Wonderful day....

We had such a special day today.
We read a Russian tale called Uncle Vova's Tree by Patricia Polacco and also have been reading The Nutcracker which has captivated the children's attention. After our reading this afternoon, we all used pastels on paper while listening to a fully Orchestrated version by Tchaikovsky. The children practiced saying this difficult name and we talked about what was happening during some of the pieces of music.
I also told a story about an evergreen tree that provided a home for a bird with a broken wing and we learned all about trees that stay green throughout the winter. We heard about spruce, pine, and juniper trees and looked at pictures of each of them.
This week we will be making winter bird treats to hang in our trees, drawing sketches of trees in our nature journals, learning more winter songs, poems, and fingerplays and talking about the third week of advent.