Welcome and Thank you to our new friends

This welcome is long overdue.
We have new friends, Dagny and Eridanis, who have joined our group!
Thanks also to Dagny for donating much needed sand to our sand area. She filled it and finished the project two weeks ago! She has also helped to design our new flyers. If you would be able to distribute any to the community, we would be grateful.

Traveling

We are traveling this week! Using the library's theme, "One World, Many Stories" we are studying the food, music, geography, people, languages, and stories of various countries.
This week we have been to Bolivia, France, China, Israel, and Egypt! Each child has their own "passport" that holds their photo, information about them, and a place for stamps and symbols of each place visited.
Big cardboard boxes are enriching our current outdoor play by transforming into boats, airplanes, and trains as the children climb in, use tickets, and begin their trips!
We are learning new words and phrases from each country, sampling similar foods, finding specific places on the map, and having lots of fun!

The Caterpillar, Transformation

We will be exploring caterpillars this week.
If you happen to find one with your child while out on a nature walk, please bring it in to share. We are on the lookout for these creatures and may order some this week to observe the process of becoming a butterfly.
Bean bag caterpillars, tissue paper butterflies, new circle time verses, songs, and poems, building a butterfly house, a caterpillar chain, finding out what kinds of flowers attract butterflies, planting more flowers around the outdoor areas, having time visiting with our gardener from Urban Farms to help the children start their own garden space, and working on our nature journals are just a few of the activities we will be working on together.

The books we will read:

Monarch Butterfly of Aster Way by Elizabeth Ring
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Charlie the Caterpillar by Dom Deluise
Clara Caterpillar by Pamela Duncan Edwards
From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Deborah Heiligman
Caterpillars, Bugs, and Butterflies by Mel Boring
Caterpillars and Butterflies by Stephanie Turnbull
Arabella Miller's Tiny Caterpillar by Clare Jarrett
The Goodnight Caterpillar: A Children's Relaxation Story to Improve Sleep, Manage Stress, Anxiety, Anger by Lori Lite
Butterfly House by Eve Bunting
The Butterfly Book by Kersten Hamilton
Where Butterflies Grow by Joanne Ryder

Nature Walk Verse:

"Now we know that May hath come,
O'er the meadows dancing;
Robin lilts his sweetest song,
Sunbeams round him glancing."

This Week's Reflection: Transformation

"The caterpillar trusts his maker that all is well. He does not cling to his old garment and thus is transformed into a magnificent butterfly. There is no pain, it is a natural transmutation. So it is with us. As the chrysalis is the bridge between caterpillar and butterfly, so is true perception the bridge between separation and Oneness. We are transmuting into a new state of Being. Clinging to our caterpillar stage, our old ways of judgment, we shall never learn to fly into the dawn of a new day."
-Peter Erbe

Trusting where we are at this present moment will help us transform into the Being we are meant to be. We create our own suffering - thinking and analyzing where we are going and what we are to become...worrying and planning...wondering if we are on the right path. What we fail to realize is that we are already whole - right Now is the answer. Trust the process without resistance and let go of the old way of thinking that has held you back so long. The path of least resistance is the way."
-Little Acorn Learning

The Beekeeper

The Bee Keeper came to visit today and the children were captivated by his presentation. They were all attentive as Roger showed all the tools he uses to care for his bees and beehives. He talked about the process of collecting honey and wax and passed around photos, beeswax, and a tray from one of his hives. It smelled so good! Everyone was able to sample a "honey candy" and there was an unexpected surprise at the end.....a baby raccoon!

The Bee and Community

Bees and other insects, community, working together, and good manners will be our themes next week.
We will be studying the life of bees, making our own granola, sampling local honey, taking a field trip to Mama Jeans, hearing beekeepers talk, working together on our outdoor play areas with rakes, shovels, and wheelbarrows, planting beans and flowers, practicing good manners with our friends, making felt bees, modeling with beeswax, hearing stories, songs, and poems about bees, making honey sesame "candy", going on a bee hunt, creating felt bees, and playing bee games.

