This month we began to celebrate winter and talk about all the activities we do in winter. The kids talked about how much fun they have playing in the snow and how neat it is to catch snowflakes on their hands and look at their designs. On one of the cold days, the class made hot chocolate from scratch and then got to enjoy their creation.
As Christmas neared, the children were excited to have a visit from Santa and enjoyed the gifts he gave them. They also sang “Snow in the Air” at the winter concert. Before starting winter break, it was great to connect with everyone at Parent-Teacher conferences and happy holidays! Tawnshi, Oki, Aaniin, Hello,
During the month of November, we learned about and celebrated Metis culture. We read the Metis story “The Giving Tree” by Leah Dorian, about a Papa telling a story of an old twisted maple tree. He explained that people used to travel to this tree when they were in need of something, since its hollow contained many items such as sugar, flour, moccasins, tea, and tobacco. In the story, the mother had forgotten to pack the sugar for the tea and bannock so they went to the tree’s hollow to get some sugar. The story talks about the importance of placing something in return, such as the mother putting a polka dot cloth in the hollow. The tree was well-respected because it kept giving and it was a place of kindness. After reading this story, the class focused on the concept of giving and taking in a respectful way. We applied this to play with friends during center time by remembering to offer a thank you or another toy when someone shares with us. Another great learning opportunity was when Mr. Johnny visited the class to teach us about Metis jigging and the importance wearing the sash. He described many purposes of the Metis sash, such as cradling babies and wrapping wounds. Lastly, the class tried a couple of hands-on activities to practice Metis traditions. We attempted to do some weaving using cardboard and ribbon and we worked together to make bannock. Reminders: - Please call the office to sign up for Parent Teacher conferences Thursday December 12th or Friday December 13th. - Winter Solstice celebration December 19th 1:30. Tickets will be sent home. |