October has brought much humidity and many showers to Holy Spirit Episcopal School’s campus, but the Teddy Bears go diligently on. We continue focusing on the theme of shapes and the letter D: We have been busily sorting dinosaur types, colors, shapes and sizes while learning about paleontologists in the best possible way: the children used delicacy and great focus as they dug for “dinosaur bones” and “eggs” using tools such as a toothpick and a “chisel” (mini clothespins.) The Bears had a bit more immediate gratification than their real dinosaur-digging counterparts in that they were able to consume the “research site” – a chocolate chip cookie – after their furrowed-brow efforts. For more great fine motor practice, the Teddy Bear friends created many Dino-landscapes using play dough, broccoli, crumpled paper and other everyday things, and they practiced pre-writing/tracking skills using different dinosaurs with different footprints along a path. That was also a great opportunity to discuss attributes and other scientific factors in classifying. All Bears love to eat and your children are no exception, even if it was vegetables (because they were being herbivores) as presented along with Dinosaur Dip that the children made themselves. They spooned out sour cream, sprinkled it with spices, and mixed the two together. One child observed that it was “sharp” while others noted that the white turned pink and then “rainbow” when the spices were added. We discussed dentists (D is for Dentist) and teeth health – later this year, a real dentist will visit the Early Childhood and Pre-K classes but, for now, the Teddy Bears enjoyed making Splatter Paintings, using toothbrushes scraped and dabbed and scrubbed against a wire mesh colander.
The children had another mixing opportunity when they painted paper plates with two paintbrushes at the easel. One paint cup held white paint and the other black. When the paints combined to make gray and that paint dried, the children added hand-wrinkled trunks and lips to make an elephant face – because E is for Elephant. Our literary elephant friends have been Elmer and Babar. The children love using the specially programmed deck of elephant cards – these can be used to practice number recognition and sequencing individually or when getting the group in line for an Elephant Walk. E is the first letter in the words Earth, Environment and Eden, the beautiful paradise which was Adam and Eve’s environment. Holy Spirit’s campus provides a great lesson in finding paradise simply by looking, so the Bears will use magnifying glasses to examine pine cones, changing leaves, fallen cicadas, and other natural wonders. If we gather some of them and decoupage them, they can last longer and sparkle a bit more brightly with glitter. E is for Earthworms, too – the little learners will love We will go on nature walks, weather permitting, to determine what SHAPES the clouds come in or seem to be, even though they are always changing because of the Wind, one of our natural but sometimes man-made energy resources. That gets a little beyond the three year old stage, so we make it more fun by having Feather Races (using wind through a straw) and Frog Races (squirting water aimed at plastic frogs floating on lily pads made of craft foam) for science activities. This is a great segue into the letter F . . .
F is for Friendship! Character education happens daily at Holy Spirit School and, in the Teddy Bears room, we will encourage friendly and cooperative behavior with our Magic Friendship Bottle which will hang on a necklace worn by any child “caught” making a friendly choice. If they get to wear it, they will spread kindness, helpfulness and love by blowing the magic bubbles over everyone. We will also make a Friendship Chain, using strips of construction paper individually decorated by the children. They will take turns at Circle Time adding their link to the chain while offering an idea of how to be a good friend. Their responses will become part of a bulletin board which I hope will be appreciated by grandparents and special friends on October 20th. The Book Fair is next week, too – books can be purchased for your children and the proceeds will benefit the school, and this is also an opportunity to donate one to the library or classroom, too. Mainly it’s just fun to get to visit the classrooms with the children. Don’t forget that the Book Fair closes at noon on Wednesday. The Lower School’s Book Character Parade will be viewed by children and any visitors that morning, too. The Teddy Bears will get their chance to dress up in costume, too, the first thing in the morning on October 30th – the Halloween Parade, to be followed by a party in the classroom.
Looking further toward the end of the month, we will work on the Halloween theme. There are patterning games using ghosts, witches, bats and other spooks, and Crazy Eight Spiders and a Sensory Spider Search and Sort at the Math and Sensory tables. We will also do some scientific predicting, observing and experimenting with Flow (F is for Flow) using maple and chocolate syrups, water, steak sauce, tempera paint, oil and shampoo spooned onto an aluminum tray which is then tilted to see which flows fastest, slowest, etc.
Please don’t forget that October 12th is a holiday and there will be no classes held. Report cards go home on the 23rd. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the donations you’ve made or are considering making to our Holy Spirit community through the Fund for Excellence campaign, the Book Fair, Sally Foster, and the Entertainment books. We have a talented, innovative and incredibly hard-working PTO. Wow, I can tell you, the children here really reflect the best of the best teamwork among families and academic, spiritual, artistic and athletic leaders and do-ers. After all, F is for Faith, Fortitude and Fearlessness, too. In the next update you will read about November when our focus will be on Gratitude, traditions, our many blessings and the Greatness of God. Meanwhile, don’t forget to come to the parking lot on October 25th from 4 until 6 p.m. for Trunk or Treat!
Amber Carothers
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