PUSSY WILLOWS

AKA … CATKINS

 

Close your eyes and do not peek

And I'll rub spring across your cheek.

Smooth as satin, soft and sleek.

Close your eyes and do not peek.  Aileen Fisher

Last week preschoolers authored a book titled, DREAMING OF SPRING after discussing spring events. We hope you enjoyed reading our class book and it inspired you to start dreaming of spring. One sure sign that spring is on its way is the sighting of furry CATKINS! CATKINS dot the tips of willow branches on the edge of the woods and roadsides in early spring. As weeks pass, the soft buds transform into bright green leaves, which live on branches of a willow plant throughout the summer months.

Last week a bouquet, of pussy willow branches greeted preschoolers as they arrived to school each day. After observing and touching the soft buds, students came to the conclusion that the soft, bunny ear shaped buds would make the perfect bedding for a nest! Perhaps MAMA birds will notice pussy willow as the migrate back to Vermont and weave a few branches of CATKIN branches into their nests!:)  

Preschoolers also experimented with wind concepts by blowing wind (moving air) through a straw to move ping pong balls across our classroom. Later, we attempted to move the balls on top of water which was tricky and lead to a fun bubble blowing experiment!  

  

    

PRESCHOOL EYES ARE SMILING

MADELINE J. welcomed her fifth year by bringing in fruit, rainbow kabobs to share with friends. Preschoolers were determined to THINK and DRINK GREEN to keep mischievous leprechauns from tiptoeing into MADDIE’s March 18th celebration. After counting and cutting 5 limes in half, each student used an interesting “CONTRAPTION” to squeeze lime juice from the green citrus fruit. Later we cheered to the far away land of Ireland and enjoyed a refreshing beverage!

SPRING GERMINATES in Preschool at RES

Despite the fact that it is still a bit chilly outside, spring has germinated in our classroom! With TEN days to go until the official arrival of spring, our classroom environment includes numerous

SPRING INSPIRATIONS!

Above: Nests, birds, eggs, and bunnies inspire our thinking around spring time creatures and their habitats.

We also boarded a jet and helicopter and flew off to a distant country to celebrate

THE YEAR OF THE MONKEY (Chinese New Year 2016)! Complete with silk scarves and paper fans, we performed a Chinese Butterfly Dance and then flew back to Richmond, Vermont with enormous appetites!   

       

Pancakes seemed to be the perfect spring time treat to appease our hunger, so we quickly started the cooking process! First, we counted out big and little cups for pancake powder and milk. Then we stirred the two ingredients together until the batter was free of “lumps and bumps”. Next, the smooth batter was poured onto a hot griddle for cooking and flipping!   

    

Finally, THE BEST PART… CUTTING and EATING THE SWEET PANCAKES!

 

A BIG Thank you to AUGUSTINE’s Grandpa Henry, JAMES, JACK, STELLA and MADELINE J. for the MAPLE SYRUP and FLOUR Donations!

The following day…

Our maple syrup supply was depleted, so we quickly collected sap and started the boiling process after taking a taste test of SAP and SYRUP.

  

  

The results of our taste test: 9 students preferred SYRUP and 1 student preferred SAP.   

Next week, we will support children’s SPRING WONDERS by asking the question,

“When you dream of spring, what does it look like?”

In order to support children’s thinking, we will read a variety of books (both fiction and non-fiction) about spring and participate in the following activities:

Create wind with our lungs and use straws to move tennis balls across a puddle

Paint Still life portraits of pussy willows

Create a spring scene with sunshine play dough

                                                       Plant and care for wheat grass seeds

 

welcome back march 2016

What Do You KNOW About

CHANGE and STREWING?

Change: become or make different

Strewing: leaving things of interest for children to discovery

Over the recent break, the preschool room CHANGED. Multiple learning centers were relocated, displays depicting students’ discoveries were hung and interesting objects were thoughtfully placed throughout the classroom for students to discover (STREWING).

 The notion of CHANGE can be unsettling for young children, however when we look at our past preschool curriculum, CHANGE has been embraced and a recurring theme. In the autumn, caterpillars CHANGED into butterflies and our classroom CHANGED to a golden shade chock full of seeds, pods and leaves. Over the winter months, preschoolers’ muscles CHANGED growing stronger and writing became an everyday activity. Many science experiments resulted in ice CHANGING to water and our flat block structures CHANGED to three-dimensional enclosures. With the arrival of spring, students’ independence, curiosity and perseverance have CHANGED and peeked and finicky weather CHANGES every hour and will lead discussions, interests and projects!

 

I look forward to guiding your child’s learning and interests as they continue to CHANGE over the next few months. Our evolving curriculum will include exploring WIND, MUD, SUGARING, EGGS, SOIL, RHYME, GROUPING NUMBERS and the CHINESE NEW YEAR.