It wasn't easy for my little pilgrims to cross the Atlantic, either. Their Mayflower consisted of boxes, kid power and team cooperation to get their ship across the ocean. As a follow-up salute to our Native American friends, we moved on to canoe races: same boxes, same kid power and same teamwork to get across the river first in exciting start-to-finish nautical sprints. The class gave thanks that we ended our week in an upbeat way celebrating and honoring our long held Thanksgiving traditions. I gave thanks for a great group of students who are making life in our own little 'Plymouth Colony' a sweet experience, indeed.
I was honored to attend the recent Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremony for former student Michael Zweiner (Lindergarten 2002-2003). The Eagle award is the highest honor conferred by the Boy Scouts of America. It represents the culmination of years of rigorous scouting work including a service project that the Scout plans, organizes, leads and manages to benefit the community. I was one proud teacher as I sat in the audience and listened to Michael's remarks about his scouting experiences and how the Boy Scout values, work ethic and the relationships with peers and mentors have shaped him. Congratulations to Michael on a job well done! Double sweet was the opportunity to visit with another former student, Harrison Lutz (Lindergarten 2002-2003), who I was honored to see inducted into the Eagle Scout Court of Honor last year. Congratulations to Harrison, also! I could have predicted in kindergarten that these two classmates would become Eagle Scouts. Shine on Michael and Harrison! (Click on photos below to see text information) They came, they carved, they did not rest. Our pumpkins looked the very best! So thanks to dads both far and near. We give you all a great big cheer! The field trip bus ride was a first for several classmates- and as you can imagine, there was a lot of bumpy fun along our route. Our fall trip was packed with a hayride, bison, ponies, dairy cows, a new baby calf, goats and kids, pigs and piglets, chickens and chicks, turkeys and poults, wildlife sightings and a whole lot of pumpkins! We had a cool, cloud covered morning to tour the farm and a few sprinkles from above to refresh the animals and us. Thanks to the many parents who came along and enjoyed the morning with us. Crowe's Nest Farm is a safe haven for many animals that have been neglected, abandoned or abused. The management at CNF appreciates donation help to provide shelter and refuge for their well kept menagerie. I encourage you to take the entire family and enjoy a day on the farm! Nothing like some fresh air and exercise to make for a very fun Friday! The kids enjoyed their very first field day and represented our class well. Big thanks to Jane Lewis and Deborah Kerbow for a well planned event.
What do Rumplestiltskin, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Tortoise and the Hare, Three Billy Goats Gruff, Hansel and Gretel and King Midas all have in common? They're all fairy tales and each one teaches us a very valuable life lesson. Our class honored several weeks of fairy tale lessons by having a 'King Midas Celebration' which involved a very golden snack on golden plates with a golden drink in golden cups while wearing golden crowns covered with golden coins. And even though we seemed to have the 'golden touch' on celebration day, we learned from King Midas that having the 'golden touch' will not make you happy. Rumplestiltskin taught us that promises should not be made lightly. The Tortoise and the Hare helped us believe that 'slow and steady' does indeed win the race. Many of the best character attributes that we respect and want our children to model are highlighted in fairy tales. So I say- long live 'witches and giants and trolls, oh my!' Our literary whimsical fantasy in class is traveling to student homes via book bags. One of our favorite class books, The Meanies (Joy Cowley), is making the rounds complete with reading wand and a handpicked troll character. The kids are convinced that the 'Meanie' characters are trolls- and what could be more fun than a visiting troll at your house hearing a story about himself/herself? It's fun for me to see how excited the students are when it's their turn to share a book (and a bag) with their family, and a double thrill for me when I know they're extending their learning at home.
We've officially adopted our class tree- and the tree nurturing and TLC from our class has also officially begun. When I asked my group of five and six year olds what it means to 'adopt' a tree, they told me: 'You love it forever'; 'You take care of it forever'; 'You keep it safe and you never forget about it'. Sounds to me like our tree has been adopted by very good 'parents'. We'll be living the rhythm of the school year as we watch the changing seasons reflected in our class tree.
Kindergarten has a spring semester planting schedule, but that didn't stop our class from pitching in to clear rocks from the garden so our older school mates (3rd-5th) could begin their fall planting. Lindergarten took their assignment very seriously and left no stone unturned or left in any garden plots. We enjoyed being part of the beginning of a beautiful fall garden. It's hard not to notice the symbolism between the growth in the garden and the growth in a classroom. Both are amazing to observe!
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Lindergarten Blog
Karen Linder
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