Osiyo, Chickadee Families,
The Chickadee students have begun work on their lanterns for the Lantern Walk! This year’s lanterns will be different from those we have made in the past. They will be created from the students’ watercolor paintings and yarn the students dyed and finger chained. The children are excited for you to see their lanterns and to participate in the lantern walk on Wednesday, November 6th. We had a new story beginning last week that helped the students embody the spirit of the Lantern Festival. As the days grow shorter and darker, we all work to kindle and shine our inner light by holding and demonstrating love and kindness to ourselves and others. In the current story, a young girl learns that everyone has a light inside them that can be turned on and shine brightly by caring for herself and others and being kind and considerate. The students also hear affirmations that everyone has bad days and makes mistakes, but the important thing to do is keep trying and apologize and make amends when we do something that hurts someone’s feelings.
Next week, students will act out the story in a play. Each student has gained confidence and a more solid understanding of sequencing, in addition to embodying the stories more deeply through the plays; they all join readily and excitedly, too! The class will explore the insides of a pumpkin next week and use hammers and golf tees to make it into a “poke lantern.” We will enjoy the light from the pumpkin lantern throughout the next couple of weeks. Once the pumpkin begins to decompose, it will be set just outside the classroom boundary so that students can watch the process of decomposition. Perhaps next year, there will be a pumpkin vine growing in the forest!
Announcements and Reminders for Chickadee Kindergarten:
Please continue to send your child dressed in layers and to send insect repellant.
Please send a vegetable to chop on Mondays or Tuesdays, and send a fruit on these days if your child attends school on Thursdays.
November 1st: No School (Teacher Inservice Day).
Monday, November 4th: we will have roasted pumpkin seeds along with our popcorn for shared snack. Please let me know if your child should not have the pumpkin seeds.
November 6th: Lantern Walk for Kindergarten through Third Grade at 6:00 p.m.
November 12th: Early Childhood Curriculum Night at 6:00 p.m.
Thank you for sharing your children with us and for being part of our community.
Gvyalieliga,
Ki Holly
