Finding a Flow

The Turtles are really getting into the flow of the day in the Turtle Room! The morning starts out with work in the different centers, and the children are working with more intention, exploring different areas. After a march up and down the hall (today that was a Bear Walk march on our hands and feet, to energize and strengthen the core muscles), we cleaned up in record time, and the children were ready for Morning Meeting.

At Morning Meeting, Tamara shared a new art medium with the Turtles: liquid watercolors! She showed them how to be the boss of their brushes and how to clean the brush in between strokes to keep the colors bright. They were eager to try it out, and just about every child gave it a try during Choice Time.

Another popular choice was the Writing Center where children examined their name cards with their written name on one side and their picture on the other side. They also looked at their friends cards. Some children even tried writing their letters on strips of paper.

After playing on the playground, we were so excited to go to our first Movement Class. Every Monday, Missy comes to the John Barnes Room, bringing with her games and movement activities. Today's activities include warming up, the Hokey Pokey, marching with instruments, dancing with streamers, chasing bubbles, and finally, stretching. At the end of every class, Missy gives each child a stamp for each arm!

Finally it was time to return to the logs. We visited our spider friends, observed the mushrooms, and did some more climbing. After a few minutes, Tamara called a meeting in a patch of sun to ask the Turtles what they thought about the tree. Why had it been cut down? What was it doing there? The Turtles had lots of ideas, including that it was sick, and that is why it was cut down. Another Turtle suggested "We can ask the guy who takes care of the Earth and the planet." We figured out that he meant Dave, the Caretaker of the Meetinghouse and grounds.

On our way back to the school, we stopped by the mystery bushes. We found something amazing on the ground! A birds nest! The children filled it with acorns and brought it back to the classroom.

Back in the classroom, Ella shared her Summer Adventure book, and she asked her friend Madison to hold the book while she explained all about her summer.