Hello all,
“Feelings and Friendship Week” was full of just that, Feelings and Friendship! Through play, hard work, and discussion, the students practiced identifying and recognizing all sorts of feelings and ways to be a friend throughout the entire week! Read on below to learn about all the fun that was had and learning that took place!
Monday morning began with a whole class read aloud of a book that is a definite PPA favorite, How Are You Peeling? Foods With Moods, written by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elfers. In the story, all different types of feelings are discussed but the illustrations are what really steal the show! Every illustration is created using actual food! Take a look below to see just how detailed, imaginative, and fun these illustrations are!
Drawing some inspiration from the book, the students created a “Feeling Faces” Photo Album for their morning work on Monday and Tuesday! One by one, the students came over to have their photograph taken next to a sign showing one of the following feelings: Happy, Sad, Angry, or Silly! The students blew the teachers away with their ability to show each feeling with such extremely expressive faces! Here are some of the AMAZING photos from the students “Feeling Faces” activity.
Click below for a “Behind the Scenes” look!
After such a fun activity Monday and Tuesday, the students spent the afternoon(s) working together to discuss each feeling in depth. They created various lists of things they associate with each feeling. Here is their list of things that make them feel happy.
As if Monday and Tuesday were not exciting enough – the students were ECSTATIC to learn that two of their old friends were returning to PPA! Bob Sleepy and Rosie -PPA’s TWO CLASS PET HERMIT CRABS! Back to PPA from their long summer vacation at the beach, both Bob Sleepy and Rosie returned to PPA and were certainly greeted warmly! After a discussion about the importance of being “gentle” with the hermit crabs, each student (who wanted to) had an opportunity to get up close and personal with the class pets! Some of the students even elected to hold them!
On Wednesday, the students sat down for a “Feelings and Emotion Week” Interview. One by one, the students were called over and asked to identify different reasons why they might feel Happy, Sad, Angry, and Silly. The answers were quite honest and certainly entertaining to hear! Here is how the completed project turned out!
On Wednesday afternoon, the students participated in a Feelings Parade! How about you stand up and try it right now!
Skip HAPPILY around the room!
Now, March ANGRILY!
Do a super SiLLy Dance!
Way to go!
After some in depth investigation of feelings at the start of the week, Thursday’s focus shifted to the other half of this week’s theme – Friendship! The teachers began the day by asking a question, “Do you have to be the same to be friends?” The students voted to show what they thought. By a show of hands, it was clear that the room was split. Rather than answering the question, the teachers introduced the students to two friends – Owen and Mzee (pronounced Muh-Zay). Now, Owen and Mzee are not your ordinary duo – Owen is a young hippopotamus and Mzee is a 130 year old tortoise who met after the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake, or the tsunami, hit. In small groups, the students participated in a technology presentation featuring the clip below which tells the unbelievable story about their friendship!
The students were so moved by the presentation that they could hardly contain their excitement when they learned that they would be creating either a hippo or a tortoise art project– just like Owen and Mzee! The students decided that all of the Owens and all of the Mzees should remain together on the bulletin board at school!
On Friday, the teachers enlisted the help of a few more animals including: a pigeon, a pig, an elephant and a bat, to lead a discussion about Friendship (and Feelings too). The Pigeon, the star of one of author Mo Willem’s children’s book series, is by far the silliest character in PPA’s entire library! The returning students are very familiar with the Pigeon and his silly ways, while the new students of PPA have just begun to get to know him. To help show how silly the Pigeon really is, the teachers brought out the Pigeon’s most well-known story titled, Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus!
In the story, we meet the Bus Driver who needs to leave for a while. Before leaving, he asks the readers to do him a very important favor – Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive The Bus! Shortly after, the Pigeon makes his very loud and very persistent debut. From the title, you can probably tell that the Pigeon really wants to drive the bus! Thankfully the readers are there to remind him that he cannot drive the bus and before long the bus driver returns. Throughout the story, the Pigeon expresses his feelings of Happiness, Silliness, Sadness, Anger and Frustration very clearly. So who better to make a “Feelings and Emotion Week” craft in honor of?
In the afternoon, the students enjoyed meeting Piggie (a pig) and Gerald (an elephant) and Brian (a bat), the stars of Mo Willem’s book titled, My New Friend Is So Fun! Piggie and Gerald are the best of friends! In the story, Gerald begins to worry when he learns that Piggie is playing with a NEW friend, Brian Bat. If Piggie is playing with her new friend, Brian Bat, what does that mean for Gerald and Piggie? Are they still friends? ABSOLUTELY! Gerald learns that he can have many friends – not just one – and it is more fun that way! What a great lesson and way to wrap up such a special and important week!
Well, that is all for “Feelings and Friendship Week!” at PPA! What a fun week it was! Be sure to click the link below to visit the PPA Photo Gallery and view nearly all of the students’ Feelings photographs! (We will continue to update this album in the next few days when the students return to school.) As always, thank you for reading. See you next week!
-PPA
Reminders:
School Closed – Monday, October 12th
Upcoming School Events:
PPA Pumpkin Picking and Decorating Party
Friday, October 9th
(2:00-3:00 p.m.)
All PPA students and parents are welcome to attend this event.
Aftercare is not available.
School Picture Day
Friday, October 16th
ALL STUDENTS (regardless of enrollment schedule) should arrive by 8:30 a.m. Individual portraits and class photographs will be taken. Students who do not attend school on Fridays (2 dayers) will be picked up before lunch at 12:00 p.m. Students who attend school on Friday will stay for the full school day.
PPA Halloween Party
Friday, October 30th
(2:00-3:00 p.m.)
All PPA students and parents are welcome to attend this event.
Aftercare is not available.
Theme for Next Week:
