We celebrated Earth Day this week by showing the children how to finish off a cloth napkin using a sewing machine.  It is our hope that the children will use this cloth napkin in place of disposable napkins in their daily lunches.  We have been pleased with the number of children who have brought plastic bottles to our attention showing us the recycling symbol on the bottom.  It is this awareness of the Earth and our impact upon it, that we are gently trying to impress upon the children. 

After all, together we are laying the foundation for the development of the future generation of people who will guide and direct the course of our society.  It is a key tenet of Dr. Montessori that “the work of man on the Earth is related to his spirit, to his creative intelligence, then his spirit and his intelligence must be the fulcrum of his existence, and of all the workings of his body.” (The Absorbent Mind  pg. 61).  Thank you for entrusting us with this sacred and profound duty of helping to guide your child’s core development. 

Thank you Mr. Donelson (Lola’s Dad) and Mrs. Etyemezian (Anouk’s mom), Mrs. Goldman (Kate’s mom) and Kate’s Grandmother (Laura) for providing the materials and time to make the Earth Day napkins.

A special visit was made by Officer DeSpain (Zoey’s mom) as she shared safety tips with us.  Thank you!

Please note some key dates coming up in May: 

May 10^th:  Mother’s Day Tea  10:30-11:15 

May 14^th:  Field trip to Discovery Children’s Museum (please arrive by 8:30am) afternoon children are encouraged to attend.

 May 30^th:  Musical Performance- 10:00-10:45 

A big, hearty thanks to Elie and her family for providing delicious snacks and beautiful flowers to our classroom this week.

  Have a restful weekend,

Ms. Lina, Ms. Nancy, Ms. Julie

We continue our journey through the South American rain forest and discovered that the largest tropical rain forest is in Brazil.  In four square miles of rain forest over 1,500 different flowering plants live along with 750 species of trees.  70% of the world gets some form of medicine from plants native to the rain forest. 

Researching animals of the rain forest

Some common medicines coming from the rain forest help us with symptoms of asthma, headaches and even cancer fighting drugs.

We are also learning about the wonderful spices and foods that come from the rain forest including nutmeg, chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, coffee, black pepper and gum.  Also, rubber comes from the rain forest and gives us the means to make rubber bands.

Spices from South America

We were treated to a wild life presentation of several animals from the rain forest earlier in the week.  We saw beautiful specimens of reptiles and mammals and learned that one of the most important things a student can do is to learn as much as they can about the rain forest and the importance of preserving as much of it as we can.

Last week we recycled paper and put the food scraps into the composter in the outside classroom.  The children were also taught to look for the recycle sign and place those items in our recycling bin.

Thanks to Addie Z. and her family for providing a bountiful amount of delicious snacks and beautiful flowers.  Additional wonderful snacks were also provided by Chad and his family and we are grateful to them as well.

Have a restful weekend.

Ms. Lina, Ms. Nancy, Ms. Julie

This week we have been taking excursions into the rain forests of South America.  We learned that there are four distinct layers to the rain forest*:

The emergent is the top layer where gigantic treetops rise above the rest of the forest trees.  Mostly birds and insects live there.

The Canopy is the next level down where treetops reach up to 165 feet high.  This area traps the most water and sunlight.  These treetops produce the most food for the forest’s creatures.

The understory is below the canopy and is where shrubs and shorter, younger trees grow that can reach to about 60 feet.  Only about 2 percent of sunlight reaches the understory.

dried plants of South America

Finally, the forest floor is dark.  Only 2 percent of sunlight and very little water reach the floor.  Few plants can grow in this darkness.  The soil is weak due to the enormous amount of rain (lluvia-“rain” in Spanish-pronounced “juvia”) that flows down through the canopy and understory. Humidity in the forest floor is almost always above 70% and the temperature remains relatively constant.

There can be up to 350 inches of rain annually in the rain forest. The rain forest provides homes to a large and beautiful variety of plant, animal and insect life and is also considered to be the “lungs” of the planet due to the large amount of oxygen generated by the trees.

We are looking forward to our RAIN FOREST assembly next Monday, 4/15 at 10am and encourage our afternoon students to attend (and bring a lunch).

Thank you to Oscar and his family for providing our delicious snacks this week.

Have a restful weekend,

Ms. Lina, Ms. Nancy, Ms. Julie

*”The AmazonRain Forest” Galadriel Watson, Pg.9

Welcome back to school!   We hope that you had an enjoyable and restful spring vacation.  We are studying South America this month and will be exploring the magnificent rain forests and all of the many layers of life that the forest provides.

Our science lens will be turned onto the parts of the bird.  If there are craft ideas you may have that could enhance the students learning on any of these subjects, please let us know.  We welcome you to our classroom to share your knowledge.

We will also enjoy an afternoon cooking project and welcome the chance for the students to experience the joy of making food and then eating the fruits of their efforts.

Please refresh your child’s extra set of labeled clothes at school.  Now that the weather is changing, shorts and tee shirts are preferred.  Remember, tennis shoes are the best shoes to wear at school.

Thank you to Bella and her family for taking great care of our pet lizard, Spikey during our recent spring break.

A big thanks to Anya and her family for providing the snacks this week.

Have a restful weekend,

Ms. Lina, Ms. Nancy, Ms. Julie