Dear Cedar Families,
April has been buzzing with activity in the Cedar class, literally and figuratively, as we delved into a study of bees! We looked at the parts of the honey bee, the life cycle of the bee, created our own paper “honey comb” and even tasted real honey comb courtesy of former teacher Shirley Becker. Lincoln’s mother, Kourtney, also came to school and gave a presentation on how to “dance like a bee,” which the children much enjoyed. Thank you, Kourtney!
We stayed busy in the garden, too, putting up a trellis for our snap peas with cedar twigs from the playground. We also hung bird feeders made from suet and pine cones to help support our feathered friends. We continue making paper pots and planting seeds, learning how much care is needed to get those tiny seeds to sprout, and the care needed to keep them growing with adequate watering.
Our rotating art table has been popular as we continue studies in color with paint, shading with black, and mixing different shades of green, inspired by a close look at the incredible variety of spring leaves popping up everywhere we turn. We built kites, too, and talked about how wind’s energy also helps move seeds, contributing to the life cycle of plants.
We wrapped up the month with a most joyful Earth Day celebration, thanks to the help of many MCS primary parents, including Cedar parents: Abby, Britni, Julia, and Loren. Theresa (Sawyer’s mother) also continues to gift us with her time and expertise, giving Sand Paper Letter lessons weekly. Thank you to all of you for your time and care–and thank you to all of the parents able to come join our sing-a-long on Earth Day!
Our children continue to explore new works in the classroom, building skills, friendships and interests through hands-on exploration and observation. I continue to strive to “light a spark” and get out of their way. Your children continue to delight and amaze me with their zest, curiosity, kindness, and creativity.
Our kinders spent April working on poetry in Writer’s Workshop and together with the Salal and Spruce students began sewing their continent pillows, a longstanding tradition. Thank you to former Teacher Shirley Becker for cutting the pieces for the pillows and leading us on Fridays on this big kinder work! We also celebrated one of our kinders’ birthdays, Hannah, who turned 6!
Our lunch time crew of children has also been practicing writing poems, haiku poems, in addition to our daily Haggerty Phonemic lessons. Below are three poems they wrote together! Enjoy! Consider writing one with your child. First line 5 beats, second line 7 beats, third line 5 beats. Clap the beats! Your children will be happy to teach you!
Warmly,
Mary
Giant tail fluffy
Ears flop when he runs so fast
To his good friends home
Race car speeds so fast
Red racing stripes on your back
Zoom! Zoom! Come on home
The Cedar tree stands
On its trunk in the dirt on
An island my home
