The Family, Working Together

We have completed a week focusing on our families.
Activities included:

Nature Journals with special attention to the birds we saw
Drawing our families
Talking about different aspects of family life each morning: family size, who does the cooking, brothers and sisters, helping out with chores and work around the house, parents' jobs, and games we play.

We played "Mother May I?" and learned many new fingerplays that were incorporated into our circle times.
"Little Thumbkins", "The Happy Family", and "The Finger Family"

It was fun to see the children recognizing many of the trees and nuts we have learned while taking our nature walk this past Wednesday.

Art projects have included A Family of Hands with watercolors, making our own play dough, and a bird chart.

Nature Walk verse:
"The crickets are calling,
The red leaves are falling,
The meadows are brown and sere;
The birds are not nesting,
The earth begins resting,
Because it's the fall of the year"

Books from the week:
A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza
I Loved You Before You Were Born by Anne Bowen
If You Were My Bunny by Kate Mcmullan
My Dad/My Mom by Anthony Browne
A Circle of Friends by Giora Carmi

This Week's Reflection:

Working Together

"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success."
-Henry Ford

"Without the love and support of others in our lives, our riches lose their value. Without our own hopes and dreams, our souls long for more. How do we create harmonious relationships with those around us while pursuing to our own desires and passions?

Balance is the answer to so many of our questions and problems. We each have strengths that we can contribute to the whole of our family or workplace. We also have talents and interests that should be fostered separately, which in turn fill our soul and enhance our relationships.

Do you strive to bring out the best in others or do you point out their weaknesses? Do you shine light on the gifts and strengths of those individuals that have been placed in your path? Do you nurture their hopes and dreams? Do you encourage them toward greatness?

Do you take time for yourself daily to sit and think/reflect? Do you follow your passions and make time to express yourself creatively? Are you making yourself a priority? How do you feel about who you are? Do you focus on your beauty, gifts, and talents? Are you thankful for all you have? How do you nurture and love yourself daily?

As parents, teachers, and caregivers, we often tend to everyone else's needs and forget our own. Spend time this week finding the balance you need in your life."
-Little Acorn Learning

Happy Fall to everyone!
This next week brings our attention to the moon, stars, and harvesting.