This week, we concluded our study of worms by inviting the children to use multiple forms of expressions to convey their learning. First, at the art table, the children used a combination of drawing with explanations for their drawings to describe what they think and understand about worms. While drawing is fun for young children and builds fine motor skills, it is also an important means by which children can convey how they understand their world. In early childhood education, we value the expressive arts as unique languages by which children can communicate beyond and with their verbal abilities.
The children also engaged in some dictations with Morah Larissa on the computer. We use dictation in a variety of ways and for a variety of reasons in the classroom. This week, our intent was to assess what the children had learned about worms, and also to introduce ways that children might organize story-writing. Before beginning the dictation process, each child was asked to decide if they wanted to tell a real story that would convey information about worms (non-fiction) or a “make-believe” story from their imaginations (fiction). They were then encouraged to think of a beginning, middle and end of their writing.
We have spent much of this week engaged in a long-term collaborative art project inspired by a wonderful children’s book, Up Above and Down Below by Sue Redding. This book has beautiful, detailed pictures showing profiles of what is above and what is below ground in a variety of places and situations, including a city sidewalk with a subway underneath and a picnic in a playground with ant tunnels underneath. The children have been working on their own mural to show what they know about what is above ground and what it below ground. First we used tape on a large piece of brown paper to create tunnels, and then painted over it with brown paint. The next day, we did some brainstorming about animals that live above ground. The children thought about raccoons, rabbits, worms and ants. They then used a variety of materials to creatively make their own underground animals. On Thursday, we started to work on the above ground portion of our mural, covering a large piece of paper with green paint. On Friday, we again engaged in the creative process to make animals that live above ground. 
We spent the latter half of the week talking about spring, in relation to the upcoming spring holiday of Shavuot. We began by playing an “I Spy” game indoors at Morning Meeting on Wednesday, searching for signs of spring indoors. We found many, including short sleeved shirts and shorts on children, sunglasses in cubbies, and the sun shining through the windows.
Later in the morning, we went for a short walk to look for signs of spring outside. When we take walks at school, we walk around the block immediately surrounding Temple Ohabei Shalom, so that we can remain on sidewalks and avoid crossing streets. We also preview the children about safe walking before venturing out, and are sure to take our backpack of emergency supplies and a cell phone with us. Our walk this week was very successful, and we discovered that we were able to notice signs of spring with many of our senses! We felt the warm sun on our skin, and smelled flowers and freshly-cut lawns. We saw flowers, sunshine, and people playing outside, and we heard birds chirping. Later, we came inside and recorded our observations through group discussion, drawing and dictation.
On Friday, the children made a paper chain to count down the days until Shavuot. Using a paper chain for a countdown not only supports children in building counting skills and number sense, but also makes time more concrete for them. Young children are not able to understand time concepts such as “five more minutes” or “next week.” Making concrete symbols of time passing supports them in being able to know when things will happen. This can be a helpful strategy when talking with children about upcoming changes as we transition to summer schedules and plans.
We have also begun to talk about how dairy products are traditionally eaten on Shavuot. On Thursday, we turned heavy cream into butter. No need for a mixer with a class of energetic four- and five-year-olds around! We shook the cream into whipped cream, and then shook it even more, until it turned into butter. We tasted some at lunch time on mini-bagels, and it was a big hit. Later, we read a book about how milk is turned into ice cream: From Cow to Ice Cream, by Bertram T. Knight. 
One literacy skill that has been a focal point this week is phonological awareness. Before they can become readers, children need both phonemic awareness (the awareness of the sounds in spoken language) and phonological awareness (the awareness that particular letters make particular sounds). We played a version of “I Spy” relying on phonological and phonemic awareness. Morah Larissa gave the children a clue, “I spy with my little eye, something that starts with the /T/ sound, with the letter T,” and then the children guessed the answer. We have some great guessers! This can be a fun game to play at home too, or while waiting in the car during a long drive or at a restaurant. We also enjoy using magnetic letters for a similar game, in which a song is sung asking children to find the magnetic letter that makes a particular sound.
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
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