Our books to look at together include:

The Life and Times of the Honeybee by Charles Micucci
The Honey Makers by Gail Gibbons
Honey in a Hive by Anne Rockwell
The Beautiful Bee Book by Sue Unstead
When the Bees Fly Home by Andrea Chang
The Queen Bee by The Brothers Grimm
Learning About Bees from Mr. Kreb by Alice Flanagan
Bumblebee at Apple Tree Lane by Laura Galvin
The Bumblebee Queen by April Sayre
Sing and Hum Bumblebee by Mari and Maya
The Best Beekeeper of Lalibela: A Tale from Africa by Cristina Kessler
The Beeman by Laurie Krebs
Love is a Handful of Honey by Giles Andreae
In the Trees Honeybees by Lori Mortensen
Words are not for Hurting by Elizabeth Verdick
Please is a Good Word to Say by Barbara Joosse
Madeline Says Merci by John Marciano

Nature Walk Verse:

The buzzing bee gives honey sweet
To every little neighbor
Then thanks to her we all repeat
For her unceasing labor

This week's reflection: Community

"How does one keep from "Growing old inside"? Surely only in community. The only way to make friends with time is to stay friends with people....taking community seriously not only gives us the companionship we need, it also relieves us of the notion that we are indispensable."
-Robert Mcafee Brown

" Being a parent and caregiver is extremely rewarding, however, because we work out of our homes caring for children we are not able to interact with other adults as often as many professionals do each day.

The benefits that come along with being an active member of your community are endless. Studies show that those of us who get involved have improved health as well as a stronger sense of purpose and fulfillment in life. What can you do to get involved? Spend time meditating on how you and your children can become more active in your community. Make a list and make it happen."

Little Acorn Learning

Turtles and Progress

We are learning all about turtles, fish, and other sea creatures this coming week!
Our activities will include growth charts for all the children, turtle verses, songs, stories, and games, goldfish for the classroom, turtle avocado treats, and felt turtles and fish.
There will be a story told called "The Slow Little Mud Turtle" and the following books:

All About Turtles by Jim Arnosky
My Turtle by Cate Foley
The Tortoise and the Jackrabbit by Susan Lowell
Tortoise Brings the Mail by Dee Lillegard
The Turtle and the Moon by Charles Turner
Old Turtle and the Broken Truth by Douglas Wood
One Tiny Turtle by Nicola Davies
Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back by Joseph Bruchac
Emma's Turtle by Eve Bunting
Box Turtle at Silver Pond Land by Susan Korman


Nature Walk Verse:

"Little brook with happy song,
Ripple, ripple, all day long;
Now in the wood, now in the meadow,
Now in the sun, now in the shadow.
Chatter, chatter! Sing-song!
Ripple, ripple, all day long."

This Weeks' Reflection: Progress

"We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive."

"Our society screams at us to get ahead, move forward, win, and succeed. What does true success in life really mean to you? True success in life is to love and be loved, to make a difference in this world, to appreciate your gifts, your talents, and the simple every day beauty around you. Spend time this week thinking about how often you push yourself to produce, succeed, and get ahead in life. Stop and breathe, do an "about turn" if necessary...look at what is already yours. Absorb all of it, every moment...be grateful and realize that you are already ahead of the game exactly where you are."
-Little Acorn Learning

May Day, Dancing, Cinco de Mayo

Hark! The sea faring wild fowl loud proclaim
My coming, and the swarming of the bees.
These are my heralds, and behold! My name
Is written in blossoms on the hawthorn trees
I tell the mariner when to said the trees
I waft o'er all the land from far away
The breath and bloom of the Hesperides,
My birthplace, I am Maia, I am May
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The May full moon is often called the full flower moon due to the abundance of flowers typically visible this time of year.

May first is May Day and we will celebrate with Maypole dancing throughout the week. If you have any special flowers, please send these in on Monday or any day as we will be making crowns for all the children.

We will also be making May Day baskets to give to our friends, trying lots of new dances, collecting, observing, pressing flowers, making our own flower books and bookmarks, May garland hoops, and playing May Day games.

