Upper Grades: Nov 12 - Nov 16

Greetings, Upper Grades Parents!

We hope you had a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving break.  Steve and I attended my family reunion up in Minnesota and it was delightful. 

For this week and next, Ki Jas is guest teaching, for the morning main lesson time, a subject she loves, "Gilgamesh,"   This is an ancient Mesopotamian poem, widely regarded as being the first story ever written down.  Important cultural developments occurred at this stage of humanity’s growth such as the growing of surplus crops, the domestication of animals, great architectural feats, cuneiform writing, and the codification of law. Some of these will be introduced as activities with the class.  




Mountaingarten: Nov. 5th - 14th

This past week was a lot of fun and very wet. The children participated in making cards for the soldiers, feeding the animals, cutting up vegetables, making their own little rolls of bread, felt necklaces and water painting and adding a touch of glitter. The children continue to enjoy their time with Ki Nina where they are able to relax with yoga prior to having rest time.  

Throughout the week we are able to play in the forest with meadowgarten and take nature walks where the children hunt for turtles in the pond. Some children enjoyed splashing in the puddles, and would make sure that they were covered from head to toe in mud.

The children were told the story of a red robin whose broken wing prohibited him from flying South for the winter. The bird continued to go to different types of trees, and each tree turned him down. When the Red Robin came to an Evergreen tree, the Evergreen tree let the bird in and kept him safe and warm for the winter. On Thursday the children were able to reenact the story that had been told to them, with the help of Ki Fatima as the narrator. 

On Thursday the children enjoyed a warm chamomile tea with their snack.

A new poem has been introduced to the children that they will continue to work on throughout the next couple of weeks:

Have you seen the wind?

Neither  you nor I.

But when the leaves are trembling. 

The wind is passing by. 

Have you seen the wind?

Neither I not you.

But when the tree bark bows its head. 

The wind is passing through. 

For show and tell the students brought in a pamphlet of snakes, an invention, a student brought a snack he had made, and a dinosaur tooth. 

Reminders:

All students must have a rain suit or a rain jacket and rain pants. If the student is not prepared for the rainy outdoor weather the parents will be called for them to bring in a coat or to pick the child up.

Please ensure that your child has an extra pair of clothing. It is preferred that there are 2 extra pair of clothes because some children are muddy prior to school starting. If they do not have an extra pair of clothing, and are muddy/wet parents will be called to come bring them extra clothes or to be picked up. 

Children should have at lease two pairs of shoes. Each child should have a pair of rain boots. 

Meadowgarten: Nov 5th - Nov 12th

Hello Meadow Families!

We've got a cold and wet week up ahead! Please drop your child off in their warm layers and rain gear. This makes our morning transition into the forest much faster. 

We will also be asking that each meadowgartener brings 2 changes of clothes for this week. We will be keeping one change of clothes at school for emergencies, so in the future, you will only need to bring one change of clothes to school. If possible, please send in a gallon baggie with their name on it. 

Our week started with some beach play and sand castle building which we haven't done since the weather's turned colder! But donned in our rain gear, the kids had a blast. We have spent our mornings in the forest- including our Spanish and snack- in rain or shine! We hung a tarp so we have a rain shelter when eating, and during snack, the children's discussions revolved around camping at school since we now have an outdoor "shelter"! Our classroom switch has given us more freedom because of its proximity to the bathrooms and ability to change muddy clothes easier.

We hope the pictures give a nice representation of our days at our beautiful school.

In good nature,

Ki Amy and Ki Amanda

Joyful Beginnings: Nov 5th - Nov 12th

The children had their second watercolor painting class. This time, we explored the yellow color. Once we felt good with the yellow, we added back a bit of red from last week. They blended colors to recreate the autumn leaves that we were observing during our outside walks.

We also dipped our hands working with glue. We glued paper pumpkins and tissue paper to recreate autumn vegetable feast.

We loved walking in the big puddles. We explored all the puddles in the playground before moving to the farm. While walking through intersections, we get in the circle, sing circle song and explore our body movement from tips of the toes to the top of outstretched hands.

