Peace Travelers

Photos from our end of year show at Elmers

 

 

 

Week 34, Day 68: June 12, 2009

 

We are still working on base ten and base 1 with our grids. (They will be sent home with them.) Today we had our last visit to Ruth’s home. The friends refer to her as “our Ruth,” and indeed, she has become part of our learning community. To say farewell and thank you to her, we made her a crown with butterflies and a mobile with our words on it. The friends said the following when asked the question,

 

“In what ways are we thankful for Ruth?”:

 

“Her home is cozy and warm.”

“She’s friendly and she doesn’t bite.” (Something Ruth said the first day she received hugs from friends!)

“She likes us and she loves us, too. I like to see her in Ashfield at the Farmer’s Market.”

“She listens to us with patience.”

“She always nice to us, she loves us, and I like to see her beautiful things.”

 

Week 34, Day 67: June 9, 2009

 

We finished Little Bo in France and have moved on to Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan. We are using our number charts to add ten to any number to 90 and to add 1 to 9 to any number. We are exploring patterns in numbers in one, tens, and hundreds columns. 

 

We have been hiking in the afternoons to ready ourselves for our hike to our Inca Fairy House and our visit with Marcelle.

 

Week 33, Day 66: June 5, 2009

 

Today we built a fairy house with the materials we had collected before the snow, back in October, November, and December. First we climbed to a special place high on the ridge, pretending we were climbing at high altitudes in the Andes. Each friend carried a bag of construction materials or collected objects for our Incan fairy house. 

 

Week 33, Day 65: June 2, 200

Today we put our base ten knowledge into practice with money. Friends have been working in pairs counting various amounts of money, and then comparing amounts to other pairs of friends, practicing “more than” and “less than.”

Week 32, Day 64: May 29, 2009

 

 

Today we hiked into the “Andes” along the ridge to Marcelle’s house. We are getting ready for our annual hike. It takes an adult about 25 minutes to hike that distance (not quite 2miles), but it is quite the adventure for a peace traveler!

 

Today we’ve been exploring beginning readers and BOB books. Many of the friends are becoming fluent readers, and some are just beginning. Most of the time, friends work in pairs sounding out and reading and to each other.  

 

Week 32, Day 63: May 26, 2009

 

Singing and signing preparation continues for our Peace Travelers Sing Along. Finish up passport projects for Kenya.

 

Continuing with our travels in Peru we read The Llama’s Secret: A Peruvian Legend by Argentina Palacios.

 

Week 31, Day 62: May 22, 2009

Today we prepared our songs for the “Peace Travelers Sing Along and Art Exhibit” We will be bringing our passports and taking families and friends on a tour of our world travels through our art projects and songs. 

 

Base 10 continues with our grids and addition—moving down columns to count by 10s and across in counting by ones. 

 

We have begun our study of Peru with a book called This Place is High by Vicki Cobb.

 

 

It discusses the adaptions made by people who have lived high for generations. The book also discusses the animals (guniea pigs, chinchillas, and llamas) and foods (quinoa, chuno, and charqui) important to the survival of the Peruvian (and Bolivian) people. The book also discusses the 96 year reign of the Incan people.

Fundraiser Concert and Exibition freaturing

 

 

“The Peace Travelers”

 

Photo Credit Kate O’Shea

 

from Mountain View Educational Collaborative

 

 

Sat May 3oth 6:00pm

“Donations Welcome”

 

at  Elmer’s Store 

396 Main Street 

Ashfield, MA 01330

The concert will feature Multi Cultural Peace Oriented Songs, ASL, Poems, Puppets  and Around-the-World Art Work

Peace Travelers is a twice-weekly home school program that highlights multicultural studies, geography, and social skill development through “travel” around the world. Children, ages 4-9, receive a passport and explore a country and cultures through festivals, storytelling, food, crafts, housing, and transportation. Reading, writing, and mathematics are integrated throughout the curriculum.

 

For more info 413.369.4700

Directions:

Ashfield is at the corner of Routes 112 and 116, up the mountain from Greenfield. 

From Greenfield take Route 2 west out towards Shelburne Falls. Just past SF, take 112 all the way up the mountain until you get to 116. Then turn left. 

From Northampton, take Route 9 until you get to 112. Then take 112 to 116. 

Week 31, Day 61: May 19, 2009

 

Today we had a Base 10 treasure hunt. Friends roamed the grounds with a treasure map, looking for ziplock bags that contained small blocks that represented ones, tens, and hundreds. They had to circle the number they found, and draw a small picture of where they found it. Again, they worked in pairs and cooperatively. The pairs helped each other find bags by giving hints and checking in with each other. All the friends had fun scavenging for big numbers!

 

We practiced reading words, and using finger spelling to make rhyming words with the beginner BOB books.