Hello Families!
I hope this post finds you doing well and adjusting to this shift in the weather. It sure has taken a wintry turn these days. Hopefully, all of the blustery rain will subside long enough so we can trick-or-treat on Monday night!
Last week was a short one, so I didn’t post about it. But, I did want to recognize what a fantastic job the whole Kindergarten group did at MARS. They were so brave to get up in front of the WHOLE school and sing a “ready to learn” song they learned with Amy. They really showed confidence and pride in the performance. I was so proud of them! I hope you were able to see the video I sent out of the song. It was sweet.
On our In-service day last week, Miss Myriah and I visited the Ottauquechee School in Quechee, VT. We spent the day learning from a Kindergarten class that spends one day a week outside – Thoreau Thursdays. It was so inspirational and fun! We had a blast watching the children and learning from their very knowledgeable teacher. At their school, they did math, literacy and morning meeting outside in their forest classroom. I am sure this visit will help to guide our practice and procedures in our own outdoor space.
Color Week has begun with lots of fun and enthusiasm! Thanks for helping to keep all the children so color-themed! Red Day was a great way to start the week – bright and vibrant. Orange Day was probably the highlight, however! We made four different recipes with Laura LaVacca, an educator and chef with ANESU Food Service Cooperative. We processed the pumpkins on Monday afternoon in groups. On Tuesday, we made pumpkin hummus, pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin muffins and even pumpkin polenta! It was so much fun. Each child participated in the preparation of one dish and then we tried them all! I will try to include the recipes in the post below.
On Green Day, we completed our Pumpkin Cycle timelines and even “became” pumpkins in our own room as we acted out the cycle on our own “stage.” You will see some pictures of us becoming – seeds, sprouts, flowers, vines, small green pumpkins, larger orange pumpkins – below. It was fun to see the children make decisions according to the stage of the pumpkin to communicate artistic choices. Prior to becoming pumpkins, we practiced using our faces to communicate feelings and talked about how our body language/shape can convey a certain idea, object or feeling. I think the experience enhanced everyone’s understanding of the pumpkin life cycle in a fun and engaging way! See for yourself in the pictures that follow.
Finally, blue were some of our outfits – as well as some of our fingers! – as we spent our time outside on Friday afternoon! The weather wasn’t nearly as rainy as we anticipated while we were out working today but most of us still managed to get muddy and damp. It was cold! Today, we spent a lot of time talking about forest animals and their homes in the classroom during morning meeting. When we were outside, we did lots of exploring and I am sure that those animals and their homes were on our minds. The weather surely didn’t slow down our adventures in the woods. Not to sound like a broken record, but, PLEASE help your child to make sure they are all geared up – hats, mittens, boots, snow pants – for our work in the woods.
Thanks for coming for Parent Conferences this week and next week. Again, if something arises and you are unable to keep your appointment, just let me know!
Dates to Remember:
10/31 – Biking with Mrs. DeGuise (9:00-10:00) If you are able to bring your child’s bike for this session, please drop it off at the gym entrance with their name on it.
10/31 – Halloween Party and Parade – 1-1:45 – Party in our classroom followed by whole school parade hopefully outdoors
11/1 – Parent Conferences – 3:00-7:00
11/4 – No School for Students
11/7 – Turkey Raffle Tickets and money due
11/8 – ECHO Field Trip – Please send slip back ASAP!
11/17 – Harvest Luncheon – Roast turkey with all the trimmings
Family members are welcome to come. The price for an adult meal is $5.00 and children are $2.50. Reservations should be no later than Monday, November 14. Lunch will be served at the regular times.
11/21 – Kindergarten Puppet Making Workshop with Barbara Paulson – All Day – We were awarded a grant from 5 Town Friends of the Arts to fund this AMAZING project and we are SO THANKFUL. We will need parent volunteers to help make our puppets so put it in the calendar!
11/23 – Thanksgiving Break begins
Have a super weekend!
vtcountrykindergarten 
Fantastic newsletter! The pictures tell the whole story! Thank you for all of the effort you put into it.
Edorah
On Sat, Oct 29, 2016 at 5:07 AM, vtcountrykindergarten wrote:
> kacnlake posted: “Hello Families! I hope this post finds you doing well > and adjusting to this shift in the weather. It sure has taken a wintry turn > these days. Hopefully, all of the blustery rain will subside long enough so > we can trick-or-treat on Monday night! Last wee” >
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! It is fun to reflect on all of our adventures!
LikeLike