They're Creepy and They're Kooky...

Mysterious and spooky....Spiders and bats that is.....

Hello Families!

Happy Friday to you all! This week has been all things Halloween. Today we continued our "Not So Scary" talk about spiders and bats. Did you know bats keep the bug population down? They are actually a big part of the web of life. Bats can eat 3 times their weight in bugs every night! Spiders eat bugs too and spin webs just about everyday.

We also made our own version of spiders. Check them out on our bulletin board! Also, don't miss the "Scaredy Cat" photos on our big bulletin board. Scary and funny at the same time!

Have a great weekend and make sure you make time to do something special with your families!

Happy Day to You,

Miss Sue

Have a Retro Halloween

Hello Friends,

Wow! Still more Halloween celebrating around here...today we did something retro...we actually popped popcorn in an air popper...really retro would have been a popcorn pot. However, a air popper was absolutely magical to these children. First I brought out the popper and asked if they knew what it was. No one could guess, some thought it was a mixer, a few thought it was a blender and one child thought it was a heater. I brought out a bag of popcorn and no one could guess what it was either...some thought it was sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or just plain old seeds. Next we discussed how popcorn pops and how the air popper will heat the popcorn and air and we will begin to have popcorn in our bowl in just a few minutes. Shazam! Popcorn came popping out right into our big bowl. Next, we added the carmel syrup to make our popcorn balls. Pretty amazing according to the audience!

I explained that when I was a little girl, lots of times neighbors would give out popcorn balls instead of candy. One child asked, "Miss Sue, you were a little girl?" Yes, I said, we all start off as little girls and boys, even me!

Here is the recipe: (beware! It's sticky and addicting)

Best Ever Popcorn Balls

3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup butter
2 t. water
2 1/2 cup confectionery sugar
1 cup marshmallows
5 qts. plain popped popcorn

In a suacepan over medium heat, combine the corn syrup, margarine, cold water, sugar and marshmallows. Heat and stir until the mixture comes to a boil. Carfully combine the hot mixture with the popcorn, coating all kernels.

Greas hands with vegetable shortnening and quickly shape the coated popcorn into balls before it cools. Wrap with plastic wrap and store at room temp.

Enjoy your day...we are! Come and join us soon!

Miss Sue

It's the Great Pumpkin Festival!

Booooo to Everyone!

What a super, fantastic, fabulous, fun, splendid and spooky day we had! First off, the baby yard lawn area was covered with tarps and blankets and had hay bales, corn stalks, pumpkins and decoration everywhere. We spent the entire morning outside where we read stories, sang songs and heard a semi-spooky story about the "Vanishing Bones".

We got to eat some delicious cupcakes that Blake's family brought for morning snack. Then we decorated cookies, got tattooed and went searching for our own pumpkins and the mysterious bones. They were hidden all over the yard. Since we covered Anatomy yesterday, we had several children asking if they had found femurs or tibias. Actually, they were toilet paper and paper towel rolls painted white and semi-crinkled up to look old and battered. They asked for a "redux" of the game this afternoon!

This afternoon will bring us bobbing for apples, playing a bean bag toss game, pinning the nose on the pumpkin, dropping clothespins in the witch's cauldron and finally watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", as many of our friends do not know who Snoopy, Linus, Charlie Brown or Lucy are.

Hope you had as splendid a day as we have!
Miss Sue

Anatomy 101

Hello Followers,

Today we learned some facts about skeletons. Did you know that children have 300 bones and us adults have about 260? That's because some of the bones become fused together. Today we learned that skeletons are not all that scary and that we need to have one to stand up otherwise we would be a puddle on the ground. We talked all about bones and where they are located. We learned that our thigh bone, called the femur, is the largest bone in our body. Next up an arachnid and a bat discussion.

Also we made our own Trick or Treat Bags that are drying due to the ample usage of black paint and glitter. We are really very Halloween-a-fied around here. Wait until you see the Great Pumpkin Festival tomorrow...Johanna and a wonderful volunteer, Teresa, have set up in the back baby yard for our festival tomorrow.

Enjoy the photos!

Miss Sue

Halloween-a-palooza

Good Afternoon Followers,

Wowweee! Welcome to Halloween-a-palooza! We are really in the Halloween spirit (!) around here. This morning we made purple glitter paint bats and pumpkins made with our fist. They are both so cute! The bats were marble art-ed and are still drying. The fist pumpkins are still drying too. Additionally, this afternoon we are going to try our hands at figuring out what is in the Mystery Box......ooooooooooohhhhhhhhh. Could it be a bat, a snake, some pom poms, a skeleton, what will you touch?

Yippee for good weather...some beautiful days to go out and play! Also, we are getting ready for the First Annual Great Pumpkin Festival, so bring on the pumpkins! We can hardly wait! Enjoy the photos!

Boo to you,
Miss Sue

Spooooooooky!

Welcome to our blog,

Today was quite busy with making paper candy corn or two types and playing pin the nose on the pumpkin. We also read, read, read...the children give me a pile of books each morning they are wanting to hear every day. Some are repeats, some a "number one best sellers" and some are much more esoteric and not as popular. In order, the most popular books are: "Art Dog" with the accompanying real paintings which we discuss the artist and the painting's name, "I Stink", the story told from the perspective of a New York City garbage truck, "The Gumdrop Tree" the story of a little girl who plants some gumdrops and watches a gumdrop tree grow, "The Spooky Hour", a Halloween tale, "Cars", a synopsis of the movie, "Stone Soup", the story from a few weeks ago about sharing and caring.

We have had a lot of fun this week with all things Halloween...and we have another whole week to indulge! Enjoy!

Miss Sue

How to Haunt a House

Hello Followers,

Today we made our own version of Haunted Houses...soon to appear on a bulletin board here at school. It was fun to see what they wanted to include for scary features on their houses.....bats, witch's hats, stars, spiders and more.

Today we will also be making ghosts, too! Can't wait! We also have new cash registers to play with in the late afternoon. Plus dress up...this is living large in Cherub terms! We have men's jackets, fatigues, fancy dresses, princess dresses, boas, purses, glasses, clip-cloppy shoes, etc. We have our own version of "Say Yes to the Dress" or "What Not to Wear". It is always full of laughs, smiles and giggles. More pictures of this coming your way....

Have a good one,
Miss Sue