Gardening, Worms, Big Giants and More!

 

Our Garden

 

Heike checks out the new timbers for our garden.

 As part of our playground development efforts, we have added a small raised bed.  With the wonderful help of David Levinson, Heike's dad, and the High School, who donated the timbers, we were able to get the framework done in early spring.  Next, we consulted with Howard Hill, HS science teacher and Community alum, who suggested we do an indigenous plant prairie garden.  That way we could teach children about "natural" plants and the garden would require minimal care, especially during dry spells.

Then it was time to involve the children and quite fortuitously, we were approached by HS social worker, Charo Mendoza, who wanted to know if a group of HS ESL students could do an activity with us for Dia de Los Ninos  (Day of the Children).  What a  great opportunity to get to know some "Big Giants" (as we are the "Little Giants"), learn a little about another culture and prepare our garden for plants.  We spent the whole morning together reading books, singing songs, and putting the soil in our garden.  At the end, we exchanged friendship gifts and the Big Giants left us with a yummy treat of Arroz con Leche (rice pudding).

 

We were then approached by Mr. Kracht, another science teacher whom we met when his class was outside next to our playground.  He and his Big Giant Scientists offered to help us plant some natural prairie plants in our garden!  We love when we get to work with the Big Giants and they were indeed a big help in getting our garden started! 

 

 

 Our newly planted garden provided a natural segue into an exploration of our five senses.  Mrs. Nemcek began this with a student-driven discussion about our senses, what they are and how we use them.  The exploration, which began with our sense of sight, will last through the next few weeks.  You can see the students using their sense of sight to identify the different prairie plants in our garden!

 

 

Worms with Mr. Fay

 

This year we have built a nice relationship with science teacher, Aaron Fay, who hosts us for "playdates" from time to time.  Recently, Mr. Fay gave us a worm farm to take care of!!!  We have learned so much about worms including...

• worm waste (worm "pee and poop") is very good for plants
• worms move by stretching their muscles
• worms have five stomachs
• worms also help gardens by burrowing in the soil which adds air and plants like that
• worms change our food waste into nutrients for the soil
• worms are Garden Superhelpers!

Thank you, Mr. Fay!!!

Mr. Fay shows us the different levels of the worm farm.

He showed us how to add wet paper towel for the worms "beds".

Mr. Fay helped us move the worm farm to our classroom.

 

May Day Celebration

 

 

 

On May 1st, we learned that children all around the world celebrate spring.  To join in the celebration, we did a dance around our own make-shift May Pole and we made May baskets that we anonymously delivered to our friends around the high school.

 Little Giants at Play

 

Some very clever builders create a ball chute.

 

 


  

Brooke and Emmett play with cars and
Ava displays her rainbow unicorn Pegasus.



Elsa and Kate enjoy painting.



On one of the first warm days, we all enjoy a snack outside.

 

Teddy Bear Tea Party

The invitations have been sent for this very special event!  Thursday, May 23rd we will be hosting a Teddy Bear Tea Party. Each student may bring ONE teddy bear or stuffed animal to the party. We will be sure to take lots of pictures. :-)

 

 

Community All School Picnic

 Highland Park Community Nursery School & Day Care Center's annual family event will be held on Thursday, May 30th @ 5:00pm at Sunset Park. Families are invited to bring their own picnic dinner and join in all the fun.  We will provide cake and water melon for dessert!

 

 

Spring Family Potluck

Just a reminder that Tuesday, June 4th @ 5:00pm is the Little Giants Potluck.  We are looking forward to seeing everyone there.  If you have not signed up to attend and/or bring a dish, please do so that we know how many attendees to expect.

 

 

Reminder: Starting Thursday, June 6th, any child attending through the end of the school year will need to bring a packed lunch.  We will provide milk.

 

Little Giants at play!

The "Rainbow Window"



Heike and Kate present "Rainbow Window", a multi-media art piece created by the Little Giants which will be part of the live auction at this Friday's benefit at the Deerpath Inn in Lake Forest.

It's not too late to get your tickets and join us!

 

 

Say Cheese - It is Picture Day!

 

Picture Day is May 2, at 9 am. The photographer, from Small World Photography will take pictures at school then offer a set package for optional purchase about 2 weeks later.

* If would like to be included in the class picture and have individual pictures taken, please arrive by 9 am.

 

Winding up Letter Fun

Our focus on exploring letters has been rich.  We have explored the alphabet via play dough, paint, cutting/gluing, water, chalk, beads and many other ways.   We have been "letter detectives" and have found objects around our room that begin with each letter sound of the alphabet.  We even made our own ABC book!



Mrs. Fieldman reads our very own published ABC book!

Tommy sorts and plays with letter tiles.

The children paint letters to create an alphabet display
 in our classroom.

Elsa and Henry paint the "Z" together.

 

Brooke uses letters that all of the children helped to
 cut out to make her name.

Daniel, magnifying glass in hand, goes on a hunt for
objects as a "letter detective".  He later found a toy
dinosaur for the letter "D".

Using the Art Studio


Recently, we added some materials to our art studio.  The children helped to sort them and organize them so they would have an opportunity to explore them as well as feel invested in taking care of them.  Then we provided a couple of "no glue" days where the children could play and arrange the materials into "non-permanent" art.  By the third day, they were itching to glue!!!  So, they created the fabulous faces you see displayed outside our classroom.  Isn't it wonderful how unique and creative each one is??  Just like our children!!!

NO GLUE DAY ARRANGEMENTS...

                  

TIME TO GLUE...

On to Earth Day and Spring

As a kick-off to new focus, Mrs. Nemcek and the children are doing an experiment!  They put lima bean seeds in plastic bags with wet paper towels and hung them in the window.  What will happen?  Will they grow without soil?  We'll have to watch and see.

In the meantime, we've been reading books about plants and spring, including The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle and Watch Over Our Water. In celebration of Earth Day, we have declared ourselves "Earth Savers" and we will learn more about how we can be kind to the Earth. We've also read The Ugly Duckling and like to help Mrs. Carlson sing "The Ugly Duckling" song.


Next week we plan to do a garden project with some of the HS students!


The Circus

A week ago last Friday, we had the wonderful opportunity to watch "a circus" as the closing event of FOCUS on the Arts at HPHS.  We joined all of the HS students in the main gym to watch acrobats, unicycle riders and jugglers.  We are so lucky to have these neat opportunities at Highland Park High School!

Waiting for the circus to begin...

Daddy and Niko

Outside Play

Our playground may not look like much at first, but you would be surprised what amazing, creative things happen out there!  Our "loose object" building area is always being transformed by the children as they communicate, problem solve and work together to create new climbing and imaginative play structures.  We also just recently filled our boat with sand and now have  a wonderful sandbox!  Within the next two weeks, we will add a 4' by 8' raised garden!  Mrs. Carlson and the playground committee are working on a few more elements.  If you see any small climbing toys (slides, small playhouse, a tire or two, a small picnic table, etc.) or large plastic flower planters/pots during HP's curbside pick-up days, grab them for us!!!

 

 Reminders:

• Please send your child with a sack lunch on Apr. 23 and 24.  We will provide milk.  No peanut products please.
• Picture Day is May 2, at 9 am. The photographer will take pictures at school then offer a set package for optional purchase about 2 wks later.

More pics...

Sweet dreams...