Science Journals: Day 1, 5/5/08, written at 8:20

Hours worked: 8:00-12:15
Time spent working outside of classroom: 1:00-1:45
6:00-7:45 (Total=6 hours, 45 minutes)

Today was the first day at the Proctor Daycare. I was very excited about it and very nervous! As soon as we walked in the door we were greeted with open arms and welcomed by the kids, especially a boy named Jim who proceeded to run his fingers through my hair and question me about my favorite cloud, frog and other things. When we first got there Hannah and I sat down and cut out an outline of a frog. After that we had some downtime where we played with the kids because at that time they had free time where they could do whatever they wanted. Sand was being dung in at the sandbox, blocks were being stacked high and cars were being raced around the carpet! Hannah and I both had hot tea and tomatoes being poured on us and we were being cut up with a plastic knife from the kitchen area! After that Hannah had to go to class so it was just me! I was a bit nervous, but it ended up being totally fine. It was crazy to see that it was already snack time at 9:30 in the morning. I sat at a table with five other kids and talked with them while they ate their snacks. Then, the kids all circled up for what is called, "morning meeting" where they recorded the weather, put up the date and someone told a riddle. Today is was Ani, and her riddle was about a flower and a bee! Then came centers! The kids were given an option of four centers and when their name was chosen out of a bin, they got to choose what center they wanted to start at. It was nice to see that the first four kids all choose our center. For the first day we had the kids create their own science journals. The night before Hannah and I had gone to the bookstore to get the free notebooks that the bookstore gives out. When they came to the center they were given a cut out frog and told to decorate it any way they wanted. While they colored they choose a color of construction paper that was glued on the front of the notebook. When they were done we assisted them with gluing the frog on to the notebook. Then if they could write their name, they would, if not we would write it for them. A good amount seemed to know most of the letters in their name, which was impressive! Afterwards we all gathered around a couch while one of the teachers read a couple stories to us! Both Hannah and I had children swarming around us and a few even laying on us! They sure didn't have trouble adjusting to us being there. Next, we went outside for recess! A few of them needed help getting coats and shoes on, but then even Hannah and I got our energy out by chasing after them, going down the slide and playing "Tadpole, Tadpole, Frog!". This game is basically duck, duck, goose except we changed the name so it was one more thing that related to our unit! Then when they were all tired out, we brought them inside and they sat down for lunch. Once everything was settled Hannah and I went off to lunch. After, we had a short meeting with Raz, and afterwards we planned for the rest of the week! They all questioned and hollered as we walked out the door asking where we were going! It was sad to go but we promised we would be back tomorrow! Finally, after dinner Joey, Rob, Hannah and I went to the pond and caught four tadpoles! Then we created a suitable living environment for them. Overall, I think day 1 has gone really well and we are very excited to bring in our tadpoles tomorrow to show the kids!