The children were active also in the garden. We planted the tea plants donated by parents. Hopefully, we will have lots of tea for our hot brew.

HomeSchool: Nov 5th - Nov 12th

Hi HomeSchool families!

HomeSchool students gave their Amphibian presentations Tuesday morning. I was very impressed by their public speaking skills with each one standing, making excellent eye contact with their audience, and speaking clearly. Great job!

Thursday dawned cloudy and cold for our Lantern Walk but we had a good time walking the trails with our handmade lanterns and singing the lantern songs. We worked hard on Privet Pocket, our outdoor classroom, cleaning, sweeping, and clearing vines and limb from HomeSchool Trail. We wrote and colored thank you notes to Atlanta-area veterans. Ki Jasmine delivered these for us.

We painted wooden maple leaves and real hickory nuts to add to the centerpiece decorations for Thanksgiving dinner November 16th. This potluck begins at 11:30pm on Friday, and HomeSchool families are welcome to participate. It is a Three Sisters dinner. Bring a corn dish, a bean dish, or a squash dish to share.

On Tuesday we will learn about animals as timekeepers. We'll talk about Aldo Leopold's Dawn Bird Chorus and generate a list of animals that are nocturnal, diurnal, and crepuscular. We will talk about fairies (mostly nocturnal) and collect materials from the forest for fairy houses building. On Thursday we will build fairy houses outside and, if it gets too wet and cold, we'll play Nature Bingo inside. Bring raincoats or jackets, rain pants, extra socks, and rain boots for both days!

Logan's last day with us is Thursday. Ki Kelly will bring a special snack and hot beverage for her going-away get-together that day. Their family is moving back to southern California, and not a minute too soon if they want to avoid the cold weather.

Thanksgiving Break is Monday, November 19th through Friday, November 23rd. Ki Kate Brown will be subbing for me the following week, November 27th and 29th, while Larry and I are on the family cruise with my Dad. That will be the first week of our study of reptiles!

Quote from a child: "Toads aren't ugly. They're just toads."


Quote from William Morris, English writer, artist, & designer, 1834-1896: "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."

See you in the leaf pile,

Ki Sonya

Lower Grades: Nov 5th - Nov 12th

The Lower Grades had a fun first week in our new classroom space, the Dome.  It fits perfectly with our class energy!  The compostable toilet was easily embraced and everyone quickly and happily settled in.  Thank you all for sending your children with rubber-soled slippers.  It makes getting from our backpack shed to the Dome an easy transition.  We are able to leave our gear in the shed over the weekend which is a nice bonus.  If you want everything to come home on Fridays, please let me know and I will do my best to help make that happen.  Same with having items left at school.  Please add rain pants if you haven’t done so already.  😊

This past week we made our first readers.  (If you read last week’s Monday Messenger it mentioned word families, but I changed that 😉.)  The readers were based on a story we shared in class, The Prince Who Could Not Read.  Each day, we wrote a sentence and drew an illustration for various parts of the story and re-read our pages many times.  We worked on our copywork (neatness, correct letter formation, spacing), sight words (underlined in red) and sentence structure.  On our last illustrations we started adding in some background details in our pictures as well.  For students learning to read, pointing along with each word as they read is an important skill, along with sounding out simple words.  Please make sure the readers are all returned to school as we will continue to use them.  Next week, we will make a second reader based on a new story.  Students who are currently readers will be working on a book based on short stories and writing simple summaries.  

In Math, we are continuing to work on place value, building various numbers through 99 using our beads and tens “sticks”.  Students are building individual numbers or working on adding and subtracting single and double-digit numbers based on their needs.  In Modeling, we formed our clay balls into paddies, then into five-pointed stars and finally into a human figure (five points = two arms, two legs and a head).  In wet-on-wet painting, we painted rainbows, working on a specific brush stroke and blending colors.  The students enjoyed Music class with Ki Kathee, Yoga with Ki Nina, Games with Ki Nnamdi and Foreign Language with both Ki Serina and Don Andres.  In Handwork, we are learning with Ki Andrew and Ki Ieva and working on our knitting skills.  Students new to knitting are finger knitting and enjoying the process immensely.  They will transition to knitting with needles during the school year.

