As the teachers OWLed (Observed, Watched and Listened) this week, here’s a bit of what we’ve seen:

• Max and Finn are in Pirate Mania. Over the last several days, they have donned pirate hats and worn pirate gear. They also spend time ice skating around the housekeeping table with house slipper skates.
• Marina and Elizabeth (and sometimes Lea and Marta) have spent countless hours this week applying makeup, the natural way. Long pieces of bark serve as brushes. Sand has been the blush of choice and dark, wet soil has been lipstick. (we keep close watch on the soil!)
• Jada (and Marina, Sloane and Lea) spend a lot of their time in housekeeping. Jada works with diapers, putting them off and on continuously, and all the girls practice dressing the dollies, rocking them and taking care of them. They usually wear shoes and various costume pieces during their imaginative play.

• Arleigh seems to have created a rock band. We’ve seen Jane, Macy and Sophie participate in the group, and we’ve heard all of them singing original (we think!) songs. They use a magnetic sphere and rod as a microphone and a stool as their stage.
• Sophie spends most of her time playing with the older girls and they take care of her well.

• Ellie can always be found reading a book and gravitates to whomever is reading aloud. She is a great conversationalist and this week, has talked several times about how beautiful the day is or how she is thinking about mom and dad. She has taken to riding her favorite trike on a regular basis.
• Elliott, Marta and Sloane have spent a lot of time this week working with dump trucks outside. They push them around the yard, shifting work locations regularly. They fill up the trucks with sand and dirt and sticks. They hide the trucks, dump the trucks and today they had a “truck party”. They refer to all of this as their “work”.

• Ada is the keeper of the Grinch. He’s in the house and Ada takes care of him. This week, she has been very interested in listening to music (making song requests) as she swings in the hammock.
• Nate, Max and Finn have spent much of their time this week building: they build pirate boats with large wooden blocks, sand castles and tunnels with logs, buckets and shovels. They build forts in the reading area with the pillows and more forts outside with plastic bins and the plastic see saws.

Wee Sprouts: Pea pods. Breakfast: Kashi and pear slices. Lunch: Whole grain flat bread with melted cheese, broccoli and pear slices. Snack: Yogurt and animal crackers.

Have a great weekend.