The Great iMontessori Feast Day 2013

Said Good Morning to Friends!

Applied Native American Face Paint

Constructed a Fruit-Feathered Turkey

Thanks Mrs. Mandy for the help!

Made Cranberry Sauce

1 cup sugar

juice of 3 small oranges

1 cup water

zest of the 3 small oranges

Then added a pound of whole cranberries. Cooked until cranberries softened.

*Note: The children who took part in making the cranberry sauce, generally had more interest in trying it with their meal. It was a bit too tart for them the day of the feast, but more children decided they liked it the following day.

We Set the Table

The Primary Class were the hosts of the Feast, so they were responsible for setting the table.

Didn't the children do a great job?

Joined for Circle Time

We joined together to read a fun Thanksgiving story.

Then we sang the Thanksgiving songs we learned.

"Mr. Turkey" and "Indian Corn"

It was a great time for a class photo!

Reenacted the Pilgrims Landing in Massachusetts

"Land Ho!"

We enjoyed some time outside before we ate. I found it so amazing that the children organized themselves to reenact the Pilgrim's voyage from England to the New Land.

The School Cooperated to Make a Super Feast

Thanks to Parents and Teachers we had such a yummy spread!

And We Feasted!

Great Memories Were Made!

So Much to Be Thankful For!

The Day Before the Feast

It was Wednesday, November 20th, the day before our Thanksgiving Feast at iMontessori School. The children were expressing their excitement for the celebration. They got busy in preparation. They made Native American headbands and pilgrim hats to wear the next day. We practiced setting the table. And at circle time, the children took turns sharing what they thought was the most important part of celebrating Thanksgiving.

Besides maybe eating hay, do you agree with this list a group of 2-5 years old made?

What does celebrating Thanksgiving mean to you?

We've Been Doing Alphabet Yoga!

We have learned a yoga pose for each letter of the alphabet! Sometimes we practice our poses to begin our morning. Sometimes we take a break from our work cycle to practice. And recently, we stretched through the entire alphabet together to prepare for running and playing outside in chilly weather. 

"B" for butterfly

"C" for cobra

"H" for happy baby

"K" for kite

"S" for Swan

"T" for triangle

"Z" for zero

Do try this at home!

Thanksgiving Art

 Turkey Handprints

Watercolor Painting

Native American Headbands

Indian Corn Collages

And Even Some Paper Weaving

A Veteran Visitor

I thought it was important to join the rest of the country in thanking and honoring past and present military members. In our Primary class, we have two fathers that served in the military (1 in the Marines and 1 in the Army) and I was born in Scotland because my father was in the Navy. Our connection to the military through our friends and family members has already been a topic of conversation in our classroom, so it was a relevant holiday to observe.

This Veteran's Day, we were fortunate to have a member of the Air Force visit us. A Grandfather of one the children, arrived in uniform and discussed some of the many things the military does to help keep us safe. The Sargent named a variety of jobs within the military and described projects he was personally involved with throughout his service.

The Sargent presented a painting of the Air Force's involvement in the rehabilitation of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This was a job he himself (with the Air Force) was part of. The plane's tail is labeled with his actual team name and number. The print of this realistic painting served as a great visual of military responsibility in natural disasters.

It worked out wonderfully that we were able to reference a book I have been reading to the children about this same event. I had picked the book up on a visit to New Orleans last April, and it has been a class favorite ever since. It is a retelling of Katrina's happenings through the perspective of children who lived through the destructive storm. 

As depicted in the book, the children of the Gulf Coast remembered seeing Air Force Airplanes (like the ones in the painting the Sargent brought us) bringing food and water to helpless victims.

The child authors and illustrators of this picture book, also witnessed doctors, firemen, and other helpers come to work in the wake of Katrina. These Service Personal could have also been members of the U.S. military, since they are indeed job positions within the four branches- as discussed with our Veteran visitor.

Thank You

We made sure to shake hands with our Visitor and thank him for his service!

We also thanked him for visiting with us. It was a wonderful learning experience!

***A big "Thank You" to all other Veterans***

<3 You are always in our hearts! <3