Dear Parents,
Fall is upon us once again! The leaves are all aflutter as they dance in the air and drift down from the trees as we play on the playground each beautiful day.
Over the past several weeks we have been busy exploring the books The Big Umbrella and Bird, Balloon and Bear. The youngest children have enjoyed coming together in small group as they have engaged in the concept of making a new friend – the idea at the center of Bird, Balloon and Bear. Theyplayed with mini-world props and puppets of the characters as they dabbled in friendships. The story also provided an opportunity to mess around with popping sounds because the balloon breaks and makes a loud POP! in the story. The other small groups focused on The Big Umbrella. The concepts of “shelter” and “making space for all of us no matter who we are” were brought to life in many creative, beautiful and collaborative ways.
The ideas presented in these stories will always remain with us as we shift to a new focus!
Speaking of a shift in focus…………. The classic story Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina will provide our next journey! The tale of a peddler walking through towns with caps atop his head and the mischievous monkeys that give him a hard time is packed with so much fun and possibilities! From the concepts of stacking and balance; studying monkeys; learning about how people purchased things before Amazon; a theatrical production and even possibly sewing sock monkeys we have lots to explore! Stay tuned! Time will tell where this new journey will lead!
Studio Discovery Fridays Update: The teachers and children continue to dive into understanding the workings of a Coniferous Forest. The “root layer” has been the current focus. With shovels in hand, they found different sizes of roots and learned their different jobs. Big roots help keep the tree stable while small roots soak up nutrients and water from the soil. We discovered that trees send messages to each other and share nutrients with the help of mycelium. Then we pretended to be squirrels and buried cones all around the yard, just like real squirrels do in the forest. Last week, we learned that ants help keep the soil rich by helping leaves decompose. Next up, we will look at some animals that make their homes in the root layer.
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
– Albert Camus
HALLOWEEN: We will celebrate Halloween on Thursday October 30th and Friday October 31st, Friends ‘n Fun style. We want to celebrate one of the kids’ favorite holidays, and we do it in a way that everyone has fun and feels safe. Costumes can be scary and confusing to some children, so we ask that you keep your child’s costume at home and not bring them to school. We will play games, read some Halloween stories, have a special snack and have our annual pumpkin rolling race! If you would like to contribute to the festivities we will have a sign-up available at drop-off/pick-up for: snacks, halloween plates, cups or napkins, and Halloween stickers.
It would also be great if you could send a small pumpkin to school on our celebration day for the race. A pie pumpkin is the perfect size!
PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES: Thanks to everyone for making the time to meet with your child’s small group teacher. We always enjoy this time to connect and chat about some of our favorite people – your children!!If at any time you would like to meet again, please let us know. We are always happy to set up a time for that, in-person or via phone.
PARENTING DISCUSSION NIGHT: Our meeting in September was wonderful and we are ready for the next one! We will be available for the next gathering at FnF on Wednesday evening November 5th from 6:30 to 7:30. We will continue these gatherings throughout the school year so drop in if and when you want.
*Unfortunately our space is not big enough to accommodate a discussion group and child care.
WEATHER:
Please watch Channel 9 News for notices of school closings or late opening times on days of extreme snow/ice. If BVSD is closed, Friends ‘n Fun will be closed, too. We do not follow BVSD’s “late start” on inclement weather days. We leave it to you to determine if you want to venture out. If you’ll be keeping your child home or arriving late, please call the school number (303-666-5111) to let us know. If you can, check Channel 9 News online for the most current updates. Sometimes there is a timing delay when it gets added to their list of closures so we also post closures on the “Latest & Greatest” page on our website and on our Facebook page.
Phone numbers – If something should come up during off school hours call Janet or Jane. Our phone numbers are on your class list.
HAPPY FALL EVERYONE!!!!!
Janet, Jane, Katey and Kate
