Well, my goodness, that was one cheerful lot of children! Many thanks for gifting me their presence today. We sat at the table and re-introduced ourselves, with our names and something special about our birthdays (Ruby's choice. Her birthday is Halloween!). We recognized that Amiel and Mateo were not with us today. Your children figured out all the flavors they recognized in our herbal tea: ginger (hot and spicy!), anise hyssop (licorice flavor!), and lemon balm (lemon!). We cut apples so they revealed their stars; something the children had asked me if we could do this week. We're continuing to figure out the beginning outlines of an apple's reproductive structure.
We looked at many plants for spirals, discovering plenty in pinecones, seed heads of Milkweed and Sunflowers, vines, and seed heads of Wheat. We talked about spirals inside our bodies, including our inner cochlea, the umbilical cord (Quinn's baby sister was holding on to hers as she was born!), our DNA.
We moved our ulna, radius, and humerus around, then labeled the skeleton. The children remembered the patella from last week, and wondered why regular old english isn't used for anatomical structures. Good question. Re-naming is sure to follow.
We used a cherry tomato and an apple to represent the moon and the sun, figuring out how they spin and what positions they need to be in, in relation to one-another, for the light and dark of today/tonight/tomorrow to be equal. Good thinking. Tipping the earth, we figured out why "southern" countries now will have more light and we more darkness.
It was impossible not to travel outdoors today, so we went to the woods down the road. Brenna told us her father had seen a small Black Bear there yesterday ... Brian! Is this true?! Will you please share more on this? ... We were seeking out, not Black Bears, but spirals and signs of equinox. We stood in a big circle and danced/walked our way in and out of the center, spiraling along a route the children chose.
Then back home to a porch filled with parents, who got a chance to hear something about our time together.
Looking forward to next week!