This week we celebrated another Festival of Light, Diwali. Diwali, which means "row of lights," is a fall celebration in India that lasts for several days. Typically, people light little clay oil lamps, called diye, all around the house, inside and out. Entire neighborhoods twinkle with the flickering lamplights in the darkness of night. Houses are cleaned, special foods are prepared, new clothes are worn, fireworks are set off. Prayers are offered and a new year begins.

We were very fortunate to have Kamal come and share with us some of their family traditions. She brought several diye, which burned brightly in the midst of our circle. She explained why the lamps are lit for Diwali, and that everyone all over the world has ways of welcoming goodness to their homes and hearts. In celebrating Diwali, all that is Good is invited in. She showed us the beautiful clothing her parents had sent from India for her little son and young daughter to wear for the festival. Kamal gave us "Happy Diwali" cards to color and made her family's favorite sweet treat for us to eat. We loved experiencing such a personal connection to this celebration, through one of our classmates and his family. Thanks to Kamal and her beautiful boy for sharing with us!

We made our own lamps this week out of little jars decorated with tissue paper. Today we arranged them around the room, turned off the lights and lit them all. Our room twinkled, just like the houses in the stories we had read! We sat down together and shared some warm Indian bread called naan, and read one last book about Diwali. We will take our candleholders home next week to decorate our homes for Thanksgiving.

We are thankful to all of our wonderful families in the Early Learning Center at Seabury School. Thank you for sharing the richness of your life experiences with us! We have much for which to be thankful...Happy Thanksgiving!

Judith

Voting in the Early Learning Center

Written on November 6, 2008

The ELC's participation in the nationwide mock presidential election for schools was a truly experiential process for the children. In the two weeks prior to the event, we talked about voting, practiced voting on classroom decisions and looked at photos of the candidates. We used the same photos of McCain and Obama every time we discussed the national election. We wanted the children to be able to recognize and identify each candidate, as we planned to use these same copied photos as ballots for the 3, 4 and 5 year olds in the class. Every day, I reintroduced the candidates using the black and white images. The third day into this group discussion, one of the children lamented, "But how can we tell them apart?" "H-m-m..." I wisely offered. "How do you think we can remember who is who?" One child excitedly repeated, "My mom says one of them is as old as dirt." I let that one slide by, responding that people can be good leaders at many ages and stages of their lives. The children decided that they would remember that McCain had white hair and Obama had black hair. No one mentioned skin tone, or that hair color had anything to do with age. I encouraged every child to go home and talk with his/her family about the candidates and election. A few days before voting, I asked if everyone had talked about the election at home. Lots of nodding and excited exclamations followed. "Do people in your family have favorite candidates?" More excited nods... "Well, I have some interesting news for you." I then explained the freedom and privacy we are priviliged to enjoy as a right in the United States of America. No one has to report to any authority regarding for whom they cast their ballot. Every voter's ballot is private. You can vote for who YOU want, which may be the same or different as other people in your family, or within your circle of friends. This news caused quite a stir. Different children asked me repeatedly, "You mean I can vote for a different person than my mom and dad are voting for?" Verbal pandemonium broke loose as nearly every child was charged up to change candidates! It was a surprising moment for their teacher! Yet later, when I reflected upon the turn of events, it made sense. Young children have so few opportunities to make big decisions independently, that this was literally a carpe diem, "seize the day" moment for them. They realized this was a golden opportunity to express their collective individuality!

We transformed the puppet theater into a voting booth, decorated it, then made a ballot box. I made copies of the photos of Barack Obama and John McCain, which each child would use as a ballot. On Election Day, we declared the area surrounding the booth as off limits, in order to protect the privacy of the voter. By using a "blank," I modeled how to select ONE ballot, fold and insert it into the slot. As the children went to free choice time, we called them one at a time, to cast their vote. Afterward, we would announce, "(Child's name) has voted." The children were SO proud of themselves! We delivered the ballot box to the 5th graders to count and transfer our photo ballots onto the "official" mock election ballots. They were then submitted by computer to the national site.

