Our Little Geologist

Alex has become our go-to guy for all things rocks, gems and minerals.  He shares his knowledge with our class once a week and is starting to branch out and teach lessons to the preschool classes on a weekly basis as well.  He is a great teacher; patient, kind, involved, pulling kids in who stray, using manipulatives, examples and sharing interesting facts and texts.  Amalie always says, “this is so neat” (as well as many other students) and she often hunts him down to ask him questions about found geological treasures from the big yard. 

Thank you Alex for all your knowledge and teaching ability.  You are a great inspiration to us all.

Sewing with Anne Marie

We’ve been sewing in this classroom since the very beginning.  I use to do all of the design work and stitching with the kids and then we discovered Anne Marie and her wonderful design techniques and now we have a professional come in once a week and work one on one with the kids to finish a project of their own design.  The kids draw their design, cut it out and use both the sewing machine and hand stitching to complete the projects.  So far this year we’ve nearly completed three designs.

Asher and his amazing squid:

Aidan’s blue doll and outfits:

Amalie and her gown:

Amalie was still finishing up the buttons and other flair for her final flourish.

Afternoon Adventures

Mondays:  Dance with Jenna

Tuesdays:  Woodshop with Eric

Wednesdays:  Origami & Japanese with Mayuko

Vega’s name in Japanese

The Village

Created by our lovely Director, Sarah Airhart.

First Weeks – Math Stations

Math comes in all shapes and sizes in our classroom.  It varies by the day, by the grade, by what other activities we incorporate it into and by our mood.  Sometimes it is a part of a larger project that includes writing, nature, building.  Other times I set it up in stations, having manipulatives available for manipulation and exploration.  We then discuss what we have done with the manipulatives and what it means.  We also use Everyday Math Books for further written math exploration.  We always use manipulatives with the math book work as well.

Here we have an introductory lesson with the kindergarteners in their Everyday Math Books.  The game is to roll two dice and then mark off the number 2 – 12, until the entire row is filled.  They LOVE this game.  A new way at looking at addition and estimation.  As we soon begin to learn about probability with each roll of the dice.

Anagrams have become a fun part of math stations.  Using shapes to make animals and ships and designs.  We’re stretching our brains to be able to figure out spacial relations.

Architecture is a fun way to explore space, shapes, design and cooperation.

Patterns.  Shapes.  Building.  Counting.  Design.

Money.  Counting.  Exchanging.  Buying.  Selling.

Time.

Tick-tack-toe.

Design.  Patterns.  Configurations.  Beauty.  Pride.

Fractions baby, fractions.

Math stations are a fun, exciting and exploratory time for everyone.

First Weeks – Daystar & Castle Park

This is year four of our bi-weekly trips to Daystar Retirement Village.  It is beautiful, awe inspiring, moving and oh so real.  The kids just fall in like leaves in the wind, without hesitation, without over-thinking etiquette or age.  It often sends me to tears just to watch the innocent meet innocent.  What a lovely way to spend our days – spreading love and genuine joy and affection.

Then we go to Castle Park to play.  It’s always a mad dash to the park.  The sun has been such magic this year and we are drawing every last bit out of this beautiful weather that we can.  And Vega – I’m so impressed at how long you worked on getting across the swinging bars.

I know, I say it all the time, every year, weekly, sometimes daily – but I have the best job in the world.  Just look at what I get to witness on a moment to moment basis. 

Pure love.

The Adventures of Tuck the Turtle

When I first fished Tuck out of a lake while fishing with my dad over a year ago, I had NO idea what an important part of the classroom he would become.  I brought him home and decided to take him in to show the kids and they LOVED him and so did we.  Paul and I use to joke that he was our baby.  He is hand fed and it literally seems like he’s saying “Mama” when I walk over to him and he sticks his head out of the water, clamoring for me to hand feed him worms.  This turtle is totally spoiled.

The first week we had him, he somehow escaped but was quickly found across the way in the Orcas Island classroom.  Then this past week, on the second day of school, I couldn’t find him anywhere in his brand new happening  habitat.  I couldn’t believe he was gone.  I looked EVERYWHERE.  And I cried and cried and cried.  A couple of days passed and I was sure he was dried up somewhere in a corner.  Then, Amy from Orcas, came running toward me during lunch, gasping and clasping a glue spider trap.  She yelled, “Michelle, Finn found Tuck.”  I said, “Put him in the water.”  And we submerged him in his tank.  He was so stuck to the spider trap, that his feet and head were glued down.  But slowly he started to come off.  I’m not a screamer and I totally screamed.   I was so happy to have him home.  It felt so much like a miracle.   He had been eating the spiders before his head got stuck.  I’m thinking that is what kept him going for a while.  Thank you Finn for checking out the spider traps.  And Paul, our baby is home, safe and sound.   Don’t do that again Tuck or you are grounded!

