And then there was snow AND ice!

 

We were so happy to see snow! Our snow delay day brought a morning of outside time for playing, yay! 

And  after waiting for helmets to arrive from home AND having a borrowing donation from a parent, we were able to find our way to the ice. It wasn't as slippery as we hoped it would be! 

BUT there was plenty of space for sliding, and walking, and looking at the ice. 

Mostly, there was standing on the ice!

What a great way to learn about the properties of ice! It was super cold, so we did not stay out for too long, but we'll hold onto helmets and get out there again next week. 

Our classroom continued to be all about snow, winter, and ice. The sensory table is set up with mirrors, jewels, and crystals, as well as pictures of icicles. I like to call the space the "ice factory" or "snow factory" and give children the space for creating what they wish to create. 

We are talking about bears, too, as last week brought the discovery of bear tracks in the woods and we set up an outdoor camera. The thought of bears leaving tracks was disconcerting to some of the children, so we've brought bears into our conversation, talking about black bears, what they eat, and reminding the children that they probably are more afraid of us.  We have read about bear dens, and will read Blueberries for Sal and other bear books to become familiar with the types of bears that live in our area. 

We are very happy to have Eliza in our classroom for Tuesdays and Thursdays, and have welcomed a new child to our group. 

These final pictures are of us constructing a "jackdaw" or a box of clues that will tell others about a book so that they can guess.  We will continue to work on this next week-and perhaps invite contributions from families ?!

The book is call Bear Snores On  by Karma Wilson.  We read the story a few times in the classroom, and looked for clues in the pictures of some things that might work.  We will continue to refine the project! 

Until Next Time,

Michele