Here in the Purple Room, learning happens in a lot of different ways. We learn with our hands. We learn through music. We learn inside, outside, at Circle, at Stations, at lunch, and throughout the day. And, this winter, we've learned from a LOT of different teachers. In case you missed it, we wanted to take a moment to show you all the wonderful guests we've had to share with us over the past few months!
 | Mr. Joe brought his family's dog, Polly, to share with us. We learned about how dogs need a lot of care, love, and attention. We heard her bark; we barked with her! Many of us were even brave enough to pet Polly, and we learned that she is very gentle. We also talked about how we have to be careful around animals, because not all of them are as good with strangers as Polly is. |
For H Week, we had several parents come in to talk about their holiday traditions.
M's mom, Jennifer, came to tell us all about the Advent Wreath. We talked about joy and the holiday spirit of giving and sharing. We discussed how important it is to remember that Christmas is not all about getting presents, and we tried to think of ways we could be kind to our friends and family during the holiday season.
S & G's family came to talk to us about Hanukkah. We read a book about family holiday traditions, and we got to light a Menorah right inside the classroom! We couldn't leave it up in our classroom all week, but S & G's mom, Mandy, explained how their Menorah at home would stay lit as long as the oil would last.
S's grandma, Mrs. Shimada, came to teach us about some Japanese traditions and make Oragami with us. Friends got cranes to take home and made little paper shirts and pants at stations. Mrs. Shimada read us an Eric Carle book with parallel English and Japanese versions, and she brought us a special Japanese rice cracker for snack. | We also had a special guest from Green Waste come in to talk about the importance of the Three R's: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle! With all the excitement our friends show for the garbage truck every week, it was no surprise to see their intense interest in The Garbage Monster. We talked about how some things that get thrown in the garbage can every day might not be garbage at all. We tore The Garbage Monster apart, reducing the paper cups we use, reusing good paper, and recycling old cans and bottles. Our friends are growing ever more aware of the difference between trash and recyclables, and we're trying every day to make our room greener! |
Last week, C's mom, Jill, came to talk to us about ice hockey for I Week! C told us all about his favorite team, (The Sharks, of course!) and mom brought sticks, balls, a puck, and even a net so we could all try it. C showed us what the real goalies wear, and we heard all about each piece of equipment helps the goalie do his job of keeping the puck out of the net.
Keep an eye out for more visitors in the months to come... Just next week, Mister James will be coming in to juggle for us!
Please let us know if you have a talent or an interest you'd like to share with our friends. We'd love to have you!
