Dear Green Room Families,

We continued learning this week about nocturnal animals, insects, and the desert. On Monday, the children learned about the Hawk moth with Teacher Karla, reading An Extraordinary Ordinary Moth by Karlin Gray, a sweet, rhyming story that affirmed just how extraordinary ordinary can be. The children painted their own Hawk moths with special fluorescent paint. We’re planning to set up a black light and glow-in-the-dark room in anticipation of Night School next week.

On Tuesday, the children learned about another winged nocturnal animal: the bat. We read Janell Cannon’s Stellaluna and learned that fruit bats, like Stellaluna, eat fruit and have sonar hearing. We learned other fun bat facts, such as that they have nocturnal night vision. The piece de resistance, brought by Teacher Karla, was a taxidermy piece that had three bats, one hanging upside down, one with its wings spread, and the other just the skeletal system. The children enjoyed hearing the story, learning about bats, and getting to see real bats through the taxidermy. Finally, they made their own bat creations using tissue paper and paint.

On wacky Wednesday, after thinking of silly “wacky” names for ourselves during attendance roll-taking, we learned about one of our favorite nocturnal animals: the cat. We read When Martha’s Away by Bruce Ingman about what a household cat is really up to when her owner is away. While not exclusively nocturnal, the cat is crepuscular, meaning they are most active during dawn and dusk. While they have excellent night vision and can hunt at night, cats have a natural instinct to hunt when prey is most active. Younger cats and kittens are more likely to exhibit high energy or "zoomies" during the night.  

Thursday, we read Knight Owl by Christopher Denise, a Caldecott Honor-winning picture book about a small owl who dreams of becoming a knight by using his cleverness and nocturnal skills to overcome challenges and prove his bravery. The message was that heroes come in all shapes and sizes. The children painted their own nocturnal owls with our special fluorescent paint.

In Music with Teacher Bryan, we sang the children’s song “Down By the Bay,” echoing what Bryan had sung to them. They did body movement, accompanied by the slide whistle and xylophone played different scales. The class enjoyed hearing the changing tempo sounds. We ended with a scarf movement activity and two songs, “Chicka Boom Boom” and “Goodbye.”

Fun Friday brought us Friday 15, Share Day, and a continued lesson on the Saguaro cactus plant with a focus on its flower. The class made beautiful, bright and colorful flowers with Teacher Karla. We will continue to explore this theme until next week, ending with the culmination of Night School!

We wish everyone a wonderful weekend.

Warmly,
Nancy & Karla