WHAM February/March Newsletter

Greetings from Ward-Hobbs classroom,

 

It has been awhile since we last communicated all of the fabulous activities your children have experienced at school. The group was thrilled to see the hard work accomplished in one evening, during parent night in the art studio. It was magical to walk in and see the space turned into an underwater habitat with giant Jellyfish, Sea Stars and an enormous Orca whale that hangs from the studio ceiling. If you have not had a chance to enjoy these sea creatures you will need to do so right after spring break, as the studio will be removing all things Antarctica, in preparation for the annual Arts festival in May.

Since January, our unit of study has focused on the chilly continent of Antarctica. The children are learning the similarities and differences between the eighteen varieties of Penguins. They loved learning that the blue fairy penguin is only one foot tall, while the emperor penguin stands four feet tall. We spent one rainy morning balancing the geometric ovoid (most like the egg shape) on our feet. They now understand the patience and balance required of the male emperor penguin, standing very still in order for his egg not to drop on the freezing ice beneath his feet. It was interesting to watch the three and four year olds attempting to hold their bodies tall and straight, in the hope that the egg would survive. The older children had a great deal of success as they are physically more capable of standing still and balancing, in general. We have also learned a great deal about the inimitable jellyfish … they aimlessly swim in two directions, up and down, and while not actively pursuing food they automatically sting and retrieve anything they bump into. We had fun taking the “bump and sting” game to the playground during recess.

We look forward to warm weather in April and the return of spring activities in the indoor and outdoor environments. One special idea is to have baby farm animals visit our school, to welcome in the new season. We will keep you posted if/when that happens. Have a wonderful spring break as you travel near and far, and please keep us in mind if you find something fabulous (and small) for our continent boxes. Some ideas from past parental trips have included postcards, small regional animals made of clay, tiny straw hats from South America … anything that will fit comfortably in a box 5 inches wide/11 inches long.

A gentle reminder … Please write, date and sign any changes during carpool that we need to be aware of. Try as we might, the information you share with one teacher at the gate can sometimes get lost in translation. It is very helpful to have changes written down, so that info can be attached to our clip board for all to see. Also, there seems to be some confusion about news period (show and tell) at Children’s Garden. We ask that your children not bring in toys to share during class time. It creates problems like you cannot imagine between the children. When in doubt please check with the teacher during carpool.

As always we cannot do what we do without the help from our community. A big thanks to all of you that did something for WHAM in February and March:

Maris and Amy Mc.  Duncan P./Christine T.  Ann and Kevin R.  Brooke B.  Emily F.  Cat F.  Rex B.  Megan B.  Meghan B.  Kristen M.  Kelly E.

Fondly, the 3 B’s

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