2nd/3rd: Week of Apr 15

Math –

Ms. Andrea’s math group was formally introduced to our final coin: the half dollar. We practiced identifying and counting them, along with other coins. We learned several new money math games and had a couple of game days – always a hit! In between there was a lively discussion about spending vs saving and giving to charity.

Midweek, our math minds went to work solving coin riddles and money word problems. We also made a simple bar graph showing the types of shoes we were wearing and used our data to draw conclusions about the most & least popular types of shoes Next week we’ll wrap up our unit on money and launch a new unit – on graphing!

Ms. Kelly’s math group is jumping for joy over our new unit- fractions! We reviewed NUMERATOR & DENOMINATOR with our bodies and explored Unit Fractions. A unit fraction represents 1 part of the whole.

Literacy –

Phonics lessons and book clubs roll on! Most clubs are near (or beyond!) the climax of their stories, which is perfect because we concluded our writing this week by mapping out the climax of our own fairytales. We’re in the thick of the planning stage of the writing process.

Earlier this week we began planning and illustrating our settings and chose where we’ll start our tale. Then we started crafting additional characters for our main character to meet along their adventure. Finally, we turned our thoughts to MAGIC and brainstormed many different ways that magic might enter our stories. The Betas had so many imaginative and inspiring ideas to share!

Theme –

Huzzah! Market Day was here!

In a Medieval Market you would see cramped wooden stalls, sweaty vendors, bright fabric roofing or simple framing to hang merchandise from, wares laid out on cloth or leaves (food, vegetables, jewelry, weaponry, books, bright bolts of cloth and silk, spices, fruit, alcohol/ale, clothing & shoes, etc.) It was a time to sell your wares, purchase what you need, and catch up on all the gossip in town!

Our Peeps had a lovely time on Monday buying and selling and catching up with one another. The Queen Peeps of Beta Manor visited the stalls, purchasing many wonderful things as well! When our markets closed for the day, the kiddos wrote about their experiences as if they were really there in their medieval journals.

By Tuesday we moved on up the feudal system and have graduated to knighthood! Well not exactly. We will all begin as a Page.

In the Middle Ages, a knight started training at about the age of 7. He was sent to live in the house of a lord. There he was a Page. A Page did odd jobs and learned such skills as reading, writing, and hunting. At about age 12 he became a Squire. A Squire served a knight and learned how to use swords and spears. He also learned how to get around in body armor. At about age 21 the Squire promised to serve a lord. Then the squire became a knight.

One of the responsibilities of a knight in training is the upkeep of their master’s swords 🗡️. We have begun fashioning one of our own! ⚔️

Our rigorous training has also begun! Our young Pages warmed up with some simple exercises and running before attempting the obstacle course. Not only are the Queens looking for physically strong knights but knights who listen, follow directions and don’t give up when the going gets tough. We can tell you with certainty that this group of pages is a force to be reckoned with!

The first obstacle course required climbing, swinging and balance- all important skills in battle! Our second obstacle course provided us practice in scaling castle walls! After our first training we wrote about the experience in our medieval journals.

Not only is it important to be physically fit as a knight, we also need a strong mind- to be able to think strategically. Games like “Page in a Palace” (or chess for instance) helps build our minds to think strategically. It was a peaceful way to end our busy week!