Warmly, 

Ki Melissa

Upper Grades: Nov 5th - Nov 12th

Greetings, Upper Grades Parents,

We focus on decimals for one more week, and then we have Thanksgiving break!  Remember Friday is the Thanksgiving luncheon, and an early dismissal day. 

We used money (change) as one of our several approaches to learning about and practicing with decimals.  The students were "loaned" piles of change to count and stack.  A side interest in coins naturally developed; they were especially intrigued by the dates of the various coins, and I was especially amused at their exclamation of ancient dates.  Wow! 1988!  Um, yup.  We took this money practice into having little stores on each of their desks, which they loved! They "bought" and "sold" items that I borrowed from the supply closet.  One day they even had to buy their snacks from me!

This week we will get strong on using the four operations with decimal numbers, and converting between fractions and decimals.  

In the afternoons, Ki Molly has been working with the class on language arts.  We look forward to receiving everyone's book reports on Thursday!

I hope you have had a nice weekend!

Take care,

Ki Carol

STRINGS ENSEMBLE

The Strings Ensemble is progressing nicely, and without putting too much emphasis on performance, I think they are ready to play several tunes for students and parents at the First Friday Assembly on December 7.  I would like for the students to wear similar colors for the performance - tops in primary colors, preferably polos or button up; navy, black, or khaki pants or skirts; and no large bows or shiny jewelry.  

At this point in their progress, students should be practicing the violin at least 10 minutes per day on Strings Ensemble music, which includes exercises and scales, in addition to the music they are practicing for their private lessons. Beginning in January, I will be checking their practice routine by sending home a weekly practice chart.  Please start thinking now about possible rewards at home for practice without prodding.

~Ki Kathee

Middle Grades: Nov 5th - Nov 12th

As I look at the weather forecast for this week, I am reminded of the importance of having raingear every day, and an extra set of clothing.

In case you ever need to know, from the northeast door of the building to the gate at the farm, along the path, is a 912 foot jaunt.  We measured it this week by using a 25 foot piece of string and going hand over hand.  I had fun, and now I know that each day we walk just under 1/2 mile there and back.  Our discussions about measurement was accompanied by the addition of the 12's multiplication table.

This week is going to be all about weight.  After we start by comparing items by weight, we will be building balance scales, then I will bring in a digital scale and we'll see how accurate our handbuilt scales are.  

Upcoming Dates:

Wednesday, November 14 - book reports due

Friday, November 16 - Thanksgiving Potluck luncheon; early release

December 1 - Community Work Day

Friday, December 7 - First Friday Assembly - Strings Ensemble first performance!!

Have a great week!  Hope to see you Friday at the luncheon.

STRING ENSEMBLE

The Strings Ensemble is progressing nicely, and without putting too much emphasis on performance, I think they are ready to play several tunes for students and parents at the First Friday Assembly on December 7.  I would like for the students to wear similar colors for the performance - tops in primary colors, preferably polos or button up; navy, black, or khaki pants or skirts; and no large bows or shiny jewelry.  

At this point in their progress, students should be practicing the violin at least 10 minutes per day on Strings Ensemble music, which includes exercises and scales, in addition to the music they are practicing for their private lessons. Beginning in January, I will be checking their practice routine by sending home a weekly practice chart.  Please start thinking now about possible rewards at home for practice without prodding.

Lower Grades: October 29 - November 2

The Lower Grades finished out our Qualities of Numbers block this past week.  During this block, we explored the values of the numbers one through twelve through Grimm’s fairy tales, drawing, using gems and writing many addition sentences.  The students’ ability to create addition equations blossomed by the end of the block!  The students who are already adding and subtracting, used dice and larger numbers to practice and develop their skills and also showed great progress!  We finished up this week focusing on place value to the hundreds place (and a quick visit to the thousands place too).  Using beads, pipe cleaners, number flips and a bell, the students built numbers to 100 and back to zero one by one.  This is an activity that let them see clearly the concept of grouping and re-grouping in the ones, tens and hundred place values.