Results? In our class, McCain and Obama tied. In our school, as well as others participating nationwide, Obama won. Yesterday, as we discussed the results of the "adult's election" on Tuesday, we discussed the difference between how voters choose a leader vs. the interior goodness of a person. Which is to say that an election does not determine an individual's personal worthiness... Everyone deserves love, caring and recognition for their gifts and sacrifices. One can lose an election and be a fine, even heroic, person and a worthy leader. There is rarely an absolute right or wrong when choosing someone for a leadership position (or a presidency.) Of course, our children tend to look at life as "good guy - bad guy," and haven't yet incorporated the nuances and gray areas of various choices. But I had to bring it into the discussion so that we can begin to incorporate a more complex viewpoint !

However, the true results are far greater than the ballots cast. Our young children have participated in a "real" experience of our nation's democratic ideals. They have had an opportunity to be included in the diversity of voices heard in the course of this historic election. And as adults, we must realize that no matter what our political preferences, the long campaigns and outcome of this election will influence our childrens' lifelong vision about who can be President of the United States of America. Men and women of all skin tones can run for the presidency, be elected and welcomed to live in the White House! We all want our children to feel that pride in our country, as well as a sense of personal possibility and potential. Whether we agree or disagree with the election results, let's all make sure that our children see us, hear us, feel us opening the door wider to encourage hope and optimism for the future... their future.

fire safety in mid-October

We are well underway in our first big area of study this year... Fire Safety. Fire is fascinating to all humankind, and it is good to build a healthy respect for its goodness and its dangers. We have discussed both, comparing and contrasting various examples.

This week, we concentrated on what to do if your clothes catch on fire. The children have demonstrated their knowledge of "stop, drop and roll," and can explain that doing so will prevent the fire from getting air to burn. We have also discussed that the ONLY time it is o.k. to push someone down is if there is a dangerous situation... such as a friend's clothing catching on fire.

We have also talked about how and why to call 911. We practiced on a dead phone, which you may want to review with them. The children know that the 911 number is only for emergencies, and once you call, you don't hang up unless the operator tells you to do so. We are still hoping that my friend who works at Seattle 911 will be able to come in and speak to the children as positive reinforcement.

To seque from yesterday's school fire drill, next week we will talk about smoke detectors, fire alarms and making a plan to meet in a safe place. This would be an excellent opportunity to walk through the house with your child and check the smoke alarms, changing batteries and practicing your own "family fire drill." Then we can all hope that none of us will ever need to put our practice to the test!

As some of you may have heard, I had an amazing holiday last weekend. I went back to Montana to celebrate with two of my former preschoolers (along with lots of other family members and friends), their graduation from medical school. While at the party many other parents of young twenty-something adults, who used to be my preschoolers, approached me to share what their grown kids were doing. It was truly fulfilling to hear how most had followed their passion in life, reaching out in the world to make their dreams come true. So many years later, this is my dream come true for each of them, too. It is yet my dream for your children who are now 3, 4 and 5 years old...

You may have heard me say that once a child is in my class, he or she is always one of "my kids." I care about my students, and their families, forever. Years later, I cherish still laughing and crying with them.

Already I know that this coming weekend will bring tears as I gather with others to both grieve and celebrate a little girl who lived fully for 9 years. How I wish she could have lived to be 90! Already, I miss her courageous and beautiful presence and possibility in our world. It is a privilige to have known her, to have been a part of her brief but shining life, to be in a circle of caring through the days of sunshine and storm. Now her glorious rainbow arches beyond us, into the great unknown.

Hug your children, grow their roots, nourish them with your time and love, let them take reasonable risks so they learn to persevere through the challenges. Encourage their positive dreams, great and small. When it's time to try their wings, stand back, let your heart fly with them and hope?, pray?, meditate?, wish on a star? for the best possible outcome. Raising children well requires the greatest love, faith and risk-taking a parent will ever know... I look forward to more celebrations with you in twenty years or so!

International Children's Festival

May 20, 2008

The International Children's Festival was fantastic! With the help of many parent volunteers, our children were guided through a morning of thrilling perfomances and cultural celebrations. Our first show was with the four person Australian circus troupe,"Circa." Three gymnastically gifted young men ("the leaper," "the strong man," and the "double jointed guy") joined with a spirited, peppy, coordinated and flexible young woman to give the audience a dynamic spectacle of circus acts. From the witty to the gross, slapstick to brave, all the children loved it! We adults were impressed with how much four people could do in such a short time! Circa was billed as "46 CIRCUS ACTS IN 45 MINUTES!" and they finished a very intense performance with 7 seconds to spare!

