We had a surprise visitor today – Esti-Witch!! She taught us about estimating and using what we know to make even better estimates. The children worked with a group to estimate how much their pumpkin weighed. Then they learned how much a larger pumpkin weighed and used this information to revise their estimates. It was wonderful to see how much closer their estimates became – some were exactly right!!
The rosy-pink Little House, on a hill surrounded by apple trees, watches the days go by from the first apple blossoms in the spring through the winter snows. Always faintly aware of the city’s distant lights, she starts to notice the city encroaching on her bucolic existence. First a road appears, which brings horseless carriages and then trucks and steamrollers. Before long, more roads, bigger homes, apartment buildings, stores, and garages surround the Little House. Her family moves out and she finds herself alone in the middle of the city, where the artificial lights are so bright that the Little House can no longer see the sun or the moon. She often dreams of “the field of daisies and the apple trees dancing in the moonlight.”
Home Place by Cresent Dragonwagon
Deep in the woods there used to be a house where a family once lived. Over there was the chimney. Just imagine little toes warming up beside it. And see those daffodils? Someone took special care to plant and tend to them so that every spring they blossomed as brightly as the year before. Both the house and the family are gone now, but if you go to that spot in the woods…I wonder what you will find?
The House on Maple Street by Bonnie Pryor
What would you see from your front porch if your neighborhood suddenly looked as it did three hundred years ago? When the two girls who live at 107 Maple Street discover an ancient arrowhead and a broken china cup, they begin to wonder.
Artifacts from Long Ago
While out walking the William O. Schaefer Nature Trail, students in Mrs. Berube’s class found an old chimney and stone wall, which the children surmized to be evidence of a “Home Place”.
Listen as the students describe what they found!
Games and Toys from Long Ago
Boys and girls were taught that work was good for them. They worked hard doing their chores. Girls that were old enough would help with the cooking and baking. Girls would dye and weave wool, sew linen for clothing, churn butter, harvest herbs and vegetables and of course help with the cleaning. Boys helped their dads plow, plan, hoe and harvest crops, chop firewood, use hand tools to make things out of wood, and if old enough learn to use a musket to hunt small game. Young children would also do chores such as feeding chickens, fetching fresh laid eggs and dipping candles, even children as young as five would help harvest vegetables. The children enjoyed their work and took satisfaction in doing it well. But even though the children were busy they always found inventive and creative ways play!
Children long ago, had to make do with what they had. There were no factories for making toys – no toy stores. Toys had to be found in nature or they had to make them. They made dolls from cornhusks and rags. Leftover wood and string could be used to make spinning tops. Hoops from barrels could be used in races and other games. Many times the children made up their games and needed no equipment at all…they improvised with what was around the farm they lived on.
Apples: dry to be used as a doll’s head
Corn Cob:building blocks
Shells:dishes for dolls or used in hopscotch
Dandelions/Wild Flowers: used to make necklaces and bracelets
Walnuts: halved and gilded and hung on Christmas trees
Fruit pits: counters in games Gourds – hollow them out and blow through them to make noise
Watch the video below and learn how to make a toy just like they had long ago!
Kid President’s Socktober and Ms. Kolesar are inspiring students to donate a pair of socks to others in need. Send in a pair with your child! All of the socks that we collect as a community will be donated to a local shelter.
This small act of love inspired Ms. Eyer to create this month’s creativity challenge. So take out those socks you’ve never worn or the forlorn socks in the laundry room with no partners and whip up a cute sock animal!
Challenge: Research an animal of your choice. Once you have researched and learned about the animal, transform an ordinary sock into that animal.
Entries should include:
Student’s name and teacher’s name.
Name of the animal.
3 facts about the animal.
1 question you still wonder/have about the animal.
Sock animals must not exceed 12 inches in height nor width.
No Monkey business! All entries must be submitted before October 26th.
Creativity is seeing the world in a new way.
Have Fun!
Learning how to sew some basic stitches is an important life skill. Spend a quiet afternoon learning these two simple stitches. The two simple stitches illustrated in the video below are a great starting point for how to sew. Watch the how-to video tutorial to find out how to do a running stitch and a backstitch. Both stitches will be very useful when making your sock animal. Happy sewing!
The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Pinkwater
The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Unique Monique by Maria Rousaki
The House on Maple Street by Bonnie Pryor
