 Jumping, jumping, see how I'm jumping This year we started a Musikgarten class after school. It is a great time of fun and movement for the children and a wonderful enrichment to our existing music curriculum. The class is taught by Ms. Julie and you can read more about Musikgarten and Ms. Julie here. In this picture the children are dancing to a favorite song 'See how I'm jumping' 
When I am tired, down I fall
You didn't know I could jump so high.......
You didn't know I could stand so still.....
Jumping, jumping, see how I'm jumping...
 D flapping his 'wings' to the crow song. 'Caw, Caw, Caw' Listening to these songs at home is a great way to reinforce the music lesson, but even more importantly, it is such a fun way to spend time with your children. Singing and dancing together is a wonderful way to unwind after a long day, get the sillies out, or turn a frown upside down. Listening to Musikgarten CDs in the car has been a lifesaver for us! If you haven't already purchased one and would like to, please let Ms. Julie know. 
C being a crow
 When the saints..... We listened to the classic 'When the Saints go Marching In'. The children loved marching to the beat. There are a few slower interludes in the song to allow for different types of movement such as swaying side to side. 
go marching in....
Oh, when the saints go marching in.....
Here, the music has changed and the children are swaying to the beat.
 Finally, we danced with scarves. Ms. Julie has lots of fun ways to play with them! We even made them into flowers, hats, and babies. 
Thanks, Ms. Julie, for a fun music class!
 We have had several busy weeks. I am very much enjoying the children. Here is a look at our time together. Look for more regular blog posts now that I've figured it out. Thank you so much for your patience! Here, T sets out the cards used to form complex numbers. (numbers in the thousands) Setting them out reinforces them in his mind as he counts 1 unit, 2 units, 3 units and so on to 9; then 1 ten, 2 tens, 3 tens, ...9 tens, 1 hundred, 2 hundreds...  ...and finally 1000. He has already set out the matching golden beads. It also gives him good counting practice.  J writes words with the phonogram, "sh". The 2 different colored alphabets help to highlight the "sh".  E builds the Binomial Cube, a very popular activity.  E and E enjoy eating lunch together.  J, B and M are hungry after time in the garden.  Hungry children are practicing grace and courtesy, waiting for all to be ready before eating. As they prepare for eating, enjoy the meal and then clean up, - their are experiencing the full cycle of the meal -the candles, flowers, napkins, placecards, dishes, and tablecloths don't just appear on the tables, children put them there and each child takes part in putting them away. Together, we are a community.  S has just finished the challenge of building the Binomial Cube wearing a blindfold. That grin says it all!  E grades the color tablets from dark to light in 9 colors.  E draws with chalk.  B writes words, breaking them down into sounds and finding each letter.  M checks her progress as she sorts the beads into the small bowls wearing a blindfold.  J is making 78 with the cards on the ten boards and with the beads next to it. As he does, he sees both the symbol (numeral) and the quantity in beads.  A chooses a South American flag to copy and fill in. As he does, he is strengthening his hand for writing as well as becoming familiar with the flags of many countries.  Everyone loves music with Ms Julie on Tuesdays!
We had a lovely garden day on this beautiful fall morning. Thanks to all our staff and volunteers who donated time, plants and hard work to keep our garden green!          Kale, chard, cabbage, broccoli, and a blueberry bush were planted by the children.  Bulbs and pansies were planted and the play house was freshly stained.  We weeded the raised bed and planted winter vegetables.  Digging in the packed Georgia clay, our volunteers planted 11 azaleas along the fence.  Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who helped!
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