first there was the two-day reggio emilia conference that addressed issues of culture in learning- it was fantastic, and refreshing, and motivating. we toured a few local reggio-inspired schools and came back with tons of ideas to implement in our center. of course, once we came back the task of change started feeling too momentous to consider. in my attempt to start somewhere- anywhere- i've emailed my director about purchasing a loft for the classroom. a big purchase, yes, but one that is desperately needed.
i also want to do away with our pre-set, monthly curriculum themes. to be honest i don't stick to them very strictly as it is, and we do make an attempt to select seasonally appropriate ones to explore, but i want to get rid of them altogether. it will be interesting to see how my co-teachers have to say about this at our team meeting on friday. hopefully they are willing to step off the cliff with me.
then there was thanksgiving- a very welcome break, but not a holiday we discuss very much in my classroom. when i asked the kids if anyone celebrated the day, i got a lot of blank stares and a thundering silence. my co-teacher explained that most of our parents work all day on thanksgiving, so even if they are familiar with the holiday, they aren't able to celebrate.
so instead we have been learning about the coming winter, very fitting as the first snowflakes of the season made their appearance today. so exciting, and so fun to learn the word "flurry."
we made lots of a simple flour + baby oil last week and enjoyed it for hours on end. so oily and satisfyingly squishy.
two of my guys who need to strengthen those tricky finger muscles were way into the dough, much to my delight
and today the chiffon play silks were hugely popular
"ms. wendi, i want it like batman."
nothing like a cape tied round your shoulders to make you feel like a superhero. or a ninja.
flour and baby oil? doing it.
ReplyDeletehow fun.