Firefighters & Harvest Party

Once again our gardener Andrew out did himself with a tasty Stone Soup. Most everyone who was brave enough to try the soup really liked it. Andrew also had a fire burning in the outdoor mud oven and was roasting apples for everyone to sample. We are so very lucky to have Andrew as his passion for gardening and ingenuity are boundless and our children reap the seeds that he sows.
Thanks so much to Firefighter Tom and Firefighter Ryan for taking time out of their busy day to help us all learn how to be safe and responsible if we were ever in an emergency situation. The children had great questions about the gear that Firefighter Tom wore. There were loads of stories about when smoke detectors went off in their homes and who had inadvertently set them off! Gotta love how 6 & 7 year old children tell it like they see it!

Our Travels to Bali

Last week we all took a virtual trip to Bali via Skype. An acquaintance of mine, Jan Reynolds who is the author of a series of books about vanishing cultures across the world, has spent quite a bit of time in Bali researching the Balinese rice farmers for her latest book entitled Cycle of Rice Cycle of Life. She is currently back in Bali with the rice farmers and wanted to Skype with us to share some of her findings. Jan introduced us to a young Balinese woman who said hello to the children (this ended up being their favorite part). We saw a statue that was 1/2 man 1/2 elephant, 2 men playing a beautiful and unique piano, orchids growing on trees, and lovely offerings created from grasses and flowers. It was a very unique experience. We are looking for a classroom somewhere in the world that would like to become our Skype pals!

Many Thanks

Thank you friends and families for taking the time out of your busy day to come into school and share in your child's work. Everyone did a wonderful job talking about their work, reading stories, and showing our guests around the classroom. Thanks also for bringing in the delicious breakfast food!

We are also very thankful to Nancy who brings in Sophie the Therapy Dog every Wednesday afternoon. The children are taking turns reading their stories to Sophie who sits and listens with rapt attention. After the story Sophie usually does a trick or two, gives out some kisses, and then receives a treat. It seems that I do not have any timid readers this year as everyone is quite excited to share their stories whether it be with Sophie or during our share time after writers workshop. Lucky me!

ABS Wind Turbine

This past week we ventured outside on a misty afternoon to explore the wind turbine that sits up on the hill above the bus loop. The children were so excited to "feel" the energy surging through the tower. As if listening to a large seashell they placed their ears on the long arm that seems to hover above the ground and were sure they could hear the energy as well. Shortly after I gave them each a pinwheel and they ran around and around making their own energy and gleefully watching the blades spin around and around. Simple pleasures!

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What's the buzz?

Everyone at Allen Brook School is all a "buzz" over small black and gold glittery pom poms! As children exhibit behaviors that fall within our 3 school rules, be kind - be safe - be responsible, they receive a warm buzzy. Golden buzzies are reserved for targeted areas in the school which at this point in time is the playground. Each classroom has a "honey jar" that is used to collect the warm buzzies and golden buzzies. When a jar becomes full it is emptied into the large "bee hive" in the main office. Each time we empty the jar we celebrate as a class (extra recess, group game, lollipops, free choice). The entire school worked together to fill the"bee hive" which resulted in a "Swarm Party"! Everyone in the school made crowns, we all gathered in the gym early one morning and sang songs together led by Mr. Bolger on guitar and Mrs. TH at the microphone.
The positive effect these small pom poms have had on our school is quite astounding. The children are proud to receive them, love being publicly recognized, and most importantly have a clear set of expectations that are consistent throughout the school.

Story Problems & Self Portraits

This past week we started our first math story problems. A simple story involving ladybugs was read aloud to the children along with a picture illustrating the words. The children were encouraged to draw a picture, use numbers, or words to explain their thinking. Most were able to do this without hesitation and in more than one way. The difficulty was in explaining their thinking. This year the children will be asked to "justify" their thinking in math (which then dribbles over into every facet of their lives). Initially the children will learn to use the word "because" to begin describing why they did something. They may simply know something in their head, however, there was a means to retrieving that information. Understanding that route will allow them to make more mathematical connections.

After a quick lesson on where our features are actually located on our faces the children were off and running with a self portrait project. Everyone created a pencil drawing of their face with minimal detail, retraced those lines using a permanent marker, erased any pencil lines, and then using water color paints added color. There were so many directions to follow! Sharp listening skills were a must. They are all adorable!

1st Week of 1st Grade

I am the luckiest teacher on the planet . . . everyone came in to school eager and ready to work and learn! No one complained. No one asked when lunch would be served. No one asked how much longer until the buses came. Everyone participated and followed our 3 school rules; be kind, be safe, and be responsible. As children exhibited positive behaviors for any one of these rules they were rewarded with a "warm buzzy" or a "golden buzzy" if they were on the playground. Each "buzzy" was put in a honey jar and when the jar was filled we celebrated within the classroom, brought the jar to the office where the buzzies were deposited into the "hive" and worked to fill up the honey jar again. When the hive is full the entire school will celebrate!

The week ended on a high note with everyone exploring the new iPads. It was nothing short of amazing watching them figure out how to go deeper within each app, sharing surprises with others in the room, and asking questions that allowed them a deeper understanding of how to use this very cool tool. By far the silliest and most fun app was the Photo Booth. I'm looking forward to finding ways to incorporate this app as well as many others into our daily work.