Dear Blossom Families,
Happy November! October has flown by, and we can’t believe we are moving into next month.
Fairy Tales consumed us this month. We started off discussing the origin of fairy tales and the oral tradition. We experienced stories from many different cultures. The Kabary tradition of poeticized speech from Madagascar, folk songs from the Republic of Croatia, and the Kushdepti art of singing and dancing from Turkmenistan.
We also learned about stereotypes in fairy tales, from heroes to villains, magical helpers to royalty. With this emphasis, we played dress up by making crowns, painted our dragon to protect our castle, and planted some lima beans to watch them germinate and grow, just like Jack and the Beanstalk!
Week two focused on fairy tale tropes. The class decided the trope they wanted more information on was “fairies,” so we crafted fairy houses for some little visitors! A few friendly fairies visited the classroom, checking out all the beautiful cottages. We also learned that fairy tales were told over and over again. With each new telling came changes, and to demonstrate this, we read versions of Cinderella from around the globe. We read the classic Perrault version, one from Vietnam, one from Egypt, and one from Mexico. We then discussed the changes and similarities in each text.
In week three, we explored morals and discussed the different lessons that many fairy tales hold. We read two well-loved fairy tales, “The Three Little Pigs,” which proved that hard work pays off. The Ugly Duckling” taught us about acceptance.
Our final week was dedicated to creating our fairytale about a dragon and a ghost. We developed characters, settings, and objects during circle time. We then went to work as a class to write and draw our classroom fairytale! Ask your child to retell their fairytale.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NqGLbPsTp_T1y7zW5uqnkxstqtnsGceN/view?ts=653adbc3
With the fairy tales, we were able to do some fun projects. The Blossoms built stick houses; even the Big Bad Wolf couldn’t blow them down. We made Gingerbread Man cookies but were quick to eat them, so we didn’t hear the Gingerbread Man say, “Run, run as fast as you can. You can’t catch me. I’m the Gingerbread Man.”
With November fast approaching, our new study will be on TREES. We will discuss local trees in Oregon, animals that use those trees as habitats, and what jobs and benefits come from trees.
The weather will get colder from here on out, so please ensure your child has a snowsuit, coat, two pairs of gloves, hat, and boots, as we will continue to go outside several times every day. Please make sure all of your child’s belongings and clothing are marked when brought into the classroom so that we can ensure that they go back to the correct family.
“Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn.”
― Elizabeth Lawrence
All the love, Miss Madeline and Miss Miriam