With 40 minutes between performances, we had just enough time to visit bathrooms, wash hands and picnic on the grass outside the Pantages Theater.
We sat in nearly the same place for the second performance as we did for the first... right up front!

As the theater darkened, we heard the sound of one drum emerging from backstage. Slowly, a lone drummer made his way out to center stage, dressed in native Guinean regalia. He was soon joined by another male drummer, two female dancers and an entire ensemble of female master drummers... LES AMAZONES! With pounding enthusiasm, we were treated to the indigenous music of the west African country of Guinea. This group broke stereotypes and taboos with their music... In Guinea, drumming is traditionally performed ONLY by men. These women literally had to struggle to follow their hearts to be heard by the world. In so doing, they brought a message to the children of peace, hope and the passion to follow a dream to fruition. In the strength, power and grace of these women one could see and hear their dedication to courageously stand up to boundaries and barriers, to examine cultural beliefs and perceptions while challenging social conventions, to move beyond what the outer world accepts to the inner world of living one's dreams. Somehow, this was all encompassed in the rhythmic interplay of the drummming and joyous exuberance of the dancers. Beyond the rich cultural experience, this was and is a life lesson to be, we hope, retold and recalled many times in the years to come!

Many thanks to all of you who helped make this amazing day possible!

Grandparents and Special Friends Day

We had many special hellos and goodbyes today... We welcomed our grandparents and special friends to our circle. Every child had an opportunity to introduce their guest(s) before we started singing. We have been learning songs that go back a few generations, so that we, children and seasoned adults, could enjoy singing together. Our selections included many old favorites such as "Red, Red Robin; Miss Mary Mack; You Are My Sunshine; I've Been Working On the Railroad; Home, Home On the Range; Row, Row, Row Your Boat; I'm Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee." To celebrate our trip to the zoo last week, we ended with Raffi's song, "Baby Beluga." To honor Ms. Amdahl on her last day, we gave her the book we made and she read it to us. Every child was so excited to see his/her "own" page! It was very moving to me to see Ursula so beautifully remembered by everyone, and to know how many loving hands and hearts came together to make this such a special day for her, too. Ursula shared that she will miss everyone very much and will visit us in the future. She plans to email some photos and stories from her new school! After circle, we moved into fingerpainting onto long pieces of paper... you will see what colors your child chose by the paint on their clothes! (We didn't have enough aprons for everyone.) Our guests leaned in and made their own swishes and swirls with the children! We dispersed to five different sinks to wash hands, then proceded in waves out to the playground for ice cream cones... so many choices! Pointed cone or flat bottomed? Flavors? H-m-m-m, which to pick...Vanilla, Chocolate or Strawberry? Again, there were many adult helping hands scooping, giving, wiping spills. In the sudden quiet that followed, I was amazed at the tranquility of the playground... I guess that I had never noticed how much intense concentration it takes for a young child to successfully eat an ice cream cone! There was a united focus among the children, revealed upon their smiling, sticky faces... Just as cones were finished, Casie Myers walked outside, so we had a perfect opportunity to introduce her as our new Assistant Teacher. Already the children have a degree of familiarity with Casie (pronounced as Casey), because she has also substituted several days in our class. Our goodbyes ended with a hello... and new anticipation.

It was a pleasure to welcome all of our special guests into our classroom community! Judith

Zoo Field Trip

"We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo,
How about you, you, you?
You can come too, too, too
We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo!"

