Bat Cave

Right after Halloween I had a family visit and the child was carrying

a paper bat.

The mother shared that the child was quite interested in bats.

It inspired me to change our cardboard box horse barn to a bat cave.

After repainting the box I made short slits around the top

and we strung thick yarn across like a web.

We talked about how bats hang upside down

but the question came of how to hang our bats.

One family suggested clips so we brought out some clothes pegs to do the job.

The children worked to figure out how to open the clothes peg 

and attach it to the bat.

Now we have a little hide away.

We Need to Move

It's Friday and we don't have access to the gym

but we can use the multi-purpose room.

 

It's important that we have an active break everyday so we

take advantage of the multi-purpose room

even when we have a big crowd.

We sing songs like Tony Chestnut and do some yoga moves.

We use scarves to help sing If You're Happy and You Know It

which always leads us to Sleeping Bunnies.

The scarves are great for playing with the poem

Popcorn Kernels

and "I Have a Rocket".

We also enjoyed a new to us book called

"Old MacDonald Has a Truck".

It introduces lots of big machines like bulldozers and steam rollers

which prompted us to make movements as we read/sang.

And finally at the end all the children lay down to take a breath.

I walk around with my tickle stick.

After they are tickled they stand up and put their mat away then

head back to our classroom

Table Art

We've done non-messy painting before and it is always worthwhile revisiting.

 I covered the table with a transparent shower curtain and squirted paint on it

then I covered it with a clear shower curtain.

The children were encouraged to pat, poke and move the paint with their fingers.

Each day I lifted the top curtain and squirted in more paint.

One more day and we'll lift it off and hang it on the wall.

Our big buddies stopped in for a tour and they loved this idea.

It may be an idea we try, on a smaller scale, with our big buddies at a future date.

Big Buddies Five Little Pumpkins

During our last big buddy visit we focused on the poem

Five Little Pumpkins.

A few of our big buddies acted out the poem for a very attentive audience.

Then each pair received a little baggie with 5 pumpkins, a gate and the words to the poem.

 

They counted the pumpkins and retold the poem together.

This big buddy is trying to make a connection with his little buddy who

is a bit hesitant when she meets someone new.

But his silliness drew her in and she copied him by covering mom's eyes

with the pumpkins.

The children then played with equipment that had been set up around the gym.

I noticed that this was a time that many of the grown ups felt comfortable

to step back and let their child connect with the big buddy alone.

This provided lots of opportunity for the buddies to learn more about each other

and what they can do.

Here is an another example of a big buddy gaining their little buddies attention and interest.

She patiently waited, with her hands out to catch, while the little buddy took his

time to throw the ball.

We finished with two of our regular songs.

Ring around the rosie, a pocketful of posies,

husha, husha we all fall down.

Fishes in the ocean, fishes in the sea

We all jump up when we count to three.

And Icky Sticky Bubble Gum.

I see delight and trust being expressed in these pictures.

Thank you to Ms Smith for taking these wonderful photos.