Intro to a graph

Today we decided to introduce the concept of a graph to the kids.  I don't think it's academically important at this age, but it is interesting to them, so that in itself makes it important.  We took our list of where we see light, and the kids decided whether they see light in each of the items during the day, the night, or both. Then, we counted how many day lights and how many night lights we had on our list, and graphed them.  It was good counting exercise.  The graph was a nice visual, and it was good for them to recognize the difference between the two bars: size, height, design (it bothered one kid enough that they didn't match, that he mentioned it much later in the day).

This Little Light

For pure enjoyment.  These sweet little voices make me so happy.

Songs to practice impulse-control

Here are a couple examples of songs we use to practice impulse control.  In the first, they have to wait to play their instruments, and in the second, they have to stop playing their instruments.  It's good, hard work!

In this one, the kids are working hard to keep their bells quiet until the person in the middle "wakes up!"

 In the second, we are practicing counting, steady beat, and impulse control.  They are working hard to stop after clapping 3 times.  In the song, we start by clapping and saying, "1, 2, 3 (stop!)"  Then we transition to "sea, sea, sea (stop!)"  Finally, we do the song with only clapping, and no words on the claps.

Love-Light

It's a word that we use to describe the love that comes from inside and shines through our eyes when we give our love to others. This month, our theme is light, which is a theme I love working with!  We started out brainstorming where we see light.  Most of the obvious places came to mind:

One of our kids mentioned the light in your eyes.  This was amazing to me.  She is a very bright little preschooler, who can speak 2 (maybe 3?) languages.  She learns music quickly and accurately, and seems to have a knack for several levels of communication.  Considering this, it makes sense that she would notice something like light in the eyes.

So. . . we went there, and talked about what it means when someone says, "light in your eyes." We named it love-light.  The best I could do is tell this engaged group of preschoolers that they all have love inside their little bodies, and when they let that love come out, that is their love-light.  We can see the love inside someone else's body when it shines in their eyes.  Our theme song is "This Little Light of Mine."  We hold our fingers up as a pretend candle.  When I ask them, "Is that a real candle you're holding?" or "Are we really singing about a candle?" They say, "Nooooooo," like the question is the silliest they've ever heard.  Then we talk about how "let your light shine" means letting your love-light shine by loving other people or things.  We will talk about this repeatedly throughout the month, because repetition plants seeds at this age, and our job is planters.

This first week of the month, we have focused on the light around us, too.

Sun coming through windows, made into "stained glass"
Flashlight tag
Drawing and measuring our shadows
Building a house with blocks, and trying to keep all the light inside
"Candle" lit lunch
Mystery lights that come on and off when you talk to them, or blow them, or smile at them
Sun and moon stories and songs
Finding out what happens when we add white paint vs. black paint?
Sun bread
Light and the absence of light

My house

Part of our family theme this week involved making a family with our blocks.  We drew the kids on some blocks, and built a house for them.  It included a fridge and couch, but that's about all we seemed to need.  

Then we made our houses with paper shapes. There was a lot of variety, and some of the kids just wanted to use the time to practice their cutting skills. 

Sad Chickens

Today was a sad day for the chickens.  They lost one of their own.  It was quite a surprise for all of us.  We were out in the yard with all 4 of them in the morning.  We went in for snack and circle time from 9:30-10:30.  When we were back out in the yard after that, one of the chickens was making a lot of noise by the fence, and was clearly upset.  At first, when Mr. Lyman went to check it out, he found a flurry of feathers and knew if wasn't good.  Then, he found the poor dead chicken, right by the fence.  The chicken friend carried on for quite awhile, and the other 2 chickens were nowhere to be seen.  We looked and looked for them, everywhere the kids suggested: in the toddler area, in their coop, in the compost pile.  But, we couldn't find them.  We developed theories about what happened. Who did this? Some ideas: a bear, a wolf, a coyote, a fox, a shark, a hawk.  Where were the others?  Did they get carried off?  Did they escape the fence and run away?  

