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We had a wonderful time taking care of dolls this morning after calendar and weather. We dressed the baby doll and the "big girl" doll in a few different outfits and named each item of clothes as we put them on. When we were done, the big kids decided they wanted to prepare a picnic for the dolls and the pretend puppies, so we used lots of kitchen equipment and blankets to prepare a space.
The littles moved the picnic items around a lot, but we worked together to make the picnic fun for all. Some of the littles practiced wearing a baby in a sling, a backpack, and a front carrier. It's so sweet to see such nurturing!
We took care of all our garden plants and discovered that the toy teapot makes a perfect watering can for tiny plants. Our bulbs are still growing roots and our herbs are nice and moist in their terracotta pots. We should begin to see growth sometime next week, and that will be so exciting for the children! We also looked at yesterday's rainbow flower experiment. Lo and behold- each flower had different colored edges on each petal! We really did make a rainbow with flowers! The children were so excited to see the changes and we compared each flower to the "control" flower that was in regular water.
As our doll play came to an end, we changed gears and had our snack. After snack, I began to dress everyone in their outdoor gear and we hiked to the park. It was a perfect day to listen to water run in the storm drains and watch it trickle down the pavement. We noticed several nests in the trees and wondered if the birds would use them again or make new ones. We saw several birds including some big geese flying in the sky. As always, we practiced safe sidewalk walking and held hands to cross the road.
When we arrived at the park, it was hard for the children to pick out what they wanted to do first. It has been quite a while since the weather has been good enough to enjoy the park, so it was almot as if everything was new again to the children.
The big kids decided that they wanted to go climbing first while the littles were more interested in investigating all the nooks and crannies of the equipment at ground level.
Soon the littles found their way up the stairs, crossed the arched bridge, and were ready to go sliding. I helped them slide down safely, and after a few practice runs, most were ready to slide down independently.
The big kids played chase and used the bouncy riding equipment while the littles trundled through the snow and wet mulch to explore in widening circles.
When the big kids were riding the boucy equipment, I was struck by what a difference a year makes. One of these photos is from today, and one is from almost exactly a year ago. Incredible!!
All in all it the children had a grand time at the park and were begging to go back again even as we left. We surely will be visiting often as the weather becomes more pleasant!
Later in the day we revisited our leprechaun book, reviewed our vocabulary words "duties" and "mischief," and talked about what we would do with leprechaun gold. The big kids also made plans about how to catch the leprechauns with a trap.
See you tomorrow!