Spring Concert

Our Spring Concert will be held on June 20 from 2-3 pm. The children will be performing some songs and poems with the rest of the school. Please send your child in white shirts and colourful bottoms that day. All are invited. It is a lovely way to end the year! We hope to see you there.

New Spring Rhyme and songs

A little brown rabbit popped out of the ground
He wiggled his whiskers and looked all around
Another wee rabbit who lived in the grass
Popped his head up and watched him pass

Both wee rabbits went hoppity hop, hoppity hop, hoppity hop
Until they came to a wall and had to - STOP!
Both the wee rabbits turned themselves round
And hurried on home to their hole in the ground!

Lady Spring

Look who's here it's lady spring, lady spring, lady spring
Look who's here, it's lady Spring
Lady Spring is here

Who'll come into our wee ring, our wee ring, our wee ring,
Who'll come into our wee ring
and  dance with Lady Spring?

__________ will come into our wee ring, our wee ring, our wee ring,
__________ will come into our wee ring
To dance with Lady Spring.

Come with me said Lady Spring, Lady Spring, Lady Spring
Come with me said Lady Spring
We're off to dance and sing

Cuckoo, cuckoo, messenger clear

Cuckoo, cuckoo, messenger clear
What are you singing
What are you bringing?
Spring-time, spring time,
Spring-time is near.

Cuckoo, cuckoo, sounding so clear
Winter is over,
Pink grows the clover,
Spring-time, springtime,
Spring time is near.

Cuckoo, cuckoo, sing through the land.
Gladly we hear you
Now we are near you.
Listen, listen,
Spring is at hand.

Onion planting

We did an experiment by cutting an onion in half and placing it in a jar of soil. The children made predictions about what would happen to the onion and we got such responses as, "it will get bigger", an onion tree will grow", and "it will sprout". We looked at it the other day and the children were surprised at what they saw! Ask them at home to tell you about it!

New Oral Story

We are doing a new oral story called Four Legs, Four arms, and One Head. We have just started it, and the children think it's funny. As we do it a few more times, the children will be able to tell it to you at home.

Needle and Thread

Ash class is fully engaged in sewing! with burlap, embroidery thread and (blunt - don't worry!) needles at hand, they are stitching their own designs and loving it. We didn't expect such a positive response from everyone, and it is so wonderful to see such a great interest. They are asking to sew! It is a wonderful activity to do anywhere, and can easily be done at home if you are looking for some new activities to do with your children. Their weaving is also coming along and the children are making such beautiful weaving boards.

Our Caterpillars are here!

Our caterpillars have arrived and Ash class has been watching them in their amazing transformation process. They started out as little caterpillars and we watched them grow bigger and change into their chrysalis. Yesterday we actually saw a caterpillar attach itself and hang and become more still, the beginnings of the formation of the chrysalis. The children are big-eyed with wonder as they watch them change and are drawing pictures of them at their different stages. They are awaiting the butterflies anxiously!

Old Man and the River

Our trip last week to see Old Man and the River was wonderful. The production was so well done and quite impressive, with beautiful handmade puppets, skilled puppeteers and a great plot. The children loved it a lot. When we got back to school, they wanted to continue to tell the story and made their own felt images on the felt board. A group of children set up the classroom for the audience, and performed the play using the felt board. They have continued to do this all week. It has been great to watch their performances! They also drew pictures of a part of the story that they liked a lot, and were so animated when describing them.

Upcoming trips in May

 High Park
On May 8, we have our third and final trip to high park! We are looking forward to it. Please dress your children for the weather, and pack a lunch. I will use the TTC fare you sent in for the Riverdale Farm trip for out High Park trip, so no need to send in fare again at the moment. I will collect fare again, before our Riverdale Farm trip at the end of May.

Wee Festival

On May 16 we will be going to see Old Man and the River at Alliance Francais on Spadina. Thank you Lisa for informing us of this wonderful opportunity. It is always such a treat to see live performances! I will be sending home the trip forms on Monday or Tuesday, so please check your child's backpack. The cost of the performance is $10. We are still deciding if it is doable for the children to walk up Spadina to north of bloor or if we will take the streetcar. I will let you know if you also need to send in 1.50 for TTC fare.

Riverdale Farm Trip

We will definitely be visiting Riverdale Farm and will let you know of the new date soon. It will be sometime at the end of May.

Stories from the Phillipines - a lovely class visit

Thank you again Jen and Alex for coming in to the class to share your wonderful story, movement and musical instruments from the Phillipines. The children of Ash Class had such a wonderful experience and couldn't stop talking about it the next day. Both the story and the sounds of the instruments were so calming and mesmerizing. I could listen to them over and over again! 

Here is a paragraph that Jen sent me about what they brought in to the class and the story they told. Unfortunately,  I have not had much luck posting pictures on my blog, so cannot post the picture of the instruments.

 The instruments they brought in are called an Agung and Sarunay.

Malong

The malong is a traditional "tube skirt" made of hand-woven or machine-made multi-colored cotton cloth, bearing a variety of geometric or okir designs. The malong is akin to the sarong worn by peoples in Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. The malong is traditionally used as a garment by numerous tribes in the Southern Philippines and the Sulu Archipelago. There are also other names for the ‘malong’ in other regions of the Philippines, such as Patadyong and Lewek Tedeyung.

 The story: 

 Long, long ago there was a beautiful village in a high mountain.

 In that mountain, there was a lake and by the lake lived many families.

 It rained a lot, but the families had special clothes to keep them dry and warm.

 The people of this place did many things, including the special duties of planting and      harvesting their food to eat.

Just before the sun went down, the people would see a bird with big, beautiful wings. The bird would fly across the sky.

When the people saw the bird, they knew it was time to pack all their things,

mothers would pick up their babies and everyone would go inside to eat, sing, dance and laugh all together…until the moon was up and the sky was dark, everyone would fall asleep peacefully through the night.