Then, someone suggested the bush in the far corner of the yard.  We looked, and the 2 other chickens were tucked in the bush, hiding.  Poor things were probably terrified, but they were alive and well!

Although it was a traumatic event for our chickens, the kids did not seem very shaken by this event.  They looked at the dead chicken (which we carefully put on the other side of the fence, so there was no danger of anyone touching it), and were very engaged in solving the mystery of it.  Some of them were concerned about the other chickens, and wanted to comfort them.  One kid jokingly asked if a coyote would eat them.  No one was very distraught by it all, though.  It was amazing to all of us that a fox or coyote would sneak into the yard and take a big bite out of one of our chickens right in the middle of our day.  

Here's a video of the brave chicken who stood by her friend, making a fuss.  She wouldn't leave the dead chicken's side, as she paced and clucked.

And here is a video of our discovery of the other 2 chickens, who were alive after all.

Cancer and Friendship

One of our strong little beings is standing up against cancer, fighting the good fight.  She's been brave, and we are proud of her.  We also can't wait to see her again, and have her among us again.  We miss her.  The kids ask about her, and one reported dreaming about her.  To show our love and support, we assisted the kids in making a quilt for her.  We were able to decorate the hand prints and sew it together as a group (yes, with the kids helping to sew it with the machine) in time for her third birthday.  

Earlier, when she was spending her days in the hospital, we made a card that included hand prints, too. I like to use the hand prints, because it is a representation of the kids and teachers that can be seen by their varying size and shape.  I also like it because it is easy to pretend that those hands are there with her, hugging her, rubbing her back, holding her hand, playing guitar, and whatever else a friendly hand might do.  

Stay strong, little friend.  We love you and miss you.

Thanks giving

First, I give thanks to the parents, who trust us with the care of their children -- no small task!
I give thanks for the precious little lives I get to spend my days with.
I give thanks to their lively little minds that bring me cheer, laughter, and wonderment.
I give thanks for the expressions on their faces that tell whole stories.
I give thanks for the noises they make, loud and soft, verbal and nonverbal.
I give thanks for the challenges I face: opportunities to grow.
I give thanks for the perspective they bring to my life.  Seeing through their eyes is colorful!
I give thanks for small hands that appear in my big hand.
I give thanks for the cuddles and hugs, my "blankets."
I give thanks for the way these small people can move in big ways.
I give thanks for the chance to witness how they use their creative minds.
I give thanks for whole small bodies, crashing into mine (yes, even if I'm surprised).
I give thanks for little bodies who end up in my arms.
I give thanks for outdoor space, and our commitment to spend time there.
I give thanks for my coworkers, who speak with love in their voices.
I give thanks for my coworkers' creativity and love of imagination.
I give thanks for the respect I see for children where I work.
I give thanks for mittens and hats and snow suits that keep these little bodies warm.
I give thanks for healthful food that is devoured by these little mouths.
I give thanks for the community that has developed here.
I give thanks for work that welcomes me and my child together.
I give thanks for work.
I give thanks for the opportunity to give my gifts in a meaningful way.
I give thanks for the chance to learn every day.
I give thanks that this tender beginning of life is there for me to witness and be actively present in, even as I watch my own kids grow past it.

Tone

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." 

Billy - age 4 

This topic of tone of voice has come up a couple times for me lately.  It's powerful stuff.  While some people are more sensitive to tone of voice than others, based on their personality (introverts are more sensitive to it than extroverts, for example), I am also developing a theory about tone of voice and young children.  Here it is:

I think that young children are more sensitive to tone of voice than we adults are.  The reason I have developed this theory is not only from experience.  Yes, I have experienced the way young children are keenly aware of body language and tone of voice.  However, my theory is based not only on that, but also on the development of language.  Young children are closer (much, actually) to the nonverbal stage of life than we are.  Some are still emerging from it.  In the non-verbal stage, they were used to communicating without words.  Their reliance on non-verbal cues mades them sensitive to subtle changes in body language, etc.  Yes, we all were in that stage at one point.  I think that since they are closer to that stage, that maybe they subconsciously remember what it is like, and have retained some of the skills they developed during that stage.  

