Plato and Play Doh

Principal ponderings...

This weekend, we enjoyed some time playing with play doh...and slime (ugh).  Even though I am still finding and cleaning up pieces of play doh under our dining room table, I never get tired of the fun and creativity that happens with play doh playtime.  Speaking of play doh, there's an interesting quote from Plato: "You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation."  

Did you know that there is such a thing as a Global School Play Day?!  I have had previous schools participate in it, and the feedback has been very positive.  This year, Global School Play Day is happening on February 6th.  And I am hoping that many of you will want to join in on the fun on this day.  Here is the link to the site which explains how the day works: http://www.globalschoolplayday.com/.  I love how the motto of Global School Play Day is...restoring unstructured play to a generation of kids!  How often do our kids get the chance to enjoy unstructured play?  Think about how much unstructured play was involved in our lives growing up.

Here's a one minute clip from Boston College researcher Dr. Peter Gray advocating for Global School Play Day.  If you have 15 minutes or so, look up his TedTalk about the decline of play.

You might decide to go all in and have your whole day be a play day or you might decide to do an hour of play.  I just hope everyone will participate in some way.  You can sign up if you would like to on the website link above.  Let me know if you decide to participate in some way.  I will share with parents that we are looking into exploring this fun, but important day.  And remember, this play is not structured play, not organized by teachers, and definitely does not involve batteries, electricity or devices!

Last year, there were 388,493 participants from all around the globe.  Several other elementary schools in Massachusetts have participated in this day, and many of them unanimously decide to do it again and again every year.  Check out what other MA teachers and principals have to say about Global School Play Day:

"When I asked the staff about participating again it was unanimous.  Here are some of the reasons they wanted to do this:" 

• Simply put - you can learn through play!
• It was a great way to encourage interactions between students, to be able to relax while learning
• Hands on games are important to developing motor skills
• I think it's a great way for students to problem solve and resolve conflicts
• It's important to educate parents and the community about the benefits of play
• Playing is learning and exploring

Here's a two minute clip from a random school, explaining about how their global school play day was a success: 

So who is excited about a day of play?!  Think about how much fun you will have with your students and how you will learn so much more about them by watching them play and interact with their friends.

Currently reading:
I love when I get a box of books from Scholastic in the mail!  This week I got some new picture books, some new chapter books, and some new graphic novels.  I love this new picture book called The Very Impatient Caterpillar.  This funny book mixes in some real facts about metamorphosis while also giving a humorous picture of that tough skill of patience.

In my book box was a new one from Mo Willems called Should I Share My Ice Cream?  I actually gave this book to Emerson during our December book countdown since she loves ice cream and sharing is a big topic in our house right now.  Will Gerald the Elephant be able to do the right thing in time?

I was especially excited to get the newest book from my friend Cynthia Lord.  Her newest book is called Because of the Rabbit.  I started reading it as soon as I took it out of the box!  This book is about a girl who has been homeschooled, but she is starting public school in the 5th grade.  She wants to fit in, but is worried that the first friend she makes is one who will prevent her from finding the best friend she thinks she is supposed to find.  I always love Cynthia's books so I am sure this one won't disappoint.  

Events this week:

Monday - Facebook Live Bedtime Story w/Principal Garden
Tuesday - Mr. Wilde's Fit Club @ 8am, Kindergarten and Grade 1 Team Meetings @ 3:45, PTA Meeting @ 7:00 - Liz to speak about ALICE
Wednesday - Grade 3 Team Meeting @ 8:00
Thursday - Mr. Wilde's Fit Club @ 8am, Liz at Curriculum Meeting 7:45-10:00, CST Meeting @ 10:50, Grange visits Grade 3 for dictionary distribution @ 1:00
Friday - Grade 3-5 Winter DRAs end, PTA Family Movie Night in the gym @ 5:30

Great things I noticed last week:

• Caught kindergarteners turning knee to knee to talk about a read aloud. 
  
• 4th graders started their 'power half hour' sessions three days a week in the afternoon.  Lots of different areas of need being addressed, including this group that is working on number sense. 
  
• Loved walking into library and finding these 4th graders doing some comfy cozy reading on the couch! 
  
• Thanks for being willing to be creative during our staff meeting.  So many great #onewords and now you all have your word on a mug to remind you throughout the year. 
  
• Here are some of the #onewords that 5th graders choose and are on display in the office. 
  
• I stopped into 3Pz and saw the work they have been doing on their Genius Hour projects...getting ready to present to each other. 
  
• I had fun surprising all of the students on Friday!  I served lunch to all of the grades.  A huge thank you to the ladies that work in the kitchen.  It is non-stop action in the cafeteria for several hours, and they still manage to help every kid and even give out special hugs if needed! 
  

Check it out:
Some visuals to make you think...