Hello Magnolia Families,

Welcome to the second blog of October! Here are a few reminders for the upcoming weeks:

Magnolia is getting ready to enjoy all things Pumpkin! If you are able, please bring one or a few pumpkins to donate to the classroom for all our fun projects we have planned. Thank you!

Tuesday, October 25 – ECC School Photo Day (Make-Up Photo Day is Thursday, December 1st)
Friday 10/28 – ECC Conference Day
Monday 10/31 – ECC Halloween Singalong and costume parade, 9:30 – 10:30a
Friday 11/4 – ECC Conference Day

Pumpkins and the Three Sisters

It’s that time of the year for all things pumpkin! Thank you to families that have already started bringing in pumpkins. We started this week by washing our pumpkins and creating observational drawings. Next week we will guess how many seeds are in a pumpkin, measure, decorate and carve them! Emily told the children a story about three special crops called the Three Sisters. These crops are corn (maize), beans and squash (pumpkins). Indigenous people living on Turtle Island plant these three crops together because they help eachother grow. The tall corn stalks provide vertical space for beanstalks to climb towards the sun. The beanstalk roots contain a helpful bacteria that promote growth for the corn. The squash and pumpkins provide ground cover and keep the soil moist.

Family Fridays

These last two weeks we’ve been joined by Athena and Ruby’s family on Family Fridays. The families got to join our morning circle and read books to the children. If you would like to join us for a Family Friday, sign up here! (Thanks again to Liv’s dad for setting up this google sheet!)

Butterflies and Ancestors

There has been some magic happening in the ECC garden these last few weeks. First, about a month ago we noticed that butterflies were laying their eggs underneath the leaves of our milkweed plant. Not long after we observed tiny little caterpillars climbing the leaves! The caterpillars grew much bigger and began to chomp on the leaves. We found a few chrysalises hanging on the milkweed planter pot. we were able to observe the chrysalises turn from green to black as the butterflies outgrew their cozy homes and were ready to fly away. Friends can find all kinds of activities about monarch butterflies on our science shelf and loose parts table.

Monarch butterflies represent visiting ancestors in Día de Muertos traditions, and the timing of our encounters with the butterflies outside ties in beautifully with our upcoming Día de Muertos unit! This year, we began this study with a question: what is an ancestor? Last week we learned all about living and non-living (and once living) things- and talked about what living things need vs. non-living things. We talked about how ancestors are friends and relatives of ours that have passed away/died/are no longer living. Friends were invited to add a picture of ourselves to a family/friend/ancestor tree and place objects that represent our loved ones on the branches and leaves. Here are some thoughts from the children that came up during our conversation about family and ancestors:

“Even though I have a small family, I am happy”
“If I didn’t have a family I would be bored”
“I am happy not sad because I have a family”
“My papa (grandpa) is the oldest”
“There are three people in my family but I also have cousins and aunts”
“My grandpa is not living”

Magnolia friends creating a family tree

Dia de Muertos

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 family-centered celebration honors departed friends and relatives with food, music, and community.

This holiday is deeply rooted in indigenous traditions and customs. We learned that the indigenous Nahua people of central Mexico believed that life is cyclical- people are born and die, then live on as ancestors that visit us once a year during the day of the dead. The Nahua people did not think of death as something to be afraid of- instead they embraced it as a part of life. 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.

Starting next week, the classroom will be full of opportunities to learn about Día de Muertos. We are creating an ofrenda to visit so we can remember and honor our ancestors. We invite families to bring in photographs of their departed loved ones to add to our ofrenda.

Around Magnolia

We had a visit from Chrissy who taught us some spooky Halloween songs.  Julianne visited and helped us create beautiful self portraits, and demonstrated “mark making” with a pencil. We met cat the caterpillar and dottie the dog! Ask your Magnolian if they can tell you the sounds they make, or how to write their initials. All around the classroom are invitations for learning- counting pumpkins, handwriting practice, a monarch butterfly inspired science shelf, a panaderia (Mexican bakery) dramatic play, and so much more!

♥Emily.Mitra.Darius