Playdough and Poetry

Dear Parents,

Tomorrow is library! Please return your book from last week in order to get a new book for this week.

We're also beginning our Poem of the Week and Reading Log this week. A folder will come home in Mr. Zippy with everything you need and then you'll return the folder every Monday to get a new poem (and a levelled book for SKs). I'm just putting the final touches on the folders now so expect to see them Wednesday at the latest.

Some parents have also been enquiring about volunteering in the classroom or in the school more generally. The way to get that started is to fill out a volunteer application in the office. During the Meet the Teacher Barbeque, I'll be handing out forms where you can indicate how you'd like to help and scheduling information.

One thing I'd really appreciate is someone who can make play dough for the class. I found this site with some really great ideas about some different types of play dough that I'd love to try in class this year. Click on the picture to see more:

 But, I promised you more bears. Here are the bears lined up to get into a castle, used for dramatic play.

 Here, the student in the foreground records her prediction for how many bears will fit in the boat, while the students in the background are at the water table trying to find out.

 Next students, made their own boats for the bears. The goal was to make ships that would fit 10 bears. I particularly liked Henry's sailboat. Getting it to stand up was a feat of engineering.