Dear Joyful Families,

What a beautiful week we enjoyed with one another in the Joyful Beginnings class! The theme of this week was all things pumpkin. The children created vibrant pumpkin paintings on Monday & Tuesday, wet-felted tiny pumpkins on Wednesday and Thursday, and joined in some very engaging pumpkin circle songs each day of the week. Our story for this week, “The Little Hobgoblin”, also revolved around our pumpkin theme. Thursday and Friday were very special “festival” days, which included delicious homemade pumpkin muffins, lots of singing and crafting, and a very special puppet journey through our forest! The puppet journey was essentially a treasure hunt that we led the children on in search of items that the mischievous hobgoblin from our story had hidden in the forest. One by one, we discovered baskets hidden throughout the woods, along with little puppets which led us on to the next clue. It was pure magic!

This week, we look forward to observing Día de los Muertos on Tuesday and Wednesday, thanks to the generous help of our co-op parent Samantha Chavez! We also quickly approach Martinmas this week, and will be preparing for that festival as well. The theme for the coming weeks will be all about kindling our inner light to guide us into the darker winter months. The children will help to make their very own lanterns in class which they will take home to celebrate Martinmas with you all. More information is soon to come.

Gentle reminder:

-please pack mittens and hats every day. It is getting cold!

In gratitude,

Jessica and Gabby