Week 29: Seeing the Symphony


Posted by Savannah Barker on April 26, 2018 at 8:04 AM

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After all of the snow and ice we got over the weekend, we tried to channel spring in the classroom this week. The girls investigated a mystery bouquet of flowers, sketching the buds, predicting what the flowers would look like when they bloomed, and then finally painting the beautiful flowers. On Wednesday we took a trip with the Grade 1-2s to see the Toronto Symphony Orchestra play "The Animated Orchestra" at Roy Thompson Hall. It was an incredible performance and interactive experience for the girls. Afterwards we walked up to Grange Park for some outdoor playtime. We also celebrated the first of many spring birthdays, and we are looking forward to the rest. Enjoy our pictures from this week.

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P tells me that she works in a makeup store, and she demonstrates how she applies makeup for the stuffed animal.

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G, N and A sketch the buds on the mystery bouquet. G predicts that they will bloom into pink tulips, N guesses that they will grow into purple flowers, and A thinks they will grow into rainbow flowers. 

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P uses our co-created alphabet book to help her write out her flower predictions. She explains that they will be both pink and green, like the buds right now.

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In Art class with Brie today, the girls were doing life drawing. By the looks of their faces, the best part of this experience was getting a turn to be the model for their peers.

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This morning the girls are playing "Connect Four", a math game that works on their addition skills. One at a time, partners take turns rolling two dice, adding up the individual amounts, and covering that sum on the game board. 

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N is excited to read me the three books she brought back this morning. She has been working hard at home reading the books until she can read them fluently. N even persuaded me to let her bring four books home this week.

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I always enjoy seeing the different ways in which the girls use the materials in the classroom. At Math today, A spreads her work out on the floor and ends up creating a very interesting design. It started as "the great China wall", but evolved into something else.

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Today is G's 6th birthday! As a special celebration on their birthday, the girls are invited to bring in a book from home to share with the class or choose one from our library. G confidently reads this Elephant and Piggie book to her peers during morning snack.

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K works on "Connect Four" independently this morning at the Math Centre. After a lot of focus and addition, K can't wait to show us her completed game board. Wow!

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A, G, and N (not in the picture) spend time making observational drawings and paintings of the lilies, which have now bloomed. While they work, the girls discuss that the flowers did not turn out how they thought they would, and that the flowers are called lilies, not tulips.

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In CERES, A wants to cut through the thick cardboard tube, but is not able to with scissors. Beth suggests she tries using the saw, and takes her through the process. Despite initially being hesitant to be near the saw, A quickly sees how easy it is and is excited to use a new tool. 

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The girls are so excited to see the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. They are also fantastic subway riders, and they like to make sure that we do not miss our stop.

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The girls enjoy a quick play in the downtown snow piles before they head in to watch the performance.

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It is very fun to watch the musicians find their seats and set up their instruments before the show starts. There is a lot of talk about what instruments the girls notice, and even more about when they think the harp player will come on stage.

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A pushes most of the other Early Learners on the big swing at Grange Park. The girls take turns being the "pusher" so everyone can have fun on the swing.

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K flies off the end of the two-storey slide. She was quite nervous going down the first time, but once she realized how much she enjoyed the ride she was asking how to make herself travel faster down the slide. 

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A and K spend most of recess working together to complete the puzzle, and then they completely pull it apart together too.

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Here's a window into what our writing time with Grade 9 buddies looks like. Some of the Early Learners are drawing pictures or adding words, and some are narrating the story for the older girls to write down.

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This morning we are celebrating Earth Day as a junior school. K shows off her soil-filled planter, and she is ready to add some seeds. The grade 6s were fantastic leaders of each planting station on the roof. 

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G gets some help hanging her planter from M (in Grade 5). She is looking forward to seeing how soon her plants start to grow.

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During Friday's drama class, the girls move around the room like they were warming up for a dance recital.

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The Early Learners, Grade 1-2s and Grade 4-5s are off on our annual Earth Day hike through the ravine. The younger girls are excited to be the leaders and ravine experts on the hike.

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N shows M (in Grade 4) the way that we usually go down the hill in the ravine. 

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We have come across a large muddy patch and many of the girls are enjoying getting their boots stuck. Luckily there we no shoes lost to the mud, however there will be many dirty clothes to wash over the weekend.