Ani's First Weeks In Children's House

Analise recently moved up to Children's House and is enjoying all the sensory exploration and math activities that her teacher has presented to her.  In the past two weeks, Ani has learned how to make her own snack, how to wash her own dishes, how to find interesting work and has received many grace and courtesy lessons (how to give or ask for a hug, how to walk around someone else's work, how to ask for help, etc.).  In terms of sensory and math experiences, Ani has been learning how to pour beans without spilling, how to pull rubber bands to make a variety of shapes, how to stack cubes based on size (the Pink Tower), and how to organize cylinders based on length, width and height. 

Analise's teacher Na says that Ani shows a high level of concentration when she works.  She will stick with a task for a long period of time.  She also loves the class bird, Coconut and feeding the fish. 

 Bean pouring

 Pouring water

 Using funnels

 Rubber band shapes

 Shelling pods for snack

 Grading with one dimension (length, width or height)

Grading with multiple dimensions (volume)

First Camping Trip

Over Labor Day weekend, we decided to organize our first camping trip with the girls.  We went to Lake Elmo with a plan to stay the night only to find out that severe storms were coming through.  So we stayed long enough to swim at the beach, observe at the archery range, set up the tent, grill some burgers and sing some songs.  The girls both had a chance to try out their sleeping bags in the tent before we packed it up again.  Carolyn and Brian came out to enjoy the evening with us.  It was a good thing we chose a spot that was on fifteen minutes from our house.

We will make our next attempt at sleeping in the tent in our backyard next weekend (provided it is sunny).  This will also let us know if we need to bring two separate tents or if we can manage sleeping in one.

Bee Tagging

Yesterday the girls had their first experience working on a real science experiment.  We worked with an individual from the U of M who is doing research on bees in the local area (by Lake Como).  The girls were a bit apprehensive about the bee project at first.  However once they learned more about the bees, they were running around with samples and asking lots of questions.

We learned that the male bees don't have stingers and you can hold and touch them.  Mommy was impressed with how fast their wings beat as she gently touched their backs.  Emma and Ani were impressed by how fuzzy the bees felt.  We also learned how to tell the difference between males and females.  Males typically have longer abdomens and they also have longer antenna.  The researcher told us that typically more male bees were out in these later months of summer.  We also learned that the bee can travel anywhere from 1/2 mile to a full mile away from its hive.  The queen bees are the ones out in early spring (April/May) and it is best to leave them alone because they will be the one to start up the colony. 

We mainly found two types of bees while collecting.  We differentiated types based on patterns they had on their backs.  The researcher said that she discovered a few bees last summer that should have been farther north due to climate change.  However the extreme changes in temperature in northern Minnesota might have kept them down in the Twin Cities area. 

When tracking the bees, we would wait for the bee to land on a flower and then use a plastic container and capture the bee by placing the container over the flower and then sliding the lid closed under.  We also had to identify the plant the bee was found on.  Then the researcher would use a net to take the bee out of the container and examine it.  After examining it we placed a little orange paint dot on its back to know which bees had already been counted.  The females, or worker bees, were taken out very carefully and held in the net the entire time they were marked.  We were able to mark the bees through the net as well.  The male bees were released into the net and then could be picked up with one's fingers.

Not only did we get to participate in some really neat data collection, we also got over our fear of bees.

Week with Grandma and Grandpa

The girls spent the past week with Grandma and Grandpa Walczynski.  Much time was spent playing at a variety of playgrounds, swimming at the beach and visiting family members in Duluth.  Every night the girls came home describing a new playground they had explored.  Thank you so much for spending time with our girls!

 Arcade Games

 Visiting Godmother Annie

 Visiting Great Aunt Marchie

 The Freezing Waters of Lake Superior

 Swings and more swings

 Hide and Seek

 Learning how to windsurf

Ani and Emma Summer 2016

A Week with Grandma Jan and Aunt Becky

Emma and Ani spent the last week in June with Grandma Jan and Aunt Becky.  We were so fortunate to have them spending time with the girls as Mommy attempts to get her Montessori degree and Daddy works hard at his job.  The week was filled with cooking lessons, beach visits, farmer's market adventures, Children's Museum explorations and crazy Kinetic sand on the deck.  Emma has worn the necklace Becky gave her every day since her visit.  Thank you both so much for all the time you gave to our girls.  They are so blessed to have you in their life.

Discovery Hollow Sand Play

Watering plants in the garden

Downtown White Bear

Cooking Class is now in session

Stories....and I Spy (Ani's favorite)

It's My Party...Finally

Since Emma's birthday falls on Memorial weekend, we decided to hold off on a birthday with kids from school until more families were in town. Although Emma was a bit confused about when her party would be, and constantly asked when she was going to have cake, the day finally arrived.  This year we visited the Tamarack Nature Center and played in the outdoor play area.  Each child received their own digging tools for playing in the sand and water.  Of course the highlight for Emma was the pizza and cake as well as the gifts she received from friends.  Emma was very excited that our new neighbor, Prince was able to attend the party as well.  He had his first experience eating pizza while at Emma's celebration.

Of all the gifts Emma received, the one she has used most is Liam's spirograph.  Mommy is fascinated by the geometrical patterns and math that can be found in the activity.  Although the package says it is for children eight and older, Emma is a pro at handling the pens and circular tools with care.  A big thank you to grandma Kathy for baking the pizza and keeping the cake refrigerated until we needed it.  Although the day was really hot, all the kids were real troopers.

 Attack of the noise makers

 Liam, Autumn, Ani, Miles, Lula, Sylvia, Emma and Katie

 

 Prince trying out pizza for the first time

 Ani proudly singing "Happy Birthday" to Emma

 Hope your wish comes true...

Grandma Kathy and Emma

 Enjoying cake

 Time to strengthen the unwrapping skills

End of Year Celebration

Emma and Ani both did wonderfully at their end of the year performances.  Ani and her group showed more confidence when getting up in front of the entire community.  They sang "Happy Birthday" to the school and "If You are Happy and You Know It."  Emma enjoyed the song "Inch by Inch" that her group sang.  After the performance, we enjoyed treats, a magic show about confidence and spending time with friends.  Miles and Sylvia will be attending new schools next year.

 The toddler train

 Trying to figure out what is going on

 Building up confidence

 The Children's House sings proud and strong

 Front Row Lillian, Mia, Lena, Emma, Autumn, Lula, Miles

Second Row Alex, Catherine, Ojal, Marcus, Kayla

 Paula (another one of Emma's good friends) was squeezed in next to Lena

Good Friends: Katie, Emma and Lula