Greetings, Turtle Families,
It was lovely to spend this evening with so many of our Turtle parents. I hope that you enjoyed our first Curriculum Night of the year. Our class is such a wonderful community, and we are grateful you are all part of it. We look forward to coming together again with our wider Early Childhood community in November for a second Curriculum Night, when we will discuss the importance and value of warmth and winter gear in Early Childhood.
The Turtles enjoyed a busy and hot week in the forest. With our handwork bags complete, many children have begun finger-chaining, beading, and sewing projects. Several students created bracelets, necklaces, and sewn creations to take home. We visited the farm on Wednesday, where the children fed kudzu leaves to the donkeys and goats. While there, the Third Graders arrived to complete their farm chores, and the Turtles were able to watch them clean the chicken coop, collect eggs, feed, and provide the animals with fresh water. As they worked, the older children were happy to answer questions and tell us about their farm chores and the animals they cared for each day. On Friday, we visited the creek to play for a while, and the cold water was so refreshing! We spent some afternoons in our indoor classroom due to the high heat, and the children enjoyed playing games, building and imagining with loose parts, and playing with the dollhouse.
We started a new story about Mother Nature and two playful bluebirds. While she was using her paints to add color to the flowers of the meadow, the little bluebirds would fly down and dip their wings into her paint pots. Later, the little bluebirds flew through the mist of a waterfall to create a rainbow. Each story shared will be told for a week; the following week, the class will enjoy the story in other forms. This week, we will see a puppet play of the story, and the children will have an opportunity to perform a play of the story. We will also have a handwork project related to the story.
You may have heard your child singing some of our Circle songs at home. We will sing the same opening and closing songs throughout the year; the other songs will change with the seasons. Our opening song for Circle is Good Morning Dear Earth:
Good morning, dear earth.
Good morning, dear sun.
Good morning, dear stones.
And the plants, every one.
Good morning, dear trees
And the birds flying free.
Good morning to you
And good morning to me!
Good morning to you
And good morning to me!
Announcements and Reminders:
Please continue to send insect repellent in your child’s backpack each day. The mosquitos are still very active in the forest.
Thank you for sharing your children with us and for being a part of our community!
Grace and Peace,
Ki Kim
