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.