In this edition of our newsletter, discovers our latest happenings!

Our votes have been counted. It has been decided. We are “The Speed Cars”. Several children felt disappointment confronting the reality that their idea was not adopted for our “together name”. Others confessed, “I like ‘Giraffes’, I like ‘Unicorns’, I like ‘Speed Cars’, I like ‘The Rangers’, I like them all!”

A Little Letter Work

So far, we’ve “built” the letters T and H with the characteristic wooden pieces used in the Handwriting without Tears Program. We emphasize letters sounds in tandem with the building of letters. This is a very teacher-led and teacher-generated type of instruction, so we continue to make sure The Speed Cars can experience creative, self-initiated projects as well.

In the gym, the Imagination Playground foam pieces have been turned into vehicles, castles, ice cream shops, obstacle courses and race tracks.

Stories Become Worlds to Enter

A recent Read-Aloud experience with the classic “The Three Little Pigs” has birthed an interest in dwellings made of various materials, and various types of chimneys that will help the pigs turn the wolf into ‘wolf soup'(!).

We’ve also been studying “Peter & the Wolf” by Sergei Prokofiev and “Caps for Sale” by Esphyr Slobodkina through conversation, discussion and ‘loose parts world-making’.

Everyday is Somebody’s Birthday

The interest in birthdays is alive and well! It took some engineering to keep the birthday candle (really a chopstick) from toppling. The Speed Cars are generously taking turns creating a wonderful birthday cake-song-blowing out pretend candles-opening presents kind of experience for each other.

Menu Creation and Discussion

The Speed Cars are articulate food writers and curators of taste experiences. They explained how restaurants and menus work, and spoke about the particular menus they created this week.

Technique Leads to Beauty

Resident BSNS atelierista Brenna Fisher helped us develop a reflective nook for our retro overhead projector, right inside our Green Room. The children have excitedly invited Marlene to “Look! Look at the ceiling! It’s beautiful!” Seeing their creation reflected onto the ceiling or wall helps reinforce the logic of cause-and-effect, visual congruence of symmetry and the ability to communicate in a language of shape and color.

The Freedom Tower made an appearance. When it was complete, the building partners counted the blocks.

We Made Blueberry Muffins!

We meant to make them for the Bake Sale, but the tops turned turned out too crispy (now we understand better how our 2nd floor oven operates), so we ate them during a picnic snack on the roof. Yes!

The baking of blueberry muffins prompted some eye-hand coordination, math and pre-reading skills. We went in small groups to encounter the Bake Sale.

Some Very Special Specials

During his art session, Jim explained how paintings can be constructed in layers and different scraping techniques can uncover layers and colors beneath.

In Movement class, we crawled, tiptoed, stomped and slithered through mud (yes, mud!)… just for pretend.

On November 6 and 20, American Ballet Theatre will come to explore “The Nutcracker” through movement, music, ballet and storytelling. We will share more on this adventure soon.