Tuesday, May 1, 2018

April 2018 Newsletter

Klahanie School
April 2018 Newsletter
It’s the little things citizens do. That’s what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees.
Dr. Wangari Maathai
March 2018 Reflection
Happy Spring! This month has brought us many wonderful opportunities in and outside the classroom. We were able to expand our outside play space to the south end of the property where we have the slides and much dirt moving, digging and creation opportunities. The children’s self-initiate outside imaginative is rich and many are using the dress-up and Garden Stage. The fun addition is puppet corner in our class space where four children exchange acting as actors and audience with a lot of mutual direction and patience creation with the joy. This has allowed wonderful practice of listening opportunities. The group is offering fantastic improv opportunities! 
Our class will begin exploring the plants in and outside of the garden and using much more scientific vocabulary as well as labeling the plants with name and if edible or non-edible. Please let me know if you would like to come help facilitate this fun spring experience! With our deeper work with communication, our circles will focus on listening games to practice exploring what listening is, how to listen to self and groups. Thank you endlessly to Jordan for helping the children create their self portraits. These will be hung above our front door, inside the classroom the week before spring break. Please, you are always welcome at pickup to come have a look! 
April we will gathered dandelion and kale greens for class salads the children will make. Like all spring life surrounding us, our class is popping with activity, interest and movement. At the end of the day we might do group stretching and we also might create group story telling. Our classmate Arthur and family will welcome a new baby brother, Theo the second week in April! In tradition with our honor of sibling transition, we invite the children to find a special something from their natural world, a book or something they appreciate to offer Arthur during a brother-shower Tuesday April 3 at 11am. Thank you for this tender offering! 
April Topics
• Peace Maker, Nobel Peace Prize Winner Dr.Wangari Maathai. April we will honor this wonderful woman’s work for African women, children and environment. We tell Dr.Maathai’s life story in an age appropriate storytelling and now a new children’s book about her life. We then offer figures representing her story on the storytelling table so the children can re-tell throughout class. Words you possibly will hear at home: trees, woman, babies, money, planting, poor/no food for the babies or families, soil, water, helping one another. A wonderful educational reference giving tribute to Dr.Maathai’s work is from Project Learning Tree at http://www.plt.org/words-to-live-by---a-tribute-to-wangari-…
• Please, Thank you, Pardon Me: Books, songs, role-play of manners and facial expression/body language practice. Sprinkled in, we are focused on some global practices. A fun and practical request for good old, Grace and Courtesy! 
• Parts of a Flower: roots, stem, leaf, corolla (pedal), stamen, pistol
• What is soil and compost: planting seeds for starters that will head home around Mama’s day
• Relationship of pollinators and flowers: Butterfly life cycle introduction and observation of Painted Lady larva to butterfly process
• Earth Day: varying earth month projects honoring discussion of how we all are Earth Peacekeepers and focus on renewable and reusable resources and water conservation activities and art
• Peace Pole: Please donate colorful, long ribbon for the front peace pole 
Where we need material donation support, reminders:
• No School: Spring Break 9-13
 Ribbon
 Little offering to Arthur for his brother shower April 3 and helping his parents with a meal-train
 Large flowers periodically: we will use them to scientifically take a part and see the parts under our class microscope
 Old tee-shirts: we will sew little hankies to wash-reuse in class and stop using paper
 Parent volunteer to help Wednesdays or Thursdays walk to KVI for 1:30pm pickup. Thank you Jen Keller for volunteering for Tuesdays! I will offer you three day notice when planning
 Parent coming to the garden to help label plants (this will begin the third week of April)
PLT.ORG
Kenyan environmental and political activist Wangari Maathai was the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Incorporate her story into this PLT activity.