This was absolutely one of the smoothest field trips ever! We had a better than 1:2 ratio of adults to children, everyone brought a "disposable lunch," and car seats were switched with ease. We had wonderful snacks to eat in the cars, school I.D. tags for every child and arrived a few minutes early. We were first into the zoo and had plenty of time and space to enjoy all the animals. We split up into small groups, with each consisting of two adults and the children they drove, and ambled along to where each respective group decided to go. It worked so well--- everyone saw what was most important to their group and could take the time to focus on an exhibit for as long as desired. We made a plan to meet and eat lunch outdoors at 11:30 by the beluga whales. Lo and behold, it just so happened that the zoo trainers were having a beluga presentation at that exact time. It began and ended with a great splash--- the whales breaching in near unison. We heard the many sounds these whales, nicknamed "canaries of the sea," make with their blowholes, watched them dive, eat, flap flippers and flukes, and squirt water out of their mouths into the air. What fun!

When later asked what their favorite animal at the zoo was, it was interesting that most of the children named an "umbrella species." This is an area that we have been discussing in class which bridges the health of a key species within a habitat to the health of their specific environment. What was also fascinating was that many of the children chose their favored animal for its behavior at the time of our visit:
"I liked the tiger best. It roared."
"My favorite animal was the elephant. It peed a lot from between its legs! Why does it pee so much?"
"I liked the beluga whales. It was funny to see them squirt water!"

The ultimate for adults and children alike was that today was the first sunny and reasonably warm day in two weeks... What a perfect day!

With howls of delight, Judith

P.S. Ursula is sending me pictures she took. I'll republish this with photos by midweek!

What animal in the whole world would you like to be?

M. I.: “I’d be a giraffe because I’d have a long neck to eat vegetables like carrots.”

S. T. : “I want to be a doggie named Rosebud.”

G. L: “I’d like to be a kitty cat because people pet them.”

K. E. : “A tiger. Tigers swim and hide.”

G. R. : “I want to be a jaguar because baby jaguars are cute. Diego has a baby jaguar!”

E. F. : “An ox. Ox like snakes and they can run so fast.”

E. E. : “I want to be a snake. They go s-s-s-s.”

M. E. : “I think I’d be a zebra because they have stripes on them and that’s so pretty.”

T. V. : “I’ll be a camel. They walk at the zoo. I’d like to live at the zoo!”

R. M. : “A cat because it’s cute and it licks things---- kitty food, people food, even my fingers!”

N. S. : “I’d be a puppy. They play with doggie toys and eat things like dog food. And they roll around!”

C. S. : “Well…well, I want to be a lion because they are dangerous with big teeth and can attack. I would be a nice lion, though.”


A. M. : “I’d like to be a mermaid. She swims and she likes her mom and dad.”

C. H. : “A horse because they gallop!”

D. S. : “A tiger. Tigers growl. They have orange and black stripes. I like stripes!”

A. I. : “I would like to be a giraffe because giraffes stomp. And they have long necks to eat trees.”

Et. J. : “I’d be a lizard. I’d like to change colors. And crawl fast, too!”

Em. J. : “A lion because they roar and eat so many foods and they have lots of feelings and lots to do.”

J. W. : “I would be a robin because my favorite color is red. And I can fly so high that I won’t get stung by a bee!”

Z. M. : “I would really like to be a butterfly or a whale. I’d like to fly like a beautiful butterfly and land on flowers. But I want to be a whale because they swim and they’re so big. They’re the biggest animals in the world! It seems like butterflys and whales are kind of opposite animals!”

We kicked off our "Young Authors" celebration with a classroom visit today by children's author Brenda Guiberson. She read us her book titled Cactus Hotel.

The children were very interested in seeing how Brenda illustrates. Based on her first drawing of an animal that the children decided was a poodle, we created a story. Everyone contributed ideas as an entire poodle family came to life on the page!

The plot involved the entire poodle family getting wet in a rain storm, scampering into their "Poodle Palace" to dry off with towels, then sipping on hot dog juice to warm themselves afterward. The story ended with the sun shining and a rainbow arching "the wrong way," according to our young authors! See if your child can tell you the story!

