Happy Thanksgiving from 4/5/6!

November flew by as we dreamt of yummy Thanksgiving meals all month long- but 4/5/6 didn't slow down one bit!

We continue our journey to master more origami creations with cute mittens, Christmas trees and various ornaments! This remains a fan favorite among many of our artists... ready to master every creation Natalie throws their way!

We also spent a couple days creating holiday cards showing thanks for what we have and whats to come! We have many friends ready for the snow and the holidays! 4/5/6's cards really came out quite beautiful- outlining intricate details with sharpies and filling the page with thoughtful, whimsical watercolor over the black lines. We see many more watercolor projects in our near future!

Our mentors also had a blast making scarecrows with 2nd grade- that including tracing, cutting and coloring to create their puppets! 3rd grade mentors also had an absolute blast playing Tic-Tac-Toe relay racing that even had the teachers joining in! 

Fourth and fifth graders have also been all about soccer; each day they are itching to get out on the field and continue their ongoing games they've been playing since September! It's really fun watching how much their skills have already transformed over the last few months. They also really enjoy a good old fashioned boys verse girl game... and let's just say the games are always a real nail-biter!

Just another reminder that with the time change and the shift in temperature we ask that our kiddos are sent with the appropriate attire- the temperature drops pretty drastically and we do our best to get at least 20 minutes out each day. In addition, please make sure teachers know of any different pick-up times, as our days currently end inside and teachers cannot wait more than a few minutes past the scheduled time.

We look forward to whats to come in the wintery months! Let it snow! :-)

October came and went, yet the month was jam packed with lots of fun activities!

By the end of October, mentors have now met with K, first and the second grade groups and Irene has been thrilled to see how the mentors have really stepped up to the plate to lead in each activity! Kindergarten started off with our favorite "Cat & Mouse," parachute game, 1st grade did a Halloween themed, "Would You Rather," activity followed by the classic toilet paper mummy wrap! Please take a moment to check out the Peer Mentoring  page on the site to see our wonderful mentors in action!

With mother nature deciding on warmth, rain or a brisk fall day, we've had the opportunity to continue more art projects along with more gym time! When homework and reading comes to an end, our 4/5/6ers have really enjoyed our Paint by Stickers books. Origami has also continued to be a huge hit this year, as we offer different instruction each day in the infamous art of folding paper. Thus far we have made, pumpkins, cat rings, cranes, dragons,  cute puppies and kittens, boxes and balloons! Our favorite project this month was the pipe cleaner friends we made! 4/5/6 made these adorable keychains of teddy bears and puppies made of pipe cleaners and decorated them with ribbon! Although small, it was all in the details and 4/5/6 just had a blast making them!

We look forward to giving thanks in the month of November and anticipate another amazing fun-filled month!

Please, note that with the time change we will not be ending our day outside which means teachers will only be at our pick up spot (by at the cafe door) at the designated time. If your time has changed moving forward please let us know either upon pick-up time or via e-mail and we can make a note on our attendance.

We're welcoming October with both Mentoring and Nerd Club underway! This year we have a total of twenty mentors signed up, with many volunteering for more than one group! It's amazing to see the energy and enthusiasm each mentor has already brought to the program and I foresee another phenomenal year ahead of us! 

The list for Nerd Club has also been finalized, with eight quest seekers ready to take on the adventure ahead! This is always such a wonderful opportunity for our mixed age group to really get to know each other- we thank Sam, from third grade, for his dedication as Dungeon Master and for keeping this 4/5/6 tradition going!

In the last few weeks we continue to take advantage of Mother Natures sunshine, but in the quieter moments and outside of club meetings 4/5/6 really enjoyed making their own Halloween themed stickers with Natalie! The process was quite simple, coloring in their favorite images or creating their own design. From there we cut out our designs and placed it on a large piece of parchment paper. We then cut a piece of clear packing tape that was longer than the sticker design is wide then placed the tape sticky side down on the parchment paper. Remember to place the cut out sticker design on top of the tape on the parchment paper, design side up and cover the sticker design with packing tape, sticky side down. When ready to use, peel of the parchment paper and stick away! October is off to a terrific start and we look forward to what lies ahead!

Wow September has flown right by and we are quickly saying goodbye to the summer warmth and welcoming Autumn's brisk hello's! We are continuing to enjoy what Mother Nature offers in long games of soccer, epic games of Four Square and long walks around the track! 

Although we're still navigating through smoother transitions, it's amazing to see how much progress we've seen as the largest group in LEDP embraces 4/5/6 routines and rules and expectations. It's been so much fun getting to know each other, especially in the quieter moments- exchanging weekend plans or favorite summer moments over fuse beads and Paint by Stickers. 

Last week we introduced two separate activities offered only to 4/5/6- Peer Mentoring and Nerd Club. Mentoring will be led by Irene with a group of 4/5/6ers that have volunteered to meet with a group or groups of their choice to help run an activity. This program has always been a massive success as it creates the perfect catalyst for creating lasting relationships and offers a real platform to exercise leadership skills. Nerd Club is led by Sam from 3rd grade. He introduces the role playing game Dungeons & Dragons and acts as Dungeon Master all year round, building characters and maneuvering through adventures. This club will meet every Friday from 2:00-4:30. Both Irene and Sam preface that these activities are year-long commitments and the success of both Mentoring and Nerd Club will hinder on 4/5/6's commitment to each. 

We are looking forward to getting both the Mentoring Program and Nerd Club up and running starting October! Be on the look out for updates via the Peer Mentoring section of the website! Stay tuned :-)

We're welcoming back so many friends to the 4/5/6 group and so very excited to have the fourth graders add such a new, fresh dynamic to it. The last couple weeks have revolved around getting to know new friends, introducing our new teacher, Natalie to LEDP, getting down our routines and putting our rules and expectations into action!

We beat the heat by jumping right into some 4/5/6 classics like Apples to Apples, Headbands, Scategories  and Dragonwood! We also hopped into the gym to play some Memory and Doctor Dodgeball -games that that have never failed to get a big group running around! 

Our favorite activity so far was led by Natalie, creating animal keychains with pony beads and gimp! We spent three days in a row making our own colorful creatures with lots of requests to make more!

4/5/6 focuses on accountability, time management and autonomy- only building off the foundation and building blocks they've created moving up through the program. Although a much larger group we've had in years, we are confident that our 4/5/6 friends will exceed all our expectations in these areas. We know a fantastic year lies ahead!

Just one last note to remind LEDP families that we no longer provide snack and to please send along one with your kiddos for their LEDP day. We'd also appreciate getting accurate pick-up times- with a larger group it's difficult to stray too far off the expected time as we need all three teachers to keep our day on track. Thank you in advance!