After further conversation and an illustration study about a one horse, open sleigh, we decided to create our own! We turned a card table upside down, gathered our bells and sang “Jingle Bells” as Melinda accompanied us on her accordian. Friends took turns being the one horse by jumping into the hula hoop tent and neighing/galloping as another friend held the reins.

After our creative music exploration, a large group moved to the art table to make coffee filter snowflakes.

Many chose to hang theirs on our ever ornamental tree!

The light table has been an area of steady interest ever since we added it to our classroom a few weeks ago. Today, Tami set out Crystal Climbers: translucent, multi-colored stacking shapes. Friends made robots, towers, coffee cups and climbing stairs!

From now until we break for the holidays, WF will have the opportunity to create a Counting Christmas Tree Journal. The journal is 10 pages of tree templates on which friends are free to draw and write about whatever they choose. The pages are numbered 1-10 and stickers are added to correspond to the number on the page. We will send these home with your WF on the last day of school.

More moments of Playful Study!

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Melinda devised a new winter buddy system we are calling Snow Buddies. This morning, each older friend chose a younger friend to assist with putting on/taking off winter gear for outside play. Here’s the roster:

Kai/Nate—Jane/Alexandra—Annie/Arleigh—Macy/Stephen—Ada/Umi—Vivian/Elliott—Simon/Marta—Owen/Finn

Everyone loved helping/being helped and took their jobs very seriously. We actually heard one friend instruct her ‘helpee’: “Don’t go to the teachers anymore for help….only come to me.”!!!!

*We were alerted today that the sibling of a WF has been diagnosed with strep throat.

For breakfast this morning, we served oatmeal and bananas. Lunch was whole grain cous cous with red beans, green beans and fruit salad. Snack was a lightly salted rice cake with peanut butter.

Have a happy day.