Hi There,

This week, we celebrated a belated Valentine’s Day, enjoyed some beautiful weather, and had plenty of new lessons and work cycles.  Even this Friday, we managed to get outside to play some in the morning before the storm came in, which set everyone in a good mood for the day.

Monday’s Valentine’s Celebration

The kids were so excited to celebrate a belated Valentine’s Day gathering on Monday.  They took turns one by one passing out their Valentine’s Day cards to each other during circle time, showing much appreciation towards their peers.  They were all very patient to wait for their turns to pass out Valentine’s and everyone was so good at thanking their friends as they exchanged cards.

Making Valentine’s for friends and family

Circle Time Lessons

We focused a lot in the math area this week by offering new math material on the shelves along with some extensions to old material.

Introduction to the Small Number Rods

There are two sets of small number rods that the children are shown to set up in order from shortest to longest and they are shown to count a digit for each color on the rod.  It is important that a child learn how to set this work up properly so that we show them the extension on addition.  Next week, we will show students who are ready to begin adding the two sets of rods together and building simple equations.

Weighted Numbers Scale

This is a vintage math tool that gets kids exploring addition as they compare weighted numbers on a scale.  It is also simple to see that numbers are greater than, less than, or equal to each other.  The kids are also exploring if you hang one number such as 5 on one side, and then hang two smaller numbers together on the other side (such as 3 & 2 or 4 & 1), they will also balance out.

Fractions Extension 

We had an extended lesson on our fraction circles by taking just one of the pieces from each circle (see image here) and adding the written fraction to each piece (1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, etc).

Other math works were given on an individual basis to older children, including addition material such as an extension to the decimal system number cards. 

Extension on Decimal System Cards

 More Lessons on Bullying

We cannot stress enough on the many forms of bullying, so we presented some more specific examples of what is considered bullying and focused on steps that can be taken when someone is bullying.  The kids also watched short video clips on ways that they can stand up for themselves if they are a victim, and also how to step in and stand up for each other if we see it happening to a peer.

Homeless Children & Bullying

We also watched some short video clips of children who are homeless and live in shelters who talk about people who bully them.  As always, our students are very responsive and their heart seems to go out to children in need.  In addition, some of the children that were interviewed stressed how it is upsetting for them to see “kids with families being mean and arguing with their parents,” and that “they should be thankful to have parents who take care of them.”  To keep things positive and hopeful, we listened to the song “Tomorrow” in a video clip from the musical, “Little Orphan Annie.”

Tornado Drill

With the beautiful weather on Friday that turned into a tornado warning, we thought it would be appropriate to give a lesson on weather alerts and the kids practiced taking their positions for a tornado alert as we gathered in a hallway with no windows.

And Just For Fun…

The kids enjoyed some music clips from some old musicals such as “The Sound of Music,” and “Mary Poppins.”  We also did some yoga stretches and meditated to a singing bowl.  They ended their week with a peaceful work cycle followed by the book, Skippyjon Jones: Lost in Space, by Judy Schachner.

Hopefully that gives you an idea of what we’ve been up to . Here are a few extra photos from during the work cycle.  Have a great weekend!