We welcomed friends to school today with a continuation of our ‘exploracion de rokas’! We filled two tubs with warm water and added small glass stones to one and medium sized rocks to the other. With spoons, spatulas, and small/medium/large containers, friends poured, sorted, splashed and picked up the various rocks. We identified different colors of glass stones and added environmental music of a splashing stream to enhance discovery and a sense of calm!

A small group of friends explored the beautiful illustrations and interesting sounds of Boucle d’or by Pere Castor- a French adaptation of Goldilocks and the Three Bears! Thank you, Amy C.! Page after page represented illustrations of groups of three. We counted the objects within those groups and asked “which size is this?” Afterwards, we studied how the number three looks and moved to the art table to experiment with the lines and curves of ‘3’. One friend translated her understanding of the number and the concept of size by drawing three lines and calling them “Daddy, Mommy and Baby”. Another friend drew three letter ‘x”s and applied the same relationships to his drawing.

When a friend expressed that she wanted to be a bear in her cave, a small group of friends moved to housekeeping and we played the instrumental track “Grizzly Bear Cubs With Their Mom After a Storm”. Our cubs created caves and hibernated in the cold winter. When spring came, we added our splashing stream music and caught salmon in the stream, with a fishing pole! Our play-based exploration of the bears enabled us to collaborate as a group: when a friend would contribute an explanation of what she was doing, the rest of the group had the opportunity to listen/watch and follow an ever shifting leader. One friend became the protector of all the girl cubs. He chose to stay on shore (out of the stream) but followed our every move, explaining his actions as he went along. In this type of educational play, each friend ‘belongs’ and has the freedom to find his/her voice in the context of our storytelling. Our play ended with a fish fry and a long bear sleep under the imagined stars.

Our camera was on the blitz today so we aren’t able to tell you today’s story through photos! We’ll be back up next week.

Today’s lunch was WF roasted zucchini, whole wheat torillas with melted cheese and cantelope.

We hope you enjoy your family time this weekend!