Sunshine, Show Time, and Counting to Big Numbers ☀️

From noticing the changing weather, to counting our way to big numbers, to bringing puppet shows to life, we continued to explore the world around them with enthusiasm and care. We began our week with the gift of wonderfully warm weather. Our story this week, The Rain Came Down by David Shannon, felt like the perfect companion to these shifting skies. Just like the story, we noticed how changes in the weather help us wonder about what might happen next. Is the sky getting darker? Will it rain later? These small observations sparked conversations and predictions, reminding us how closely children watch the world around them.

We also spent time this week counting in playful and meaningful ways. We worked together to count and place our collection of can tabs into jars, and watched the numbers grow bigger and bigger. We counted to 30, 100, then 200, and even 300. Each milestone brought a wave of excitement as the children realized just how many tabs we have collected together so far this year.

Our classroom puppet theater also became a lively place of imagination and collaboration this week. We spent time diving deeper into what makes a puppet show come to life. Diving into the role of the audience, quickly reminding one another of important theater rules with calls of “No talking!” and “Phones off!” Some children took on the role of servers, offering popcorn and ice cream sandwiches to the audience before the show began. Behind the scenes, actors carefully prepared with finger puppets and silk scarves as costumes. We even talked about what an intermission is—a special pause in the show when actors can switch costumes and the audience can stretch, enjoy snacks, and talk about the performance they just watched.

Please enjoy some lovely photos from our week, and have a wonderful weekend!

Do You See Something Yellow Somewhere In This Classroom?

Kids have been practicing sorting and organizing this week through scavenger hunts at morning meeting. Every day, 3 different groups took turns finding types of materials around the classroom to bring back to the rug and sort. Monday, kids sorted things by color; Tuesday, kids sorted things into big and small; Wednesday, kids found things in between big and small; Thursday, kids sorted things into pairs; Friday, kids sorted things by material. It was so fun to work together and move around the classroom, finding creative solutions to our challenge.

This week was also the first week we used our class job chart! All the kids have important jobs they do every day, like unpacking our bags, keeping ourselves and our friends safe, and playing. Each week, different kids get the chance to do class jobs, like collecting dots, setting up snacks, and bringing our weekly story to and from the self. Kids practice their job every day for that week before someone new gets a turn the next week. Thank you to our classroom helpers who did a great job this week taking care of and preparing the classroom for all the kids!

Outside, we watched as piles of snow slowly shrank and melted before turning into puddles perfect for splashing in! We’re all starting to get excited for Spring, even and especially if that means more rain!

Inside, friends up in the loft called for everyone below to watch their puppet show. Kids set up chairs for the audience while performers in the loft negotiated and planned their performance, and chefs in the play kitchen prepared ice cream sandwiches as in-viewing snacks. Using finger puppets, we heard stories of octopuses that live to 100 years old and dogs with brothers.

Friends also explored some new-shaped blocks and loose parts in the block area. It was fun to envelop animals inside cardboard tubes or connect them to blocks with rubber bands. Fake ivy turned into jungles and gardens outside dramatic cities and castles.

The kids who stay for lunch started a new podcast: PBS Molly of Denali. The story follows Molly, a girl whose family is native to Alaska, and the mystery of how her birthday cake disappeared. The story features a mischievous raven character, which we learned, through research, is a recurring symbol in Native Alaskan culture. Ravens can either be tricksters or protectors in stories, and sometimes even both. We even looked back at a book we read in the beginning of the year to learn about other symbols in native culture.

Celebrations, Snowy Days, and An Experiment

It’s been wonderful to be back at school with the children this week! We’ve been exploring the snow in our yard, uncovering “buried treasure” with shovels and sifters. We’ve been cooking up soup in our play kitchen, exploring new materials in the sensory table and using stamps to write notes for each other.

Nona’s family came in to celebrate her fifth birthday on Thursday! We had fun learning about sea creatures from her animal encyclopedia. Happy birthday, Nona!

While reading Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb and Erin Kroan, we did an experiment! In the story, the buffalo gets wet and becomes much smaller. We poured water over crumped-up tissues and observed what happened when they got wet. The tissues shrunk and the children described what happened. “It’s wet,” said Charlie. “It’s heavy when there’s water,” said Luca. Renata said, “You see this rain cloud? It got squeezed. A cloud is made of water. The water makes the buffalo puffy and smaller.”

The week before our February break, we celebrated Valentine’s Day by working on Valentines for each other and our families. Children put Valentines in each others’ mailboxes and hung decorated hearts in our school’s front window. Rose’s mom came in to read a Valentine’s Day story with us and decorate cookies!

Finally, in theater adventures this week, we took turns twirling like snowflakes on the wind. Then we had to sneak past some winter creatures to rescue an egg and bring it back to its penguin parent! We were successful.

