Red Balloon Co-op School Weekly Newsletter February 24-25 2009

Thanks ahead of time to everyone volunteering this week while Krista is gone! Also, thanks Krisztina, for setting up the Google calendar on the blog.

Last Week
What a busy week at Red Balloon! Audrey continued reading aloud The Hat by Jan Brett, and the group investigated pinecones (which feel similar to the main character of the book--a hedgehog.) In the animal theme, the group tried out a large animal floor puzzle and rocked animals in a boat to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat. They continued trying out Duck Duck Goose and The Hokey Pokey. They’ve been using Abe’s upstairs playroom as the “Sharing and Caring Room”. It’s been defined that way---before anyone enters the room they stop and confirm that they’ll share and care (this techinique has been really successful!) In the playroom they’ve been using lots of stuffed animals for play and have enjoyed putting the animals in a boat. There’s an inflatable globe ball up there and Audrey’s been putting it on her head and singing, “I’ve Got the Whole World, On My Head…” Another song being sung is “If I had a Hammer.” They’ve been experimenting with a moment of resting while Audrey sings “Are You Sleeping, Brother John.” using each child’s name in the song.

This Week
Krista will be away on a trip to Iceland this week. Audrey is planning to write a letter to Krista each morning during the morning circle and then she’ll read aloud a letter from Krista at the closing circle each day. There will be fantastic guest teachers during each day—Krisztina will lead a music and a dance activity, Emily and Ben will sing and play instruments and Alise is leading an art project using Sculpy clay for modeling. I’m looking forward to seeing all of the Red Balloon talent out in full force!

This week’s Volunteer Schedule
TUESDAY

9:15-10:00 – HELLO-CIRCLE/ACTIVITY – TED

10:00-10:45 – SNACK/ACTIVITY – KRISZTINA (music/dance activity)

10:45-11:15/30 – OUTDOOR TIME – APRIL/AMANDA

11:30-12:00 – LUNCH & GOODBYE – AMANDA (book activity)

WEDNESDAY
9:15-9:30 – HELLO CIRCLE etc. – EMILY

9:30-10:15 – MUSIC – EMILY & BEN

10:15-10:45/11 – SNACK & ART ACTIVITY – ALISE (Sculpy)

11:00-11:30 – OUTDOOR TIME – DEEPA

11:30-12:00 – LUNCH & GOODBYE – ALI

Upcoming Weeks
Next week (the first week in March) we’ll be back at our house, 540 Prospect Ave #2. We will be continuing with some themes—getting the pinecones back out to make “soynut butter birdfeeders,” possibly hatching butterflies or ladybugs, looking at Krista’s photos from Iceland and lots more!

Things to Bring/Supplies
If we’ve used your extra diaper or clothes, please send a new ziplock baggie with a spare diaper and change of clothes. Please send your child with a drip-proof water cup labeled with his/her name. Label shoes (name on a piece of tape inside works), coat/sweaters and any other clothes they'll be taking on or off.

Newsletter February 17-18 2009

Red Balloon Co-op School
Weekly Newsletter February 17-18, 2009

Please note below that we’re looking for everyone to pitch in an hour of time to assist Audrey the last week of February when Krista is away. Thanks!

Last Week
The group had a great time celebrating Valentine’s Day by making jingly valentines, stringing pipe cleaners through heart shapes and attaching bells. For a snack, each child used his or her own ball of dough to shape cookies into hearts and hands. They danced with pom pons, played outside with balls, read the Where the Wild Things Are and a poem about the moon by Robert Lewis Stevenson. In the Valentine spirit Audrey read When I Care About Others by Cornelia Spelman and started a dialogue about the language of the heart (“bear is feeling sad from his heart” and “I’m feeling happy from my heart”) that will continue in the weeks to come to help the children learn ways to express their feelings. They played with dinosaurs and learned that dinosaurs can roar “I love you!” (a big roar can mean big love!)
On a personal note, I’ve been trying to use the same language at home that Audrey introduces at school and am finding that Will really responds to the consistency (and I love the ideas Audrey has for how kids can express feelings and use their energy and loud voices in positive ways!)

