Reflecting on Our Year Together

We are reflecting as we wind down our school year.

We have been thinking about what we have learned and done together this year, at the same time that we think about children moving beyond the Trees Class. Some children have shared their plans for next year as well as asked questions or wondered about what might be next.

We visited the kindergarten classroom, even though the space itself will likely be different next year.

The Trees children asked questions of their kindergarten counterparts and received answers: 

“Do you learn about the same things?”–Some yes, and some no. 

“Do you have Frog and Toad books?” –Yes!

“Do you have worship?”–Yes!

One way we have been reflecting on our own year is that children have chosen their favorite rhymes, chants, and movement activities, and we have revisited those.  A few favorites are:

“Zoom, Zoom, Astronaut”

Which is faster? A snail or an ant?

“Tick Tock, Tick Tock, I’m a Little Cuckoo Clock”

“Zachhaeus Was a Wee Little man”

Pretend to be a snail:  eat with your radula (teeth), look around with your antennae, hide when there is a predator…

Additionally, we have been remembering what we have studied and learned about this year.  

The children remembered:

Snails

Ants

Planting

Louis Armstrong

Faith Ringold

Mae Jemison

George Washington Carver

We also looked back at our Tree study from the fall.

And thought about the story of Creation that we heard during worship at the very beginning of the year.

Children are revisiting their number stories again in drama, reading and acting out their number stories using stuffed animals.

Children have drawn another self portrait and reflected on how they have changed and grown.  We’ve had many conversations about things children can do now that they were not able to do earlier in the year.  

Children looked through the work in their bins and portfolios and considered what they have accomplished. 

All of this is happening as we have the pleasure of honoring each individual child each day for the character qualities that they have brought to the Trees Class this year!

It has been a year full of such amazing growth and development; of fun and joyful learning for all of us.  What a blessing to be able to spend time reflecting and revisiting it!