Our class is moving steadily toward our Hayground Show performance date of April 30. Mark your calendars! Our opening theme song has been written and we are creating and learning choreography to go along with it. Most of the acts for the show are complete, Vaudeville information is being written, and we’re looking forward to tweaking our scenes through feedback from rehearsals once we get back from February break. Then, we will also begin building sets and props for our acts.
Read MoreWe’ve been taking harmonica lessons as a class since the fall, and the students are excited to perform a new piece they’ve been learning for our upcoming Soul Food Night. The kids especially appreciate the portability and creative freedom that the harmonica offers, and it has been wonderful to watch their confidence grow as musicians.
Read MoreOwls, owls, and more owls! The children have wrapped up their study of these fascinating creatures with presentations of their research. Many questions were answered, such as How far can an owl turn its head? and How do owls hunt?, among other topics that piqued their interest.
Read MoreSo far during the new year we have been continuing some of our projects which include finishing up our Long Island Map, the model of Long Island’s aquifer and water table, a chemistry day, and water quality sampling. We have sampled at Mecox Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, Mill Pond North, Mill Pond South, and Sag Harbor Cove. We have combined our data together and began plotting these on graphs to view the data in a more streamlined way and will be collaborating with the Mecox Bay Conservancy to share our findings.
Read MoreThis February, our classroom has been buzzing with creativity and kindness. We have been spending the weeks before break, celebrating Valentine's Day with heart art, paintings, and thoughtful gift exchanges for both our friends in class, and our new book buddies, that filled our room with smiles.
Read MoreThis week in Jeff’s Kitchen, we are cleaning out our fridges before the break. This means that our chefs have the limitations, and inspirations of what remains of our fresh ingredients. For this week, that meant chocolate covered strawberries, Hayground salad with everything but the kitchen sink, butternut squash soup from the Hayground garden, and sprouts on top of everything!
Read MoreWe have been braving the cold weather and making the most of winter by building igloos and playing outside in the winter snow. In preparation for Soul Food Night, the students are learning the song “Wonderful World” by Sam Cooke and have been practicing both with Music Josh on Monday afternoons and in the classroom.
Read MoreFebruary has been a busy and inspiring month as we honor Black History Month and prepare for our upcoming Soul Food Night. Students have been deeply engaged in researching influential Black singers throughout history. While there were many artists to choose from, students identified ten artists who repeatedly emerged in their research.
Read MoreWe welcomed each class to visit our galaxy. Acting as curators, the students designed ways to darken the room and illuminate the galaxy with flashlights, bringing their vision to life and guiding visitors through a storytelling experience. After each session, the class reflected on what went well and why, as well as which components they might try differently and how—making each experience closer and closer to how the curators envisioned it for their visitors.
Read MoreThis month has been cold but filled with joy, whether we are reading books to each other inside or playing in the snow, our days have been filled with activities and learning. This month we focused on friendship. We began our class friendship books which will be written for every student by the end of the year. This reinforces kindness and community which are driving forces in our learning process.
Read MoreThe Senior Learners are in residence at the Watermill Center this month, where they are developing a performance of The Lexicon Project in collaboration with artist Philippe Cheng. An in-process performance is scheduled for Wednesday, January 28, from 1:00–2:00 PM at the Watermill Center. We look forward to sharing this evolving work with our community.
Read MoreIn Jeff’s Kitchen, we have been cooking to keep our school community warm. Aside from many soups and stews, we have experimented with various curries and dishes that are warm, nourishing, and flavorful. We recently made a vegetarian version of Indian Butter Chicken, using Tofu.
Read More2026 is off to a strong and joyful start! We begin each day by tracking the return of the sun and charting the sunset in a graph, making visual the length of the days as we move from the Winter Solstice to the Spring Equinox.
Read MoreOn Friday our class welcomed film archivist, documentarian, musician and Vaudeville scholar, Joe Lauro to class. Along with a wealth of knowledge about Vaudeville acts and circuits, Joe brought a phonograph which kids got to crank, and a few 104 year old records that played songs which highlighted the culturally exaggerated nature of Vaudeville comedy.
Read MoreWe began visiting the library to help restock and organize the seed library, and to contribute seeds, including our homegrown cotton seeds, we have saved from our garden. Microgreens continue to be a favorite among our community, and we’re now narrowing down a few options together before ramping up production. We continue studying medicinal flowers and herbs through scented infusions used to create fragrant sprays, inspiring some of us to make flower arrangements.
Read MoreOur young scientists have been working hard on a couple of projects. We have been painting the wall in our science classroom to represent Long Island, making it easier to discuss the different bodies of water that surround us and the key differences between them.
Read MoreWe couldn’t be more proud of the children for such an excellent job with our class group text and with their individual scenes. Thank you to families for helping your child with lines and getting them to the performances.
Read MoreThroughout December, our classroom has been full of learning, creativity, and excitement. We explored the world of Shakespeare and our story The Twelfth Night, through engaging activities that encouraged collaboration. A few of our favorites were singing head, shoulders, knees and toes and going on a magical journey to touch the stars.
Read MoreAfter reimagining and writing their own myths, students transformed the classroom ceiling into a shared galaxy inspired by their stories. They analyzed the ceiling space and planned the placement of constellations, planets, moons, and other celestial elements from their myths.
Read MoreThank you to the Hayground community for supporting the Senior Learners’ food collection for Wuneechanunk Preschool’s food pantry. We were able to deliver the food in person and meet with the preschool’s director, Natanhee Dennis, and we are looking forward to spending time reading with the preschool’s students in the near future.
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