Tohanash & Lora’s Class Notes
As the weather gets colder we are eagerly observing the changes in foliage. Much of our artwork this month reflects the warm orange, yellow, red and browns that are now part of our outdoor classroom life. In the spirit of giving thanks, we read Remember by Joy Harjo who inspired us to write our own reflections on memories and things we hold dear. We were lucky to have Lora's friend Kelci a flower farmer from Shelter Island's Island Time Farm, come visit us and talk about flowers and friendship. We rolled out the red carpet with a full garden, greenhouse and chicken coop tour. Speaking of visitors, Nova’s mom, Temidra, and Aunt Tanya came and taught us how to tie-dye tea cloths! We always love learning about different forms of art, especially from our class families!
At Gathering, we have been actively participating; lending our voices and wisdom on topics such as kindness and friendship. Our class is currently working on constructing friendship books. Each week a child is chosen to be the subject and all of the students contribute a personalized story and drawing dedicated to that child. This is a great way for us to reflect on what it means to be a friend and feel appreciated by our classmates as well. As the year is getting well underway, so has our love for read alouds. We have changed tempos from very serious/thought-provoking subjects such as emotions and appearances to light-hearted silly books. Some of our favorites have been Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o, Alphabet Rescue by Audrey Wood, Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, Harold and The Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson, The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak, I Sang You Down From The Stars by Tasha Spillet-Sumner and Little Cloud and Lady Wind by Toni Morrison and Slade Morrison. When we return from Thanksgiving Break we will jump into our three-week long Shakespeare residency. The play we will be performing alongside the entire school is the Tempest. We will also be ready for snow! Please make sure your child has warm comfy clothes in their cubby. We will be taking walks and playing outside no matter the temperature. Happy Thanksgiving!