It’s been a busy couple of weeks for the Tugboats!  As we explored the letter X last week, the children began paying much more attention to an often-missed letter.  We investigated pictures of x-rays, imagining a camera that could take pictures through our bodies and comparing the difference in human bones and animal bones.  Our most exciting adventure occurred last Wednesday when we returned from the playground to discover that our classroom had been visited by a pirate in our absence!  Captain Jack Sparrow left us a note and a map explaining that he had hidden his treasure somewhere at Harbor City School.  Our task was to find 12 Xs hidden around the room and to arrange them in order to read the clue that would lead us to the treasure.  When we arranged the Xs by the numbers printed on the backs, they read “When your friend Gigi brings food to school, I make sure it stays nice and cool!”  That could only be one place:  the fridge!  Inside, we discovered a chest filled with (chocolate) gold coins!  In this project, the children worked in pairs and practiced using supportive language.  They also had to work together and use their problem-solving skills to figure out how to arrange the Xs, and then determine the meaning of the clue.

This week, we welcomed 5 new friends to Harbor City School!  This brings our community up to 25 families, more than double our initial 11!  The Tugboats continue to shine as ambassadors for our school,  as they welcome all new members into the classroom, share their favorite toys and activities, and encourage new relationships.

We’ve been investigating the letter Y this week and enjoyed eating yellow pineapple for snack and decorating our Ys with yellow yarn.  We also spent a lot of time talking about one of our favorite Y words:  yucky!  On Tuesday, we made a  Yucky book, in which each child made a page of our book by illustrating something she or he thought was yucky.  We saw many yucky garbage trucks, trash cans, banana peels, and poops.  After our book was compiled, we read it aloud and agreed that it was, indeed, very yucky!  We also explored some yucky sensory projects:  oobleck (cornstarch and water), clean mud (soap, water, and shredded paper), and dirt dough (coffee grounds, flour, and salt.)  Each table held a different sensory project, and it was a huge hit!  Our group of students is very active and energetic, and sensory projects are a great way to channel that energy and focus.  It always amazes me how long a child can sustain his or her attention when playing with the simple combination of cornstarch and water!