Hitting and Pinching Allowed

TODAY'S ACTIVITY
The squirrel group made pinch pots out of real clay. They are used to working with playdough and eagerly jumped into this new medium. They began by wedging the clay to remove all air bubbles. This involves slamming it as hard as you can on the table repeatedly. When else do you get to do that? After forming the clay into balls, they poked their thumbs in the middle and repeated the pinch and turn technique. Some quickly pinched out a thick pot, while others pinched, poked, squished, smashed and slid their clay through a multitude of unrecognizable forms before forming a pinch pot on the fourth attempt. It is so important to give them room to explore the limits of new materials before directing a specific project. It requires time and patience, but the payoff is boundless enthusiasm and creative courage every time.

PIZZA PARTY - Thursday, Nov. 16 @ 4:30
We invite all the families of Room 4 to attend a Pizza Party to get acquainted. The children know each other VERY WELL. Here's the perfect opportunity to meet the parents of the friends your child talks about (or the "nobody" s/he claims to have played with, in some cases). The pizza is from one of the best pizzarias in the city, so don't miss out! Please check in with the teachers or sign up by the door to let us know if you will be coming. Also, any contributions of juice, sparkling water, salad, or fruits or veggies are most welcome. This is a non-alcoholic event, so any contraband will be swiftly sequestered for the "Clean-Up Committee" to take home afterwards.

TODAY'S STORY
Pink Lemon, by Herve Tullet. This book has minimal text and can be read entirely with the illustrations. Our age group loves the absurd. Any commonplace object taken out of context or represented in an unusual way are always engaging and, more often than not, amusing. Each spread has a rich painting of a familiar object in an unfamiliar color. On the right margin are three color/pattern swatches to choose the correct one or two. Once children are shown how this works, they love to independently challenge themselves and one another.