Signs of Spring

spring is coming, spring is coming

birdies build your nest.

weave together straw and feather

each one do your best.

spring is coming, spring is coming

all around is fair.

shimmer, glimmer on the meadow,

joy is everywhere.

This morning we took a walk to gather inspiration for our own spring poetry. A plump, playful Robin sang to us on the trail and let us come quite close. We heard and saw many geese, and Matt even saw a mouse! Here is a little clump of (what we believe to be) mushrooms. I haven't had any luck identifying them from a guide yet, so we will have to watch them closely to see if they change in the next few weeks. Let us know if you recognize them!

Autumn and Kix are pointing out the first Pussy Willows of the season. what an exciting discovery to find on the trail today.

Mud, and a thin layer of ice on the water this morning.

Stepping back in time, here are the photos from last week's Easter celebrations. I was so impressed with how independently and thoughtfully everyone went through the steps in making their own breakfast. Here is Myles blowing the yolk out of his egg (step one):

 After the yolk was blown out, we rinsed out the shells, and visited the egg-dying table.

We put the colourful shells aside to rest, while we added some special ingredients to our egg yolk: a splash of milk, a pinch of sugar, and a pinch of cinnamon as you see here:

We all went to the kitchen, and I can very happily and honestly say how easy it was to cook with this bunch. Everyone carefully dipped their bread into their egg mixture and lined up to have their breakfast cooked.

Delicious!

On Wednesday, when our pre-school friends were visiting, we found a mysterious arrow on the playground.

And then we found some mysterious eggs hiding in the trees!

Who could have left such beautiful treasures? A rabbit perhaps?

Happy Easter!

From Winter to Spring

Hello Dear Readers,

It's already hard to imagine this was our playground a mere three weeks ago:

And here were are back to school in April, noticing the signs of spring.

morning meeting

writing down the signs of spring on seed paper...we will plant them when the snow is all gone.

Take a look at our playground now!

I am certainly thankful for the moms and dads that wash, hang, and dry-out our wet, muddy clothes after school. The cooperation, planning, and sensory experience that naturally unfolds when we play and work out here is so important to our learning and development.

Indoors, we have been enjoying the stories and art by Leo Lionni. His work has inspired us to create our own collages that will be on display at next week's Student Showcase evening.

We painted all of the paper needed for our collages, learning and practicing painting techniques to create pattern and texture.

Autumn wonders what to glue on next. Matt cuts out some grass.

Looking forward to seeing many of you next week.

And HEY! I saw a Robin today!

The Art and Science of Play

Research, and our own good sense, knows the many positive effects play has on learning, development, and engagement. As stated by Change Learning, "Play nourishes every aspect of children’s development—it forms the foundation of intellectual, social, physical, and emotional skills necessary for success in school and in life."

Last week, as I walked through our end of day choice time I impressed with the quality of choices the K-3s are making. Take a look...

Myles and Trent knit.

Tom looks at the book he brought in and draws a map and compass rose.

Sam (6) reflects on what we have been learning about maps, draws, and labels the continents.

Jack purchases eggs from Kix's grocery/pet store.

I found a jar of marbles at our local antique shop and placed it on the windowsill here at school. We have an abundance of toilet paper tubes in our craft supply. Naturally, a research and development team formed and...

...a marble run was built.

Repairing the run after a testing.

 Another popular choice last week was pattern making.

Brett chooses to make a pattern.

A kindergarten student watches as the older boys make patterns.

Caleb's finished pattern.

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” - Fred Rogers

Happily,

Ms Hadfield

from sky to earth

Yesterday during the 6-8 Art class, I mentioned how stunning the sky has been on my way to work this winter. One of the students asked me in an interested voice, "Where do you work?" Thought that was pretty funny. And thought you might like to see some sky photos that have been influencing our artistic endeavours...

A few weeks ago, Tom saw this fascinating fruit at the grocery store. Thinking of us, he bought the fruit and brought it to our morning meeting. What a refreshing treat! And such a beautiful shape! We smelled, sampled, and sowed the seeds. 

And look what Tom brought this week! A mango! We passed the fruit around before eating and really noticed the colour changes as the fruit ripened. It was red closest to the stem, faded to orange, and then slowly turned to green.

Currently, we have the pit drying in a basket on the nature table. Once the pit is dry, we hope to harvest the seed like so:

 photos source: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Grow-A-Mango-Tree/, March 2014

One of the neatest things about this whole experience is the trend it has started. After sharing the mango, Kix and Brett have brought in apples to have cut up and shared with the class during our morning meeting. Before we eat the fruit we closely examine it, smell it, and talk about what we observe. After we eat the fruit we plant a couple of the seeds. Thanks to Nic's research on the last snow day, and some help from Matthew's Grandma, we even have the top of a pineapple regrowing on our windowsill. What a perfect way to get excited about spring and planting our gardens!

Now I am off to dream of our gardens...