Kindergarten Turtles: April 28 - May 2, 2025
Greetings Turtle Families,
Our story last week was about a wise Grandfather Rabbit. He is very old and knows the ways of the winds and the rain, the sun and the moon, and also knows how to outsmart coyotes. A coyote has been scaring all of the rabbits in Cottontail Village, and Grandfather Rabbit comes up with a plan. He sends his friend, Jaybird, to tell Coyote about the biggest rabbit of them all, who lives in the hole by the Great Oak Tree. He always comes out of his hole just as the sun is rising. Coyote hides and waits to catch the biggest rabbit of them all. Just as the sun is rising, Grandfather Rabbit, beating his drum, emerges from the hole, and his HUGE shadow and loud “footsteps” scare Coyote away. From that day forward, all of the rabbits in Cottontail Village call him Thunder Longshadow. The children enjoyed the story and the drum beats that went along with it. This week we will have a puppet show of the story, and the children will perform a play. Everyone will have a chance to beat the drum. To go along with our story, we have been watching our shadows as we walk in line. We will use sidewalk chalk to trace each of the children’s shadows and see how they change throughout the day.
The children are excited to see the new Spring growth as we walk around campus. We have had many wildlife sightings over the last few weeks. There are the resident owls whom we see and hear regularly. Salamanders are swimming in the creek. Snakes slither away on the paths as we walk. Geese swim with their goslings on the pond. We also spot and try to identify the wildflowers that are growing - fleabane, thistle, multiflora rose, wild strawberries, wild raspberries, honeysuckle, and of course, dandelions. The children especially like the dandelions because of this verse in our circle:
Oh, Dandelion yellow as gold
What do you do all day?
I just wait here in the tall green grass
Til’ the children come to play
Oh, Dandelion yellow as gold
What do you do all night?
I wait and wait while the cool dew falls
And my hair turns long and white
And what do you do when your hair turns white
And the children come to play
They take me in their little hands
And blow my hair away!
Announcements and Reminders:
As we enter the final 3 weeks of school, there are a few things to remember.
It has warmed up, so students need 2 full water bottles each day. We have drinking water to refill if they drink both of their water bottles from home. They need to stay hydrated!
The mosquitoes are out in full force. Please make sure that you pack insect repellent in your child’s backpack.
We will visit the creek as much as we are able in these last few weeks of school. Please check your child’s backpack every night for wet clothes and replace them with a fresh change of clothes. Don’t forget underwear.
5/10: Community Work Day
5/21: Field Day / Half Day for Kindergarten
5/23: Last Day of School - Full Day
Thank you for sharing your children with us and for being a part of our community.
Grace and Peace,
Ki Kim