This Week
The group will continue talking about feelings from the heart and also use the dinosaur skeletons in new ways, covering them with Play dough and giving them “skin.”

Outdoor Play Volunteer Schedule
TUES 2/17 Amanda, WED 2/18 AliTUES 2/24 Amber/Ted, WED 2/25 Liz

The Following Week (Last week in February)
Krista will be away this week so we will be doing some new things and can use your help! We’d love to have parent volunteers in to lead activities or to assist Audrey. Emily and Ben are leading a singing activity one morning and anyone else with special skills or a project idea (teaching a new song, game, science or art project) should contact me or Emily and we’ll set up a schedule. If everyone was able to give an hour of time I think we’d be able to have an “assistant” on hand throughout both days. If we don’t hear from you I’ll just assign everyone a time slot and we’ll go from there. Those of you already signed up as outdoor play volunteers should consider that your volunteer time for the week. Thanks!

Things to Bring/Supplies
If we’ve used your extra diaper or clothes, please send a new ziplock baggie with a spare diaper and change of clothes. Please send your child with a drip-proof water cup labeled with his/her name. Label shoes (name on a piece of tape inside works), coat/sweaters and any other clothes they'll be taking on or off.

Red Balloon Co-op School Weekly Newsletter February 3-4, 2009

First off, I have to thank Emily for taking over the newsletter in January…very helpful and appreciated. Also thanks to Krisztina for the fabulous blog and for posting this newsletter!

Location

We’ll be at Emily’s house for the next four weeks, 209 18^th St. b/w 4^th and 5^th Avenues. Please use the entrance under the stoop (street level) and you can park your stroller down there too.

Last Week

Even with two changes of location in a week, the kids didn’t miss a beat! We were at our house on Tuesday and the group had a great time finger painting on large shiny pieces of gold paper. They played outside for a long time, riding bikes and trucks up the driveway. Emily hosted at our place and at hers and she really deserves the Red Balloon gold star this week (it was also her first week of grad classes!) At Emily’s the group played outside in the front yard (and ate lots of snow!) and played “lions” inside, crawling under the table for a lion cave and going on an adventure together. The group was excited to have a big boy join them—Avani’s brother was a big hit.

This Week

Drop-off and pick-up at 9:10 (quick goodbye) and 11:45 (closing circle with adults) as usual.

Important information about labeling: With the cold weather and all the layers, it’s really important to label all the clothes your child is wearing. I’ve been the worst culprit of not labeling and didn’t even send a coat for Will last Wednesday…so I have work to do, but I think if you just write your child’s name or first initial on masking tape and stick it in coats, sweaters and inside shoes and hats that would help Audrey and Krista quite a bit.

Audrey used the snow at Emily’s house to make a snowperson (being stored in Emily’s freezer) and this week the kids are going to watch the snowperson melt! They will also read The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.

Volunteer Schedule

Volunteers should plan to return to the school location at 10:20 for a half hour of outdoor time. The schedule:
TUES 2/3 April, WED 2/4 Krisztina
TUES 2/10 Maya/John, WED 2/11 ALISE
TUES 2/17 Amanda, WED 2/18 ALI
TUES 2/24 Amber/Ted, WED 2/25 LIZ
This is assigned completely at random. If you have a conflict someone can switch with you. Email Amanda or Emily to let us know.

Things to Bring/Supplies

*Your check or cash for the monthly cost plus snack (checks made out to Emily Gardiner Herzog)

*Labeled sippy cup

Important: Time to update the diapers and change of clothes!

Madeline: needs clothes and diapers

Avani: needs change of clothes

Will, Luka and Soren need diapers

Please send items a labeled ziplock on Tuesday. Thanks!

Please contact Amanda with any news or updates for the newsletter: amandapeel@yahoo.com.