There was an Old Woman

There are many, many variations of the old story “There was Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly'.

At Valentines I came across this blog that has a free printable for the items for "The Old Woman Who Swallowed a Rose".

At the same time that I found those I also saw this idea to use an old baby wipes container for the woman.   Mine looks a bit different.
                      
                        The children love this interactive version. 
     The pictures mounted into milk jug caps fit nicely through the opening.
             
          Since that was a success I decided to use the same container for
                 There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Clover.
               
Before beginning I handed out the pictures and asked the children to look at
   their picture and I told them to listen carefully for when it is mentioned.
            
             When they heard their item, they fed the old woman. 
           
And tucked inside the container waiting for the very end is the rainbow.  The children are surprised when it comes out every time.  I guess I have great slight of hand.

Sticking to the St.Patrick’s theme I made another version of the game Little Mouse.
                   
                       A clover hiding behind a coloured pot.

A Nature Walk = Writing a Book

We went for a walk in the woods with our big buddies this week.  It started with this new book I was introduced to called On My Walk by Kari-Lyn Winters.
                 
                        The text is minimal but rich in it’s rhythm.
       
We read the book together then split our big group into two.  One group went into the woods behind the school and the other went to the small woods beside the school.  That allowed more space for the children to explore.
                      
Each visit I notice that more of the little buddies are becoming relaxed and comfortable with their big buddies and are willing to go a little farther apart from their grown up. 
           
The little buddies carried their nature bag that held a clip board with a book similar to the one we read. 
 
 
 
       They spent their time recording what they saw, heard and smelled.
     

Planting Shamrocks

Last week I planted some clover seeds, first time ever, hoping that they will grow before St. Patrick’s Day.
           
                 Amazingly in just three days they sprouted.
              
This week I set up a planting centre so the children could plant their own container of clover.
            
  
     They prepared their cup by printing their name then filling it with soil.
 
         Sprinkle on the seeds, then watering.  A friend watches patiently.
               
The she takes her turn to plant a cup of clover.  There is a calmness in planting.
  
Surprisingly within two days the seeds began to sprout.  It didn’t seem to matter if the seeds were put under the soil or on top.  They are both showing signs of growth.
              
                           Each day more children plant a cup. 
                   We will have lots of clover for St. Patrick’s Day.

Painting Daffodils

         
This table was waiting for the families to arrive yesterday and by the end of the morning it looked almost the same.  Only two people attempted to draw the flowers.  I’m concluding that pencil crayons weren’t of interest to the children.
                          
This morning I decided to add paints. Using a pill box, that has four compartments, I filled three of them with yellow, green and brown paint.  The interest was almost instant.
      
It was interesting to watch the children paint, to see what they noticed.  Which colour did they start with?  What lines and shapes did they make? Did they use big, loose strokes or small and controlled?
                     
            I listened as parents encouraged and commented on what they saw.
     
With a little encouragement some of the grown ups were happy to share the experience and paint too.
                       
Spring flowers are displayed around our room, brightening it a bit during these foggy days we’ve been having.

Jack and the Beanstalk Sensory Tub

                    
Our tub was filled with a homemade beanstalk, book, beans, gold pebbles, rocks, a cow, a hen, mother doll and a little boy doll.  Oh and our castle was in the bin since I couldn’t figure out how to safely attach it to the top of the beanstalk.
                 
This tub gave the children another opportunity to learn the story of Jack and the Beanstalk and play with the characters and props.
                 
                       
Although the main interest was the beans.  Filling the cups and pouring them out.
              
   Having the book in the table offered families a chance to read it together.

Bean Stalk

                          
   
The beans that we planted back in February were growing so fast that I decided to transplant them into larger pots and see if they would continue to grow.  There are peas in one pot and beans in the other.
                            

During this time I had introduced the story of Jack and the Beanstalk and to bring that story to life we built a beanstalk in our room.  Fortunately one of the parents that was present that morning was willing to climb the ladder and attach some strings to the wall so we could hang a cloud that the children were painting at the art table.
                           
        I added cotton batting to the cardboard to make it look fluffy.
                          
                The next day the castle was done and ready to add.
               
The beans growth has slowed down since they have been transplanted but they are still growing.  I wonder if we’ll get any beans.  I hope they’ll survive till after our Spring Break then we’ll put them out in the school’s green house.