Inspiring Life-long Learning for 25 Years
Dear Sunflower Garden Families,
We returned from spring break to a more colorful classroom. Lady Spring has appeared on our nature table along with spring colors, flowers, and animals. What about those three eggs in the nest? What surprises of spring await us? In circle we are singing songs of this season and reciting verses about rain, seeds awakening, spring activity, rainbows and the earth's need for sun and rain. The children especially love a line where we say, "The rain will make the flowers bloom. The mud we'll sweep out with a broom!" We quickly say this while we quickly gesture sweeping away...all the while giggling.We are experiencing an interactive puppet show telling of the story "The Three Billy Goats Gruff." We sit in a circle and I spread green clothes all around it across the children's laps while we sing "And the green grass grew all around all around and the green grass grew all around!" Each goat in the story crosses the troll's bridge and makes its way around our green circle until each reaches the hilltop. The children enjoy "trip trapping" each goat around our circle, passing them from hand to hand. This is yet another story that brings this idea of little, bigger and biggest to light. "Oh, I'm too little, that I am. Wait for my brother. He's much bigger than me." In our multiage classroom we have some very big billy goats and some wee ones. As children progress through the years in our garden, there is that feeling of "I used to be there...and one day I'll be there!" One's place is better appreciated. One won't always be the youngest or smallest, and one won't always be the oldest or biggest. A time for every season!
Friday, while we chopped vegetables for soup, just outside our window the second and third grade class was working diligently in the garden preparing it for the growing season. Their ever-energetic teacher, Mrs. Moen, worked side-by-side with the children (several who are older siblings to our Sunflower Garden children), and I felt our class was doubly imbued and surrounded by good workers. The sun was shining down upon it all.
