Our study of Fall/Autumn came to a crescendo with our Autumn Party! Instead of focusing on the traditional holiday of Halloween, we learned about the origin of Halloween and the celebration of Samhain (pronounced SOW-in). It all began as a Gaelic/Celtic holiday in modern day Ireland... *Bonfire Bonding* We began our day around our community bonfire with an introduction of Samhain and where it was located on our globe. Back when Samhain was celebrated the villages and towns wo

Our little friends have been very busy inventors, painters, and explorers! *Leaf Collage Invitation* Continuing our study of leaves and fall, we used our huge leaf collection to collage! Our Wednesday friends organized our leaves for us according to color which made it easier to choose which leaves we wanted to use for our masterpieces. This exercise was a great way for our minds to warm up in the morning as it took some good imagining and planning to foresee our leaf collage

We have been a very busy group! *Color Mixing & Absorption* Our kiddos have fallen in LOVE with our watercolor mixing area! We brought it back out again for another week, but added sponges, cotton balls, and string. These simple objects furthered our discoveries and conversations about a variety of topics. The kiddos found out that the sponges and cotton balls would suck up all the color and liquid! But, when you squeezed the sponges you could get all the water back out again

FALL IS HERE! Our exploration of the Autumn season has officially started! *Fall Floor Book* We welcomed the Autumn Equinox by brainstorming about what we know about Fall/Autumn. We talked about the colors of fall and what holidays we celebrate. We also practiced our balancing skills in honor of the equinox - a time when both the sun and moon share an equal time in the sky. *Leaf Hunt/Outdoor Park Play* After our Shadow Hunt last week, our friends wanted to go on another hunt

A new season brings new changes and new experiences! *Shadow Hunt* We went hunting for shadows on our nature walk! We read Lines That Wiggle before our walk which helped spark our hunt! Our friends enjoyed looking for different kinds of lines to trace. *Outdoor Creative Play* Thanks to the beautiful weather we have had a never-ending opportunity to explore invitations outdoors! Introducing liquid watercolors to our friends encouraged them to invent new colors. We delved furth

We have had a fun-filled two weeks! Together we have experimented in color mixing, caught shadows, found insects, and shared many laughs! Take a look at our busy days below! *Rain Cloud Painting* W & T thoroughly enjoyed painting the rain clouds together. They mixed the paints creating new colors and shades. "I'm making a cupcake! A sugar cupcake!" - T *Outdoor Creative Play* Our friends F & R spent time trying to get the water out of the wheel. They kept flipping over the ti

What a fantastic start to our Monday group! The past two weeks have been filled with laughs, questions, discussions, and walks! *Together Time* After we all have physically arrived at the studio, we take a little bit of time together in the morning to fully arrive as individuals who are ready to learn! We began writing in our Whole Child floor book by brainstorming about how we felt on our first day. *Outdoor Creative Play* We have been lucky to have BEAUTIFUL days to spend o

Today we kicked off our Whole Child Program with our Wednesday students! We couldn't be more excited to expand Side by Side Studio to include a nature preschool dedicated to child-led learning and exploration! For our first weeks together, we will be learning about ourselves and each other. We will work with reflections and faces - practicing self portraits and recognizing facial features. Our main focus will be to establish our little community and figure out what interests