First Days

It was such an easy, fluid, peaceful morning.  I kept walking around thinking, how beautiful is this.  Meeting new people, inviting those who have come from somewhere else into the fold with such grace and love.  So much cooperation was had, so much rekindling of relationships, and so very much joy shared. 

(Aidan writes and writes and writes)

(The new water table – science in action – thank you Gates Foundation)

Today at snack all the boys were at one table and all the girls at another and I overheard one of the boys commenting on this and as usual I launched into my spiel about how girls can sit with boys and boys (yadda, yadda, yadda) and then Alex pops out of his seat and says “I’ll fix that” and promptly moved to the “girl” table.  You just gotta love this kids bravery and sense of self. 

(Isaac and Asher explore the classroom pond which holds a turtle, a giant gold fish, guppies, guppy babies, a tad pole and salamanders.)

(Game time – they did this for an hour without even looking up.  So very cooperative.)

(Ultimate dress-up with designer Amalie)

Fast friends (welcome to our school Iris, you are so lovely)

(Vega’s Lego snail)

Welcome back.  Welcome home.  It’s going to be a spectacular year filled with fun, adventure and friendship.

Love always,

Michelle

Last Days

Last Days

(August 20th & 21st – Daystar, Castle Park, dance party & graduation)

I love that as we posed for the above portraits at Castle Park, and I held you each to me, I could feel the beating of each of your hearts. So much magic in that sound and the rhythm of them against my hands.

It all started in May of 2004 with Autumn at nine months on my back.  I remember the moment I met all of you, the way you let your parents go, letting them know you were in a safe and magical place. The day I met Brigit, I wanted to take her and a few other kids to see the big yard and as we were walking out of the classroom, her parents started to come with us, Brigit turned around, put up her hand in a STOP motion and said, “No, you stay here.” And how on the last day of school, she asked me if I would dance with her as I held her in my arms. And “of course” I said, “of course.” And we did.

I have your birthdays etched in my memory, especially Jackson’s, which happens to be one day before mine and Isabel’s who’s baby sister’s due date was the same as her birthday and that Asher and Brigit Share September 9th.

I know your favorite activities, what makes your heart go pitter-pat and how passionate Justin is to figure numbers in every way possible, sitting for hours beside me as we strategize and find the fun in the math of it all.

I know the way you all learned to read, all differently, and the day at four-years-old, Jackson read the page I was holding open while reading aloud to the group.

I love the way spelling has come to be taught in our class and the day, after many days of working, Harriette’s “wood” became “would” for the correct meaning and the way we celebrated with each other.

I love Flynn’s persistent love for dance parties and how each and every day she would ask, “Michelle, do you have your iPod today?”

I can’t believe how lucky we have been to have Isabel share her baby sibling’s with us and how she showed us how to be so caring and compassionate to the young.

And Zavier, who has shown me repeatedly what true perseverance is as he always works and works so hard to learn more each day with such interest and joy in the final product.

And then there is Oliver and Georgia. What a crew this last years kindergarten group was, always helpful, cooperative and so interested and tackling any challenge. And the day I set them up with a game they knew and then I left the room for a moment and when I returned Oliver and Georgia were in a full on wrestling match, rolling across the room.

I won’t forget a single moment. You were my first crew at CSWS and five years later, you are so much my kids too.

I will love you forever and a day,
Michelle

“There was a child went forth every day;
And the first object he look’d upon, that object he became;
And that object became part of him for the day,
or a certain part of the day, or for many years,
or stretching cycles of years.”
~Walt Whitman

Time Goes By…

I.

Birds

Birds take flight

Birds take wing

Birds sing your song

Now take wing

As you fly through the air

You look so good

Then…

You land.

 

II.

Life

The only thing

That we really love

The only thing

That everyone loves

From kings to the poor

Everyone lives. 

 

III.

Fishing

Trees above me

In the forest

By the lake

In a boat

Fishing

Caught a big one

But it got away

Caught a small one

Let it go.

 

IV. 

Trees above me

as time goes by so fast

when I make a wish

and it is for life

the only thing I want. 

 

by Jackson Espeut