We had a fantastic week of school! We are settling into our routines, and started math, specials, gym and music. In addition to working toward telling the story of our chosen objects, we have read picture books and poems from Pablo Neruda’s collection, “Odes to Common Things” that expressly celebrate objects.
Read MoreWe enjoyed an excellent first two weeks. We visited Cupsogue Beach for a lovely day of collecting seaweed, swimming, and even some singing in the van. Back at school, we cleaned our seaweed and prepared it for pressing. We also visited the South Fork Natural History Museum and Nature Center and the LongHouse, where we learned about their gorgeous, artful gardens.
Read MoreScience has been off to a great start so far, we have been reviewing classroom rules, laboratory safety, and working with some of the equipment we will be using throughout the year. We have started off with some different experiments using the scientific method; one experiment was to create a 30% solution of seawater and the other was to see if sterilized equipment benefits algae growth.
Read MoreWe have had such a wonderful beginning to our school year! These past days have been filled with excitement, curiosity, new and rekindled friendships, and many opportunities for the students to become comfortable in their new classroom and school community.
Read MoreThis month in Jeff’s Kitchen, we are thrilled to return and enjoy the abundant produce of the early fall! As we gear up for school lunches and welcome our new and returning chefs, we are cooking down and storing some farm donations of tomatoes and corn.
Read MoreSeptember brought with it crisp air, strong winds, and the feeling of fall - it’s hard to believe that we were splashing in the pool a week ago! Our school year is off to a wonderful start. Through games, stories, and collaborative projects we have been building friendship and community.
Read MoreWelcome to a new year in the Art Studio! We have big plans this year!
Inspired by ancient artifacts, folklore, talismans, and self taught Outsider art, we will be exploring sculpting and creating animal forms.
Read MoreAs our first two weeks have unfolded, the children have moved beyond their initial jitters and embraced the year with joyful smiles, budding friendships, and a growing sense of belonging. We have been busy getting to know one another, learning our daily routines, and enjoying plenty of laughter and silly moments along the way.
Read MoreWe had such a joyful and eventful month of April in our classroom. Throughout the month, we spent time learning about Earth Day and had many meaningful conversations about how we can take care of our planet. Our story study continued with a visit from Zuzzana and her father. She shared a Polish folktale and Spring tradition of cleansing with water.
Read MoreSpring has finally sprung, and with that we have been hitting the ground running! Over the past few weeks we had some exciting trips and presentations.
Read MoreOn April 22, our Senior Learners presented their independent projects to a review panel, and what a showcase it was!
Read MoreIt’s hard to believe that our show is over. Kids all around Hayground are singing songs and reciting lines from our production. The kids should be extremely proud of themselves for writing and producing a show that was clever, witty, and harnessed the energy of what they learned about vaudeville; and we accomplished it all in about two months!
Read MoreOur Four Seasons Realms project has been in full swing this past month. After collaborating as a full class to design an immersive Autumn realm, students have transitioned into smaller groups, taking ownership of the seasonal world they chose to bring to life. Each group is approaching their work with the same guiding vision: treating their space as a blank canvas and transforming it into an environment that transports visitors to a completely new world.
Read MoreSince late winter, our weekly library visits continued into early spring, where we consistently restocked and organized the seed library to support ongoing planting efforts. Alongside these visits, students remained engaged in a range of hands-on activities, including composting, upcycling, insect studies, experiments, garden and floral design, and seeding.
Read MoreThe end of the year is wrapping up nicely! We completed our Budding Author books and had a really nice celebration at the Bridgehampton School with an author who shared some of her writing techniques.
Last week we worked with Louisa’s mother who brought in materials for the students to create a mandala in celebration of Earth Day - along with the students of Tohanash and Javis‘ class.
Read MoreSpring has sprung, and with it, new beginnings in our classroom. Our egg incubator is humming away and doing it’s job of nurturing our chicks until they are ready to burst into the world on (or about) May 5th! We have been reading all we can about chickens and eggs, fiction and non-fiction, and tracking the growth and development of the embryos. This week we were able to “candle” an egg, a process by which we were able to shine a light into an egg and observe the changes inside.
Read MoreThis month the Art Studio has been a veritable laboratory, with the students exploring, experimenting and delving into both representation and abstraction through drawing, painting, collage and sculpture.
Read MoreWith all of this snow, it has been challenging to get out into the field to continue our water quality monitoring program. It has been a good opportunity to explore the effects of climate change within the classroom and how it creates extreme weather conditions and can have an impact on temperature fluctuations. Students explored the polar vortex conditions that brought over 2 feet of snow to different areas around Long Island and we explored some of the different forecast models that are used to predict snow fall and other weather conditions.
Read MoreOur months long collaborative project is up at the Parrish Art Museum!
Our exhibit, 'Masks Whisper Stories,' is Hayground's installation that is the culmination of our study of masks from around the world. Students studied the history and cultures of masks throughout Asia, the South Pacific Islands, Central and South America, The Pacific Northwest and countries throughout Africa. Students then envisioned and created their own masks out of a variety of materials.
Read MoreWe are still reflecting on the wonderful memories from Soul Food Night! The students did a fantastic job facilitating games, performing, and showcasing their artistic work, honoring influential Black Olympians and singers. It was a meaningful celebration of Black excellence, allowing them to share their creativity with the community.
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