Because they are closer to their non-verbal stage than we are, they are more sensitive to the non-verbal cues.  Because they are more sensitive, it is even more important for us as adults to pay attention to our own non-verbal cues.  The tone of our voice can tell them much more than our words do.  The expression on our faces tell the volumes about how we are feeling, and maybe even what we are thinking.  Our body language can be enough to make them feel vulnerable or confident.  Raised eyebrows vs. a slightly furrowed brow; crossed arms or open; standing tall, or squatting down to their level. . . these things all tell young children how much we honor and respect them; what feelings are really behind our words; whether we are judging them or accepting them.  

It's a delicate task to keep not only every word, but our posture, our tone of voice, our facial expressions all positive and receptive and loving.  Of course we want to give them love, and we want them to be receptive.  As caregivers, if we want them to receive love from us, we need to not only use loving words, but a loving tone, and safe, receptive body language.  This is a constant challenge for us, but an important one.

We need to keep their names safe in our mouths.

~ Katie

French Knitting

Each week, we like to have an ongoing project that we consider a "homesteading" project.  This means  that it has something to do with the improvement or care for the home.  This week, we worked on French knitting.

The first step was making the spools, which involved toilet paper rolls, decorated tongue depressors, and duct tape.

Once the spools were made, the kids took turns getting hand-over-hand help in wrapping the stitches, grabbing one at a time, and carefully pulling it over the top of the prong.  This took some very fine motor skills, and the kids did great.  They caught on, and watched as the tail slowly emerged from the bottom of the tube (spool).  The steps for French knitting went like this:

1.  Wrap around each prong 2 times (one over the other)
2.  Grab the bottom loop and pull it over the top; do this all the way around.
3.  Grab the "tugger" and tug a few times.
4.  Repeat, repeat, repeat.

This project required fine motor skills, patience, good listening skills, and provided some sensory stimulation as well.  There is also value in working side-by-side with an adult who is walking through the process with you.

Chicken week!

Our month's theme is Creatures In My Back Yard.  Well, in our back yard, the most popular creatures are the CHICKENS!! The kids absolutely love playing with/chasing/caring for the chickens.  We think they are quite likely the most lean chickens in town, for all the exercise they get.

We learned (and perfected, I might add) the Chicken Dance.  We read funny books about chickens who forgot they were chickens and acted like people.  We made crafts with feathers (one of which the real chickens actually came to check out).  We sewed stitches with feathers, and made rooster puppets.  We used our big yard space to explore how chickens move, how they use their beaks to eat, what they eat, what they won't eat, where they sleep, etc.

Some days, I think that one thing these kids will surely remember forever about this place is the chickens and their warm, smooth eggs.

Marbled Fall Leaves

The kids loved this project, and the results were quite beautiful!  The first step was so fun and exciting: filling the tub with shaving cream!  They couldn't believe it.  Comments were flying about how it smelled, all the things it looked like, what it must feel like. . . Second step was adding paint.  We talked about what colors we should add if we are making the leaves look like fall leaves.  Third step was another hit: stirring it up!  In fact, they did not want to stop stirring.  The way it stuck to the stir sticks, and the way the colors transformed. . . it was mesmerizing!  Then, we took leaf shapes (pre-cut card stock) and pressed them into the colored shaving cream.  When we pulled them out, they were beautifully marbled!  What a fun use of sensory and art modalities.

Squash decorations

What you get when you combine a couple squash varieties with yarn, toothpicks, leaves, buckeyes, and a few capable little hands and minds.

Song of the week

I'm going to try something new: posting a song each week for any of you readers to enjoy or maybe even learn yourself.

