AFC PINE PM

  It has been an exciting day in the Pine room. Our little butterflies have made their way to the top of the cup to create their chrysalises! The kids were stoked.  "Look look they are a cocoon!" "No, it's a chrysalis!" "A chrysalis?" "Yeah! They are going to be butterflies!" The kids gathered around the plastic cup to see the furry little creatures attach themselves to the lid.  They continued to look at them and comment on what they were seeing. Some of the kids began drawing what the caterpillars looked like, but J decided he was going to create a chrysalis for our small plastic caterpillar. "Ms. Jill! Look, I made a chrysalis!" J had taken some time to mold the clay over the plastic bug to create the chrysalis! Such a great idea. That gave us an idea as we were still planning on going to the forest after meeting.  With bags packed and bug catchers in hand we were off to the forest!  "I can't find any bugs. They aren...

  The kids are loving being able to watch these little caterpillars crawl around in the plastic cup. It's the first thing they ask about when coming into school! We spent the majority of the beginning of the day looking at the caterpillars, drawing them, and trying to make them out of clay. It was was both calming and educational! Shout out to L for bringing in a cool book about bugs and specifically butterflies 😊 Our day was not finished, however. After meeting we set out on our walk towards the sculpture park. We found out from another classroom that there is access to a creek a little bit down the road from the sculpture park. We HAD to check it out. Below you can see their excitement in being able to explore the new space. They talked about what animals they might see, what they could do in the creek, and how the water felt. It was such a good short visit that the kids cannot wait to throw on some rain boots and play in the creek for next time! 

  Welcome back! We started this week off with a bang. Over break I ordered some caterpillars and a butterfly garden since a lot of what we have focused on this year has been anything pertaining to outside. The kids were SO excited to see the fuzzy little worms crawling around in the cup.  "Caterpillars!" "They will be butterflies?" "They are getting big and look at all the food!" "They are going to be butterflies really soon. Like maybe in a little bit." "Yeah they have to be in cocoons to be butterflies!" The conversation revolved mostly about the life cycle which was perfect! Everyone crowded around the drawing table and began making some predictions on what they eat, when they will become butterflies, and how they grow so fast.  If you are interested in trying at home, you can go  here. I am so excited to see what goes on from here throughout the coming days and weeks. 

  We spent our afternoon today expelling all kinds of energy before settling down with our Dogwood friends to enjoy a short movie and some treats! The kids not only got to play a great game of musical chairs with Ms. Julie, but they also played in the gym. While in the gym the kids biked around tile, climbed on the climbing wall, built tall towers, and of course played lots of silly games that allowed us to laugh and make jokes.  By the end of the day everyone was exhausted and ready to snack on a cookie and a donut. Such a great way to end our day!  Have a great and safe break, can't wait to see you all again on March 29th! 

  The camping continues! It has really been fun to observe the campsite play these last few days. The kids have been so responsive to one another and have talked about a range of pretend play involving camping. Today, it was imperative to roast marshmallows around the "campfire."  "We need sticks!" "Yeah, and marshmallows because we have to roast them on the fire!" "Make sure they don't burn!" "Ah! They might fall in the fire!" They have come up with all kinds of things to do at the campsite, tomorrow- fishing! 

  This afternoon J & L enjoyed a lovely day camping! After yesterday's challenge of building a tent, the kids continued with their play and began expanding it. More materials were set up to encourage more creative play.  "We need a campfire! We roast marshmallows and make food." "I want to roast a marshmallow!" "We can sleep in the tents when it gets dark!" "I want to tell stories and sing songs." "We can do that! I will sing you a song." J closed his eyes and very softly began singing a song.  As it came to an end L expressed his desire to tell a story. In the video below you will see all of these different things transpire. It went as far as looking up at the stars! We paused play for a second to be able to cut out our own and put them on the ceiling. It was such a fun afternoon! 

