Osiyo, River Otter families,
We enjoyed a beautiful spring week at The Garden School this week. The students continued building obstacle courses, visited the farm, played with our new activity of peg dolls and wooden house, and made crafts from their imaginations using our scrap basket. One day while the older students were at Golden Knights, the younger students had the opportunity to play in the sand near the creek. The students watered our plants, folded towels, washed our tea cups, and helped with other practical work tasks.
The students really enjoy our new morning circle song about animals waking up for the spring. We started with three animals and will add a new animal each week until the end of the school year. This circle activity helps build balance, coordination, listening skills, vocabulary, tone, crossing the midline, and a variety of muscular and movement skills. It is also helpful for building impulse control, as the students have to wait quietly until the animal wakes up. And of course, it is a lot of fun and filled with giggles when an animal suddenly awakes to the thud of a raindrop. The first verse is:
Hop said the grasshopper, hop hop hop/ Summer is coming and I just can’t stop./ All winter long I lay asleep/ and it seemed that the winter would never ever end…/ but an April raindrop fell on my nose/ and woke me up from my repose/ and now it's time to have a peek/ and see if I can find a little friend…
Announcements and Reminders:
CREEKCESS IS COMING! It is becoming warm enough that we may be able to start playing at the creek. Please send hard soled, closed toed water shoes (extra athletic shoes that are ok to get wet and muddy are fine too) and an extra change of clothes for the rest of the school year. Although we will only go into the creek up to our ankles, students will still likely get wet and dirty and need to change clothes. No swimsuits please. Our creek day is Thursday, however we may have the opportunity to visit the creek on other occasions as well.
Please send insect repellant (and apply it to your child before school), two full water bottles, a sunhat if possible (baseball caps work too), and sunscreen if you would like them to wear it.
Thank you for sharing your children with us, and for being part of our community.
Warm regards,
Ki Holly
