Forest

Our first Forest Day was a huge success!  The mosquitos had a feast on all the Acorns and Seedlings today.  We had bug spray on, apparently the mosquitos are not deterred from bug spray. 

  

 On the way to the forest, a few friends started to hold hands while walking.  Are they forming a solidarity before facing the unknown of the forest?  Are they just now realizing that there are other people in the Acorn Room besides themselves?  

     We then spotted some Nature on the way..... A Beautiful Butterfly!  Yes, a butterfly is Nature.

 We are butterflies walking to the forest. 

 Once we actually got into the forest,  the adventure began!  We were surprised by some of the risks our Little Acorns were taking.  Some were struggling over logs, others were helping friends, others bulldozed their way to the front, others needed encouragement to face their fears.

 The struggle is real.

  Joy in the forest!  

Their laughter is contagious!

"I am the acorn that becomes the oak."- John Winger

Nature, Sculpture and Chickens

Walking Wednesday!

We walked down to The Sculpture Park today and had snack.  On the way back up the hill, we stopped by Rolling Ridge and tried to visit the chickens.  Rand R told us the chickens had to be relocated because coyotes are now in the WG.

 on our way to the sculpture park

 Acorn??  Is that nature?

 Sculpture Park,  what is a sculpture?

 Snack on the wall.

Climbing up to see if he can do it!

"I am the acorn that becomes oak."- John Winger

Small Caper Tuesday??

We capered today instead of Friday this week.  The Acorn room is still focusing on water.  Today the water was PINK.  The children continually fill and pour the containers inside the sensory table.  Some of them started to use the turkey basters to fill their containers.  The turkey baster not only fills the containers, but it also strengthens their little  hands that will eventually cut with scissors, write and draw, button/snap their coats/jackets. 

We tried to have a conversation about How does nature inspires beauty?

Then we asked, what is nature?  J- said, you pick it up.  I asked, where do you pick it up?  J said - outside.

So, the plan is to go for a walk tomorrow, and talk about Nature.  We will keep you posted on our conversations revolving around Nature.

"I am the acorn that becomes the oak."- John Winger

Self Help We can DO IT!!!

Since it was pouring rain outside today, we went into the gym to explore the climbing wall, the rocking horses, and a balance beam and on the tile part we had the trikes out.  To get to the soft area, you must remove your shoes..... when you are finished, and want to go to the bike area, you must put your shoes on.  You would not believe how long it took us to get our shoes on..... Some of us grabbed our shoes and put them on, some of them didn't touch their shoes. 

We went through the steps of putting on our shoes..... first you open the velcro, then you grab the tab, and put your foot in your shoe, then you push you foot into your shoe and fix your velcro. 

 "open"

 grabbing tab and putting foot into shoe

 pushing foot into shoe

Success!! Now he is working on the other shoe!

We will be practicing removing our shoes, and putting them on,  we have also started asking the children to help with pottying...... 

We are capable of doing so many things for ourselves. 

YAY!!! The Acorns can put on their own SHOES!!!!

"I am the acorn that becomes the oak."-John Winger

The 100 Languages of Children

Here at Ambrose, we practice Reggio Emilia's "The 100 Languages of Children." Generally speaking, the "100 Languages" refer to the infinite number of materials available for children to choose and explore. For our small capers on Fridays, we have decided to study a different language in each room. The Acorn Room has been working with water.
We have been experimenting with filling, dumping, pouring, and splashing. Today, we expanded our exploration by including ice to the water in the sensory table. The children were very interested in feeling the cold ice and observing as it melted.
Feel free to take a look at the Languages being studied in the other classrooms!

afcseedling.blogspot.com
afcsycamore.blogspot.com
afcwillow.blogspot.com

Have a wonderful weekend!

Water, Water Everywhere

When L saw that the soapy water was added to the sensory table, she came right over. She looked around the table at the children already playing, and spent a moment quietly observing. She started by sticking a finger into the water. Then, she grabbed a purple cup and filled it, watching as the water slowly dribbled over the sides. She smiled and dunked the whole cup under the water, and let it splash more quickly back into the table.
As she noticed all of the different cups available, she picked up a scoop and began experimenting with pouring the water from one container to another. Then, she switched. She found a pink cup and repeated the process of dunking, filling, and pouring. Again, she poured water from the scoop into her cup, and then from the cup back into the scoop.
Finally, L dropped all of her materials and plunged her whole hand into the water. She pulled it out and held it up to inspect the bubbles that now covered it. Then, she carefully pressed her hands together, feeling the "squish" of the bubbles between her fingers.

First Fire Drill!

"How can we stay safe when we're at school?'
This was a topic we discussed this morning as we prepared the Acorns for their first fire drill.
As we gathered on the carpet, Ms. DeeDee told the Acorns that we were going to have a safety drill, and that it was going to be a practice fire drill.
We looked at the "red thing" on the wall, and talked about how it was going to blink and make a loud noise to let us know it was time to line up and go outside. We practiced lining up in front of the sensory table several times until the Acorns got the hang of it. When it was time, Ms. Marty came over the PA instead of setting off the alarm, which was probably a little easier for our first drill. :)
Ms. Lauren helped us walk out the double doors to the large Playscape, and we met at our spot next to the little tree! The Acorns did great.
When we went back inside, we met back on the carpet to debrief and talked again how we were just practicing. We all clapped and cheered for ourselves for doing such a wonderful job!

An Exploration of Color

When J noticed the window crayons on the mirror, she was immediately intrigued. First, she spent some time quietly inspecting them. She slowly picked up each color, turning them over in her hands, opening the lids, and finally lining them up on the mirror.
J chose to start with the yellow, making a slow, deliberate line on the mirror. She smiled, pointing at her work. "Yellow!" She placed the crayon back on the glass, quickly moving it back and forth and creating a small, brightly-colored patch on the mirror. She continued these motions with the red crayon, making a red splotch on the mirror. "It's fire!" When she looked down, she noticed that the red crayon had transferred to her hands. She carefully stuck the rest of her fingers into the red marks, rubbing her hands together and spreading the color.
Next, J put down the yellow and red crayons and found the blue and black. She used these to continue to scribble on top of her existing patches of color, watching as the hues changed. "It's getting dark," she noted. She sat at the table for the rest of choice time, experimenting with alternating and mixing colors, working to remove and replace the lids.