We have so many upcoming special events that it might be handy to literally have the dates at your fingertips! Beginning next week:

March 31-April 4 ~ Spring Break, no class
Monday, April 7~ ZooM Visit to ELC, Grades K-2. Topic: Animal Sounds and Signals
Friday, April 11~Pajama and Stuffed Animal Day! We'll have animal videos and popcorn, too!
Friday, April 25~ Celebrate Earth Week with an ELC field trip to P.D. Zoo, Drivers needed!
Friday, May 2~ All school Grandparents and Special Friends Day
Monday, May 19~ ELC Field Trip to International Children's Festival, Tacoma
Friday, May 30~ 2:30 p.m. ELC Ice Cream Social: Create your own sundae! Morning students and all ELC families welcome!
Friday, June 6~ Seabury School Families go to an evening Rainiers Game in Tacoma
Thursday, June 12~ Seabury at the beach. For the safety of all, the ELC will need lots of parent participation for this special day!
Friday, June 13~ Last day of school. ELC dismisses at 11:30 a.m.

We're looking forward to sharing the fun with all of you! Judith

Last week, we began our melted crayon pictures and made a book of them to give to our Seabury librarian, Becky, who had been in the hospital for nearly two weeks. Each of the children offered a thought, to accompany their drawing, on what to do to feel better when you're not feeling well. No matter how you feel today, you'll definitely feel better after reading these!

"Clean the house first. Make noodle soup in the kitchen. Take it to the dining room and eat it."

"Drink some grown up medicine and sleep. Eat chicken, macaroni, anything with protein that makes you strong. That's it!"

"Read books... a book about a choo-choo train with buttons on it that you push. It makes sounds."

"Snuggle with your Grandpa and your blankie. You'll feel better!"

"Have your Grandma come over. Play cranium and dance ballet."

"Watch a Disneyland movie. Take lots of rest. Play and dress up like a princess. Then go to the duck pond."

"Sing a song... 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' will help. Breathe in and breathe out and you'll feel happier."

"Do some magic and eat cookies, maybe make magic cookies!"

"Snuggle up with a teddy bear or a rabbit or a dolly. Cover everyone up with your blankie to stay warm."

"First, take a drink of water and then take some orange medicine."

"How about getting out Thomas the Train to feel better? Then you can play quietly with your train."

"You should just calm down and lay down and take a rest."

"Put an ice pack on the owie and hold it there. It sort of makes the hurt go away."

"Take red medicine to make you feel better. Then come back to school."

"Stay home, in bed and sleep. Then you can play for half an hour."

"Eat oreos and animal crackers and drink orange juice. Then go fly a kite!"

"Give yourself a hug to feel love... Love helps you feel better!"

"You're the most good librarian I've ever seen! Eat some strawberries and Indian grapefruit and pancakes with LOTS of maple syrup and then you'll feel better!"

* * *

There you go... Aren't you feeling better now?

Judith

The children sang and drummed beautifully this morning, didn't they? The call and response Salmon Song, chanting and drumming was the result of many, many times "swimming up the stream," immersing ourselves in the rhythm and melody. We spent this week finishing our salmon projects... creating crayon resist / painted salmon (which have a richness far beyond what we expected) and finishing our salmon headdresses. The children looked so fully adorned with the headdresses and necklaces they also made!

We will move into the celebration of early spring in the North Country. For the next two weeks we will study maple sugaring, which will culminate in having Pajama and Pancake Day on Friday, March 21!

That's all for this time... more next week! Judith

I have been working on Assessments for about two months now. First, I spent weeks combing through developmentally appropriate expectations for 3, 4 and 5 year olds, then examined and considered various early childhood checklists of skill development. Finally, I created a very thorough checklist of our own. It is based on developmentally appropriate norms, milestones and standards, then adds a dash of Seabury spice to the formula. The "Seabury spice" takes the children a little beyond what is normally expected for the average 4-5 year old, exposing the children to experiences that are designed to prepare them for kindergarten at Seabury School.

In observing the children lately, I am seeing that we are at that wonderful point in the school year when our class is becoming a wildly creative, kindly supportive and active community committed to positive outcomes. Children spontaneously partner with one another to play, discover, create, invent and learn. Many are negotiating their way through problems independently, being helpful and cooperative in getting big jobs done together and taking pride in doing a task for someone else as a nice surprise... It is such a satisfying time for all of us!