We are again moving into a language block and will be spending the next two weeks working with word families (i.e. “at”- cat, mat, sat or “ai” rain, paint, train) and writing sentences incorporating these words.  We will also be settling into our new space, The Dome.  The classroom and supplies were moved in Friday (thank you Elexa for your help and use of your van!).  It should be a great space for us and lets us stay a little more settled (no more cleaning up the entire room on Fridays 😉).  Please remember, send your child with slippers with rubber soles, rainboots and raingear.  They will benefit having boots with them daily.  We will be in and out of the building at various times during the day.  Boots will help them transition on the wet days easily and comfortably.  The Lower Grades has their own boot bin to make storing them easier.  We are also using the shed net to the dome for hanging backpacks and coats.  It should all work out nicely.

 Warmly,

Ki Melissa

Mountaingarten: October 29 - November 2

This past week was great. The kids were able to enjoy stacking and balancing rocks, feeding the animals, watering plants in the vegetable garden, having a nature walk, carpet weaving, painting activity with crafting tape, show and tell, and it ended with the Friday assembly where we were able to perform the Farmer Song. 

Monday through Wednesday the children were told a story about an old man and woman who were down on their luck and in order to make money they had to sell shoes. However, each morning when they awoke the shoes were made by little elves. On Thursday the children were able to become the characters and act out the story as the teacher narrated. 

We have introduced a new song last week which is called the "Tree Song." We will be introducing a new song this upcoming week as well as a poem.  

This week we are excited to start our nature table, where the children have already started to collect items from nature to put at the table. 

Reminders:

Please remember if you are signed up for snack please have the snack in the kitchen by 8:30 am, as it helps us with preparing for our day. 

Please have at least a light jacket for your child, as there have been multiple children coming down with a cold and having the sniffles. 

Please be sure your child brings his/her rest mat to school!

Thank you!

Warmly,

Mountain Garden

Meadowgarten: October 29 - November 2

Hello Meadow Families!

Going into this new week, please remember to adequately prepare your Meadowgartener for success outside! We generally spend more than half of our day outside, so please drop your child off in their rain gear if it is forecasted to be raining. Please note the photograph of Graham and Owen modeling perfect forest kindergarten gear! We will be calling if your child is not outfitted properly.

Last week was so fun, starting with some brisk mornings, campfires, and getting to explore some remnant of hay bales from KOH. In the forest, we chopped carrots, broke bread, and heard the story of the Little Red Hen. We've also seen a surge in kitchen/bakery type play in the forest and strong desires to build structures. Later in the week, the rainy days brought some fun water and mud play, ending our Friday with the assembly.

We have been working with the children during imaginative play on who decides which character each child can pretend to be. The language looks like this- "Sarah chooses who Sarah is, and Fred chooses who Fred is. Can Sarah be a kitty even if Fred wants to be a kitty too?" 

This week, we will be moving our nest space into our indoor location next to the kitchen and the Mountaingarten. We are excited to show the Meadowgarteners and for the rainy week ahead!

In good nature,

Ki Amy and Ki Amanda

HomeSchool: October 29 - November 2

Whew! This had been some week, with a lot of fun and excitement. The Kingdom of Halloween Festival was a great success and a good time was had by all. On Tuesday we created our lanterns for the Lantern Walk, got to see some live newts from a Cobb County park, put our troubles and cares into the Worry Frog, and played in the creek and on hay bales. Several students showed the class their leaf and rock collections. Brolin and Nellie (from Upper Grades) helped me test the temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen level at Kindy Beach on Little Noonday Creek. Our Sapphires will be testing the creek once a month, partly to see how it's doing and partly to learn about water quality monitoring.

Thursday we gathered leaves to use in our leaf rubbings. Along the way, we found a new trail to try to improve. It leads to the area where the miller's daughter did her spinning during the Halloween Festival so we named the trail the Miller's Daughter's Trail. We used crayons for our leaf rubbings. We talked about newts and salamanders and created lovely watercolors of salamanders using blue, red, and yellow.

