Week 2, Monday

 Hello everyone!

Each day at Back Yard Club we begin with stories and songs.

Following is 45 minutes of free-choice art time.  Here the kids get to choose what to work on and when.  We have four art choices as well as easel painting and drawing every day.  If kids finish up with extra time they can read our nature books under the tent.

Today's art choices were:

object prints

wood medallion necklaces

paper plate masks

salt dough free play

Snack time!

After snack we sat under our oak tree and learned how clever caterpillars survive by hiding from predators using using leaves and their silk.

They may fold themselves, roll themselves, or sandwich themselves between two leaves.  Each method they will use their silk to seal the edges and entry points.

A little pretend play here with our caterpillar kids and blankets as leaves. :)

A leaf roller

Getting sandwiched

Brady inside getting folded!

We also talked about the chickadees and spying blue-jays.  Chickadees get seeds to eat and save some for later in the rough bark of the oak trees.  But blue-jays will spy on them and snatch the seeds once they're gone.  Our "chickadees" hid some bean bags in the bushes while the "blue-jays" watched and tried to find them after.

Our teacher, Eliza, found a good sized frog in the leaves! It was too quick for us to catch though.

This morning we also spent some time folk dancing.  We did The Chicken Dance, Jump Jim Joe, and Hurry Scurry.  Hurry Scurry starts slow and gets progressively faster...you might just flop down on the ground when it's over!

We also heard the story that we'll be acting out for you on Friday.  It has something to do with a peddler. :) Can't wait to start practicing. 

See you all tomorrow!