The River Otter class was so excited to be back on campus together this week! The excitement of the students was obvious, and though finger knitting and sewing were offered in the mornings most students wanted to continue playing in the forest with their friends this week. Students created new games using items like sticks, rocks, and tires. They used sticks, water bottles, and other materials to make drums and played wonderful music. We enjoyed a couple of nice warm fires in the fire pit and collected wood and kindling from the forest, sorting it by size and by whether it was dry and “snappy” or damp and still in need of drying out. We built structures large and small, experimented in the mud kitchen, sewed in the sewing wall, and participated in racing.
This week our class had the opportunity to go on two nature walks. On Tuesday afternoon, we walked on many of the campus trails and past the learning farm, where we said hello to the donkeys and Snow White and played on some large wood rounds near the garden. We also walked onto the dock over the wetlands and were able to see many ducks and even a Great Blue Heron! Friday afternoon we were able to spend some time at the learning farm. We fed the animals some fruit and vegetable scraps and discovered that the chickens love blueberries. We pet Snow White and the chickens and some students walked through the spiral garden, pretending they were carrying candles through the advent spiral.
We are so excited to start ASL this week! This was a favorite class for students last year, and we are very happy to learn American Sign Language with Ki Emily through songs and games again this year. Our class will have ASL every Friday afternoon for the rest of the semester. This week Ki Emily taught us a song about feelings and a game about animals, as well as a greeting song and goodbye song. In March we will begin a 6-week block of Spanish with Ki Maria on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, as well.
Our story this week was Snow White and Rose Red by the Brothers Grimm. In this story, a poor widow has two daughters who are like her white and red rose trees, and their names are Snow White and Rose Red. Snow White is quiet and gentle and Rose Red enjoys running in meadows and fields looking for flowers and butterflies. One evening in wintertime, the family is sitting comfortably in front of the fire when someone knocks at the door. Supposing it is a traveler seeking shelter, the mother sends Rose Red to answer the door. When she opens the door it is not a traveler, but a large black bear who sticks his head inside! The children are afraid, but the bear speaks and tells them he will do them no harm and only wants to warm himself by the fire. The mother invites the bear to warm himself by the fire and soon they are quite comfortable in his presence and the girls play with and tease the bear. The bear is invited to spend the night by the fire, and in the morning the girls let him outside where he returns to the forest. Every evening the bear returns and spends the evenings with the family by the fire. When spring returns, the bear tells Snow White that he can not come back for the whole summer, as now that the ground is thawed he must protect his treasures from the dwarfs. As he leaves his fur catches on the bolt and a piece tears off, and Snow White thinks she sees gold shining through. A short time afterward, the mother sends her daughters to collect firewood. They encounter a rude dwarf who has gotten his beard stuck in a tree. They help him by cutting off the end of his beard, but he is ungrateful, and takes his bag of gold and stomps away. Soon after, the girls go to the river to catch fish for dinner. Again they encounter the dwarf, whose beard has tangled with the fishing line and is being pulled into the river by a fish. They again help him by cutting his beard, and he is again angry and rude, taking his bag of pearls and stomping off. Soon after, the mother sends her daughters to town to buy needles, thread, laces, and ribbon. As they are walking across a heath they see a large bird catch the dwarf in its talons, about to carry him off. The girls pull on the dwarf and eventually release him. The dwarf, angry and ungrateful as always, grabs his bag of jewels and storms off. When the girls return from town they again see the dwarf on the heath, and the sun shining on his jewels catches their attention. The dwarf begins yelling at the girls when suddenly a bear comes trotting toward them from the forest, too close for the dwarf to escape. The dwarf, frightened, offers the bear his jewels. He then implores the bear to eat the girls instead. The bear strikes the dwarf with his paw, and the dwarf does not move again. The bear calls out to the girls by name and they realize that he is their friend from the winter. His bear skin falls off and they see he is a prince, clothed in gold. The prince explains that he was bewitched by the dwarf, who had stolen his treasures, and could not be freed until his death. Snow White marries the prince and Rose Red marries his brother, and they share the treasure the dwarf had gathered in his cave. The mother lived peacefully and happily with her children, and her rose trees bore the most beautiful white and red roses every year.
GOLDEN KNIGHTS
This week we started Golden Knights, our program for rising first grade students. Golden Knights meet for 45 minutes over the rest time period Monday through Thursday, and are taught by Ki Holly Monday through Wednesday and by Ki Fatima on Thursday. In our opening circle, we are working on some fun new verses and songs, and learning how to march and skip in a circle. On Monday, we heard our fairy tale and drew with block crayons pictures the story brought to our minds. Tuesday, we started our first project, sewing fingerless gloves. We will be working on this project at least though next week and are also sewing designs onto our gloves. Our story for the first two weeks is Little Snow White by the Brothers Grimm. Golden Knights will be hearing fairy tales that are most appropriate for six year olds. As these stories are considerably longer than those they are used to during snack, we will be hearing each story for two weeks.
REMINDERS
We will be having lunch and rest indoors until temperatures are reliably warmer; please anticipate for this to last at least through February. During this time you will not need to send a blanket with your student for rest time. They are still welcome to bring one, however we know space is limited in backpacks and if it is helpful to leave the blanket at home, we are warm indoors without them.
Please remind your child to use the bathroom at home before heading to school. While we will take a bathroom break first thing if needed, our daily rhythm is important to our students and it is easier on them when we can start our day in our usual rhythm.
Thank you for sharing your children with us, and for being part of our community.
Warm regards,
Ki Holly and Ki Fatima
