This week in Spark the heroes explored weather as part of our “Seasons and Weather”-themed session. Each morning, they are graphing the temperature. At the beginning of the session, they predicted that they would see their line chart decline as the session went on, so they were surprised this week to see temperatures increase! We also discussed the forecast every morning, as the heroes were very interested to know what conditions would be for Thursday’s Halloween Trick-or-Treating! We’ve also been reading books about tornadoes and hurricanes as part of our science exploration during Montessori Mornings.
Speaking of warm weather, the heroes took advantage of the warmer temperatures to explore the creek at Nakoma Park. It is all dried up and they discovered an exciting fallen tree which they have dubbed the “Battleship.”
Spark heroes prepared for Friday’s Halloween party, making paper decorations and carving or painting pumpkins. They learned about the lifecycle of pumpkins before carving an especially large jack-o-lantern together. They placed the jack-o-lantern outside the studio window and enjoyed watching visits from hungry squirrels!
The party was a huge hit! The Discovery heroes were given a $30 budget and planned the festivities. They did a wonderful job, and included a spooky dance party in the studio, balloons, apple cider beverages, a craft, and a scavenger hunt for party favors in Fellowship Hall. This is a great example of how at Acton we like to put children in charge because it was WAY more fun than it would be if adults had planned it 🙂
We’ve been finding that the Spark heroes are much more focused during circle time after a few morning stretches. If you notice your child singing a counting song at home, that’s Jack Hartman’s Count to 100 exercise song! Next week we will workout to letter sounds!
Our focus this week was kindness. A tool we started using is the “THINK test,” a social filter for ensuring what we say is appropriate and kind. T.H.I.N.K. stands for: is it true? is it helpful? is it inspiring? is it necessary? is it kind? If a thought fails one of these tests, a hero doesn’t really need to say it aloud. We used the THINK test several times throughout the week. We also explored themes of giving vs. taking, servant leadership, and the benefits of quiet.
We are looking forward to next week when our focus of the week will be growth mindset, and we will continue to explore the seasons and the weather.
