Get Ready for Summer!

Today, we are learning about summer and all the fun activities that it brings.  The touch and feel pool was busy as Ryan and Ethan played with seashells.  We talked about where shells are found and how the inside of the shell felt smooth while the outside of the shell felt bumpy.  We compared big shells to small shells and explained that sometimes you can hear the ocean when you put a seashell to your ear.  Some kiddos put two shells together to make the shape of a clam.  The shells stimulated lots of conversation about beach vacations with our families.  

I wanted to make sure we were able to finish a complete language lesson today prior to our festivities at the park.  So after a brief morning circle, we went straight to reading our book of the day, Mouse's First Summer by Lauren Thompson.  In this book, Mouse and his friend, Minka sneak into a picnic basket in order to participate in lots of fun activities at a picnic in the park.  Upon arrival at the picnic, Mouse and Minka get to taste watermelon, observe some ants, feel the green grass, look up at the blue sky, fly an orange kite, sample some lemonade, eat peanut butter and jelly on soft white bread, try to catch fireflies, and watch amazing fireworks... All fun summer activities!  As always, I had vocabulary picture cards to go along with the story, so that Ryan and Ethan could help me sequence each summer activity or food that Mouse and Minka encountered as we retold the story with the help of the pictures.  We talked about all of the fun things that Ryan and Ethan like to do in the summertime, and we noticed that lots of these activities were also ones that Mouse and Minka enjoyed in our book.  

After our book, we headed to the art table to make our own watermelons using paper plates cut in half.  The boys painted the red flesh.  Then they painted the green rind along the edge.  Last, they added the seeds with black paint.

Like Mouse, one of my favorite foods to eat in the summer is watermelon.  Today, I brought a small watermelon to share with Ryan, Ethan, and all of our Speech Garden friends while we were at the park.  First, we reviewed the color and shape of the watermelon and how it felt...heavy vs. light, smooth vs. bumpy.  Second, I cut into the watermelon, and we learned about its various parts...the rind (both green and white), the seeds, and the flesh..., and last, all the kiddos thoroughly enjoyed eating the watermelons.  It was a great social exercise as Ryan walked around and offered each Speech Garden friend a slice of the watermelon.  We learned that watermelon is sweet; and we talked about how the sweet watermelon tasted very different than Ryan's salty pretzels.

The park was a huge success today and a beautiful day for it.  I think all the kiddos (and adults :) ) had a blast playing on the playground, flying kites, playing catch, and shaking that parachute!  Thank you to all the parents who joined our picnic.  I can't believe that I didn't take a single picture!  See you all on Thursday for our last day of school!