Mrs. McLeod’s mother-in-law helped us make gingerbread cookies today. We put them in the oven and went back to check on them and they were gone. The children thought Mr. Brownlee or Mr. Taylor took them. There was a note left by the Gingerbread Man that suggested how we could track down our cookies. We tiptoed in the hallway so we wouldn’t scare the Gingerbread Man away. We went to the library, office, gym and then back to our class where we found them. They were yummy! Most of us ate the head or the leg first. The note from the Gingerbread Man read, “Enjoy your cookies and then go play. I hope to see you another day.”

The students and staff of Fieldcrest Elementary represent a rich diversity of cultural traditions. Last week, the kindergarten students rotated through the kindergarten classes. They learned about many of Canada’s special days and ways people celebrate them. They created pointsettas for Posadas, Christmas trees for Christmas, a menorah for Hanukkah as well as other crafts and songs for Kwanzaa, Eid and Diwali. There are lots of reasons to celebrate here in Bradford!

A little elf arrived from the North Pole by parachute. His name is Tiny and he has been watching our behavior and reporting it back to Santa each night. Each morning he has returned from the North Pole and has rested in a new and different place. Each morning the children race to get undressed to try and be the first to spy him in his new position. To preserve his magic the children are not allowed to touch him but can talk to him. Mrs. T. and Mrs. McLeod have used a few gentle reminders that the “elf is watching”.

In Dina Dinosaur School, Wally, Molly and Dina helped us learn the difference between tattling and telling. Ms. Stewart read us the story ” A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue” that she borrowed from Mrs. Rawson’s grade 1 class. It is a story about a little boy who tattles way too much. He tattles on his classmates, his brother and even his dog! One night he wakes up to find his tongue is very long, yellow, covered in bright purple spots and itchy, itchy, scratchy, scratchy–a bad case of Tattle Tongue. Dina told us “The Tattle Rules”:

Rule #1- Be a Danger Ranger

If a person is in danger, you must warn someone!

Rule #2-Be a Problem Solver

If the problem involves you, take charge and try hard to solve it yourself first.

Rule #3-Now or Later

Is the problem a “NOW” problem or a “NOT NOW” problem? Can your problem be solved at a later time?

Rule#4-M.Y.O.B. (Mind Your Own Beeswax)

If the problem is not dangerous and if it does not involve you . . . DO NOT TATTLE!

After reading the story “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, the children decided to create the 3 bears’ house in our house centre. They had a Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear and of course Goldilocks. They included 3 sized bowls and chairs for the bears. We heard a lot of “this porridge is too hot”, “this porridge is too cold” and “this porridge is just right”. The children retold the story in their bear paintings and also wanted to make a bear cave. They created a cave out of a large box and each child put a teddy bear inside to pretend the bears were hibernating. We stuffed 27 bears inside the box and waited til it was spring ( well really only a few weeks). Our teddy bears woke up and were very hungry and grumpy and searched for a sweet treat (yummy honeycomb that we pretended to be honey). We learned in our inquiry that bears have bad teeth as they like sweet things. Hope our little bears went home and brushed their teeth.