Next Tuesday we will give our Amphibian presentations! Please bring your four sheets of masterbook paper, ready to turn in. I can't wait to hear each presentation and learn more about the world's amazing amphibians. It looks like rain that day, but bring water clothes and water shoes just in case we get to go to the creek.

Also on Tuesday, the Garden Girls Girl Scouts will be doing some cast iron cooking. We'll prepare a meal in Dutch ovens and taste our creations. Girl Scouts should wear closed-toes shoes (not rubber boots) and warm clothes.

Next Thursday, for Veterans Day, we will do our Lantern Walk along the trails to Privet Pocket in the morning. We'll paint wooden leaves and hickory nuts for centerpieces. And we will write and draw cards for patients at the veterans hospital here in Atlanta.

Quote from a child: "We found a turtle in our yard and my Mom put it in a box so it was a box turtle."

Quote from Unknown: "Make the rest of your life the best of your life!"

See you on the trails,

Ki Sonya

Upper Grades: October 29 - November 2

Hi upper grades parents, 


I'm very happy to be back in the classroom! 


We began our two-week Decimals block. We are building on the fractions practice the students have been doing with Ki Molly the last few weeks. 

Each child has a new assignment tracker for the week. The student puts a check mark ✅ for each assignment as they complete it. They bring it to the teacher for initials. As a reminder, the book report is due on Thursday. 

They’ll have continued math homework each night, as well as finishing the day’s master book page each night if not finished in class. Soon we’ll each have an artist’s folio for transporting these special pages back and forth. 

The class rep for our class is Nola’s mom, Kate Brown. Thanks so much, Kate! 

Warmly, 
Ki Carol 

Joyful Beginnings: October 29 - November 2

We were busy this week.

We planted some tulips near the fence. Hopefully next spring we should have a beautiful flower bed that kids can be proud of.

Kids had our first watercolor painting class. We explored the red color. Kids learned the feel of the paintbrush on the paper. They were also learning how to hold the paintbrush. It was lots of fun for all of us.

To prepare our daily veggie snack, kids help me out with chopping them in handy pieces. Ki Ieva had been bringing some vegetables and fruits for us to chop and snack. Keegan’s mom and Colton’s mom volunteered to bring some fruits and veggies in the upcoming weeks. We will try to create a list to make the process more systemic.

We enjoyed our Moon children visits. One day they joined us in drawing colorful lines on the paper :)

As always we use every nice weather day to enjoy the time in the playground. Kato really enjoys helping other kids swinging on the playground swings. He has been our class chief swing assistant.

Middle Grades: October 29 - November 2

Hello Middle Grades parents,

We had a great week last week working in the garden and measuring lots of things.  This week we will continue to measure using inches, feet, yards, and maybe even a mile (using paces).  Our next block will be measuring weight.

Remember to help your child finish reading their biographies.  The actual reports are due Wednesday, November 14.  I would like for them to all be on main lesson book paper, which I will be sending home either Tuesday or Wednesday.  Please remind them to take their time and make the report beautiful handwriting.  

Upper Grades: October 22- 26

Greetings, families! It was fun to see some of you this weekend at the incredible Kingdom of Halloween festival. 

We’ve been having so much fun with botany that we’re extending our block by one week to include monocotyledons, and Ki Carol will be back next week with a two-week block on decimals. We’ve also introduced a monthly book report and if those guidelines didn’t make it home last week you can access them here. Here’s what Ki Molly and Ki Jas have instore for the week ahead:

Monday: Monocotyledons vs dicotyledons, including Masterbook dictation and illustration. Spelling words assigned (test on Friday!), report assigned on a monocot.

Homework:

  • Complete math workbook through page 23 if not finished in class.

  • Complete Masterbook work if not finished in class.

  • Study spelling words.

  • Conduct research work on assigned plant.

Tuesday: Conifers and palms, including Masterbook dictation and illustration.