Thursday is Cinco de Mayo and we will have a pinata ( with nutritious treats) and hear stories about this wonderful day.


Nature Walk verse:

Starting, starting from the earth,
See the pretty flowers,
Wakened from their winter sleep
By the springtime showers


This week's reflection: Dancing

"A child sings before it speaks, dances almost before it walks. Music is in our hearts from the beginning."
-Pamela Brown

"As time goes on we can sometimes forget to listen to our own music. Or maybe it seems as if it has left or just so far away. It has not left you....it is behind your worries...your anger...your fear. Maybe it is behind your thoughts. It is time to clear a path back to your heart...throw away all of the things that are blocking the sound that will lead you to your purpose in life. Listen to the music in your heart and dance."

Dog Days

Miss Laney brought a special dog visitor today! The children enjoyed playing with Gertie and watching her perform many dog tricks including shaking hands, jumping, sitting, playing fetch, and rolling over on the ground. She accompanied our group to the park and was very well behaved.
Our activities this week have revolved around dogs, pets, and taking care of animals.
Dog houses and beds were created by Miss Meghan with cardboard boxes, newspapers, and blankets. The children pretended to be dogs and dog owners. Feeding, grooming, training, and cleaning up after animals were earnestly practiced as the children focused on the care of pets.

We observed many different types of dogs, made dog masks, played hopscotch with dog bone shapes, had "obedience school" with a simon says game, and finger knitted dog leashes.

We also made our own animal books, labeled the animals, did a fun science experiment about rain water running down a foil hill in a big pan, made foil balls to toss into a variety of box shapes and added up the points designated to each shot, and had a "pet show" day on Thursday when each child had the opportunity to tell us about their chosen stuffed pet.

Dogs, Pets, and Taking Care of our animal friends

We are studying dogs this week and how to care for our animal friends!

Easter, Eggs, and Baby Animals

We have many exciting happenings this week.
Our studies include egg observations and discussions about baby animals that come from eggs.

Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey is our new story focus for the next two weeks.
Activities include:

Finding Boston, Massachusetts on a map, studying family relationships, talking about words that rhyme, finding lines of motion in art, math grouping, counting practice, the development of a duck egg, animal parenting, and being appreciative by saying "thank you".

C is the letter of the week and we will be doing many hands on sensory projects with this:

Filling in the letter C outline with car stickers, baking cookies in the shape of C, building cardboard cities and garages for small cars.

Our egg crafts include:

Egg stained glass pictures, dyeing eggs, watercolor egg painting, making individual nests and egg mosaics.

Fairies, Fostering Trust

Seven Little Fairies

Seven little fairies came,
When the storm was ended,
Seven little fairies came,
Dressed up very splendid.
Hand in hand they tripped along,
Keeping time together,
Driving gloomy clouds away,
Bringing back clear weather.
Seven little fairies came,
When the storm was ended,
Seven little fairies came,
Dressed up very splendid.

Studying fairies this week will inspire many hours of happy and creative play for sure!

We will hear a story told called, The Feisty Fairy, by Eileen Straiton. It's about learning that some of the most precious things we find are more beautiful when they are left untouched.

Some of our activities will include making fairy houses, fairy bread, clothespin fairies, and playing trust games outside. We will be learning lots of new poems, songs, and reading books all about fairies.

Book titles:

Fairy Houses by Tracy Kane
How to Find Flower Fairies by Cicely Barker
Fairy Island by Laura Martin
Glower Fairies by Cicely Barker
The Book of Fairies by Michael Hague
In the Land of Fairies by Daniela Drescher
Mother Earth and Her Children by Sibylle von Olfers
The Book of Fairy Princes by Isabel Wyatt
The Dreamtime Fairies by Jane Simmons


Please Bring in a Special Rock or Gemstone on Thursday.
Please also bring in any natural materials you find around your yard or parks/trails for building fairy houses such as drift wood, moss, rocks, bark, pine needles, pinecones, leaves, acorns, twigs, etc.

