Today's leaders are...Elephant and Piggie! They were really excited to do calendar on a weekend, because we're usually not at school! 😊
Today is March 21, 2020. Here's a little video I made for you...having Gerald the Elephant as one of our Leaders today made me want to share some special artwork I have here at home:
Elephant, Piggie, and Darla learned some new words in French today:
elephant: éléphant (AY-LAY-font; say the /t/ very softly at the end)
pig: porc (like pork) or cochon (co-SHAWN)
They also learned a new word in Polish: wycinanki (vee-chee-NON-kee). It's a special paper craft that people in Poland make. I think it's a great way to decorate for the beginning of spring! Here are some examples:
There are a couple of different kinds of wycinanki. The one we're going to make is a style called Kurpi, which is symmetrical. Do you know what that means? If something is symmetrical, it means that if I drew a line right down the middle, both sides would be the same.
First: Get 2 pieces of construction paper, or any paper. I like to use 2 very different colors. I picked Piggie and Gerald colors today. 🐖🐘
Next: Fold one of the pieces of paper right down the middle, in a hot dog fold (you might have to teach your family about hot dog and hamburger folds). Make sure the edges meet.
Then, make a dot that is two finger-widths away from the top of the fold. Make another dot two finger-widths away from the bottom. It's very important to do this on the fold, not on the open edges.
After that, draw a smooth, curvy line that starts on the top dot and ends up on the bottom dot. Make sure your line doesn't cross itself or get too close to itself. Lots of ins and outs will make it more interesting. Don't get too close to the edges. 😁
Now, you're ready to cut out your design. Remember to start on the top dot and end on the bottom dot. Cut slowly and turn the paper, not your scissors, just like we practice in class.
Finally, open your design and separate the pieces. Glue one part to one side of the other paper, and the other part to the other side. Now you have a two-sided Kurpi wycinanki that you can hang on a window, the fridge, wherever!
Great job! I bet yours will be even fancier than mine!
What else are you doing today? I'm going to do a little bit of work around my house. I'm also going for a walk in our woods later on, and I have a video meeting with some other teachers. See you back here tomorrow!
<3
Mrs. Cole