Homework:

  • Complete math workbook through page 26 if not finished in class.

  • Complete Masterbook work if not finished in class.

  • Study spelling words.

  • Write report on assigned plant.

Wednesday: Grasses and cereal plants, including Masterbook dictation and illustration.

Homework:

  • Complete math workbook through page 29 if not finished in class.

  • Complete Masterbook work if not finished in class.

  • Study spelling words.

  • Illustrate report on assigned plant.

Thursday: Orchids and bulb plants, including Masterbook dictation and illustration.

Homework:

  • Complete math workbook through page 31 if not finished in class.

  • Complete Masterbook work if not finished in class.

  • Study spelling words and finish writing out definitions.

  • Ensure that report on assigned plant is complete. It should include a scientific illustration, the common and Latin names of the plant, an explanation of how and where it can be found, and three interesting facts about it.

Friday: Presentation of specimen reports, review of whole botany block, assembly and early dismissal. Spelling test!

Homework:

  • Complete math workbook through page 35 by Monday. There will be a test on multiplying and dividing fractions on Monday -- next comes decimals!

  • Complete Masterbook work if not finished in class.

Ki Carol will visit the class this Wednesday so the children can show her what they have been working on, and they will practice their song for the First Friday assembly!

Mountaingarten: October 22 - 26

Dear Mountain families,

We started out our week as we normally do, making delicious warm bread to enjoy with our homemade butter and olive oil zaatar dip. We cut vegetables for our soup, fed the animals, splashed in giant muddy puddles, and went for a splendid nature walk. We had fun with Meadow in the forest and inside we made colorful felt necklaces and we also had a pine cone craft. Also, we had another wonderful birthday celebration and enjoyed delicious cupcakes! Thank you Carol & Joaquin! 

Friday was our first day of show and tell and we are so happy with what the children brought in! We had musical instruments, a song, trophy, an insteresting stick, “heavens box”, and drawing of the class on a ship. 

The children heard a story about four dwarves who loved to make a lot of noise! Except one dwarf who sat so quietly in his corner and polished the stones they carved out of the cave until it turned shiny like crystals. 

By Thursday all the children acted out the play and it was a lot of fun to watch! 

Reminders: 

Please have each child bring in a maximum of two coats.

Please ensure each child has a wet bag.

Children are expected to be able to take off and put on their own shoes. Please refrain from bringing your child in with laces if he/she doesn’t yet know how to tie shoes. 

Toys found will be confiscated and later given to parents. Children are aware they should not be brought to school. 

Ensure your child is wearing their socks to school, as some have grown out of their inside shoes and others have lost them. 

If you are signed up to bring fruits & vegtables, please drop it off on the kitchen counter no later than 8:30 AM Monday morning. 

As it is the first Friday of the month this week, we will be having an assembly and half day this Friday. Also, although it is a half day, we are still having show and tell so please have your child prepare something to bring in! 

Kingdom of Halloween was a wonderful success. Thank you for all the parents have who helped and those who were able to show up! The costumes were delightful! 

Blessings,

Mountain 

Lower Grades: October 22 - 26

The Lower Grades had a smaller group this week as there are a couple different “bugs” in the air.  Extra rest is a huge help for wellness!  We had a busy week working with the numbers seven through eleven through stories, movement songs and using gems.  They students heard stories, drew pictures and created many addition equations using gems or dice.  The hundreds chart was introduced to some students as they work on larger number addition and subtraction equations. Next week, we will work with the number 12 and begin a place value game that clearly shows how and why we change from nine to 10 as well as 99 to 100.  In Language, we played sight word bingo and they are learning to recognize more sight words.  We also started a sight word wall so they can access these words quickly and easily when writing.  During this time, we are also now breaking into small groups to work on our reading, writing and phonics skills.

Friday, November 2 is our First Friday assembly.  The Lower Grades will be hosting, which means they will be introducing each class as they come up onto the stage to share what they have been working on this past month.  It will be a half-day, so please plan on meeting your child at the picnic tables between 12:15-12:30 for early pick-up or sign your child up for our Aftercare program. 

