SHOW AND TELL
Bring a picture of a strange creature that lives in the water.
Topic: Fish/Shellfish
Enormous diversity in Earth’s waters.
The value is honor. Understanding and honoring diversity in Earth’s waters helps us understand the importance of diversity in all life.
For cooking we’ll try one-finger, two-finger, and three-finger poi.
Outside we’ll figure out reverse space with what made this shape in sand.
The songs we’ll be singing are Three Little Fishes, Five Little Speckled Frogs, She Waded in the Water, Down by the Bay, and Six Little Ducklings.
Our art activities are fish print, tropical fish puzzles, aquarium, and paper plate fish.
Creative dramatics will be playing games of octopus and jellyfish.
For motor development we’ll build strength with crab walk, duck walk, side leg lifts, and pushups. For body development, we’ll work on motor planning with scrambled eggs, groups, walking backwards, and statues.
PUSHING THE STRESS BUTTON
Some time ago, there was a billboard on the way into town advertising a radio station. The line was “It’s like they turned everything up a notch.” Now that summer is squeezing us tight, in addition to everything we already had to do, we’re off to the pool, a picnic, or a late evening at the park. Vacations have to be arranged and covered. It all adds up to STRESS.
Working Mother magazine ran an analysis of what causes us the most stress. They also commented on some mothers who seemed to thrive on stress. Their conclusion was that those satisfied women dedicated 1.5 hours per day to taking better care of themselves, which gives them more energy to deal with tension in their lives. They are more likely to exercise and less likely to eat to relieve tension. They also set limits better, leaving work on time and limiting housework.
John Bradshaw (psychologist author of Homecoming) comments that “The trouble with drinking is drinking”. Like all simple things, just do it. If being late every morning is causing you problems, then be early. If housework is causing you problems, either change what or how you do it or accept that it is what it is – don’t stress about it. The Working Mother article quoted a lot of mothers as having financial concerns. Make changes to live below your income; minimalist is the new buzzword. Set your priorities. Your children, your spouse, other family members, and friends are not money issues. Neither is quality of life. I continue to be amazed at how little money has to do with contentment.
Define what is contentment for you. Is it having something good cooking in the oven for your family? Or giving a handmade gift to a friend? Maybe it’s cutting flowers from your garden or casting a fishing line at dawn. In our environment at the school, we know that if the adults are stressed and complaining, so are the children. Their sensitive little barometers pick up on every dissatisfaction and magnify it back to us with a vengeance. When we’re delighted with learning and focused on people outside ourselves, the whole room breathes a deep sigh of satisfaction and settles in with the understanding that there are lots of ways to make things work well.
Nobody sees a flower, really – it is so small. We haven’t time, and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.
Georgia O’Keefe
General
About Poi – In conjunction with our yearly luau we’ll learn about the role of poi in islanders’ lives, and how it was considered so sacred that all conflict had to stop when poi was served at the meal. It’s sometimes hard for us to even have a meal, but imagine how tranquil meal times might be if we agreed to not allow conflict at the table. Mindfulness and self-control might have something to contribute to our lives.
Compassion On the Playground – In the toddler class were students are learning conflict resolution and empathy. If a child hurts another child the child who hit has to get an ice pack and hold on the hurt area until the one who was hurt is fulfilled. Most often they go on to resume playing like nothing ever happen. This practice is also used in primary class.
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