We will also be having our Spanish lesson, doing creative and hands-on sensory experiences with the letter B and its sound, sewing fairy pouches, having a special singing with guitar time on Thursday mornings, talking about trust, planting seeds in our garden beds, drawing in our nature journals about many scientific discoveries outside, and creating beautiful Monet-inspired art.

Nature Walk Verse:

Come, follow, follow me,
Ye fairy elves that be;
Light tripping o'er the green
Come, follow Mab, your queen!
Hand in hand we'll dance around,
For this place is Fairy ground.

This week's reflection: Fostering Trust

"I have seen flowers come in stony places
And kind things done by men with ugly faces
And the gold cup won by the worst horse at the races,
So I trust too."
-John Masefield

"Trust is not easy. We must remind ourselves daily that we are right where we are meant to be-right now, right here. When we lose focus and live too much in the future or the past, we lose our trust in the universe-the now. What do you need to do today? Start there and trust that the rest will follow."
-Little Acorn Learning

New Faces, Gardening, and Growing

Welcome to Miss Laney, our new morning teacher! She arrived just in time here at Apple Blossom.
We also have a new baby who arrived on Wednesday, March 30th! It was a very exciting week for everyone.
Our studies this week will focus on gardening and growing.
We are starting a letter of the week and this week is A.

Books we will read together include:

Sow and Grow by Tina Davis
I Love Dirt! by Jennifer Ward
The Gardener by Sarah Stewart
The Money Tree by Sarah Stewart
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
Scarlette Beane by Karen Wallace
Tim and Sally's Vegetable Garden by Grady Thrasher
Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert
Flower Garden by Eve Bunting
The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
Sunflower House by Eve Bunting

If you have a plant that your child could bring in to share, please bring it in on Wednesday for our plant sharing day.

Please pack a lunch for your child on Wednesday and Thursday.

Activities for the week:

Homegrown Easter baskets
Signs of Growth Nature Walk
Digging in the dirt to prepare our garden beds
Fish Tank Gardens
Wildflower Nature Books
Planting seeds with Miss Lucy Howell, our gardening expert from Springfield Urban Agriculture Coalition
Spanish lesson on Monday
Letter of the week work: Identifying, sounding out, writing, tracing, finding things that start with the letter, letter collage
Singing with Miss Laney and her guitar
Thursday: Music class with Miss Casey
New Spring Circle time poems, stories, and songs

This Week's Reflection: Growing

"Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still"
-Chinese Proverb

"The inner feeling we all have to move forward and grow is a gift we are all given. Sometimes we may feel like we are not progressing as fast as we wish. But the feeling we have inside to move forward is a compass that will lead us toward or destiny. Each step we make, no matter how great or small, leads us closer to where we are meant to be. Take time this week to sit in silence and feel the inner urges you have for your own life. Trust the messages you are receiving and act accordingly."
-Little Acorn Learning

Rainbows, Creating Color

The Rainbow
-Christina Rosetti

Boats sail on the rivers,
And ships sail on the seas;
But clouds that sail across the sky
Are prettier far than these,
There are bridges on the rivers,
As pretty as you please;
But the bow that bridges heaven,
And overtops the trees,
And builds a road from earth to sky,
Is prettier far than these.

This week we are exploring rainbows and creating color!

We will be reading the following books:

The Rainbow Goblin by Ul De Rico
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Whlert
All the Colors of the Rainbow Allan Fowler
Rainbow and You by Edwin Krupp
A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman
Color Dance by Ann Jonas
A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni
Rainbow Crow by Nancy Van Laan
Rainbow Rhino by Peter Sis
Light and Color by Peter D. Riley
Colors by Chuck Murphy
Color Me A Rhyme: Nature Poems for Young People by Jane Yolen
Vincent's Colors Vincent van Gogh and The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Living Color by Steve Jenkins
Growing Colors by Bruce Mcmillan
Color Kittens by Margaret Wise Brown

Color has a deep effect on us and can often set a mood as we enter a space. Primary colors that are typically used in childcare settings and school environments can often seem harsh and irritating. Soft colors and natural light work to soothe the senses and we strive for this type of atmosphere here at Apple Blossom Preschool.