We have had a quick jump-start into early winter!  Please send your child with warm clothes and update their extra clothing in their backpacks.  When it rains, the playground is muddy and extra clothes are often needed after a fun time outside!  We usually stay outside for our morning circle after morning playground, and being dressed appropriately makes for a better experience.  Boots are still always needed!  We have a storage chest outside the doors for boots to be stored.  Please keep check that your child has boots and please take them home over the weekends for cleaning and drying out as needed. 

Warmly,

Ki Melissa

Meadowgarten: October 22 - 26

Hello Meadowgarten families,

This week was full of new experiences for the Meadowgarten- we gathered materials, built a fire, and experienced our first day of pouring rain!

We learned about fire safety as we built our fire together. Meadowgarteners heaved over logs to build our barrier around the fire, as well as collected sticks, twigs, and kindling to feed the fire. No student is allowed to put anything into the fire, and there is always a bucket of water and a teacher while the fire is live. We gathered around and told stories and enjoyed each others company. 

We've also been collecting our compost at the end of the day to feed the animals, and learning about food waste. We talk about how are bodies are feeling before we decide how much food to ask for at snack time. 

This week, Meadowgarteners have started making their own journals (decorating the cover, hole-punching, adding pages) to keep in the classroom to draw and create in. After a sunny afternooon collecting pine cones, we created a nature garland with yarn to begin decorating the dome.

Some days, we will go straight to the forest from the playground. There is the compost toilet there, however, please ensure your Meadowgartener goes to the bathroom before drop-off- this would be very helpful. 

In good nature,

Ki Amy and Ki Amanda

Home School: October 22 - 26

Happy Halloween Week!

We enjoyed the past few days and got to spend some precious moments in Little Noonday Creek before the cold weather sets in. We worked in teams to build straw boats (boats made of drinking straws) and floated them down the creek. We created watercolor landscapes in blue and green. We looked at the the biggest shelf fungus in Cobb County. It was delightful to have Brolin's Mom, grandparents, and great aunt with us for his 10th birthday celebration. I've attached some photos below.

Please bring any rock or leaf collections that you would like to share this Tuesday. We will also start work on our lanterns Tuesday, gluing tissue paper to the jars. Due to parking and after-dark safety concerns, the evening Lantern Walk will not take place this year. Our HomeSchool group is going to walk the trails with our lanterns during the school day and we will write and draw cards to patients at the Veterans Hospital here in Atlanta.

We are beginning our study of newts and salamanders this week, and will have some animal ambassadors from Sweat Mountain Park. Please continue to work on your Take-Home Amphibian projects so that you are not rushed at the end. These are due Tuesday, November 6th. Be sure to practice your presentations at home at least once.

Bring rubber boots, rain jackets, warm jackets, and extra socks this week so we can spend some time outside on the trails. Write your name on everything!

I am extending an invitation to all HomeSchool families to join me at the Amphibian Foundation's annual Open House and Ribbet Exhibit (amphibian-based fine art). I was able to attend last year and it was a blast! It will be held Friday, December 7th, 6:00-10:00pm at the Blue Heron Nature Preserve, 4055 Roswell Road NE, Atlanta. You will definitely get to hold a frog, a toad, and a snake. The fun will include live animal demos, behind-the-scenes tours, food and drink, and a gift sale. Come and go as you like. This event is free. The nonprofit Amphibian Foundation is not generally open to the public. Mark and Crystal Mandica, founders of the Amphibian Foundation, are amazing! Check out their website at amphibianfoundation.org. 

I have three more sessions of occupational therapy for my left wrist and hand and I will be as good as new (on that side)! I will be away from school November 27th and 29th for our family cruise (with Kate Brown substituting) and December 20th for my right wrist surgery (with Kate Brown substituting).

Quote from a child to his Dad: "Let's play darts. I'll throw and you say "Wonderful!""

Quote from Unknown: "Fall asleep with a dream. Wake up with a purpose."

Hope you get all treats, no tricks,

Ki Sonya