News, sport & weather

NEWS. Seen around the streets of Manhattan last Sunday afternoon.

SPORT: Sleepy Hollow half marathon last Saturday. On an undulating course and a chilly clear day, Paul did 1h 50 mins off minimal training and came 4th of 23 in his age group.

WEATHER: snow was forecast mid week but didn't eventuate. It just remains cold and bleak, even though its Opening Day of the baseball season on Tuesday. No signs of any flowers or leaves yet, but we probably did have the last frost of the winter on Thursday.

This week at nursery school

Hello, HAPPY SPRING! We kicked off this week celebrating the color green (For St. Patrick's Day) and then started a spring theme. Language/Literacy: At the beginning of the week, we brainstormed and made a list of things that are green. Frogs, turtles, broccoli, grass, trees, green beans...the kids came up with a lot of great ideas! Afterwards, we had a scavenger hunt for items that are green in the classroom. We also read some spring-themed books including First The Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, The Reason For a Flower by Ruth Heller, and 10 Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin Jr. Science: We examined a stargazer lily and named the parts: roots, stem, leaf, petal. We looked at the pollen and appreciated it's fragrance. We talked about how seeds grow into flowers, and what flowers need to bloom. Math: The kids sorted a rainbow of insects and frogs, separating them by color. This group activity required teamwork and focus! Being able to categorize items by one or two attributes is an essential component of cognitive development in early mathematics for preschool. Art: We did mixed media collages in green, and also threaded tissue-paper circles onto pipe cleaners for a flower craft. There is now a gorgeous garden of handmade flowers on display in our classroom--come check it out. The classroom display allows the children an opportunity to respond to the art of their peers, and promotes a sense of classroom community! Music/Movement: We sang "Five Green and Speckled Frogs" and "Five Little Ducks" this week. All this singing about animals in groups of five has really solidified the childrens' ability to count up and down from five! Enjoy the (slowly) warm(ing) weather and make sure to point out any budding or blooming plants to your little one this weekend!

welcome back Monica, Xavier & Spring

Vernal equinox today means it's officially the start of spring, and it was a little warmer, max 10C but with a brisk breeze making it feel cooler. So it has been tough for M & X to settle back in. To assist the process, we did our usual weekend activities, a ferry trip to Williamsburg for a coffee at Toby's then the carousel at Brooklyn on Saturday, and rock climbing and scootering in Central Park on Sunday. Still very bleak here as you can see, with residual ice snow packs. We have certainly gotten good mileage out of winter coats this year.