News from the Red Foxes

2012-2013 Preschool

5/24/2013

Camping in the Classroom

Our camping field trip last week sparked an interesting debate in our classroom: tent versus camper. There are benefits to each type of camping shelter. To get a better idea of our experiences with either a tent or a camper, we did a survey of the class. Each student chose whether they camped in a camper or a tent. We used blocks to make a tower of each, representing the amount of students that camped in a tent and in a camper. We compared and contrasted the towers and discussed more/less, bigger/smaller, taller/shorter, and determined that more members of our class camp in campers than in tents. We even did a little addition, and added the results from both classes (M,W,F and T/Th). Did you know that 16 of our preschool families camp in a camper and 13 camp in a tent? That means that 3 more friends camp in a camper than in a tent, or that 3 less friends camp in a tent than in a camper. For those of us who do not camp in a camper, we want to know more about that. Stay tuned for how we hope to learn more about campers next week.

We have been doing some reflection on our special camping field trip last week. Here are some of the thoughts and insights students have shared:

I liked that it was a special day because there were only two T-Rexes (PreK) there and the rest were the Red Foxes. We had marshmallows, hot dogs, and we got to play without toys. We played games with just people. I think it was good. Kai and Tucker were the monsters and when they came, we ran out of the tent. (Dylan)

I liked hiking before we ate food. We had hot dogs and marshmallows. I played with Dylan, Sorayah, and Willa. I think that it was fun that mom and dad came too. (Nico)

We found lots of bugs…a spider, and more. The best part was eating watermelon. (Rudi)

I liked waking up for a trip. We did hot dogs and roasted marshmallows. (Elli)

I liked having a meeting when we were camping. I think it is fun that my dad came. (Sawyer)

I liked going with Leo’s Dad and Leo and Henry. I did some playing of baby kangaroos. (Maggie)

I want to go camping again but next time with pajamas. Then we would sleep in a tent. I liked going hiking. There were flowers. (Leo)

Camping was so fun. We ate marshmallows. Dad was there. (Laila)

I had marshmallows and a hot dog. I had a backpack. (Murphy)

I went camping. It was so fun! The best part was eating marshmallows. (Abigail)

I liked eating the marshmallows off the stick. I am growing into a big man. (Tucker)

We had marshmallows. They were yummy. I played monsters. (Willa)

We had s’mores. We played ogres. I had hot dogs. I learned about camping. We should always bring our camp journals. (Neenah)

Marshmallows were the best part. My favorite thing is the bus. I know camping and it is important to have a meeting. (Kai)

I ate marshmallows. I ate graham crackers. I played bad grasshoppers and lizards. I went for a hike and found special flowers. (Henry)

We went off to the camping spot. We went on an adventure and found a big ant home. We cooked up s’mores and hot dogs. I didn’t have mac and cheese. I liked bringing things that were not toys. We didn’t need toys. Seeing the huge ant hill was the best part. I will light the fire and eat s’mores and sleep next time I go camping. (Riley)

We went on a trip. We cooked marshmallows and roasted hot dogs. We didn’t sleep there but we should. The best part was the s’mores. (Crosby)

Since our camping trip, we have been discussing ways to improve our classroom campsite and make it more like a “real campsite.” We added the sun and the moon from our “Once Upon A Stage” Project so that our camping can be during the day or night. We are working on making pretend fire to put in the fire pit, but first we had to paint our papers with all the colors of the fire: red, orange, yellow, purple, and blue. We also really want to have marshmallows and chocolate bars there, but we are a little worried that if we had real ones they would get all eaten up. So, we are making pretend marshmallows and candy bars instead. We also have some other ideas of things we need: a picnic table, stove, cups, and maybe even a camper. Stay tuned for more next week as we work hard to transform our campsite.

Farm & Garden

This week we cut lettuce in the greenhouse. We learned about different kinds of lettuce and the common weeds that like to grow with the lettuce. We used scissors to give the lettuce a “hair cut” close to the bottom of the plant. We picked out anything that wasn’t lettuce, washed the greens, used the super cool salad spinner to dry them out, and then we made a delicious salad. Many children had multiple bowls of salad! It is really special to eat food that you pick from the garden yourself.

YUM! The chickens had a special treat too…our leftovers!

Important Reminders and Parent Information

Thank you to our parent volunteers for this week: Cyndi Fischer, Jaime Feinberg, and Kyli Southern. Thank you all for your support and help!

Parent Helpers for next week, May 27th-31st : Monday: NO SCHOOL Tuesday: Ordonez Wednesday: Sams Thursday: Ferris Friday: Santelices

Thank you for attending conferences this week. We are so proud of all the students and how hard each child worked to prepare for this special meeting. Please take a moment to do your “parent homework” to provide a record of this event for your child. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to let us know.

End of the Year events: o May 27th: NO SCHOOL, Memorial Day weekend o June 3rd-7th: Spirit Week!

Monday: Pajama Day Tuesday: Hat Day Wednesday: Crazy Clothes Day Thursday: Favorite Book Character Day Friday: Dress Fancy Day

o June 10th: TVCS Extravaganza & 6th Grade Graduation, 4:00pm – 6:00pm at the Driggs High School Auditorium

o Tuesday, June 11th - Last Day of School!

Have a great weekend! Bonnie and Erin