This week we had a special visitor in our classroom...
He left some clues behind...we tried hard, but couldn't trace him...
We gathered some clues like his footprints started from the floor, then he climbed up the shelf...
...then he climbed down the shelf...
...then he ran over the light table, down to the floor messing up some furniture, and ...
...again up on the circle table to our kitchen door! And then his prints disappeared...we even went outside to check if we could trace him. Friends had all sorts of explanations as to what must have happened and where he could be now. Keeping all that in our minds, we came back in and were surprised to see a tiny note. Friends further predicted that the leprechaun could read and write. The note mentioned that he left gold coins for us in our cubbies.
A felt the paint and said it was fresh and wet. That means he was just here...great spying, girl!
Along with the awww of missing his visit and not being able to trap him, friends were excited to see the gold coins in their cubbies...
This made our children think about making thank you cards for him and they wrote all sorts of messages! Cards and messages always make for a great literacy time!
In the end we stuck our cards on the wall right where he had left his note for us! We even wrote back to him in a tiny note from our classroom asking him to come again next year and thanking him for his thoughtfulness of leaving treats!
We later had fun with the green glitter Gak...
Our trap preparation...
We decided to trap him outside and worked to create a fun glittery trap.
Adding the pot of gold to deceive him in the trap...
That week we also made Irish soda bread...
We distinguished between all the dry and wet ingredients. We started with adding dry ingredients first...
Next we worked with the wet ingredients...we talked how dry ones don't change until wet things are added and it starts to turn into a gooey mixture.
Cracking eggs is always fun!
Mixing everything together...
We used our sense of taste to taste the buttermilk. Friends said that they had never tested this before. 90 percent said, "Eeek, it tastes awful!" The rest said it was ok, but they wouldn't drink it again :) I am proud that they all at least tried!
We even smelled the strong cinnamon and reactions varied!
On the contrary, everyone loved the smell of the vanilla extract and went "Wow!" with a sigh! It was interesting to see their different reactions and choices!
Spring brought us the opportunity of sowing, growing, and caring. We made grass creations where friends chose to make bears, mice, horses, dogs, cats, sheeps, and other animals that would grow funky green hair! We started potting the grass seeds in a nylon sock and molded the mud filled sock with hands to give it facial features!
Tying rubberbands we made the ears and noses.
We gave them some personality by decorating them. Friends added colorful eyes, hats, earrings, bow ties, hair, and many other things...
We even watered it regularly and waited for the green grass to grow!
Letter U
We collaged the letter U with umbrellas.
We even worked on rolling the playdough, making letter U, and then decorating it!
L, R, and K using their palms to roll the dough.
G adding eyes, eyebrows, ears, and a silly tongue to her letter U.
Other activities we did during the week...
Unifix cubes towers according to the number on the sheet...
Worked with nature drawings in our journals outside...
Friends used tanbark to make a camp fire and red, orange, and yellow markers to make the flames...
We did some soap and water play outdoors to cool off with the growing heat...
We are going to include more water play as summer and hot weather are approaching. Additionally, with our busy minds and bodies, we love to keep exploring our little world each day and in our own way!
Keep seeing you'll around,
Hugs,
Teacher Rashida
