Dear Aspen families,

This week we continued to explore nature.  We used a Nature Tray consisting of leaves, flowers, pine cones, rocks, sticks, and shells, and the children enjoyed using their five senses to examine all of these items with the use of a magnifying glass.  We also did Leaf Rubbing where we put leaves under pieces of paper, and then the children used a pencil to make the outline of the leaves on the paper.  In addition, we did Leaf Painting where we painted leaves and then stamped them onto rocks leaving an imprint of the leaves.  The children also learned some literacy words identifying the different parts of trees and leaves. We also had an important discussion about animals that live in trees and what trees provide us including fruits, wood, and shade.  In addition, we talked about an Aspen tree since that is the name of our classroom, and the kids were able to see what an Aspen leaf actually looks like. The children also enjoyed playing with tiny parts of a tree trunk that they were able to build with.  Some of the books that we read this week included The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, Lost In The Woods:  A Photographic Fantasy by Carl Sams II and Jean Stoick, In The Woods (Who’s Been Here?) by Lindsey Barrett George, and The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry.  Have a great weekend everybody.  We love seeing all of your children’s smiling faces every week.

Ms. Randi and Ms. Allie