As I work my way through the assessment checklist for each child, I am enjoying thinking about how every individual child has grown so remarkably this year, as well as how we are weaving a beautiful tapestry of caring community together. Thank you for the rich and colorful strands you have brought to the warp and weft of our learning loom... we will continue to use the threads of our collective experiences to weave our way through spring!
Judith

In the early dark and stillness of this pre-dawn morning, I heard a story on National Public Radio that caused me to just cease my routine, sit down and pay close attention.
The story was about how imaginative play helps the child's brain develop, particularly in the area of executive function relating to self-regulation. Most children don't get many opportunities for this "old fashioned" type of play that was far more prevalent a few decades ago. The NPR story cited studies which showed that children who have little uninterrupted time for these types of play situations, one in which the child designs by imagination and "self talks" through the process, have more difficulty focusing on a concentrated task at a level which used to be appropriate for the age of the child 25-30 years ago. This is a fascinating topic about which teachers who have been in the field for a long time always have an opinion, usually corroborating these observations!

This is one of the really serious reasons that most early childhood educators value creative, imaginative play! True play is the work of the young child and develops skills that directly and powerfully relate to increasing one's potential. We early childhood educators will do nearly anything to encourage children to learn to play as if their very lives (and brains) depended on it!

More important than my musings is the actual story... here is a link to it:

NPR: Old-Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19212514&sc=emaf

Enjoy! Judith

With love, from our 3,4 and 5 year olds

"What does love feel like?"

"Love feels good."

"Love feels like Mommy and Daddy."

"It feels like hugging!"

"You give love away and then you're happy."

"Love feels good, like loving Mommy and Daddy."

"Love feels like family."

"You love yourself and it feels great!"

"Love feels like helping somebody."

"It feels good, like Mom and Dad loving me."

"Love feels like family and pets."

"Mommy is love. I feel happy."

"Love feels soft and smooth, like when you pet your dog."

"Love feels like a friend."

If you love someone, you can hug and kiss them. Then you are all happy!"

"Love feels like God is all around."

"Love feels like it is surrounding me."

"When you love someone, you can play together. It feels good! My dad loved my mom and married her. They go to the same bed together. And they still play together, too!"

Can you guess which one your child said?

(We won't tell!)

February 8, 2008



Another Celebration of Light encompassed our classroom this week as we learned about Lunar New Year. We welcomed in the Year of the Rat using many senses and multiple intelligences. We read some books about the celebration and discovered that red is an important color because it signifies good fortune for the coming year. We made red lanterns, decorated with Chinese characters of positive attributes. We learned to "read" several simple characters, such as "tree" and "forest." Some of us even tried our hand at painting characters at the easel, using red paper and black tempera paint! Many of us learned how to set a Chinese table and the basics of manipulating "trainer" chopsticks designed for children. We learned two simple folk songs, one in Japanese and the other in Chinese. Much creative storytelling, collaboration and social interaction took place at the small Pupper Theater with the Asian finger puppets... The big dragons and colorful lions were the most active characters in nearly all the performances! Speaking of dragons and lions, some of us also completed a long number sequencing dot to dot to make a dragon or colored and cut out lion masks. The most anticipated activity that made the greatest sensory impressions had to do with eating (of course!) Chopping vegetables, mashing tofu, stirring in rice and spices to make the filling on Thursday (m-m-m, Judith, this smells good), filling, folding, frying, dipping and eating the egg rolls on Friday (Wow, Judith, this tastes REALLY GOOD!) Thank you to all of our classroom parents who sent in ingredients or helped in class with our food preparation. Our children loved celebrating Lunar New Year!

Gung Hay Fat Choy! (Chinese)

Chuc Mung Nam Moi (Vietnamese)

Happy Lunar New Year

Judith

Did you know that Lunar New Year ushers in the Spring? We can always hope!

It has been a "Double S" week in the ELC... Snow and Salmon have captivated our interest! We have had fun talking about what we each did on our Monday snow day, and are planning what we'd like to do the next time it snows. We learned to fold coffee filters into quarters and then snip them with scissors to make snowflakes. Afterward, we hung them in the windows and this morning they worked their magic... Imagine the flurries of excitement when we saw big white snowflakes swirling out of the sky! The children conjectured that their handmade snowflakes had beckoned to the real snow to fall again. Alas, the snow shower was short lived, but the thrill lasted through the morning... and the excited pace continued into lunchtime.

