Updates/Reminders
- No school 11/10- Professional Development Day
- Wednesday, 11/8- Make-up Picture Day
- Please sign-up for Caterpillar class volunteer opportunities here
- Please put diapers in your child’s plastic bin in the bathroom. It is a great help because we do not typically have time to go through cubbies before the first toileting check. Thank you so much!
- If you ever have something to tell us that you think will impact your child’s day at school i.e. didn’t sleep well, has a parenting adult out of town, friend/relative visiting, you can write it on the clipboard outside the door titled “We want teachers to know…” This helps so that all teachers can be in the know 🙂
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Dear Caterpillar Families,
Thank you so much with your flexibility the past couple weeks. Your children have had the opportunity to welcome teachers Emily (Magnolia classroom), Noushin (Cedar classroom), and subs Atsede and Andrea to the classroom. I’ve (Kirstie) heard that the Caterpillars knew their routine and the visiting teachers had a lovely time with them. I was excited to return this past week but alas, my immune system had other plans. We will reach out ASAP with a new plan for Conferences. We appreciate your patience. In my absence, the Caterpillars have been chugging along diving deeper in pumpkins, celebrating birthdays, honoring ancestors for Día de los Muertos and having lots of fun. Here’s a peek into the classroom happenings:
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Pumpkins
With October came the pumpkins! Pumpkins first started as round objects in our dot installation which has now transformed into a fall and pumpkins themed space. Using pumpkins, hallow blocks, baskets, pie tins, and crates, Caterpillar children have retold stories based on circle time rhymes, created pumpkin families, used their fine and gross motor skills to move around and organize pumpkins, engage with varying physical properties or weight and balance, created original pumpkin-inspired narratives, and navigated tricky turn taking situations, all with a finite amount of materials and the physical space of the grey rug. They’ve been trying new things, working hard, and expressing so much creativity.
Caterpillar Birthdays
Caterpillar teachers kicked off the birthday celebrations this year with Lala’s 3rd birthday coming in just a 5 days after Sam’s. For each celebrant we prepared “Moon pops” (frozen lemonade with the celebrant’s favorite fruit) inspired from the book Moon Pops, a classroom favorite, used the celebrant’s favorite color to create a background for their photos, read a favorite book or danced to a favorite song of the celebrant, and had the celebrant’s family come celebrate. Happy 3rd Birthday, Lala! Thank you Chris and Kate for coming in 🙂
Día de Los Muertos
A big thank you to all of you for participating in this unit by bringing photos and sharing stories! We will keep our ofrenda up to enjoy and add to ♥
Día de los Muertos (or Día de Muertos/Day of the Dead) rituals of Mexico and Central America acknowledge death as a part of life, through celebrations and remembrance. This joyful family-centered celebration honors departed friends and relatives with food, music, and community. On the day of the dead, our ancestors are believed to visit ofrendas, and families spend time in community remembering their loved ones and celebrating their lives. The classroom was full of opportunities to learn about Día de los Muertos. The ofrenda was initially full of books that shared about the celebration and children looked at and and requested that teachers read them. Children were invited to decorate picture frames and put a photo of an ancestor in it and place it on the ofrenda. We got to look at, touch, and talk about different artifacts that are commonly used in Día de los Muertos celebrations: velas (candles), caleveras (festive skeletons), sugar skulls, cempasuchil (marigolds), and papel picado. Sam brought in prepared pan de muerto dough and children were invited to roll it into a traditional shape that mimics the circle of life/death, and skull/bones. We talked about how ancestors are friends, relatives, and people we love and care about that have died and are no longer living. Other activities included: a sugar skull felt board, coffee filter cempasuchil.
Additional Caterpillar Happenings
