Our class is off to a wonderful beginning. Already, it feels like a family, except without the sibling rivalry! The children have really clicked. There is play across genders and group games seem to be evolving naturally with very little prompting from Kathleen or me. They seem a peaceful, easy-going bunch that avoids conflict. Issues will arise, of course, and we look forward to helping by giving them more tools to communicate effectively with peers.

The focus for the first weeks of school has been familiarizing the children with each other and with classroom routines and rules. There is a ritual and procedure in much of what we do in kindergarten and while there is lots of playtime and freedom, the orderliness of the classroom and the cohesion of the group is often a big part of the lesson. Everyday, we do so much and every minute the children are learning about themselves, their friends and their teachers. It is a joy to have the extra space in the room which eight students versus 10 affords us. It is also a treat to be able to give that much more attention to each child.

Themes: The changing season, wheat, apples, leaves, cooperation, communication, hardwork and kindness.

Language Arts: We have done some rudimentary work in the “Lovely Language” books going over the correct pencil grip and the left to right, up to down concept of reading and writing. The kids practiced writing their names the kindergarten way, i.e. with the first letter in uppercase and the rest in lower case. Please encourage them to write their names this way at home too. We’ve started a careful exploration of each letter of the alphabet, both from a representational and a phonemic standpoint, beginning with the letter L,l.

Stories (partial list): I told them a story about bees and wax and then presented them with a set of beeswax crayons to keep in their inside cubbies. Kathleen told the Little Red Hen to introduce a unit on wheat (and the theme of helpfulness and cooperation). I also told them the Grimm classic, The Giant Turnip, which touches on the same theme and another Grimm’s, The Porridge Pot. Kathleen did puppet shows for all three of these tales. We hope that by repeating stories and bringing them to life with puppetry and plays, the children will be able to really “live” these stories and perhaps even bring them home to you. As well as honing their skill at creating inner pictures, the story-telling and songs we do in class exercise memory and the ability to sequence details, both key components to future academic learning.

Math: So far we’ve mostly focused on patterns, one of the foundations of number work. They’ve identified patterns visually, made beaded patterns, edible patterns, sound patterns and even identified patterns in the stories we’ve told (like Goldilocks and the Three Bears). The children began work in their “Golden Number Books” with an exploration of the number 1. I asked them what there was only one of in this world and they came up with all of the answers I’d thought up, rapid fire: Each planet, each person, the sun and the moon.

Science: I did a cool lesson on germs that ended with a hand washing experiment where I covered the children’s hands with lotion and glitter to show how germs spread and how to most effectively wash them off. Ask your kids about what they discovered.

Handwork/Cooking/Gardening: We’ve been singing so many songs (about seeds, leaves, wheat, apples, farming and harvesting). This is important work for getting brains and bodies fired up in the mornings. The kids have ground wheat berries and used the flour to make a whole-wheat bread and then braided challah bread the following week with Kathleen (and lots of help from Zola’s mom and brother) in honor of the Jewish New Year. The kids did leaf rubbings with Kathleen and worked on scissor skills with me, making paper collages. They partnered up to plant some flowers in the woolly pockets on the side of the kinder cottage, and amended them with worm castings and worm tea from our worm bin.

During free choice, the kids have been busy exploring the classroom materials, playing with Legos, making tea parties, building animal habitats with plastic animals and blocks, and using silks and scarves and Kathleen’s handmade animals from the nature table to create their own story worlds.

Upcoming events:

October 4th – Harvest Party. The whole school will spend the day harvesting from our garden and cooking a feast for parents to share afterschool. Everyone is invited. Please come.

October 5th – Bike to School Day. It’s a long trek for most kinders. However, even if you don’t ride with your child from the base of Trout Gulch, do send along their bike and helmet and have them ride over the bridge to school and enjoy the breakfast treats. There will be recess bike riding fun to be had by all who have a bike too.

October 10th – Back to School Night for upper grades. Kinder parents are welcome if you want to meet who teachers and get a preview of what’s ahead for next year.

October 18th – Back to School Afternoon in kindergarten. Child care included and free. RSVP to me ASAP. I hope everyone will come. I will go over curriculum goals, answer questions, and mostly it’s just nice to have a group gathering and further bond as a unit.

October 22nd – Last chance to turn in Drive For Schools tickets. We are counting on every family to sell at least 10 booklets to meet our fundraising goal.

October 27th – Halloween Festival starts at 6:30. Kinders will perform a play. I’m counting on everyone’s attendance. Please let me know now if you will not be there so I can shift roles accordingly. Bring a finger food dish to share and don’t forget your zero waste place settings.