Hello Branch Families!
Dear Branch Families,
What a wonderful month it has been! May brought us some beautiful weather! We experienced rainy, windy days followed by warm, sunny days—perfect for starting to learn about plants and gardening. We love to dive into gardening during May because, as they say, “April showers bring May flowers!” Gardening is always such a fun and exciting topic for both teachers and Branchers. It helps us see the growth process from start to finish and get our hands dirty! Plus, the end results are always stunning!
We began our study by learning about seeds and examining different types. We compared their size and color and discussed how we could even eat some of them! Like the small white seeds in our watermelon at lunch or sunflower seeds.
After preparing the garden space and learning about seeds, the Branchers got ready to plant! We collected supplies from the greenhouse to start planting. We filled six galvanized buckets outside with potting soil and placed them in a safe, sunny spot. Then the Branchers each took a turn planting: sugar snap peas, bell peppers, shasta daisies, dahlias, and zinnia seeds into the pots.
After reading a book about a sunflower house, we decided to try making our own. We planted Mammoth and Skyscraper sunflower seeds in a pot and are waiting to see them grow. After all the planting was done, the Branchers did an excellent job watering our seeds and singing songs outside to help our seeds grow big and strong! Now, we are patiently waiting for more sunshine to see our sprouts pop through! We can’t wait to keep watching them all summer and enjoy the fruits of our harvest.
During circle time, we read Jack and the Beanstalk. All the Branchers loved the story, but what they loved even more was a fun, storytelling song about Jack and the Beanstalk. After learning about Magic Beans, we got our hands on a few magic beans ourselves. So we placed each bean into a paper cup and added a wooden dowel for it to grow up. On top of the wooden dowel are cotton-ball clouds so our beanstalk can grow to them, just like in the story.
No month is complete without some beautiful art created by the Branchers! For this month’s art project, we enjoyed reading Eric Carle’s The Tiny Seed. Afterwards, we tried to create our own artwork inspired by Eric Carle. We loved the texture of his art, so the Branchers mixed paint colors using texture rollers to make beautiful prints. They created a variety of colors and then found a flower that started with the same letter as each Brancher’s name. The kids cut out the petals and glued them together to make their very own Eric Carle-inspired flower. All the flowers were displayed on a wall of flowers on our self-portrait board, and each Brancher colored their self-portrait inside a seed packet matching their flower! In our self-portrait garden, we have: azalea for Avery, blanket flower for Beckett and Ben, forget-me-not for Finn, hibiscus for Henry, orchid for Julia, kniphofia (torch lilies) for Kingsley and Kruz, marigold for Maelyn, Mckenna, and Miller; narcissus for Nolan, orchid for Otto, poppy for Penny, rose for Riley and Rowan, sunflower for Sophie, and windflower for Wilder.
And with that, we wrap up a wonderful May! Miss Heather and I want to take this opportunity to thank each of you for making us feel especially appreciated this month. We’re feeling extra loved and truly grateful for every one of our Branchers and their families. We couldn’t do what we do each day without your support.
Can you believe June is already here? Bring on the summer weather, sunshine, and insects… That’s right, insects. Our upcoming study is on insects and arachnids!
- Miss Gracen and Miss Heather