Have a wonderful weekend and we look forward to seeing you all next week!

Small, Medium, and Big Problems

The massive snowstorm from the weekend created some truly awesome fun for us this week. While some kids opted to stay warm inside, others layered on their winter gear to go play in the snow. Upon seeing the mountains of snow and icicles around the yard, kids deemed the area a “Winter Wonderland.“ There was so much snow that the milk crates were stuck and needed 3 kids working together just to pull one out! It was really fun to discover and collect chunks of ice around the yard; kids called them “ice crystals” and protected them from giant snow monsters. We also experimented with spray paint, or colored water in spray bottles, to decorate our yard rainbow colors.

Inside, dramatic puppet shows were performed from the top off the loft. Down below on the big green rug, kids lined up stools and chairs to create an audience, or a viewing area to watch the puppet shows. Kids discussed how they wanted each other to behave during the shows, coming up with rules like:

-No talking

-No pictures

-No food or drink

-No glass

Meeting, this week, was an interesting conversation about problems. We talked about different types of problems and how they can be solved. Small problems are things that kids can try and solve by themselves first, like zipping up a jacket. A medium problem is something where a kid needs a grownup’s help, like a book page getting ripped. A big problem is something where a grownup needs to call another grownup for help, like when the plumber came to fix the school toilet last week. Being able to label our problems has been helpful for kids to work through their feelings and know how to solve issues.

It’s hard to believe we’re in for more snow this weekend, but we’re excited for all the fun it’ll bring us next week! Stay warm!

Portraits, Feelings, and Straight/Curvy Lines

This week, we’ve been playing boisterously in the loft, in the snow, and with building materials around the room. We particularly enjoyed finding “ice crystals” in the sinks in the yard, practicing cutting with scissors and paper at the art table, and sending letters to each other at the classroom’s message center.

We’ve been working on concepts around literacy and body awareness that share something in common: straight and curvy lines. We’ve been using Handwriting Without Tears’ “Mat Man” curriculum to create the human body out of straight and curvy lines, and then using those lines to create upper and lower-case letters during small group work. We’ve been working on self-portraits, noticing the straight and curvy lines in our own faces and translating what we see in the mirror to a representation on paper.

We have continued to explore how we’re feeling by naming feelings such as “calm,” “sad,” “happy,” “angry” and “love.” Each morning, children move their pictures to one of the “feelings collages” we made in small groups, in order to share with the class how they’re feeling that day. If a child’s feelings change over the course of the day, we encourage them to change their picture to match how they are feeling - which can serve as a way to help name, sit with and resolve the feeling.

We are wishing everyone a cozy, snowy weekend!

Photos From Our Week

Photos from Cora’s birthday celebration last week, as well as the beginning of this week!

Exploring Feelings, Letters, and Community

This week has been filled with connection, creativity, and meaningful moments together. It was especially lovely to welcome families into our community for our very first all-school sing of 2026. Seeing familiar faces gathered together to share music set such a joyful tone for the days ahead.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve also been discussing our loft space, which officially opened this week. The children were thrilled to explore it, and it has already become a favorite spot for imaginative play—especially puppet shows, where stories and friendships flourish.

In small group work, we focused on early literacy skills by practicing curves and lines, with special attention to the letter “M.” The children approached this work with care and concentration, building confidence as they explored letter shapes.

Our book this week, The Color Monster, opened up thoughtful conversations about feelings. Together, we explored what happiness, anger, fear, sadness, calm, and love can look and feel like. The children expressed these emotions through beautiful feelings collages, which are now displayed in our classroom as a reflection of their ideas.

We hope everyone enjoys a restful holiday weekend. See you all on Tuesday!

Photos From Our Week

Welcome Back!

Happy New Year! It’s been an absolute joy reuniting with friends and teachers back at Brooklyn Schoolhouse after a long Winter Break. Kids have been updating each other on trips they took, gifts they got, and people they saw. They’ve also been exploring new changes to the classroom together. Some areas in the classroom have moved, some have new materials, and some are completely new altogether.

One of the new areas at school is the Message Center. Here, kids can explore writing, reading, and drawing messages. This week, we used the Message Center to learn pre-literacy skills like tracing and coloring in to create a “Jack-O-Lantern face”. Friends felt so proud when they finished their drawings. Some kids even added details, like teeth and eyebrows, to the face they made.

The acorns, seed pods, and pinecones families collected were added to the corn sensory table. Throughout the week, acorns were cracking and kids were fascinated by their insides. They started having more questions about the insides of other things they saw in the table. Teachers helped open a Sycamore Ball which revealed a fluffy and almost feathery inside.

