AFC MAGNOLIA PM

  As we enter colder weather we wanted to take this blog opportunity to remind you to always send your student in cold weather gear! Coats and hats are wonderful, gloves help too! With that, we are asking you to practice getting all that gear on and off independently. We are always here to help, but it takes A VERY LONG time for us to help put coats on, zip them up, and put on gloves and hats. This also makes for a lot of wait time for friends! I believe we sent the flip flop over the top video, but here it is again just in case!    https://youtu.be/-FaxBoCvNqM We always say  Toes by the tag! We spent more time outside than we anticipated. With the snowy start to our day, we were worried our time outside would be limited. Leave it to our Magnolia Room friends to find ways to enjoy the chilly day. We played a lot of tag, but it seems we need to work on a collective understanding of how to play. Or maybe it is just me as it turned into a game of chase Ms. Nicki! 😂 HEL...

                                                                           Our day in photos and videos! 

Today Ms Erin brought her big bag of duplo blocks to play with.  Typically there are no more than 3 kids together for our activities.  But today we let more friends play on the big carpet and they did a great job.  Friends were conversing plans, building together, and sharing.   We drew with Kwik Stix.  These sticks are actually tempera paint that dries almost immediately after gliding on paper.  The colors are vivid.  The sticks are smooth.  The kids love them!  They are also awesome for quick clean up unlike real paint and brushes.  Link for Kwik Stix https://www.amazon.com/Pencil-Grip-Tempera-Drying-TPG-602/dp/B013HO4OR0/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1I95BZ6JIG56K&dchild=1&keywords=tempera+sticks+kwik+stix&qid=1606148119&sprefix=tempera+%2Caps%2C173&sr=8-3 W began to work on his galaxy.  First he filled in the paper with black.  Then began recalling planets and drawing them on the now black paper.  I showed h...

 Oui Si.  Have you heard of it? It is amazing. It's an open ended game with few rules and no right or wrong. For that reason it is challenging but adaptable for all levels. In the end, all you are doing is finding connections between two photos.  Playing games is a great way to learn patience and turn taking. It gets different parts of your brain firing. Games, especially those without one specific outcome, have so many benefits. Today we tried our hand at Oui Si. It was a hit! A few of our friends stayed and played the entire free choice time. Some played, walked away, and were drawn back. This is definitely something we will keep around the classroom for a few days! Ways we made matches colors shapes lines nature things water cooking things you eat tools things that move Can you make a connection? J matched the colors of the rearview mirror and the rusty bike chain.  E matched the "back and forth" lines with the lines in a piece of wood, interrupted with a cro...