Thanksgiving feast

Pilgrim Children Art

Today, we read Samuel Eaton's Day, a story that describes a typical day of a Pilgrim child. The students were fascinated with the idea of "no electricity" and the amount of work the child was expected to do each day. They loved the relationship described between a son and his father. The boy was allowed to participate in the harvest of grain for the first time. The son worked very hard and that night his father showed approval. The boy was so proud to win the favor of his father. Check out out Pilgrim children: each one a unique creation made by one of the students. Needless to say, we didn't have a very long rest time this afternoon! We were too busy😊

Veterans' Day Program

Tomorrow

I am really excited about tomorrow. Our school-wide Veterans Day program is tomorrow!  We will talk more about freedom and how lucky we are to live in America. As we get closer to the holidays, I am hoping for calm and productive days with my bunch. They are so smart and eager to learn. I love this time of year because I can start turning over more responsibility to the children. They always rise to expectations. That's what kids do!

Dream Catchers

Thanks to Mr. Lovell for sharing his beautiful authentic dream catcher with the class today. He bought it from a Sioux Indian in Oklahoma 20 years ago. We learned that Native Americans searched for a way to help children have pleasant dreams because they were having nightmares. The influence of a spider gave a shaman the idea to create a web to "capture" the bad dreams. We tried our hand at making our own dream catchers this afternoon. We watched a YouTube video for assistance as we began to work. Tomorrow, we will add beads, feathers and paint. 

Their View of Justice

Today we read an awesome children's book that explains the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance. Children always react to principles of fairness and loyalty in the same way - they are intrigued. Their innocence is so precious. As we were talking about how very lucky we are to live in a free country, the discussion shifted. We were talking about how America is made up of all different types of people. I was telling them that we are free to live and make choices because we live in a democracy. I told them we are very blessed - we have a nice school, warm homes, families. They began to talk about people in America who DON'T have a home. I have seen the intensity in children before but it never gets old. We talked for awhile about the circumstances  of being homeless. I asked them, "do you all want to do something to help a family who might not have a home?"  Every child on that carpet shook their head yes.