The Saplings Times

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
― L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Fall is here, and we are loving it! We are spending a lot of time right now observing the changes that come with Autumn, including falling leaves, different smells, and the bird population. The weather is cooling down quite a bit, especially in the morning. Lots of Saplings are wishing they brought warmer gear for our chilly morning outings and could use your help remembering to pack it or wear it to school.

We are fully settled into work mornings now where lots of great learning is happening! There is so much that happens during a school day, it can be challenging for your Sapling to reflect and share the specifics of what they did that day. Here are some helpful questions to ask if you're looking to get the scoop on the day.

"What is something fun you learned today?"

"Did you do something that you're proud of today?"

"Who did you work with during the work morning today?"

"What was the best part of your day today?"

"What books did you/your teacher read today?"

The Saplings are learning about collecting, recording, and interpreting data right now through bar graphs. Our first bar graphing activity was an Autumn leaf collecting and sorting activity. We then made a bar graph together that we later referred to when answering questions in math groups.

On Monday and Wednesday afternoons, we have Reader's Workshop. At the end of Reader's Workshop, the Saplings meet with their reading buddy to share what they read that day. This is a great opportunity for our emerging readers to get some individualized reading support from their older classmates and for all Saplings to practice talking about their reading.

This week we read a Fall favorite, Leaf Man. After reading together and noticing all of the leaf creatures in the book, the Saplings were tasked with making their own leaf creations. This activity was a great reminder that not all art is permanent or something to hang on a wall. The Saplings had a blast let their creativity fly with this activity and made some beautiful images.