All posts by website@magic-garden.org

On October 30th, the staff and children at Magic Garden had its 4th annual Costume Day Parade. Children and teachers dressed up as their favorite characters – with a variety of super heroes, Disney princesses, Sesame Street characters, and community helpers. Children from all of the classrooms marched proudly around the center field of the Lincoln School campus for everyone to see. The children were so happy to have our neighbors at the Lincoln Public Schools come out to watch our parade and cheer us on! The children had a wonderful time and enjoyed being ‘celebrities’!

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The afternoon Starlight children always look forward to weekly story times with Ms. Maria. A current favorite is Spookley by Joe Troiano. This topical tale follows Spookley, a square-shaped pumpkin who, during a blustery autumn storm, protects his rounder pumpkin pals from rolling down the hill into danger. The Starlight students each had the opportunity to decorate their own pumpkins, using paint, glitter, googly eyes and more. Be sure to check out our display at Magic Garden’s hallway literacy tree! To culminate this experience, the girls and boys helped design, stuff and assemble our own Spookley scarecrow! Boo! Complete with a square head and bedazzled clothes, Spookley can be seen greeting patrons at the Concord Public Library’s Scarecrow Festival lawn display. Coming up: preparations for Magic Garden’s annual Friendship Fest!

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Our Twilight friends enjoy exploring Magic Garden’s gorgeous campus. Inevitably, the girls and boys end up collecting treasures along the way. They return to the classroom with pocketfuls of acorns, rocks, leaves and other items. This natural, hand-on learning prompted a special meeting time experience. First, the students listened to Leaf Man by Lois Elhert. This book is filled with images composed completely of nature artifacts. Our Twilight crew then embarked on a scavenger hunt. Each child was given a checklist, clipboard and pencil so they could be “nature detectives.” Some items included pine cones, wildflowers and winged maple seeds. Later, the students utilized their treasures to create collage scenes, using sticky contact paper. Fun!

 

The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust recently invited Magic Garden on a guided tour of nearby pollinator fields. Armed with rain boots and wide eyes, our Sunshine students had a complete blast. This launched a new unit of exploration in the classroom. During Circle Time, our pupils utilized multi-media materials to learn just how vital insects are to pollinating crops and, therefore, the overall ecology of our planet. This prompted more treks into local wooded areas where the children gathered leaves, bark, rocks and other items. After an in-class investigation, the girls and boys each recorded their findings in their science journals. To capitalize on this interest, the Sunshiners crafted their own bumble bee puppets and glitter flowers, illustrating and reinforcing their knowledge. Check out our photo display on Magic Garden’s hallway bulletin board! Coming up…Magic Garden’s annual Costume Day Parade!

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Last spring, the Starburst children helped Ms. Elizabeth launch a baking soda and vinegar rocket on Magic Garden’s front lawn. As this vessel soared through the air, it nabbed the interest of our Moonbeam friends. Well, it’s a new year. Our Moonbeam kiddos have graduated to Pre-K and they simply cannot forget that historic launch! A new unit of learning recently blasted off: space! The Starburst girls and boys began by investigating numerous fiction and non-fiction selections during Circle Time. They have acquired many space facts, like Mercury is the hottest planet, at times astronauts are required to actually wear diapers and Venus’ rings are composed of dust, rock and ice. Fusing art exploration, the Starburst students stuffed and decorated a giant, blazing sun. Coming up: a complete classroom installation of our solar system!