In the beginning of the year we tried out an activity to see how the kids would be able to work together to try and build a fort. The activity wasn't as successful as we hoped so we put something like this on pause. It takes a lot of executive thinking to be able to work together, problem solve, and view things from another person's perspective. The kids were not quite ready for such a task back in September, but as they have grown and learned how to work together we decided we would try it out again! In the video below you can see lots of furrowed brows, many confused looks, but lots of happiness when the goal was achieved! Week to week these kids continue to amaze me with their ability to stick together and create something amazing. 

  Just wanted to give J a big happy birthday shoutout! Enjoy this fun video of the kids helping him celebrate 😊

  The forest is such an appealing place because of the fresh air, room to run, and being able to CLIMB! The kids look forward to getting to the forest week to week to try out their best climbing skills. Since the start of school, they have really shown a great deal of bravery and courage as they test out new spots in the forest to climb around. The video below highlights some of those riskier climbs as well as the different strategies they use to get from one end of the log to the other. So good! 

  This afternoon was one for the books! As you know a few weeks ago we implemented a strategy through the use of "kindness clouds" to build some intrinsic motivation. Since that first day the kids have had varied reactions to putting up kindness clouds throughout the day. Sometimes they are really excited and are highly motivated to fill up our sky with clouds and others it doesn't matter as much. Today, however, all I have been hearing is "Ms. Jill, we need another kindness cloud!"  So awesome! Not only did the kids tell me when they needed clouds, L asked if he could help me write some of the cool things our friends were doing. With all the positivity flowing in our classroom we took the opportunity to read a book about worrying.  Ruby Finds a Worry The kids were so engaged! As we read through the book they commented on the characters feelings and how they changed as her worry grew bigger. By the end of the book, J said he had a worry and asked to talk about ...

  Wow did we start this week off right! Not only did we spend a majority of our day outside, but we also got to use glitter. LOTS of glitter. Since we are always working on our self regulation, we thought it would be a good idea to carry some of these good strategies into our lives at home. Today, the kids sat down at the big table to create their very own sensory/ calm down bottles. This was so fun and the kids were very engaged! I mean who wouldn't want to put a bunch of glitter in a bottle?!  After making the bottles we talked about when we should use it.  "We can use it when we are feeling mad! You shake it all crazy!" "Yeah, or maybe when you're sad." We quickly practiced some crazy bodies before taking a deep breath and doing some yoga poses to bring us back to center. Once these bottles are dry, you can expect them to come right on home! They are a great fidget to keep in a special place in your house or maybe even the car. Enjoy this video of glitter...

  This afternoon at the clay table some friends were creating all kinds of animals including birds, snakes, and made up creatures. As they worked quietly, L began choosing very specific pieces. He continued to roll the clay around in his hands and against the table. He cut pieces of pipecleaner, picked out some googly eyes, and smashed some balls of clay together.  "Look! I'm making J!"  Everyone looked up and watched as L presented his creation of J.  "That's ME?!" J asked.  "Yeah, look, you are flying!"  L began guiding the clay creation around in the air like he was flying. J watched in awe and smiled.  Such a sweet moment in our class today! The clay table has been their favorite this week and love creating all kinds of things. Over the week we have saved the creations and are allowing ample drying time to paint next week.  Have a great weekend! 

  It may have been naive to think there wouldn't be that much mud at the forest, but we went anyway and only in some rain boots... well after a few minutes we quickly realized some of these puddles were MUCH deeper than anticipated. It was so fun to watch the kids splash around, get muddy, and enjoy playing in the sunshine. 

  You know we have all been talking about birds for the last few weeks. With some failed attempts to begin to construct our own we finally found an art medium the kids really enjoy, clay! We broke open a new tub of clay today and began to explore the many different ways in which we can manipulate the sticky dough to create birds. It was such a great way to start our day before heading off to the sculpture park. L, F, & O were determined to create both real birds they have seen and fake ones they hope they can see one day. Our first round practicing with the clay was successful  and I cannot wait for y'all to see the end products! 

We spent a majority of our afternoon out on the hillside by the snail. This area is one the kids really love at first, but then begin to become bored over a period of time. Today, however, the kids were totally engrossed in a game very similar to basketball, but they had to get the different sized balls into the various holes around the snail. It was hilarious! Not only did the kids cheer one another on, they also stayed persistent in their efforts. It was too good!