Here's one by Red Grammer: I think you're wonderful.

Preschool Pesto

There was still a lot of basil left in our gardens that hadn't been used.  It was getting colder, and we talked about how if the air gets too cold at night, it makes it so the basil cannot grow anymore.  One way to use it up: Preschool Pesto!

The kids absolutely LOVE working in the kitchen.  They are so engaged, and consequently, they are learning so much.  We picked a whole bunch of basil from the garden, and brought it inside.  After spreading it out, a bunch of little fingers helped pick off all those leaves and get them ready to wash.  One kid didn't want to pick the leaves, so his job was to be a basil watchman.  He watched the leaf pile for any leaves that didn't look green enough (too yellow, too black), and take them out.  Once they were washed, we packed them into the food processor.

Kitchen work is packed full of math problems for preschoolers: counting, measuring, setting timers and temperatures, etc.  Sometimes, it's fun to just put a little of this and a little of that in, without careful measuring.  We added to the basil: a little parmesan cheese, a little olive oil, some sunflower seeds, some salt, a little more olive oil, maybe some more cheese. . . (you get the picture).

The blending is always fun for them, and a good chance for them to practice their turn-taking skills.  They keep track of whom is going when after whom.  Usually, they are pretty accurate.

I must say, it turned out to be pretty delicious!

Weaving with 3-year-olds

I didn't really know what to expect.  Enthusiasm? Ability? Apathy? Well, with this age group, if you introduce a new idea and a new tool, you're pretty unlikely to be met with apathy.  The kids picked up the skill of weaving quite well.  Not only that, they loved it!  What a thrill it is to learn a brand-new skill you have never tried before, and to master it.  They started counting how many strands of yarn they had woven, calling out, "I've got 5!"  "Now I've got 8!"  (emergent math skills, yes?)

If you'd like to try weaving with your young friends, these simple boards were wonderfully effective.  They are rectangles of cardboard.  On two side, I cut slits about 1 inch apart.  I strung yarn back and forth to make the form.  I think it's important that the yard on the form are about an inch apart, because it makes it easy for fingers the size of preschoolers to pinch (fine motor skills, refined) in the space in between them.

In order to learn the skill, we practiced over-under-over-under (also learning a valuable mathematical skill).  The tricky part that I do not feel is essential for learning (especially the first time) is that you start each strand the opposite that you started the former one.  Some kids got this, and others didn't.  I consider them both successful.

And, to be clear, also successful are the kids who chose numerous other materials to weave in and out and over and under in anything-but tidy rows.  Even balls of various objects represent success.  They made something to be proud of, and used their own vision and creativity to do it, and that's what matters.

Loose Parts

The kids spend so much wonderful, creative time with our loose parts.  We have a pile of logs, bricks, boards, and this fall we've had hay bales.  They sustain their interest in these things for long periods of time.  They build and tear down and build again and pretend, pretend, pretend.  Their creative minds are working hard, and loving it!  How many things one board can be: a ramp, a slide, a bridge, a bed, a table, etc, etc.

One part of the Reggio philosophy that we have latched onto is to assist the children in feeling ownership in our space.  We do this by setting up opportunities for them to do some kind of "work" to benefit our home.  Most recently, some of the kids chose to paint our lose parts logs.  They were wonderful before, but oh, how beautiful they are now!

Frosty Art Choice

At Green Apple Garden, we do drop-off outside, whenever possible.  We also stay outside until snack (when it's too cold to eat outside).  This means our science and art choices are outside.  In the warm months, this is pretty straightforward, but it is posing a challenge in these frosty mornings.  It's a new challenge to do a nature-based craft outside in the cold (and wet) morning.  This one was a easy, relaxed one.  The day before, I had watercolored a simple nature scene.  Taking the dried painting out to the table, the kids collected beautiful leaves, and placed them and replaced them in various positions on the scene.  It's wonderful, in moments like these, to just watch those wheels turning, like the colors of fall.