We have been talking about the stages of a salmon's development, and what a salmon needs at each stage. The children are so interested in the many changes that happen to salmon and the various habitats in which they live during their life journeys. Today we're sending home a pamphlet and note with pictures featuring life cycle stages and how we can work to improve the environment for salmon habitat. We encourage you to use the materials to stimulate conversation about salmon and to reinforce your child's understanding. We are learning so much about this amazing species that has deeply shaped the ancient and modern cultures of the Pacific Northwest!

Remember that it is Salmon Spawning time in the Skagit River! If your family desires a day long adventure, the Skagit River Interpretive Center in Rockport, WA offers weekend presentations and information on the overwintering bald eagles that feast on the spawned out salmon. The center is open from 10-4 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with special programs continuing through Feb. 18. To contact them: Phone: 360-853-7283, email: www.skagiteagle.org .There are also eagle viewing stops along the highway, set up by volunteers with spotting scopes and binoculars. These places are close enough to view but far enough away so as not to disturb the eagles. This is a special opportunity to witness and learn about the circle of life in the natural world... as Long Claw might explain, those who swim becoming those who fly...

Snow and Salmon...Whatever you do, wherever you go, breathe the fresh cold air deeply and enjoy! Judith

We are reveling in cultural richness, as we explore experiences of people within our own country. We have been singing songs from the civil rights movement as we have learned about Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the many thousands of people who bravely worked to change unfair laws. Keeping the discussion developmentally appropriate for three and four year olds, we have focused on the courage to be peacemakers, integrity to stand up for what is right and the truth of living what you believe. Big topics, even for adults, yet all the children had thoughts to contribute!
This week, we are exploring the lives of the indigenous Northwest Coastal peoples with Long Claw, Ronn Wilson. I hope that you had an opportunity to stop into the multipurpose room to see his amazing art: masks, paintings, carvings, baskets, clothing, drums, tools, whistles, implements... all of which the children could carefully touch, handle and experience with their senses. In museums, this would all be behind glass... and these pieces are museum quality. He created art for each class to take part in, and it is all authentic and original. (And protected by copyright... so please don't photocopy it!) Long Claw has shared stories given to him from his beloved Grandfather, songs and dances passed on and given to him from various Clans and Native Elders. He has taught us about the circle of life through stories and games, built bridges between our very diverse cultures, as well as the old and the new, as he shares ways we are the same and ways we are different. What a powerful and deep experience this has been, one that I hope our children will remember for a long, long time!

January 15, 2008

Last week slipped by so fast that I forgot to add to the blog! My apologies to all of you who so eagerly checked after I sent out the Monday note telling you about our early learning center journal. However, diving into this week, we already have lots of news!

We splurged over the holidays and ordered a new rug to use for group times... After resetting the velcro circle about a thousand times, it was obvious that there were better ways to solve the problem. The oval rug has all the continents of the world at its center, each of which is a different color. These just happen to be the exact same color as our wooden puzzle map of the world, which makes us guess that it must have been designed by a person influenced by Montessori education! Around the map are children of the world, dressed in appropriate clothing of their climate and culture. At the feet of each international child is a colored stripe, which corresponds to the color of the continent that is home for him or her. The stripes form the outer border of the large oval. Our new rug is beautiful, educational and promotes the peace and justice overview of our classroom community! Please stop in to admire it, sit on it or join us for a sing-a-long!

In harmony with our study of Kwanzaa this week, we used the principle of Ujima (collective work and responsibility) and the idea of doing "Big Jobs" (work beneficial to the community) to introduce the rug to our room. The children gathered round and helped to pull the plastic off of the rolled up mysterious tube of fiber. They repeated the motions with the tight plastic binding around the middle. We moved it to one end of the open area and the children unrolled it, then helped to flip it over. What a delightful surprise... so much oooing and aahing! No child has yet noticed that the rug map matches the puzzle map. (The day someone does will bring new sounds of spontaneous amazement!) Then we celebrated by having our first birthday circle of 2008 for our classmate who was born on New Year's Day, four years ago! What a fun beginning to the second half of our school year together!

More news next week.... Be well, Judith