Welcome to Morning Song School….Autumn Blog
The first weeks of school have been delightful, it is so fulfilling spending these magical mornings with our friends, old and new. So many different little personalities; it is great fun guiding each one of the children.
Many thanks to the families who have brought the flowers in this past few weeks! The choices have been vibrant and lovely, bringing in the colors of nature and adding beauty to our nature table and the center of our snack table.
194px”>
Thank you to Big Nana! We received a gift of apples and pears from Jack and Sedona’s Big Nana’s garden. The children took joy in sharing them as special snacks; we also baked apple muffins with them for our snack one day!
table style=”width:auto;”>
We appreciate everyone remembering the soup day contributions, we have had colorful and tasty soups and the children are learning to try new things. The children love to contribute to the soup and help chop and peel the veggies, and it’s lots of fun to see the end result and get to taste each thing that we find in our bowls.
Last week we harvested from our gardens, Morning Song grew swiss chard, basil, yellow squash, tomatoes, Rosemary and onion that all went into the soup in addition to the veggies brought from children’s homes. Dusty Gnome brought lentils and fresh garlic for the soup, he always likes to add something too! River and Saniyah brought in the tiniest bell pepper we have ever seen and a bag of little carrots that they grew in their gardens, as well as other wonderful things children shared! This week we added butternut squash from Saniyah and River, Potatoes and beans from Beck and Alana, Snap peas, Cilantro and carrots from Theodore!
 |
| From Baking 200110922 |
You may have heard your children sharing their stories about Rick passing through now and then in the school (and even lending a helping hand when we need extra help). It is hard for the children to engage in anything else when Mr. Rick is here, he has become a favorite of every one of the children. Rick has a tool belt and tools that capture the children’s attention and they all begin telling their stories of “their tools” or experiences with workers at their homes. Beck shared with Rick that he is a “worker man” too, and that it is a lucky thing, because his house needs a lot of work. Last week he played on the playground with them and many of them watched him do some pull-ups and begged to try too, so they learned how to do pull-ups with the trapeze bar.
 |
| Working 20110922 |
We always have the enjoyment of listening to the children’s stories. They are such creative little beings, it is amazing sometimes to hear the stories. One child shared that his dogs have a bad marriage. I asked him why, he said that there was a tornado the day they got married so now they fight a lot. He went on to say because of this, the boy dog wants a new wedding place and the girl dog does not, so they fight about it. I talked about some ways he could help them to come to a peaceful resolve and agreements, he said the problem is getting the girl dog to listen.
We also got to hear the story of a child’s dad who is growing an “air beard”. I asked what this is and was told that the beard needs air to grow, so dad stands outside in the air to make it grow.
We have been enjoying a story about little mouse and little flea. Flea goes off to tend the garden and leaves the pot of soup on the stove, asking the little mouse to be careful to not fall into the soup pot while he is away. While gone, little mouse wanders into the garden and feels sleepy, laying down under the rose bush to take an afternoon nap. When little flea returns, he can not find little mouse anywhere and is saddened at the thought that his dear friend has fallen into the soup pan. He cries on his way out the door, passing the table who asks little flea why he laments; little flea replies “little mouse has fallen into the soup and has been burned and I can not stay here anymore” and the table said “if you, from here, will be gone….then with you I will come along” and the table lifted himself up and followed the flea out the door. Subsequently, baking trough, the door and the tree all followed along, the door taking itself off of it’s hinges, the tree uprooting from the earth, etc. and they all paraded down the path. Of course, when they passed the rosebush, they saw little mouse curled up and sleeping under the rosebush. Upon the discovery of their little friend, they all began to dance and sing, and put themselves back where they each belong, the tree stretching its roots back into the earth, the door placing itself back on it’s hinges, etc.
Other stories, the children have learned about Octopus, who always gets her legs tangled, jeremy mouse helps bee, who lost his buzz (grumpy old cactus took it), and the worm loses his squirm.
The children have had a great time in yoga, here are some photos of a few of their poses during the unfolding of their yoga story.
 |
| Yoga 20110922 |
Circle time has been taking us on the journey of a dear little boy, all bonny and gay, who went out for a walk on a bright sunny day.
Over the course of the journey, the boy’s feet get all sore and he cries out that he can’t walk anymore….he says “I do wish that someone would listen to me, I wish that someone would carry me”.
In his adventure he is carried by a murmuring brook, a fine little boat, a snail, a kindly horseman, a shepherd who is leading the sheep along to the fold and eventually his mother, who carries him back home like a bird to it’s nest.
It is possible if you ask your child to tell you the story about “A dear little boy all bonny and gay”, by now they may be able to go on to tell you the entire story (and could possibly act it out for you, too).
Nature day was a huge hit. The weather at Fairy Glen was glorious. We enjoyed circle time in the woods and went on to have many outdoor adventures. The children made sailboats, gathered materials to make a raft with Rick, went fishing, climbed trees. It was wonderful to see the more timid children come out of their shells and courageously try things that they have never tried before. It was very sweet to see the children who were not ready to try some of these things living the experience through watching the joy of their friends accomplish such a feat.
We woke up our listening ears and noticed the many sounds of the outdoor world…the crows, the neighborhood dogs, the breeze in the trees, the birds singing, the street sweeper, the “family of bikes” as the cyclists passed, the water in the creek, etc. We learned about some ways we are thankful for the tall timbers, the canopy above us made by the branches, the home of different critters and bugs, the protection they offer etc. It was a very successful and special day.
 |
| Park 20110922 |
Please remember our parent meeting coming up Thursday, Sept 29th, 2011. The gathering will be short and informative and will begin at 5 pm. You should be able to head back home in an hour to an hour and a half at the most, it is really a chance to say hello to one another and cover a few things that for most of you, will serve as a reminder. If you are able to bring finger foods, please let me know what you will bring.
As tomorrow marks the first day of autumn, we will venture into the season together filled with nurturing and warm experiences.
xo
Miss Linda, Chay and Miss Christina