December

We are ready to begin a new theme! Although the Summers-Knoll classes usually follow a common theme each month—each in our own ways—this month, our class is departing slightly from that tradition. While the rest of the school does author studies, we will be studying salt.

There are so many possibilities! Salt is (and has been) a crystal; a chemical compound necessary for human life and the functioning of our bodies; an economic staple of more than one civilization; an object of superstition; a symbol of social standing; and one of the most commonly used ingredients in cooking throughout the world. In the next three weeks, we're going to discuss salt in all of these contexts! We've begun already, and today the children plumbed some of their own knowledge about salt: that it is a rock, that it was used to pay Roman soldiers, that it is tasty, that our bodies require it and expel it, that it can be gathered by causing sea water to evaporate, and much more. As you can see, they are well prepared for this theme. The plans for salt month include a visit from Caroline Richardson (Max's mom), who will be coming in to talk to us about salt and the human body, and a class trip to Spice Merchants in Kerrytown, to see the many kinds of salt for sale there (and, perhaps, to buy some for a project...). I'm also looking forward to studying Gandhi's march to the sea with the children, in part because we've been hearing stories from the Mahabharata, one of the great Hindu epics of India, and it will be nice to tie that in with a more modern story.

There are several other field trips and special activities coming up this month, as well, including a school trip to see the Carolina Chocolate Drops perform at the Michigan Theater this Friday. On Wednesday, December 15, we will all be going to the Yankee Air Museum (harkening back to flight month); and on Friday, December 17—which is an early dismissal day—our class will have a read-in! Those students who were in my class last year will remember that on read-in day, everyone comes in pajamas and brings blankets and pillows... but most importantly, everyone comes with lots of books to read. Except for snack and recess, we'll spend the whole morning reading together.

This is going to be a tremendously fun and busy month in the classroom. I am looking forward to it!