Daily Report: Aug. 28, 08
Morning Meeting:
After the Morning Song the children counted the calendar days; they did it without any help from the teachers. They made it all the way up to today, the 28th! Pearson's job today was to put up the calendar day. Addison fed our fish, Azul (because he is blue- we decided this on Monday). Elijah was our snack helper. Inside our magic box we found a book which helps to learn to count in Spanish- they practiced as many numbers as they could handle. Then Dalila introduced Green Circle, and talked about how at first you are the only person in our whole world, but then as you grow a bit older your family and friends become a part of our world as well. She talked about our personal space- holding out our arms to see it. Then every child got an avatar for themselves and kept them inside the circle to show that we all felt “part of the circle” of friends. Elijah already used the green circle today when he had a bit of trouble, but soon everyone was feeling happy, and part of the circle once more.
Snack Time:
We had cheerios and grapes for snack- it was a big snack so we had our lunch a little later than usual. Elijah gave everyone a napkin, then got the entire stack of cups and found the color that everyone wanted out of the stack. It was a challenge to put all of those cups back in the cupboard, but he managed. While the boys went outside, Addison gladly stayed in for a while to help with the dishes.
Outside Play:
Elijah has been asking us to push him as high, or higher than Pearson- maxing out the height at which he can swing. Very brave! Afterwards the boys did the zip-line, then started making a sand castle. Addison came to the sandbox and started “feeding the chickens.”
Project Work:
Today we introduced the children to clay. Pearson was the first to rip into his clay and make a new shape- which encouraged the other children- who didn't seem to know where to start on the perfectly shaped cube of clay. Addison worked to roll little balls- many little balls, and then flatten them one by one on the table. Elijah was momentarily discouraged by working with the clay and wanted to keep his first shape just the way it was, but soon they were all manipulating it with their hands- he realized that there are as many possibilities with the clay as there are in your imagination. He made many different forms, naming them both very specific names, and also more broad ones such as “sculpture.” The boys enjoyed so much making sculpture that after they were finished with the clay they went straight to the blocks and started building a Water Park. Addison worked hard on the clay for a while, and when she was finished she joined to boys to build a Space Ship out of the blocks.
Rest Time/ Focus Work:
Elijah listened to his CD while looking through a book about spiders. He and Lindsey worked slowly through a book about Pill Bugs. When Pearson came out of the room from listening to his stories (which he was wonderful about) we re-read the Pill Bug book, then both boys sat and did some writing practice. Elijah did his number 1 worksheet, and Pearson practiced writing his name. Then they both did a journal entry about Pill Bugs as they were inspired by the book we read.
Free Play:
They went to the water table for free play, and I saw Pearson standing there looking upset. I asked him what the problem was, and Elijah had told him he couldn't play with the water toys. I explained to Elijah that the toys belonged to everyone and asked Pearson what we could do about the problem. Elijah immediately chimed in a solution that Pearson could help make “Ice Cream”. Addison, Maya a little girl who was visiting, and Pearson immediately joined in the play without a problem at all, very harmoniously- they worked together very hard. They decided to make “Pineapple Ice Cream,” they created a complex invention to pump the water. When it broke, Elijah said “Thats OK, new inventions break all the time. You have to fix it.”
End of the Day:
After the Morning Song the children counted the calendar days; they did it without any help from the teachers. They made it all the way up to today, the 28th! Pearson's job today was to put up the calendar day. Addison fed our fish, Azul (because he is blue- we decided this on Monday). Elijah was our snack helper. Inside our magic box we found a book which helps to learn to count in Spanish- they practiced as many numbers as they could handle. Then Dalila introduced Green Circle, and talked about how at first you are the only person in our whole world, but then as you grow a bit older your family and friends become a part of our world as well. She talked about our personal space- holding out our arms to see it. Then every child got an avatar for themselves and kept them inside the circle to show that we all felt “part of the circle” of friends. Elijah already used the green circle today when he had a bit of trouble, but soon everyone was feeling happy, and part of the circle once more.
Snack Time:
We had cheerios and grapes for snack- it was a big snack so we had our lunch a little later than usual. Elijah gave everyone a napkin, then got the entire stack of cups and found the color that everyone wanted out of the stack. It was a challenge to put all of those cups back in the cupboard, but he managed. While the boys went outside, Addison gladly stayed in for a while to help with the dishes.
Outside Play:
Elijah has been asking us to push him as high, or higher than Pearson- maxing out the height at which he can swing. Very brave! Afterwards the boys did the zip-line, then started making a sand castle. Addison came to the sandbox and started “feeding the chickens.”
Project Work:
Today we introduced the children to clay. Pearson was the first to rip into his clay and make a new shape- which encouraged the other children- who didn't seem to know where to start on the perfectly shaped cube of clay. Addison worked to roll little balls- many little balls, and then flatten them one by one on the table. Elijah was momentarily discouraged by working with the clay and wanted to keep his first shape just the way it was, but soon they were all manipulating it with their hands- he realized that there are as many possibilities with the clay as there are in your imagination. He made many different forms, naming them both very specific names, and also more broad ones such as “sculpture.” The boys enjoyed so much making sculpture that after they were finished with the clay they went straight to the blocks and started building a Water Park. Addison worked hard on the clay for a while, and when she was finished she joined to boys to build a Space Ship out of the blocks.
Rest Time/ Focus Work:
Elijah listened to his CD while looking through a book about spiders. He and Lindsey worked slowly through a book about Pill Bugs. When Pearson came out of the room from listening to his stories (which he was wonderful about) we re-read the Pill Bug book, then both boys sat and did some writing practice. Elijah did his number 1 worksheet, and Pearson practiced writing his name. Then they both did a journal entry about Pill Bugs as they were inspired by the book we read.
Free Play:
They went to the water table for free play, and I saw Pearson standing there looking upset. I asked him what the problem was, and Elijah had told him he couldn't play with the water toys. I explained to Elijah that the toys belonged to everyone and asked Pearson what we could do about the problem. Elijah immediately chimed in a solution that Pearson could help make “Ice Cream”. Addison, Maya a little girl who was visiting, and Pearson immediately joined in the play without a problem at all, very harmoniously- they worked together very hard. They decided to make “Pineapple Ice Cream,” they created a complex invention to pump the water. When it broke, Elijah said “Thats OK, new inventions break all the time. You have to fix it.”
End of the Day:
Together we read a book about an alien visitor who was SO ugly, and it turned out that the alien was just an astronaut, and the children in the story were green with three eyes. Then we read a long book about two children who had a pet Wolf Spider. The narrative explained how to take care of a spider, and explained all about wolf spiders and other insects. Elijah and Pearson agreed that they liked that book very much.
-Lindsey
Thank you for the updates. I'm glad you share the struggles as well as all the great things the kids are doing.
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I think you hit on something important there. Without attention to the struggles, it will not be as easy to see their progress as the year progresses. Many of the most significant successes that we have are overcoming those daily struggles.
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I especially love the comment Elijah made about "new inventions"! How clever. Sounds like a beautiful day.
I am glad to hear Pearson is practicing his counting at school. On the way to school today he counted to 112 (with reminders at 50 and 70, when he said 40-ten and 60-ten).
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I think music all the time.
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I know I stand visibly onstage, but my function is still unseen, because I rarely see the immediate results of what I am saying or doing or writing.
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