At the Last Day of School Potluck, Thursday, May 30th, we will hold our annual Egg Drop. This is a tradition at McGuffey that goes back decades!

Prior to the last day of school, students will spend time at home designing a package that will hold a fresh egg. This “vehicle” will keep it from breaking when it has been thrown off the roof over the kitchen onto cold, hard cement.

For novices, the use of bubble wrap is appropriate, however, as the years creep by, many students begin to consider packaging that is more creative and “engineered.”

Although no dangerous materials are permitted, creativity is much revered.

There are small prizes for those whose “packaging” delivers an egg intact to the ground, and respect for innovative schemes, even when they don’t succeed.

RULES
- Raw eggs only! No eggs may be hard-boiled.
- No dangerous materials may be used.
- Students may not go on the roof at any time for any reason.
- Egg packages should be delivered to the collection point when they arrive at school.
- Only the designated adult may drop eggs from the roof.
- Students must stay behind the designated “drop zone” boundary.

Good luck and get busy creating!

This week we had music partners to work on an early rhythm exercise for the pre-primary unit. Not only did the younger set get their first lesson in composing with rhythm, the older students had a chance to cement the knowledge they’ve gained this year. The pre-primary unit was divided into three and each part had a chance to work with another unit: primary, intermediate and upper. After dividing into small groups, an older child read the wonderful book Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett. Next, each group was given a set of tiles with a picture of an orange, pear, apple, bear or the word “there” on each one. The tiles were used to compose a rhythm sentence then played for the entire group using un-pitched instruments like drums or claves. Afterward, there was time for the older students to discuss whether the lesson was easy to grasp (yes, for the kindergartners) or difficult (yes, for the preschoolers.) Easy or difficult, everyone had a great time!

McGuffey Montessori is offering three summer camps this year. Enrollment is limited but is currently open! Camp information and downloadable registration forms can be found here.

Do you remember as a kid, that the day after your birthday was kind of a downer? Or, how the moments after you opened your presents could bring a sense of disappointment, a longing for the anticipation you felt before opening those presents?

The days following a show like McGuffey Monstessori’s Schoolhouse Rock Live, Jr. can bring on those same feelings. That’s why we used last week’s music and choir classes to decompress and regroup. We looked at pictures and glued them into the kids’ libretti, made sure we got everyone’s autograph, laughed at some of our mistakes and then watched a video of the show. We talked and talked, about our emotions, how the performances felt like a service to the community, what was hard, what was easy, and lots more.

And then this week, we moved on. Plans were discussed and a new song was learned for the concert on the last day of school—you’ll be there, right?—which will take place after lunch and before the famous Egg Drop right here at McGuffey Montessori. It felt good to re-live the show and then find something else to work toward.

Uncle McGuffey wants YOU to volunteer.  As the school year winds down, we still have opportunities for parents to fulfill their family volunteer obligation. Here are a few opportunities:

• Tuesday May 14 – we need a half-dozen chaperones for the Newport Aquarium trip. We will cover the cost of admission for those chaperones.

• Thursday May 23 – We need 6 to 10 chaperones for the trip to Hueston Woods.  This is Parent / Teacher conference day, and the children (Kindergarten-grade 7) will be having a field day.  I need a parent to organize the field day activities, and parents to run the activities.  The faculty will all be at conferences, so I have to rely on volunteers to make this day work.

• Thursday May 30 – This is the final day of school.  We always have a barbecue and our annual egg-drop.  I need volunteers to do the shopping, run the grill, set up the buffet line, and clean up afterwards.

If interested, you can email Al.

The students made butterflies to celebrate our friend, Mary Perkins, who is in the Primary group. The butterflies have been connected on a wire and will be displayed at the Butterfly Walk 2013. We are so happy to have Mary at McGuffey!

6th graders are reviewing and extending their knowledge of exponents and powers.  They are also learning how to use some of those mysterious keys on their scientific calculators.

Do your kids love art? Do they come home every day and want to paint, but you don’t want to have to clean it up? Leave it to the professionals! For one week, at the Oxford Community Arts Center, Jim and Elise McWilliams will immerse your children in art, head to toe (please have them wear clothes they can get messy). The class will cover a wonderful variety of 2D and 3D art projects and will discuss how art relates to world cultures, storytelling, art history, and snacks! Pack a lunch and bring your child to this great art workshop—preschool through 2nd grade, 4-8 years old. The class may be split up, depending on enrollment, so that all age ranges and levels of immersion are addressed.

The camp will be held July 1–5, from 9am–5pm. The $130 cost includes materials fee. For more information, consult the Oxford Community Arts Center website.

Bird-related crafts and nature education booths will entertain the kids. By completing five of the activities, they can earn a nature patch featuring our beautiful Audubon Miami Valley logo.

Local organizations will be on hand to offer tips for families who want to get their children outdoors and enjoying nature. Look for our new “No Child Left Inside” booth for information.

Bird walks will be offered for all ages, led by an experienced “birder”. Bring your binoculars, or try out some of ours. Learn to recognize birds by sight and by their songs.

Raptor, Inc. and Hueston Woods will have live birds on display. Licensed bird-banders will explain the importance of their research at a demonstration banding station.

Tell your gardening friends about our Native Plant Sale at the Festival! Native plants attract birds and butterflies to your yard and offer them important habitat in our built-up world.

Music and food concessions will help make this a most enjoyable outing for your family.

Our theme this year, “Save the Big Woods”, highlights our chapter’s conservation project, funded by a Togethergreen grant from Toyota and National Audubon Society. Volunteers are working to remove invasive plants from the Hueston Woods Nature Preserve, in order to protect native wildflowers and young trees. While you are here, take the time to walk one of the lovely woodland trails.

Please join us!

Gail Reynolds, President
Audubon Miami Valley

Download the flyer here!

Last Tuesday was Parents’ Night! This is a special night Pre-Primary hosts each spring where our children bring their parents to the classroom to show them where they spend their time and what they work on each day.

The children spent much of the morning cleaning the classroom to get it looking its best. They dusted the shelves and manipulatives, washed the boots, and swept the floors. In the afternoon we gathered some flowers to put in a vase to make our classroom extra fancy. Kindergarteners worked on a large welcome sign.

By this point in the year, the classroom is like a second home. The children are so excited to share it with their parents and show them what they have learned!

It is this time of year that we are reminded how lucky we are to work each day with these amazing children, and we have their equally-amazing parents to thank for that.