Zoo Visits and Design a Town's Transport

This morning on the main table we saw lots of art materials to make our ‘transport’ pictures. There were lots of cardboard tubes and rolls to use to make wheels, colored lollipop sticks, large wood lollipop sticks and colored matchsticks. There were different colored pieces of background paper to choose form and glue pots with spreaders. Next to the art materials we saw lots of pictures such as hot air balloons, bicycles, taxis, trucks, airships, motorbikes and airplanes etc. First we chose a picture that we would like to use and then began by placing all the pieces we needed on the paper to make our artwork. Then once we had decided on the layout we took each stick or tube and glued them on one at a time to make our pictures. They look great and we will hang them up for you all to see this week. On the second table we all completed the baskets for our hot air balloons by cutting four pieces of yarn and decorating the baskets. We attached the yarn to the basket with pieces of tape and will start decorating the balloons tomorrow morning. Eito and Ava had a try at the play skis in the classroom and it was funny to watch Eito trying to walk in them. He found it really funny trying to change direction and had a good laugh at this. After we had packed away the toys and had our snack it was time for Kosei’s ‘Show and Tell’. Kosei had made a series of cards with photographs from his trip to a zoo near Yokohama. On the cards he had also written what he had done at the zoo. He showed us and read how he rode a camel, touched goats, touched hamsters, fed the horses carrots and even had a hawk land on his hand. He then answered lots of questions and told us how his favorite picture was of the hamster, how he took the pictures in Yokohama, how he went there by car and how he loves that particular zoo. He also told us how he wasn’t scared of the hawk as he was wearing a big glove on his hand which protected him. We were lucky that the rain had stopped and we could head out to the park with our friends. The ground was wet but we had a good time and were able to play for a short while. When we got back we read a book together called ‘The Fire Engine Book’ which told us all about how the firefighters came down a pole, rush to the fire in engines and use axes and ladders to rescue people and animals too. In circle time we saw there was an enormous piece of paper on the floor and together we got some cars, trains, taxis, airplanes and other vehicles but there were no roads on the paper, no airport, no fire station, no traffic lights or ocean for the vehicles to travel on. Using markers we started to draw roads, an airport, traffic lights, a port, mountains, and a train station etc onto the paper. It was great fun and will continue to add more details tomorrow. This will be a good place for us to play with the vehicles made by us too. On the top floor today was also the 7-5-3 photo shoot session. Jennifer and Arata went upstairs for their photos and it was great to see Jennifer return with eye shadow around her eyes. Have a great afternoon. All our love, Darren, Ayaka and Nanako