June

We jumped right into summer beginning in June and so we are on our summer schedule, with our pools out each day, the sprinkler, in-pool car washes, and popsicles. Our snacks have changed to the "hot weather version" of our normal snacks, with refreshing fruit as well. We did a froggy circle at the beginning of the month, but now with our year end closing celebration coming up, we've been focusing on songs about friendship, and doing a few tricky circle dances with one another. We will share these with our parents on Thursday after our ceremony. 

---

Because I have had my own big kids around to lend a hand, we've been playing a fun summer game in which two "adults" or big kids grab the corners of a sheet at either end. We raise it up for children to run under, or put it on the ground for them to jump over, or let it hang for them to go through. They do love it, and maybe you'll hear them saying some of these verses at the beach this summer! It does help them learn their action words using their whole bodies in movement. It goes like this:
There are BIG WAVES!!!
And little waves! 
And green waves and blue! 
There are waves to jump over...
And waves to dive through
There are waves that rise up like a great waterfall!
And waves that fall softly and don't break at all. 
There are waves that whisper, and waves that ROAR!
And waves that chase children along the shore!

Inside, we've been enjoying a little respite from the intense afternoon heat. We made a BIG batch of playdough so that the kids can work with a nice big chunk and really get to work on it. They tend to ask for it everyday. It's also a great way to learn to work with scissors and helps build up their hand strength. They heard a story about Old Gnome, and this time he was helping prepare the fairy ring outside of his home in the oak tree, for the arrival of the fairies who dance there on Midsummer's Eve. That's right, it's midsummer this weekend. Or is it only the beginning?!