Celebration Weekend-Productive School Week!

Saturday and Sunday-Day 105-106

Saturday and Sunday were spent mainly celebrating Joshua's accomplishment at the academy.  It was a holiday weekend for him and the girls, but not for me as I had to work on Monday...darn private school.  Actual can not blame them...even the public schools are in session in FL for Columbus Day.
We did have some phenomenal storming this weekend however, and saw some of the best rainfall all season.  The winds whipped through here in hurricane fashion, and we kept the door to the porch open while we watched it together.  Roger came up again because it was Joshua's graduation after all and we all had a fantastic weekend sitting around lazily together!

Day 107-111 Monday thru Friday




Apart from some little hiccups like having a sick co-teacher and assistant and running a class of 24 4-5 yr olds by myself, this turned out to be a great, productive, creative week!  We got lots done.  The children were introduced to Eric Carle again, I try every week to put his books into play.  They worked on sequencing, the letters P, R and S, and making patterns out of quilt squares and letters.  Amazing how many of them made the words, NANA, PAPA, and MIMI.  Letter pattern? YES...but also a fond name for most of them to call family.  I am still struggling with several of the children as far as writing and letter recognition is concerned.  The most difficult obstacle for me is allowing one on one time with each child.  Children unfortunately will fall through the crack if we are not given enough quality time with each one.  I have some who still can't hold a pencil, still can't hold scissors, and of course over half who still can't sit in a chair for more than 10 minutes.  Unfortunately in a Reggio Emelia/Montessori type school, a child can DO AS THEY PLEASE, so I can not reprimand nor can I force a child to sit and do work with me.  Therefor my job is to create lessons so captivating that the children would rather do that....than play in centers. :)  This week was much much improved as far as the behaviors are concerned, but still a work in progress!  Here is some of their work...such a shame I can't show them doing the work...but legal stuff ya know! 

Sequencing

What a fantastic job on the internal organs they did!!!

balancing exercise home made bean bags...pantyhose and rice!

I can show because no faces are in the pic

Symmetrical pumpkin presses!

My favorite...he chose to do a bat instead!

Who doesn't love handprints...

I love hanging stuff...

So fun!  We made skeletons from pipe cleaners and the kids practiced moving their bones and then moving the bones on the skeletons.  The picked what position they wanted them in and I hot glued them down.

S is for Sand...thats sand on glue.

My fall board....completely child made. You can't see the leaves....I hadn't put them up yet.  They painted coffee filters with brown red green and yellow.  I cut into leaf shapes.

I try to staple something to the top of each assignment so parents know the purpose of the lessons...

Ok so tomorrow ( Saturday) is a pumpkin party!  Our first party out with kids....so happy for Bay ( and Pip gets to go too!).  I adore the family we are going to see and most of the kids will be at bays party next weekend....pics to come in the next blog of that party!  YAY!