At Meeting, we’ve started preparing for a long awaited change to classroom: opening up the loft! Friends helped each other come up with rules to use the loft safely. Ideas like, eyes facing forward, slow feet, and keep space between friends. We also brainstormed some materials and toys to put up in the loft, things like decorations, stuffies, “Love Every” boxes, and toy animals.

We’re excited to open the loft soon and see what fun we can get up to in there!

Celebrating Snow and Winter Holidays

This week at school, children helped make paper chains to decorate our classroom for our schoolwide Winter Celebration! Zoe led children in cutting out strips of recycled paper and weaving them together.

Families came in to visit and share their winter holiday traditions. Nona’s parents, Nadia and Robbie, and Eli and Athena’s parents, Justine and Daniel, visited and shared about Hanukkah! We got to hear two Hanukkah stories, light a Lego menorah together, and eat sufganiyot together.

Throughout the week, children enjoyed the snow in our yard! We explored the textures of snow and observed how ice and snow melt into water. Zoe shared with us about Ukrainian Christmas, and we made cherry turnovers inspired by Ukrainian verenyky to celebrate. We served these turnovers at our winter celebration!

We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and we are looking forward to seeing you all in the New Year!

Lights, Recipes, and Cozy Winter Play ✨

Our week was filled with creativity, exploration, and the kind of cozy winter play that brings everyone together.

We began our week by making lime-green play-dough, working with friends to explore something new: a recipe. The children noticed how each ingredient had a purpose, and Renata offered a wonderful observation as she helped mix:

“A recipe is like a menu.”

Her words sparked a conversation about how recipes guide us just like menus help us choose what we want.

We also spent time talking about lights, noticing how they appear all around us during this season. We wondered together about how lights help us see, how they make spaces feel special, and how they’re used in different celebrations this time of year. We talked about the menorah, Christmas tree lights, and the kinara, and the children shared their own experiences with decorations at home. Inspired by these conversations, we used our ideas to decorate our classroom loft with lights, making it feel cozy, welcoming, and festive.

With the colder weather creeping in, we used some of our indoor time to stay warm and play a favorite community-building game: “Who’s Under the Blanket?” The room filled with giggles as friends guessed who was hiding and took turns being the mystery person.

Out in the yard, our time together was—as always—full of exploration, movement, and imaginative ideas. The children continue to show curiosity in every corner of our outdoor space, creating stories, challenges, and discoveries in the crisp air.

We ended our week with a very special visit: Luca’s mom, Martha, came in to read Nanette’s Baguette. The children were delighted by the silly rhymes and playful illustrations—and even more excited when she surprised us with real baguettes to share during snack time. It was a warm and joyful treat that brought our classroom together.

Have a beautiful, cozy weekend, and see you next week!

Photos From Our Week

Tracing, Dancing, and Storytime Surprises

This week was full of surprises and joyful moments as we explored new ideas through art, movement, and storytelling. Children spent time tracing circles, triangles, and squares, proudly noticing how their lines became more confident with each try. Our imaginations took flight when we encountered a friendly “alien” during dramatic play, sparking giggles, curious questions, and lots of creative pretending. We brought big energy to the room with a hula-hoop dance party, moving, hopping, and grooving around our very own “ring of fire.” We read this week Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton, a sweet and colorful story, filled with pauses of wonder at how Little Owl felt and with predictions of who might help him next.

Please enjoy some lovely photos from our week!

Adventures in Nature: Exploring Leaves, Pumpkins, and Animals!

This week was filled with adventure, creativity, and so much joyful exploration. With nature offering us endless invitations, the children spent their days imagining, creating, and discovering together.

Out in the yard, we were deeply engaged with one of the most abundant natural materials of the season — leaves. They made leaf piles, leaf angels, and even “leaf confetti.” At one moment, Graham excitedly announced, “Let’s all collect 200 leaves!” sparking a shared mission with classmates deciding if the pile needed “more” or if they finally had “enough.”

The children also used leaves to inspire storytelling and creativity, suggesting different animals that could be formed using leaf shapes — including a duck — echoing the whimsical spirit of the beloved book Leaf Man. Moments like these reminded us how nature itself can be a powerful tool for imaginative play.

Alongside the leaf investigations, children used paint sticks on large cardboard boxes, discovering how simple materials can become anything with enough imagination. Some turned the box into a canvas, others into a structure, and others into a space to share ideas. Their creativity transformed a plain box into a world of possibility.

Zoe brought new inspiration to our leftover pumpkins from Halloween. Together, the class opened one pumpkin and explored everything about it — the smell, the texture, the colors. Some children described the inside as “slimy,” while Eli observed, “It looks like it has hair on the inside!” The children also eagerly tried counting how many seeds they could find.

