thanks, Jackie! With all this "receiving" of goodies, it was nice to celebrate Ms. Hussey's day with each child giving her a stem of flowers. When everyone had given Ms. Hussey their flower, she had a beautiful bouquet. It was a beautiful way for the children to see the beauty that can be created when everyone gives.

The Party Planners went on a field trip on the bus to Safeway to get supplies for their party. While they were gone, the dynamics of the classroom changed. Relationships were formed, renewed, and strengthened.
The children continued their exploration of painting on plexiglass. Our plan is to create a mural to leave in the classroom. We will need transparent materials to enhance our mural. We will be sending a letter home about how you can help.

Look at what the children built after rest time! They wanted to leave it up and add to it the next day. We will have to figure out where the children will sleep!
The Kindergarten group met and visited the Kindergarten classrooms. They discovered that the kindergartners do many things that we do, like sign in in the morning and learn new words. The kinders also have magnets and manipulatives, like us!
We decided to revisit the idea of self-portraits. Instead of using a mirror, this time we are observing actual photographs. As with our first attempt at the beginning of the year, the children will be working on their portraits in steps and through multiple meetings.
The children are interested in playing board games. Here, MF and EC played Poles and Ladders. The teachers are trying to encourage taking turns, waiting patiently, and good sportsmanship. We are also telling them that if they start a game, they should finish the game.
While meeting with the group that is preparing information for the "3's class," Ms. Iris realized we were out of printer/drawing paper. The group went to the office to get paper. Knowing that the ream of paper was heavy, Ms. Iris told the children that they might want to take turns carrying the two reams back to the classroom. We were pleased to see the children taking turns and helping each other. The reams changed hands many times before arriving back at the classroom. Before ending their meeting, the group delivered a note to Ms. Kazari asking when they could visit her class to find out what the children would like to know about next year when they are in the "4's classroom."
We ended our week with a trip to the beach at Kahala to find beach glass for our plexiglass mural. The children used shovels and sifters to find their treasures.
While we were at the beach, an artist was painting a picture on a picnic table. We thought she was painting a seascape --- were we surprised when we found that she was painting a portrait out of her imagination! She talked to the children about the paints she was using.
Our last stop on the field trip was the Kahala Mandarin Hotel. Our timing was perfect for catching the dolphins interacting with hotel guests! We also had the chance to ask questions of the dolphins' trainers. We learned about the dolphins' blowholes and how they breathe air through them, about their diet of fish flown in from the East Coast, and about the ages of the dolphins.
We ended the day with a visit from the sumo wrestler, Konishiki. Who needs a nap? It's Friday -- have a great weekend with your family!