We will hear a story told called The Sunbeam's Visit by Cornelia Fulton Crary that is about the colors of the rainbow and how each unique beam shines in their own way, just as little children who are bright and happy help others to be bright and happy as well.

Activities for the week include observing photos of rainbows, creating a magical rainbow with colored lights in our classroom, mixing colors to create new ones, making rainbow play dough, natural plant dyeing, experimenting with rainbow colors in a jar, rainbow ice,

Nature Walk Verse:

"I'll be a little sunbeam true,
A tiny ray of light,
And try in all I say and do
To make the world more bright"

This Week's Reflection: Creating Color

"The white light streams down to be broken up by those human prisms into all the colors of the rainbow. Take your own color in the pattern and be just that". - Charles R. Brown

"Each of us has been given our own color and light that we are to share with the rest of the world. what are your true colors? How can you best serve humanity and those around you? Meditate on what your unique talents, desires, and gifts are. Then, consider how you can use them to the best of your ability in all aspects of your life. This can be a life changing process if you are truthful with yourself."

-Little Acorn Learning

Spring, Shamrocks, Luck, and Leprechauns

We are continuing our theme of shamrocks, luck, and leprechauns this week as we also celebrate Spring!
Thanks to everyone who brought in a green snack to share last Thursday. We had green apples, pears, jello, celery, and soybeans! The children were delighted and happily devoured all the treats.

Miss Meghan will be back to teach here on Monday. Her schedule will be Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 2 to 5:30. We are all very excited for her return!

Miss Casey will also be helping here three mornings a week from 8 to 11 and may help even more within the next two weeks.

Our planned activities for the week include:

Exploring shamrocks/four leaf clovers
Four leaf clover hunt
Pot of gold hunt
Painting Shamrocks
Clover sun catchers
Setting up a Spring nature space
Spring mural
Wind socks
Wind games

The books we will read together:

Clever Tom and the Leprechaun: An Old Irish Story by Linda Shute
Billy Beg and His Bull; An Irish Tale by Ellin Greene
Brigid's Cloak: An Ancient Irish Story by Bryce Milligan
Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato by Tomie dePaola (what other book has this author written?)
The Spring Equinox: Celebrating the Greening of the Earth by Ellen Jackson
Spring by Gerda Miller
Spring Thaw by Steven Schnur

Nature Walk Verse:

Spring!Spring! Spring!
You are a brave thing;
On the ground you will not lie,
Always up from it you fly.
Your own force
Does, of course,
Take you up so high.

This week's reflection: Luck

"Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you have got it, you may be smart enough to see, is what you would have wanted had you known."
-Garrison Keillor

"When we think of being lucky, we usually think of getting what we could only wish for. More often than not, however, what we wish for is not all we imagined it be in the first place. Spend time this week imagining yourself without all of the blessings in your life. Realize how very lucky you are. Be grateful and understand that when we do not get what we want, it is sometimes for the best."
-Little Acorn Learning

Outdoor Play Space

Our first parent workday is scheduled for this coming Saturday, March 26th from 10 a.m. to noon, weather permitting. We will also be having a potluck lunch together, so bring your favorite food to share.
There are now some photos posted of what we are striving to accomplish in our outdoor play area to give you a sense of what needs to be done. Of course this will not happen in one day, but we hope to get a good start on cleanup and finishing the sand area. If you can find any of the needed items and would also be willing to donate time in the future to help us install them, we would be grateful.

Music and Sounds, Listening

Our current theme is music, sounds, and listening.
We have explored the concepts of an echo, made musical pie tins with a variety of beans, played a cooperative version of musical chairs, and participated in a very interesting music class with Miss Casey. She brought special ear phones that cover the ear and block out most external sounds. They are used by people at a shooting range. It was fun to watch the children explore the absence of sound and not really mind loud screaming and beating on metal pans. They were also intrigued by the way their own voice sounded internally.

