Welcome back! We’ve had a joyful return to school after the holidays. We began our week by gathering around the big table, sharing stories of what we did when we were not together. We spent most of Monday sharing news, asking each other questions and generally just enjoying being back together. 

Our days together are comprised of moments that may be open-ended, or structured,  invitations that are collective, and times and opportunities to follow up on an idea or interest independently.  Together, we find rhythms that work for us, on a collective and individual level.  This leads to a really natural way of being, a sort of ebb and flow that respectfully reflects the understanding of the children’s needs throughout the day.

 

 

We have begun a new project exploring how we began as babies, and how we are growing has also begun.  For awhile now, the children have been curious about babies, 

Thank you, parents for sharing these lovely photos with us! You can follow the project’s progression in the classroom 🙂

We have also started building in moments for planned (or impromptu!) performances. Typically, this includes setting up the stage, preparing seating for the spectators, giving them tickets, as well as preparing the actual dance/performance.  

We explore the roles of the performer as well as the spectator. After each show, there is a moment where we exchange feedback.  Here are some examples of questions that we might ask. For the performers: what do we think, or how do we feel about our show? And for the spectators, What are things that we liked, or didn’t like in the show? What would like to see again, or more of, and what would we like to see less?

You may have noticed our “nouvelles papers!”, as Eden says.  We have changed our sign in sheets in the morning, using only the children’s names.  This is an early invitation to literacy, enabling the children to identify their names, as well as the names of their classmates.  It is a natural way to observe similarities and differences based on the letters in each child’s name.  There is also an opportunity for a lowkey emotional check-in, where children can draw a smiley depending on how they are feeling when they arrive.

We talk a lot about “taking care” or “de prendre soin de nos espaces”. This can mean organising books correctly, or tidying up the kitchen so that it’s welcoming for the next children who will be using it.  Basically, we all share these spaces, how can we take care of what we have, and make it look and feel nice and welcoming.  This also extends to our outdoor spaces.  Big thanks to Tyna, Elliott and Luna who tidied up the terrace, giving it some much needed TLC.

We have been exploring color mixing and movement!

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