They Will Sleep Well Tonight

We had so many adventures today, it's unbelievable. First thing this morning, we found a spider in our room. We caught it in a jar, then we went next door to the Sunflower room, to borrow a special bug box to put him in. The box had a magnifying glass built in, then we added our own magnifying glasses to make him extra big! Some friends wanted to keep him and some wanted to let him go, so we set the timer and decided he would stay with us until the time was up. Then, we took him/her outside to find a good place to let him go.

Some friends thought he could go down into the hole where the water is, but other friends were pretty sure that spiders can't swim.

We found a spider web up high on the wall, but another spider was living there.

Then we decided that the tree might be a good place to build a new web, so we let him out there.

Next, we saw all of the kids from the lower school walking over for Meeting for Worship. We said hi to a whole lot of them, and lots of them said hi back to us.

Next, we went to join or friends the Turtles for another Inside Outside time. We explained how it works to our friends that weren't here yesterday, and we were off. The Turtles and the Frogs are already becoming good friends. Some of the Turtles are older than some of the Frogs, so they are a bit like older siblings - helping explain where things are and even pushing the swings.

We are getting good at putting on our helmets and at moving our nametags from inside to out.

Then the Turtles and the Frogs got together to solve a BIG problem. We wanted to have snack all together, but the other picnic table was down at the bottom of the playground. We tried to figure out what to do. A few of the friends tried to pick up the table while they were standing on it, but that didn't work. 

Then we tried pulling it and that didn't work. Then we tried pushing it and that didn't work. Then we tried both together and even that didn't work! It was very heavy. Finally, we got more Turtles and Frogs together and picked the table up! We only made it a little ways before we had to rest, but at least it was moving.

Each time we moved it, we took a rest at the table, and did a little hand drumming.

When we made it all the way to the patio, we cheered! Then we sat down for a much needed snack.

After Inside Outside time, we went back to our room to gather equipment for a walking adventure. We gathered our magnifying glasses, binoculars and bags and headed off.

We found all manner of treasures - leaves and buds, cones and bugs, and then we found a door! It was the entrance to the lower school. We talked about what was going on inside, and how we would need to stick together and be very quiet. So we went inside. We saw all kinds of things on the wall, and met all kinds of new people. Then we went to visit my friend Nancy (who is the Assistant to the Head of the School), and sang her a song (we picked the ABC song). While we were singing, the inner office door opened and there was Rich Nourie (the Head of School). He invited us into his office, got out his guitar, and played us some songs!

After getting some animal crackers from Nancy, we continued on. We found a room full of instruments and high school kids, and they played us some notes on the saxophone, the trombone, the piano, the flute and the drums.

When we made it back to the room, we read a new story, Hugless Douglas, about a bear desperately trying to find a hug. Finally, it was time for a much needed lunch.

The Joy of Inside Outside Day

Some of the Little Frogs began their day in a very fun and messy way - with trays of shaving cream to squish about in. In addition to being a wonderful sensory experience, shaving cream also gives kids a chance to develop  some of their fine motor skills. Using our fingers, we made pictures and letters on our trays, and then squished our creations away!

 

Friends also had time for some dramatic play, and they introduced a new Little Frog to the room by inviting her to a "marshmellow cookout."

After cleaning up our room, we gathered for an early Morning Meeting. We had our moment of silence, then sang our silly face name song. Then, the Little Frogs learned about the big surprise for today - we would be joining our friends the Turtles for our very first "Inside Outside Day!"

We marched down to the Turtle room, and joined them on their morning meeting rug, where the teachers explained how "Inside Outside Day" works. Every friend has a name card and, when they choose to play inside, they put it on the nameholder that says, "Inside Choice." When they decide to go outside, they get their name card and move it to the nameholder on the door to the playground, that says, "Outside Choice." Friends can go outside or inside as many times as they want during this morning choice time, and there are different things to do in each location. This is the very beginning process of being somewhat planful about our choices, and we will help the kids develop this skill further as the year goes on.

One of our outside choices was snack, and friends enjoyed eating outdoors.

There were lots of gross motor activities outside, with building, balancing and jumping added to the usual sliding, swinging, running and biking.

Inside, there was building, painting, dramatic play, reading and musical instruments - as well as visiting with Slider the Turtle.

A giant beetle was discovered on the playground.

New friends helped each other out.

We came in, washed up and read the story, Children Make Terrible Pets, and the Little Frogs helped with the very important "squeaking" part. We sang our good-bye song for our half-day friend, and then settled into lunch together. Many of the Little Frogs are already getting use to our room and routine, and we are beginning to have a sense of ourselves as a community.

Our First Outdoor Adventure

Two more new faces joined us today, as the Little Frog room is almost fully revved up. Last week's friends were glad to see one another and to welcome new faces.

Some friends remembered secret hiding places, and checked for new surprises.

There were several requests for stories.

Then, we packed up our binoculars and magnifying glasses and went out for an adventure, to see what we could find. We found strange red round things growing from a tree...

..some leaves and bugs....

...and a great many sticks.

We ran very fast.

And discovered all kinds of trees - each one felt and looked a bit different than the others.

Then we discovered a limb that had fallen down. It was, "a very big mess!" The Little Frogs used their muscles to move a few of the big sticks. We were curious about why some of the trees had all of their leaves, and others had almost none.

At Morning Meeting, we talked about our big adventure, and how exciting it was to wander outside. We had a much needed snack of apples, crackers and cheese.

On the playground, many friends were anxious to don their new helmets and test out the tricycles.

Back inside, we had Story Time and then it was time for our first lunch together. There was a great deal of excitement, but we settled down because most of the Little Frogs were very hungry. Then we settled in for a rest.