The books we are reading together:

Little Beaver and the Echo by Amy McDonald
Listen! Listen! by Phillis Gershator
Little Rat Makes Music by Monika Bang-Campbell
My Family Plays Music by Judy Cox
The Amazing Adventures of Andy Owl: A Children's Guide to Understanding Music by D.Z. Russell

How Music Came to the World: An Ancient Mexican Myth by Hal Ober
Animal Music by Harriet Ziefert
A Sound Like Someone Trying Not to Make a Sound by John Irving
Musical Life of Gustav Mole by Kathryn Meyrick
The Music Box: The Story of Cristofori by Suzanne Guy
Charlie Parker Played Be Bop by Raschka
The Listening Walk by Paul Showers
Too Much Noise by Ann McGovern
Marsh Music by Marianne Berkes
The First Music by Dylan Pritchett

This week we will be making our own tambourines, playing a game of hide and seek the sound, exploring the way a variety of music makes us feel, watercolor painting to music, starting special musical sounds at resting/nap time, learning many new songs and poems about music and sounds, hearing The Story of Echo, and discussing the anatomy of our ears.

A small sample of our morning talks:

Monday:

What part of our body do we use when we listen?
Let's be quiet and still for a minute and listen.
What sounds did you hear?
Name a few sounds that can be loud.
Name some sounds that can be soft.
Let's look at pictures of ear parts

Tuesday:

Sounds can make us feel different. Some sounds can make us feel happy, like listening to our favorite song. Other sounds can make us feel calm like listening to a running stream outside.
Today we will paint a picture as we listen to different types of music. You can paint how the music makes you feel.

Wednesday:

Do you enjoy listening to music?
What are some ways that you can hear music?
Have you ever played a musical instrument?
What types of instruments have you played? Which are your favorites?

Thursday:

Listening is very important in other ways as well.
Why is it important to listen to others?
When we listen to others speak, we let them know that what they are saying is important to us.
Listening to adults that we trust also helps us to learn and stay safe.

Friday:

Where are some places to go and hear music? (concert, band, chorus, church choir, musical, etc.)
Have you ever played an instrument in front of others?
Let's each play a song for our friends. It can be one you know or one you create.

Full Crow Moon:

This month we will see the first full moon of the Spring season. Native American tribes often called this moon the Full Worm Moon as the ground is no longer frozen and the earthworms soon reappear inviting the Spring birds to return. Other variations among tribes include the Full Crow Moon, The Full Crust Moon, and The Full Sap Moon.

Consider taking a Listening Walk during the evening of the full moon to listen to the nighttime sounds with your children.

Try to take your child to a local musical, concert, band performance, or church choir this week. In an age where most of our entertainment is provided by radio, I-Pods, computers, and television, many children rarely experience the clarity of sound and voices in a live performance. Going forward, try to seek out opportunities to take your family to live events.

Our new sleeping cots have arrived and we are now transitioning to them. We will be using them in the main house and introducing our new sleeping spots to the children one at a time, so that they are first comfortable sleeping on the cot, then sleeping on them in the classroom, and then sleeping on them as a group.

This week on Thursday, wear something green and bring a green treat to share for our St. Patrick's Day celebration. We will be exploring St. Patrick, shamrocks/four leaf clovers/ and Leprechauns and this theme will extend into next week as well in preparation for Spring!

Please join us on March 26th (weather permitting) from 10 a.m. - 12 noon for our first Parent Workday and Potluck. We will be cleaning up the outside play areas and putting finishing touches on our sand area. Bring your favorite lunch to share with everyone!

Nature Walk Verse:

"I listened, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more"
-William Wordsworth

This week's reflection: Listening

"There is a voice inside of you
That Whispers all day long,
"I feel that this is right for me,
"I know that this is wrong."
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend or wise man can decide
What's right for you - just listen to
The voice that speaks inside."
-Shel Silverstein

"Stop, Look, and Listen. What is going on around you? What do you hear? What do you hear inside of yourself right now at this moment? What is working right now? What is not? What does your body need? What does your soul need? What can you use more of in your life? What do you have too much of? The world is always speaking to you. Everything is a sign. Are you listening?"

