Customized T-Shirts

We've had a great response to the t-shirt activity and are working on several each day with the children. The shirts should ideally dry overnight, so if you would like to send one, it's best if you can send it prior to Thursday. Once the shirts have dried, we will bag them and send them home!!

Ms. Deepti (Neev and Neil Bhandare's mom) has designed a super-cool Captain America themed-shirt for the 4K student's in the room where she works with Ms. Ashley. (4K1 - Ms. Barbara's 3K classroom during the school year).

Here's a preview:

Water Wednesday + Cookout!!

Tomorrow we will have our annual Fourth of July Cookout which will coincide with our Water Wednesday. The Little Rams will have a little time on the water slides in the morning (10 - 11) and our sprinklers and little pools will also be set up for additional play. Send your child in water wear with a towel and a change of clothes.

NO LUNCHES NEED TO BE PACKED TOMORROW!!

I'm having trouble accessing my work email at home, so feel free to text (865) 385-8763 or email me at anndouglas@tds.net with any questions!!

Holiday Week Schedule!! - July 4th!

This Friday, July 3rd, camp will be closed in observance of the Fourth of July!

On Wednesday, July 1st, we will have a cookout with hotdogs, chips, fruit and lemonade for the children. Unless they would like something different, there's no need to pack a lunch!

In addition, we will be making customized hand-print Independence Day t-shirts again this year!!! If your child would like one, please send in a white T-shirt any day this week (prior to Thursday is preferable!)

Cooling Down with Summer Science

This past week, the heat-index neared 110 degrees.

So we played indoors...

with ice.

Using a solid sheet of ice, 

we sprinkled kosher salt on top

and took turns

squeezing food coloring on top.

The results were literally

cool!!

Happy Times Petting Zoo!

On Friday, June 26th,

Happy Times Farm brought their petting zoo to Park Ave. and set up camp in Spaulding Green!

Our preschoolers ground corn...

and learned how to hold their hands to feed the animals.

We fed sheep,

bunny rabbits and guinea pigs,

geese,

ducklings,

goats...

and a llama.

Oh, the llama!!

She let us brush her, 

and sit gently on her back!

We took pony rides

around Spaulding Green, 

and train rides...

around the campus.

So....

much...

fun!!

Dinosaur Egg Hunt

Today we learned that a paleontologist is a scientist's who studies fossils and dinosaur bones.

We put on our scientific hats and glasses, 

and took our exploration to the Prayer Garden.

There we found eggs, and being paleontologists, we had to find out what was inside!

Using a super-scientific solution (vinegar + water)

we went to uncovering our eggs

by taking turns with a squirt bottle.

The eggs fizzled and sizzled and

revealed an object inside...

baby dinosaurs!

Some classes made dinosaur's out of hand prints....

while other's made dinosaur masks....

and hats...

Week 4: Dinosaur Roar!

June 22-26     Dinosaur Roar!

Monday, June 22       Botanic Gardens - Prehistoric Pals- Family Room
                                   10 - 10:45 - 3/4K
                                   10:45 - 11:30 - Kindergarten

Tuesday, June 23        Dinosaur Egg Excavation
                                    9 - 9:45         3K
                                    9:45 - 10:30 4K
                                    10:30 - 11:15 K

Wednesday, June 24   Water Wednesday!

Thursday, June 25       Show and Tell!

Friday, June 26            Happy Times Petting Zoo!
                                     9:30 - 10   3K
                                     10 - 10:30 4K
                                     10:30 - 11 K

                                     Ice Cream Dream Machine!
                                     1:00 - K
                                     After nap: 3/4K

More Pickles and Jam!

It was a rainy, wet Friday, and we've been talking about the pickles and jam we made in Week 2 since we tried them.

Jonah's mom (3K) donated some pickling cucumbers from the Agriculture Center's Farmers Market

earlier in the week, so today we went to work!

We measured and mixed our Kosher salt (1 Tbs), sugar (1.5 Tbs), peppercorns (1/4 tsp - heaping), mustard seed (1/4 tsp - heaping), diced garlic (1 Tbs), vinegar (1/2 cup - white), fresh dill (approx 3-in. feathery piece) and 4 pickling cucumbers.

We gave a quart-sized jar to Mrs. McCoid (Jonah's mom) and kept a jar to taste-test at camp next week! We tweaked the recipe a bit, learner from our first experience, using a little less garlic.

Meanwhile in the 4K1 classroom we recreated the jam recipe from WK2 - using blueberries instead of strawberries this go round. 

We mashed the berries (1 2/3 cup)...

and mixed them with sugar (2/3 cup) and pectin (2 Tbs).

We put all three ingredients in a quart-sized glass jar and shook them, and then stirred, simply b/c I didn't bring a large bowl or spoon with me, so we made due. As my grandmother would say, "Necessity is the mother of invention."

I poured the jam into little jam jars and put them in the fridge to chill.

Next week, we'll enjoy our jam on bread and read the classic, Blueberries for Sal, by Robert McCloskey.