We explored 3 new books this week in our study of iconic author and illustrator, Eric Carle: Little Cloud, The Very Busy Spider, and Does A Kangaroo Have A Mother Too?  In preparation for Mother’s Day, we read about different families in the animal kingdom and the different names each animal uses.  Did you know, for example, that a baby kangaroo is called a joey?  We did a few top secret surprise projects, which you won’t read about here!  We also read a timely story of a cloud that morphs from a small white cloud into a large storm cloud, just in time for our 3 days of rain.  Finally, we enjoyed reading about an arachnid with a purpose who will not stray from her task!  In keeping these stories, the Tugboats tried a variety of large and small group projects.

Science and Sensory Projects:  After reading about clouds, the Tugboats explored three different types of clouds: cirrus, stratus, and cumulus.  We examined photographs of each kind of cloud, noticed their differences and similarities, and imagines what type of cloud Little Cloud was as each different shape.  Next, we used cotton balls and glue to make our own representations of the 3 types of clouds.  One type was stretchy and thin, one was thicker and more bunched up, and a third was very large and puffy.  Another day, we used a mixture of flour, salt, and water (applied to blue paper and mircrowaved to firm it up) to create our own Little Cloud shapes!  For our Spider study, we emulated the texture illustrated in the book by making our own spider webs!  Each child used his or her thumbprint as the basis for a spider, then used black crayon to add 8 legs and a web.  We painted over our webs with glow-in-the-dark puff paint for a creepy look and feel!

Art Projects:  We celebrated National Doodle Day yesterday by doodling our very own spider web!  A small group of kiddos used a large piece of paper on the floor, which was adorned with several black dots.  Working together, they connected the dots with lines that formed a giant spider web.  Next, they used crayons and markers to add spiders, other insects, and even pizza for them to eat!

Math Projects:  As we continue to practice, one to one correspondence, reinforcing the idea that numbers represent quantities of objects, we played two new games this week.  First, for Cloud Math, a small group of Tugboats used a deck of clouds shaped like numbers 0-9, several paper raindrops, and several flower-shaped erasers to play a game.  One player would draw a cloud from the deck, set it on the floor, then apply the number of flowers and raindrops that correspond to the shape of the cloud.  For Spider Math, another small group used pre-cut paper spiders, glue sticks, 6-sided dice, and a paper drawn into a 2×3 grid.  Taking turns, each child would roll his or her die and glue the corresponding number of spiders into one of the squares, writing the number he or she rolled into the square as well.

We were so excited to spend time in our garden this week as well!  Our garden tender parent helper, Erin, built some beautiful raised beds, installed colorful tomato cages, and constructed a sort of tent for beans to climb!