Clay Nation!

Though not to scale, this arrangement of Snake and Other Being would preface Bongo's quickest feeding, thus ending her three week fast. She was VERY active after her "appetizer."
(Snakes do not eat during the skin-shed cycle)

TODAY'S ACTIVITY
The raccoon group worked with clay while the squirrels played outside. The techniques we practiced were rolling balls and "snakes." Though these were taught, the children were free to make anything their hearts desired - and they did. To avoid the frustration of trying to make a specific figure, we instead focused on simply working with the clay. Inspiration fgor any figurative forms came from their observations during the process of making. that's what artists do. We had everything from mini pinch pots and game pieces to ice cream cones and pizza. Their creativity knows no bounds!

TODAY'S STORY
A Giraffe And A Half, by Shel Shilverstein. This absurd tale is a great book for rhyme. Stanzas are added one at a time to acccumulate in a preposterous inventory of rhymes. We love to have the children say the rhyming words to help them learn to predict text. The ability to predict what comes next is a valuable tool for comprehension. In this case, the clue is the rhyming pattern. As they get older, the patterns will be determined more by "what makes sense."...unlike a giraffe falling wholly "into a hole that was dug by a mole."