Into December We Go...

Dear Mariposa Families and Friends,

November sure was fast!  We had a lot of fun reflecting on what we are most thankful for and even enjoyed our first rainy days at Rolph. 

Students and staff decorated leaves with what they are most thankful for.  Family, their lives and friends were common answers. Staff took it further by having students think about how their lives could be different if certain elements were missing.  During science we taught students to remember to be thankful for plants and nature as they play a huge role in our air cycle, pictured here too.

Some inside dress-up fun with first grade friends.

Did you know that we have not been going to Precita Park (except Thursdays) since the time change?  Due to parent/teacher conference week and the extra hour of Mariposa, we returned to Precita. Here some 5th graders perform for the judges and below is a heated football game.  Kickball has also been super popular this month!

We also like to post students hard at homework!

Paola with a nice little crowd for story time.

More homework.  Yeahhhh good job!

Yes it is true, we allowed electronics during parent/teacher conference week!  Although it goes against Mariposa believes of being device-free while here, it was allowed because it was a kid idea brought to the Kid's Council earlier this year.  We actually forgot about it, but the students sure did not.  What was cool was that most of the games they played are actually interactive and they created some fun challenges.  Electronics week also really helped us get through the long, rainy days we must admit!

Random inside fun.

Indoor soccer!

Guitar lessons?  You never know what can happen at Mariposa.

The fort building on rainy days was so awesome!  Young engineers at work.

On the Thursdays that we don't have a visiting chef, we try to put something together with what we have.  Here Jenny and the kids make some tasty treats.

 

We also did a bunch of sewing to make use of the extra time during parent/teacher conferences and the rain.  It was awesome to see how well some of the first timers did!

Our friend from Tree Frog Treks brought a lizard by one afternoon for the kids to learn about.  She comes to Amelia's Miniposa Kids Toddler program that happens at Rolph each morning except Thursdays.  Please help us spread the word.

In Spring we are hoping to get to work on some outdoor gardening projects.  This is kind of our idea for now.  Large pots and planters that we can move if we have to.  Please consider donating some if you can or getting involved in the planning process if you are interested in gardening.  In related news, we are also looking forward to remodeling our skate course soon.  Did you know that a first grader taught Paola how to "drop-in" in November?  So cool!

It has been great writing this blog and I am very impressed with everyone's hard work.  Hopefully you found the letter packet in the sign-out binders by now asking for donations towards a staff holiday cash gift.  Please ask me if you haven't seen the letter and if you did, please give to our hardworking, amazing staff!  We also have a collection bin for new toys which will go to Bay Area Children in need.  We selected this charity as it is easiest for kids to relate to and will lay the foundation for their Service Learning projects later in the year.  (More on that another time)  Please show your children that giving is cool! 

Happy Holidays,

Chris K.

Science and More

We sure had a blast in October exploring Spooky Science and Art in preparation of our Halloween Carnival.  We hope that everyone who had the chance to attend had a wonderful time!  Sadly we were so busy during the event to take even one photo! 

So instead this blog will showcase our prep work leading up to the event; especially our weekly Wednesday science experiments that you may or may not have known about.  Enjoy the photos and please encourage other parents to read our blog.

Our November theme is Thankfulness during which we explore natural resources, food chains and more during science Wednesdays. Also please be sure to sign-up soon for childcare over Winter Break if  you think that you may need it.  - Chris

Aaron renamed this dish soap, food coloring and milk chemical reaction experiment "Ghost Droll" to draw a bigger crowd and it worked!  Older kids, girls, boys and even some parents could not resist the draw of the swirling colors.

Tree Frog Treks visits our morning toddler program, Miniposa each Tuesday.  One week they were kind enough to leave behind some recently shed snake skin for us to explore.

During this experiment students carved apples then soaked them in salt water so that osmosis would shrivel the apples creating a "Shrunken Head" effect.

In this experiment, "Witch's Brew" students mixed a variety of gross ingredients until Paola finally added her magic touch (baking soda and vinegar) to get a spectacular chemical reaction. 

In this experiment students made slime which we displayed at our very haunted house.  Although we are still cleaning up after everything, it was all worth it because the kids loved it!!!!

Halloween Party Prep

Dear Mariposa Parents, Ghoulians and Friendly Ghosts,

We are getting ready for one of our favorite events of the year, the Halloween Carnival.  And we would love your help!  Please check your closets, garages, attics, favorite stores and other nooks and crannies and consider lending or donating some of the following:

Dark colored sheets and/or tarps
Any Halloween Decorations
Black and Orange Balloons
Tasty Treats (no candy please)
Halloween serving bowls, utensils, etc.
You!  Please consider hanging out on the day of the event to help serve snack, run a game station, help control the energy or to just be an extra set of eyes to help keep everyone safe. 

Halloween falls on a Friday this year, and although only a fraction of our students attend that day, we hope that everyone can at least stop by with their families for a bit.  Also please help us spread the word that all Flynn Families are invited.  The event should be in full swing from 4 - 5pm with some before and after fun I'm sure.  We hope to see you all here!  If you dare, that is.

In related news, we would like to take this opportunity to thank Ethan and his mom Corey Fake for donating a ton of cool toys and art supplies that he has grown out of.  Everyone's favorite are the Magna-Tiles.  Check-out the kids in action.  Even Amelia couldn't resist!  Thank you Ethan and Corey!

Cooking Class Highlights

We've been cooking up a storm around Mariposa lately. Cooking class has been a great success so far this year and we really appreciate the help of our guest chefs. I want to take a minute to recognize the backbone of our cooking program, Jeremy Moran. He's not pictured here (yet), but he really is the standard to which we hold all of our guest chefs.

Below you'll see highlights from the last two weeks, first with guest chef Billy Riordan. Billy has years of experience and currently runs a pop-up restaurant business called Fog & Bridge. Billy and the crew made some mean sliders on National Hamburger day. Coincidence? I think not!

 

Next up we have Chef Jordan of Jordan's Kitchen making chicken avocado salad wraps. Healthy and delicious! We skinned and pulled apart whole chickens and spooned our way through some mighty big avocados. It was worth it!

Again, a special thanks to all of our chefs and check back for more pictures from our latest culinary creations.