Oobleck and Other Stuff

The Frogs continue to love the challenge of puzzles, and today brought another BIG floor puzzle - this time of dinosaurs. Friends continue to learn puzzle strategies, as well as creative ways to take them apart and use the pieces.

After a monster counting story (another book we found with googly eyes), it was time for Morning Meeting. Initially, we tried to have our Moment of Silence on our bellies, but soon realized it made us the opposite of silent, so we sat back in our criss cross. Some friends are working to develop the core muscles necessary to sit up in this challenging position. Core muscles are important not only for sitting up, but also to support the development of muscles in the arms and legs - so that friends can balance, throw and catch, and hold and manipulate pencils and paintbrushes.

Also at Morning Meeting, we brought out the Giant Pad of Paper to solve 2 Problems: Why is the Cozy Box closed? and What should we do about it?

According to the Little Frogs, the Cozy Box got closed because friends were pushing each other inside it and, more importantly, people were getting hurt! When we brainstormed about what we should do about it, we came up with:

1. We could close it forever and never use it again

2. We could lock it with a key

3. We could open it back up

4. If someone gets hurt, we could get them a boo-boo pack or take them to the doctors.

After some discussion, we decided to try opening the Cozy Box back up. Then, if anybody gets hurt, we will get them a boo-boo pack and close the Cozy Box again. We could not decide for how long, so we're going to play it by ear. This kind of group problem-solving is both another way for friends to ask and answer questions, and a way for all of us to take an active role in reflecting on our behavior and deciding what kind of community we want to create in our classroom.

Next, it was time for Inside Outside day with theTurtles. Today it was apparent that the Turtles and Frogs have formed friendships across classrooms.

We also had our first experience with Oobleck - a magical concoction of cornstarch and colored water. 

"Oobleck is a non-newtonian fluid. That is, it acts like a liquid when being poured, but like a solid when a force is acting on it. You can grab it and then it will ooze out of your hands. Make enough Oobleck and you can even walk on it!" 

Oobleck: The Dr. Suess Science Experiment (Check it out).

A Fine Autumn Day

Morning started with a visit to our classroom lake for some letter fishing. Some Little Frogs are trying to catch the letters that start their names.

A vaguely familiar face was in the room (Carol's back*), and it was hard to say who was happier about seeing whom.

On our way to Movement Class, friends noticed that they could see their breath - so we stopped to make some steam.

Movement was a blast. After stretching and loosening up our bodies, Missy passed out the noodles and we pretended they were all kinds of things - from pillows to fire hoses!

Next, Missy brought out one of our favorites - balloons! Not only do we love to play with them, throwing, catching and kicking balloons are great ways to develop eye hand/foot coordination.

Back in the classroom, it was time for Morning Meeting, which began with an amazing Moment of Silence. Beginning any gathering with a Moment of Silence is a Quaker tradition, and it is also an excellent way to get settled and focused. For the Little Frogs, it is also a way to develop an increasing sense of control over their very wiggly bodies.

We read a book called, Max Found Two Sticks, about a boy who uses his sticks and all manner of found objects to make music and rhythms. Carol showed the Little Frogs the activities that would be available for Choice Time: Collage and gluing in the Art Studio, and a giant floor puzzle in the lake. 

Friends also worked on making face chips: blocks of wood with their picture on one side and the first letter of their names on the other side. We will be using these for a variety of activities, including making choices, making decisions and playing games.

The giant puzzle was a popular choice. Despite the challenge of getting the pieces to mesh, the Frogs completed the task. The Frogs are learning how to use visual cues in the pictures on the pieces and their shape to "decode" puzzles. Danielle helps the Frogs learn these strategies, which also keeps them from becoming frustrated.

Then is was time to for some of the Frogs to head outside, while some chose to stay in and help clean the guinea pigs' cage. The friends were rewarded for their care taking by some quality petting time with a couple of grateful pigs.

Outside, there was lots to do on a beautiful autumn day. Friends hit the bikes and swings, did some digging and running and finding of treasures.

One friend found his own two sticks and recreated the rhythms from the book we read earlier. Back inside, we read another story (because FROGS LOVE BOOKS), called, The Gruffalo, about an imaginary monster that turns out to be real (in a storybook kind of way).

* I am back and feeling better. However, for this week I will be in on a slightly reduced schedule - from first thing in the morning, until nap time. So, I will only be away from the kids while they are sleeping and for the last hour of the regular day. During my "off time," I will be blogging and working on individual portfolios and, as always, available on email (cwolf@abingtonfriends.net).

A Word About Frog Stories

Hey Little Frog Families! Over the next few weeks, "Frog Stories" are going to start appearing in your child's digital portfolio, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to explain how they come about. In the Little Frog classroom, at random moments, I will bring out my computer and ask a passing child if they would like to tell me a story. Usually, they say yes. With some prompting (like, "What is your story about?" or "Who is in your story?"), they begin. Your child's story may be only a sentence long - it may be ten. It may operate outside of time and space constraints. It may not have an "End," as we grown-ups understand it. It will be, however, totally their story and, as such, amazing. Your child's story is a mirror into the way that he or she was thinking at that moment in time. It is my hope to gather stories from each Little Frog throughout the year, and to observe as their storytelling changes and grows. Enjoy!