Baba Marta

Morning Free Play

We role played with the airplane from yesterday.

We cut the plastic and monoprinted for our canvas painting.

We twisted our martenitsa to make bracelets for Baba Marta.

We wrote our names in our passport with the Viking alphabet.

Snack Time

Before snack time we pretended to eat with proper table manners. If we dropped the food then we have to pick it up. To prevent food from falling we could bring it to our mouth or scoot up and eat over the bowl.

Park Time

Petals class was in the green area when we arrived. We ran all over the place bumping into our friends. After Petals class left we made a circle, held our friends shoulders and tried to sit down together. We talked about what to do when we bump into one of our friends. We could say, “Sorry” and make sure they’re ok instead of running away. To stand up we had to hold on to each others shoulders again and stand up together. This was a far more difficult task. We tried four times before standing up.

After we finally stood up, we played teachers vs. Flowers Class tag. There was freeze tag where we had to crawl under the our friends legs to unfreeze them. There was also banana tag, where if we were tagged we put both hands together in the air like a banana and our friends had to peel the banana to unfreeze us.

Circle Time

We’ve been making our martenitsa for the week and it was time to learn about it. Martenitsa comes from Bulgaria. They have a special holiday called Baba Marta. What does “Baba” mean or sounds like?

Ra– Daddy

Ma– Grandma 

That’s right! Baba means grandma in Bulgarian. And Marta? It sounds like a word that we know in English.

Li– Like food?

Mo– Martenitsa?

Kai– Marta happens this month...

A– It happens this month

Ry– This month.

Em– Cherry blossom?

Kai– This month.

A– March?!

Yes! Baba Marta mean Grandma March. This holiday is like setsubun, it celebrates spring and the martenitsa brings us good luck. It is celebrated on the 1st of March. Everyone gives out the martenitsa to their friends but when do they take it off?

El– After school.

Ry– lunch time

Wil– sleeping it’s good to take out because it might get caught.

Ja– Not in the shower because might get wet.

Em– when you wash your hand.

Actually, the Bulgarian keep it on until they see the first stork or the first blossom of a fruit tree. The strokes build their nests on chimneys. They’re in a colder region so spring comes later. What do we do with it after we take it off?

Li– Maybe tie it where you can see the blossom.

That’s right! They tie it on a tree branch or traditionally they put it under a rock. We thought about it for a bit commented on this tradition.

Ry– My house is building so we don’t have chimney.

B– I want to do it under the rock and that way after I sleep I can find it.

An– If you go somewhere you with pajama you have to put clothes before you go out.

We were also concerned about our environment.

Ry– If you do in the tree bird will find it.

B– They’ll think it’s worms.

Ra– If the bird takes it they don’t know hot to open it.

On that note we found our martenitsa and passed gave it to a friend and said, “Chestit Baba Marta!”

Wish you all to be strong and healthy ,

Flowers Class Children