Today we visited our neighbor to the south, South America. As usual we started out singing the 'Continent Song' and listening to cultural stories from South America. Ms. Claire told us about llamas used to carry groceries, macaws, cowboys called gouchos, and why people in Peru wear so many clothes.
We smelled a real mango and talked about how they smell good and are very sweet.
We sang 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes' in English and Spanish. 'Cabeza, hombros, rodillas, pies, ojos, orejos, boca, y una nariz....' note: pierenes is commonly used in place of rodillas but actually means legs instead of knees.
And played a guessing game from Paraguay and LaCachanga from Columbia. It's like hot potato but we played with a bandana instead.
For our art project we created rain sticks, which originated in Chile where they are used in ceremonies to bring rain. Traditional rain sticks are made from cactus but we made ours from recycled paper towel tubes.
Our second project was making a God's Eye, or Ojo de Dios. These originated in Mexico are also were made in Boliva by the Aymara people. They held a special significance in that each year from birth to five, more string was added. We had 3 children about to turn 5 who found this especially interesting!
For our snack we had mango popsicles and popcorn, as well as fresh mango slices. It was quite a hit!
Just as we got changed into swimsuits and set up the sprinkler and pool, it started to drizzle. What fun to play outside in the rain! Luckily, it stopped raining quickly and we enjoyed playing outside when it wasn't quite so hot.
One of my absolute FAVORITE things about COLCM is our garden and how it fosters creativity. We have a playground also, but the kids truly seem to enjoy the garden more. Here, they are free to invent games, turn the everyday into the extraordinary, and navigate the outdoors on their comfort level.
These kids were mixing water, sand, mud, and anything else they could find into the wheelbarrow. When I couldn't stand it anymore, I asked them what they were doing. "Making a bee trap" they replied. They were working so earnestly together - this type of collaborative work will be so important as they grow and enter the 'real world.'
C. really wanted to see what would happen if she put the sprinkler in the pool. She enlisted the help of her friends and asked me to turn the hose off until 'it was situated'! When they finally got the sprinkler in the pool it was a great sense of satisfaction for all involved.
Finally, these children independently came up with the idea to fling mud and water on to the easel to 'paint'. I loved it! Jackson Pollocks in the making :)
We''re looking forward to next week, when we visit Africa! If you have any empty coffee, oatmeal or other canister like container please send it in. We'll be making drums.
