Sunnybrook blog has a new home

The Sunnybrook blog has moved! Please visit us at our new web site to read all about our adventures. We'll keep this site around, but everything you read here also has been copied over to our new blog.

Thank you!

Tuesday was an excellent work day with the Montessori materials. The children were very focused on their work.

We read “Monster Musical Chairs” by Stuart Murphy. This book was about subtraction. To reinforce the concept we played musical chairs. We also used 10 corks and each child would take one away then count how many were left. Then two would be taken away and we would count how many were left and so on until 10 were taken away from 10 to emphasize the concept of zero.

The children used chalk outside to color the tree stump and cement patio. One child blew on the chalk and made “chalk smoke” – good observation.

Tammy read “Utterly Otterly Day” by Mary Casanova.

Brigette brought in the shell of a coconut and shared pieces of coconut with all the children for taste and texture.

We listed to some great Celtic stories, one was about a huge oak tree and how the first harp and first flute were made (magically). One story was about how the birds got their colors. We then read an Aborigine story about their beliefs and how the birds got their colors – a very interesting contrast.

On Wednesday two Sunnybrook graduates joined us for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Cloe treated the children to a story… “Musicians of the Sun”, by Gerald McDermott.

Zeanny came on Thursday and gave a great Spanish lesson. She also gave the children a Spanish book naming the animals. Thanks Zeanny.

Tammy and Brigette gave all of us a wonderful scrumptious ice cream party. Thank you both.

We all engaged in a wonderful movement song called “Rattlin Bog”. The children were so enthused about this song.

Tammy read “Molasses Flood” by Blair Lent. It is a fictitious story but really based on a molasses tank exploding in a small part of the Boston Waterfront.

Today is my last day as substitute director and I want to thank all of you – children and parents for the marvelous opportunity of working with all of you. It has been a pleasure.

Thank you Tammy and Brigette – you were both so helpful and enthusiastic.

Cheer,

Gerry

Music and mud, a great week.

What an exciting week. The week started off with Tala’s grandparents, namely Art and Marsha Hammon, bringing instruments to school, namely a cello, recorder, wooded flute and a silver flute. Thanks Art and Marsha. It was a great experience for the children.

Tammy introduced a lesson and art work regarding the life cycle of a frog. We are hoping to acquire some frogspawn in hopes that we will see it transform to tadpoles.

Brigette brought in her pet mice for the children to pet.

Thanks Brigette and Mariyah for the book present to Sunnybrook “Helpin’ Bugs” by Rosemary Longhorn.

Tammy read “Wiggling Worms at Work” by Wendy Pfeffer. We are now on the look out for worms.

Zeanny gave a great Spanish lesson to the children. Thanks again Zeanny.

“The William Tell Overture” by Rossini was a great hit. We read the story, listened to the music and acted out the story. Later in the day many of the children drew great pictures of their impression of the story.

Oh the wonderful mud. The children were so creative. They used the old tires as a dam, dug a trench in the mud for the water to flow down, which ended in a great big puddle (their lake). They floated pieces of wood and pine cones on the lake and built an ant bridge over the river of mud.

We checked out the circumference of a tree using a tape measure, then the diameter of a tree and finally we ended up with 10 children managing to fit on to the stump of the tree.

Thanks Tammy and Brigette for the great support this week.

Altogether a great fun week.

Thanks everyone,

Gerry.

Spring ?

This week we have been focused on Spring – I wonder why? The books we have read… “Lets Look at the Seasons “Spring Time” by Ann Schweninger, “Spring goes Squish” by Marty Kelly, “Catching Sunlight” a book about leaves by Susan Blackalsy illustrated by Charlene DeLage and a wonderful book from Tala’s Mom entitled “The Curious Garden” by Peter Brown. Thanks Heather. In honor of spring we have also planted “Nasturtium” (Tom Thumbs) seeds. We are trying to introduce spring into the classroom.

On Thursday morning we had our Spanish class by Zeanny – the children are really enjoying it. Thanks Zeanny.

We have been talking about what it means to be an artist and have read “I am an Artist” and “The Art Lesson” by Tomie de Paola.

The favorite song this week is “This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie, accompanied by drums and rhythm instruments. This has been performed with great gusto.

A funny event this week was the hat throwing contest devised by the children. They decided to throw their hats on a tree…and they had to come up with ways to recover their hats… e.g. shaking the branches, throwing balls on the branches and finally using a huge stick to retrieve the hats.

The children have done lots of work this week, especially in the language area.

It has been a good fun week at school.

My thanks to Tammy and Brigette for all their patience and hard work.

Thank you,

Gerry

A Busy Week at Sunnybrook

Thanks Lyn and Brigette for the small objects for our alphabet container.

Tammy’s experiment for stalagmites and stalactites is going well; check it out when you drop off your children. The children are amazed at the daily changes.

Lots of language work is going on in the class along with the sensorial and math areas.

We have lovely new labeled control maps for our geography area.

Gregory’s mom, Zeanny, came on Thursday morning and started giving Spanish lessons – Thanks Zeanny.

Brigette brought in a box of toothbrushes for the children with a CD telling the children about oral hygiene.

Books we have read this week – “Little Red Hen”, which we acted out. “Caps for Sale”, also acted out. “Eve and Smithy” by Michelle Edwards, “The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch” by Ronda and David Armitage and “The Granddaughter Who Was Eaten by a Big Fish” a Cree Candian story.

Songs this week are “Sarasponda”, “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”, “Kookaburra”, “Zum Gali Gali” and “I Love The Moutains”.

Brigette is re-doing much of our language materials and organizing draws and closets. Thank you Brigette.

Thanks Tammy for all your great ideas.

It was a good week; very busy and productive. You have great children.

Thank you,

Gerry

Dancing to an Irish Jig

Our thanks to Lyn Schmucker for repairing the easel…Thank you Lyn.

It has been a very busy week working on lots of materials. We have been working a lot on language skills. Some of the children have been drawing and making books about their favorite stories.

Tammy has been conducting some great science experiments. By using baking soda, water and string we are watching for the growth of stalagmites and stalactites. We are recording the development of the experiment on a daily basis. Another experiment was freezing water and freezing water with sugar added. The experiment was in connection with sap in the maple tree.

Some of the books that we have been reading this week are “Toestomper and the Caterpillars” by Shaileen Collecott, “Sugarbush Spring” by Marsha Wilson Chall, “There’s an Alligator Under My Bed” by Mercer Mayer, “Coyote Walks on Two Legs” about Navajo myths and legends by Gerald Hausman and Floyd Cooper and “Daniel O’Rourke” by Gerald McDermott.

Songs we have sung are Looby Loo, She’ll be Comin Round the Mountain, Eye Winker, Little Arabella Miller and the daily request for The Allee – Allee – O …great favorite.

To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this week we have had fiddle music of jigs and reels with the children dancing to the music. We listened to James Calway, the Irish flautist playing the most amazing music. The children made a “Shamrock Person” and Brigette brought in a green treat to share with everyone. Thanks Brigette

.

Last, but not least, please continue to dress the children in snow pants, boots, etc. Mud season is upon us and it looks like it will continue for many, many weeks.

I am so enjoying working with your children. They are full of energy and enthusiasm for learning. What a joy it is to work with them.

Gerry Tobin

Another Busy Week

Did you see the great photos of the children sledding? Thank you Heather and Matt.

We have had a very busy week. Tammy helped celebrate Mardi Gras by having the children make feather masks and reading a book about the festival.

We have been really exploring many of the materials in school.

We have been making many letter books and alphabet books.

We have been singing many songs some of which are “Medicine Wheel Chant” accompanied by heavy duty percussion, “The Allee Allee O”, “Santa Maloney”, “Sally Go Round the Moon”, “Down by the Station”, “Eye Winker”, “On Top of Spaghetti”, etc. The drumming circle was great; oh how they love the African Drums.

Tammy read a book about the Iditarod and discussed the event which takes place in Alaska every March. We have read many books this week. “Ollie’s Ski Trip” by Elsa Beskow, was a favorite. Ask your children about “Mrs. Thaw”. Other favorites were “The Tomten” by Astrid Lindgren, “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds and we re-read “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” by Carol McCloud…a great reminder about being kind to each other.

Two of our children left for Nova Scotia, Robert will be returning from Poland next week. Charlie is leaving for Florida. Tala is heading off to Hawaii. I can’t wait to see their journals of their trips.

My thanks to Tammy and Brigette for all their help.

Great Week

Gerry

P.S. We welcome two new children this week; Gregory and Mariyah.