-Little Acorn Learning

Owl Moon, Bean Bags and Spanish

We have discussed special relationships between children and adults and shared about meaningful experiences. Everyone has drawn a picture in their journals about a favorite memory. We have also made a variety of moon shapes to paste in our journals and hang up around the classroom. The different phases of the moon have been labeled as well. Lots of conversations about self-control, bravery, and patience have been inspired by our book study of Owl Moon. It takes a great deal of these important character traits to be out in the woods watching and waiting to see owls.
This week we will be going more in depth to learn about wooded habitats, trees, shadows, owls, daylight and darkness, and the lives of naturalists.

Lavender bean bags have been enthusiastically started. First, all the children were given the opportunity to scoop, pour, and feel bowls full of flaxseeds and lavender. They experienced a wonderful sense of these materials. Then they each received their own square sewn together on three sides and were shown how to turn them right side out and poke the corners out with a thin wooden dowel. The filling began! This occupied everyone's attention for a good 30 minutes and the bean bags will be finished this week. They have many fun and creative uses. The bean bags are to be handled with care and may be used in quiet play as a pillow for a small animal or doll, a load to be carried by a truck, or a soft companion for sleep. Lavender is a wonderful and relaxing scent that is very soothing.

This Monday morning we will be starting a 30 minute Spanish enrichment class with stories, songs, counting, games, and simple phrases. Our present focus will be on introductions and counting.
We will be using a unique language program that introduces children to the excitement of the Spanish language and makes them feel that learning another language and understanding a different culture are enriching and fun experiences.
Our activities will include:

1) A complete language course designed for early childhood
2) A wide range of learning
3) Age appropriate games
4) Spanish language songs
5) Information about the Spanish speaking world
6) Activity books
7) One on one time with fluent speakers and teachers

Monday Spanish class starts at 9 a.m.

We have exciting plans coming up for Spring and Summer this year. Miss Casey will be spending more time here at Apple Blossom during the week and has many great ideas she is looking forward to implementing with all the children including more music, art projects, gardening, science and nature explorations! Your child will not want to miss it!

Moon Phases, Owls, and Patience

This week our new book study is based on Owl Moon by Jane Yolen. The story is about a young boy who has waited very patiently to go "owling" with his father on a cold winter night. We will be learning about the moon, observing photos of owls and woodland habitats, and hearing about patience.

Other books we will be reading include:

The Boy and the Moon by James Carroll
Why Does the Moon Change Shape? by Melissa Stewart
Many Moons byJames Thurber
When You Look Up at the Moon by Allen Fowler
Moonstruck by Gennifer Chadenke
Sometimes Moon by Carole Schaefer
The Birth of the Moon byCoby Hol

Treasure Hunt

Thursday was an exciting finale to our study of Katy and the Big Snow!
We discussed the directions of North, South, East, and West, labeled our room, and went outside to work with a compass, find North, and make maps for a treasure hunt. Each child received their own individual map with a marked path and set off to find a hidden treasure. Then everyone took turns hiding treasures for their friends to find.
The wonderful weather of the week has been a welcome change and the children have been so eager to just run all over our outside play areas. They have been waiting a long time for that!
Please remember to work on a simple map with your child that shows the way from Apple Blossom Preschool to your own house. We will be sharing those with our friends so everyone can have a sense of where each child lives.
Also, be watching the moon at night and have your child draw what they see with you. Our next book study will be based on Owl Moon by Jane Yolen and we will be hearing and learning a lot about the moon!

Reading Express

We are now participating in a program through the Springfield Library District and the Missouri Parent Information Resource Center called Racing to Read Express. We will be hosting visits from Library staff who will be working with us on the following concepts:

1) Gaining knowledge about effective literacy activities for children ages 2 to 5
2) Learning methods for sharing books with children that will increase their language skills
3) Learning about valuable resources available at the Springfield-Greene County public libraries
4) Receiving age appropriate materials for all of our children
5) Receiving other materials, expert demonstrations, and recommendations
6) On the last visit, each child will receive a book to take home

Each visit with library staff will last approximately one and one half hours.
We will be incorporating literacy activities into our daily program, sending literacy and library information home to parents, and working with our project coordinator to perform early literacy assessments.

This will be a great opportunity for each child and family!