Upcoming Dates and Announcements:
Click the link to find out what’s happening at WCDS https://here.wcdsedu.com/events/
- Tuesday, November 25 – Alumni Kickball, Thanksgiving Lunch, and Early Dismissal at 12:30 (No Aftercare)
- Wednesday – Friday, November 26th-28th – No School
- Mark your calendars! Thursday- December 11 @ 5:30- Winter Family Night
Snack helper: Avery
Good Morning Famiies,
A simple question to a group of four year olds about what they want to learn about next, could go in any direction! The outcome actually did surprise us! After lots of wonderful ideas were shared, the winning topic was clear… She sells seashells down by the seashore-say that three times fast….Yep the ocean! When asked what they already knew, our curious learners impressed us with their knowledge. They could name all kinds of ocean animals and shared so many fun facts. These smart little cookies knew more than we expected!
“Volcanoes are under the ocean, they relax and then they don’t relax. My dad climbed one when it was relaxing.”- Avery
“Turtles. Turtles swim. They swim fast and they’re clumsy and slow.” -Atticus
“Sharks! They have sharp teeth and they are really fast and slow too.” -Maverick
“There’s stingrays. When we were at the beach my daddy saw a stingray.” – Brody
“My mommy saw starfish in the ocean.” – Ben
“Dolphins and whales! They swim and they have holes and they throw water.” – Nala
“Crabs! They cut myself but I can run super fast.” – Sebastian
“They pinch!”- Maverick
“A dolphin. They swim really fast!” – Clara
“I like whales, sharks and the beach. I like when the sea comes up to me.” – Audrey
“Dolphins and whales.” – Gemma
“Uhhh sharks! Lions go in water and attack sharks.” – Kemper
“Jellyfish sting!” – Isla
“It’s blue!” – Ripley
“Stingrays have hair.” – Nala
“My mom said she wanted me to go under the water and find a big starfish.” – Destry
“Actually there are stingrays and they spike you! And they dive in the water.” – Leland
“My dad dived into the water and found a big starfish in the water.” – Maverick
“I saw it. Turtles swim in the water.” -Levi
“Palm trees!” – Archie
“We’re learning about the ocean. What do you know about it? How the sunlight hits the water.” Archie
To dive into our new adventure, the children created their own ocean-inspired paint. Using watercolors (and a little bit of sand for texture!)They stirred and mixed until they found just the right consistency to bring their ideas to life. The classroom was full of conversation as they painted together:
“Let’s paint the ocean!” – Levi
“Let’s paint together, Atticus! You made my favorite color!” – Avery
“I’ll put a big scoop!” – Atticus
“Hey, I made something!” – Leland
“Mine has a huge heart.” – Abigail
To continue the fun, we dove even deeper into our ocean study by learning about the different zones of the ocean the sunlight zone, twilight zone, midnight zone, abyssal zone, and hadal zone (the trenches). The children were fascinated to discover that the ocean had different layers! To bring this concept to life, we created our own ocean-in-a-jar experiment using food coloring, vegetable oil, water, soap, and corn syrup. As we carefully poured each ingredient into a clear jar, the children watched in awe as the layers began to form… Well, mostly! It kinda worked, and the laughter that followed made it a perfect lead into our next project. The children were given a clear plastic shower curtain and paint to start to create each layer of their very own ocean! To be continued… Can’t wait to see what they will want to add!
We also learned about how seashells are made. Did you know that a seashell is made by a mollusk using a body part called the mantle, which creates the shell layer by layer using proteins and minerals like calcium carbonate extracted from seawater and food to make a beautiful seashells. After our discussion, each child had the opportunity to choose their own seashell and paint it, adding a touch of creativity and color.
In phonics this week, the children were introduced to the letter Pp. We talked about the sound it makes and practiced how to write it. Some children even noticed that the lowercase p looks like it’s wearing a “tall hat!” In math, we focused on the number 9 and revisited our ten frames. The children enjoyed using loose parts to fill each square of their frame carefully counting, organizing, and showing lots of focus and fun as they worked.
In SEL this week, the children took a mindful pause to simply listen, noticing the quiet sounds we often don’t hear on our busy days. Together, we discovered the gentle hum of the furnace, the faint rumble of a car passing by, and even the soft footsteps of our neighbors upstairs. It was a beautiful reminder that being present takes practice, even for grown-ups! Yet for our little listeners, this activity came so naturally. With their eyes closed they were eager to share every sound they noticed. Moments like these remind us how thoughtful and aware young children can be when given the space to slow down and truly experience the world around them.
This weekend we hope you can take some time to just pause and listen. Enjoy!
Miss Gina and Miss Liz
