Spiders and Rain

Originally published October 24th

Hello everyone,

Last week we enjoyed a beautiful week continuing to appreciate the foliage and the changes of the season. On Monday we read Leaf Jumpers, talked about leaf identification, and did a cooperative leaf relay to sort a pile of some of our most common local forest leaves. On Tuesday we read The Little Yellow Leaf, and made some leaf rubbings. On Wednesday we read Leaf Man, and made some leaf man inspired leaf creatures. On Thursday we read The Leaf Thief and made tamales wrapped in corn leaves from the garden. We also dipped colorful fall leaves in beeswax to make them last a little longer, and strug them up to hang at home.

This next week we will be having a fun week learning about spiders. Fall is a spidery season, and learning about spiders helps introduce predator/prey relationships. Spiders give many of us a creepy feeling, so they also give us an opportunity to have appreciation and respect for creatures that we find unappealing. We can also explore creepy feelings, and talk about thrill and fear. Fear can often be reasoned with, and creepy can sometimes be exciting and fun!

We will be celebrating Halloween at school on Thursday this week. We'll be wearing costumes, making bone soup, (not with real bones), and spider decorations. Weather permitting, we'll be having a Halloween Dance Party at 12:30 and everyone is invited!

Don't forget the rain gear and the long johns this coming week. Either waterproof gloves and mittens or multiple sets of gloves and mittens daily will probably be necessary for the next few days as well.

May you be happy, May you be healthy, May you be peaceful, May you be filled with joy.
Jessica