We then brought the pumpkin into the classroom’s sensory table, offering water scoops and cleaned yogurt cups to help collect and rinse the seeds. With a mix of baking soda and purple-tinted vinegar, we turned our pumpkin into a pumpkin volcano. The class watched closely as it bubbled and erupted, sharing their observations. Jonas offered an exciting description: “It’s sizzling.”

One of the most anticipated moments of the week was our Neighborhood Nature Animal Visit. We began with a classroom countdown and shared predictions — some hoping for a panda or even a giraffe!

With gentle “one-finger touches,” soft voices, and still bodies, the children met

• Prebbles the Box Turtle,

• Swirl the Bunny,

• and Thayer the Arizona Mountain King Snake.

We learned about the variety of animals that can be found right in our own neighborhoods and parks, exploring what a hard shell feels like, what soft fur invites, and what wet, cool scales are like. The visit sparked so much curiosity and care as the children asked questions and shared their own experiences with animals.

We hope everyone has a wonderful, restful weekend, and we look forward to seeing you all on Monday for more discoveries together!

Photos From Our Week

Photos From Our Week

The Start of Autumn

Despite it being a shorter week, we’ve had very full days at Brooklyn Schoolhouse. In the morning, we have continued our Freeze Dance parties, this time with some wonderful Autumnal themed songs like, Autumn in New York by Billie Holiday, as well as songs like Coyita by Gustavo and Roar by Katy Perry. It was so beautiful watching children move their bodies as if they were leaves drifting down from the trees with the wind.

At Morning Meeting, kids talked about Election Day and what it means to vote.

“You have to hand over your name to someone and then someone marks it down, and then after you get a sticker and you walk home.” said Rose

“Voting means you have a job.” said Charlie

“Voting means you have signs up and you have to pick someone.” said Emilia

After the discussion, the class helped vote for what song they wanted to sing, Autumn Leaves or Hi, My Name is Joe. Kids told Colette which song they wanted to sing and she would mark it on a piece of paper. After everyone voted, we all helped count which song had more votes. With a count of 9 to 6, Hi, My Name is Joe was the clear winner.

Throughout the week, we took turns looking at and talking about compost and worms. Together, we looked at a compost guide that shows which foods are yummy to worms and which foods might make worms feel sick.

“They’ll get sick if they eat too much (oranges), maybe they’ll throw up.”- said Jonas.

“It will get sick.” said Charlie

“I love strawberries!” said Lou.

We also helped feed the worms by ripping up pieces of paper to fit their tiny mouths and sorting through some of the food waste we make in our own classroom, like rice cakes and orange peels.

Colette taught us that sweat is something salty that comes from our hands, and salt is something that worms don’t like. So, instead of touching the worms with our fingers, kids observed the worms using sticks and magnifying glasses.

On Thursday, Justine, Eli and Athena’s mom, came in to read a story called The Rabbit Listened, by Cori Doerrfeld. The story is about a child who gets comforted by a bunny after their block tower gets knocked down. It is a great reminder how sometimes it is more important to simply be present than try to fix the problem.

Outside and inside, there were new materials to discover. Outside, we continued to hammer golf tees into pumpkins. It was so fun to see how we could balance toy bugs and animals on the surface of the pumpkins.

Inside, kids built castles and submarines using the new triangle and bridge shapes in the unit block center. Baby dolls got the addition of medical tools and books, which children have used to help the babies feel better from colds and boo-boos. We could even cook new recipes for the babies to try with materials from the play kitchen. It will be exciting to see where these materials take our play in the upcoming weeks.

Photos From Our Week

Decorating Jack O’Lanterns and Rangoli!

How can it be the end of October already? Time is flying by, and we’re continuing to have so much fun here at Brooklyn Schoolhouse!  

We listened to three new songs during our morning dance parties this week: “Will It Go Round” by Billy Preston, “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers and “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” from The Lion King. Lots of children really enjoyed these songs and wanted us to share them with grown ups so you can listen to them at home! 

For our small group work project, children made Rangoli out of paper plates and colored sand. We talked about how Rangoli are used to celebrate Diwali, a holiday that some families might have celebrated last week. Children used their fine motor skills when squeezing glue out of bottles and sprinkling colored sand onto paper (which some called fairy dust!) This activity allowed for ample creative expression and conversation about this holiday. 

Our story this week was Stumpkin by Lucy Ruth Cummins, one of our favorite Halloween stories. It tells the story of a stemless pumpkin who finds a permanent home inside the store where he lives. This led to several lovely conversations about finding your home and being unique. 

We started preparing for our school Halloween party this week by creating our own jack o’lanterns out of empty pretzel jars and tissue paper. We will continue to decorate our classroom and yard next week to make sure everything is nice and ready for our school celebration next Friday! 

We hope you have a lovely weekend, and look forward to seeing you soon!

In community, 

Your Brooklyn Schoolhouse Teachers 

Photos From Our Week