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Dear Oak,

You worked together to move the kitchen into the dome. It took some effort. You didn’t move everything, but you moved enough that items covered the circle of the dome. You added the stilt walkers for good measure.

I don’t know what I was doing while you were working so hard on this project together, but I didn’t see all this work. I wonder if you moved things piece by piece or if you carried lots of things at one time. When I did notice, I pointed out that the kitchen things belonged in the kitchen. You could use the wagon to move them back.

Sometimes we use the kitchen things elsewhere for carrying water or delivering pizza, but if you fell on top of the kitchen things under the dome you might get fork prints in your bottom. Ouch! One of you worked really hard at moving everything back. The other peeled a leaf off the ground and swung on a swing.

You did the plastic things. Hornet Tornet did the metal things. You made a game of it, tossing items and aiming for the wagon. Taking care of Rainbow School. I wonder how you care for each other.

Love,
Teacher Michelle

Dear Oak,

You dug a deep canal with one of the diggers in a giant circle. In the middle was an island. You hopped back and forth between the island and the other side of the canal. You filled the canal with water. Then you filled a reservoir with water.

You dug out the soil from the front edge of the reservoir. You warned everyone to stand back in case the reservoir tipped over and spilled all the water in one go. Some of you sat on the shore and dangled your feet in the water.

Another thought to splash shovelfuls of sand into the canal. Whoops! The splashes splashed a person working on the island side. They moved to stay dry. The reservoir held, so you tipped it with your hand.

A wave of water splashed into the canal and over its banks onto the island. You filled and tipped the reservoir again and again until the whole island was covered in water. One of you thought to add sand to the island so you had a place to stand again.

Love,
Teacher Michelle

Dear Mulberry,

“Help! Help! They need our help,” you cried to the new grownup. You aren’t the newest Mulberry student anymore. A newer family joined our class today. Yay!

In the meantime, the person who needed help waited on the swing for someone to push them. You ran from the bottom of Rainbow Mountain all the way to the swingset, and you gave them a push. Then, you ran back to the new grownup to tell them.

Love,
Teacher Michelle

P.S. Can you find the monstor in the news? Most monsters are monsters with an “e.” I wonder what kind of monstor is with an “o”.

Dear Oak,

You picture wrote at the mark making table. You made red circles on all the paper. Near the circle stood a person. You pointed them out to me, but oh no, you covered them in red. I suggested you call the doctor or an ambulance. The story changed. There in the circle were two people.

They were in jail. One had a very large hand. Above the hand was a giant leaf. The leaf was so large it stretched from the jail to another page. I wonder if the person with the large hand grabbed onto the leaf and climbed from the jail. Their hand was so large, they could rescue the other person too.

You made a rainbow circle of the last circle, magic perhaps.

Love,
Teacher Michelle

Dear Mulberry,

Did you hear that Elsie likes to swing by her toes? Did you hear that Nickie eats Sloppy Joes? Oh no. Whoops! Backup. Can I get a redo? I care about you, and I care about Elsie and Nickie too, so I don’t want to talk about them. I thought it might be funny, but that doesn’t feel good.

Instead, let me introduce you to Elsie, so she can tell you what she likes to do. “Hi. I’m Elsie. I like to swing. I can pump my legs and swing really high.” And here’s Nickie. “Hey Nickie, do you eat Sloppy Joes?”

“Sloppy Joes? What are those?” Oh-oh.

Love,
Teacher Michelle

P.S. Nickie wonders where the 1 went from April 21 and whether the raindrops are melting our News.

Dear Oak,

You were swinging and singing. The swing went forwards and backwards, and your voices followed back and forth, back and forth. John was weeding, pulling up foxtails. You went to help, taking care of Rainbow School.

Some of you grabbed from the bottom pulling up the whole plant roots to the ends, the foxtail itself. Some of you grabbed from the middle big handfuls of green. One of you thought to just pull off the foxtail itself, the part that turns yellow and pokey and grabs onto you when you walk by, the part that wants to be carried off to grow new foxtails far and wide, the part where the seeds are.

Later, I switched places. One of you joined another to play drums for a while and make up new songs. A few of you gathered around me to look at the daddy long legs, pill bugs, beetles, and pincher bugs that had been living among the roots of the foxtails and were scurrying to find new homes.

Love,
Teacher Michelle

Dear Oak,

I heard a band today. Did you hear them? They have a number song that goes like, “A 1 and a 2 and a 3 and a 4 and a 5 and a 6 and a 7 and a 8 and 20!” I liked it. They had a gig at the Reading House. I think Cutie Possie possum was dancing under the deck to the song. It was very catchy. Cutie Possie told me that they have a Possum Song too. I haven’t heard that one yet.

Then they went on the road. They packed up their drums and sticks and headed out. Their next gig was at Mud Mountain. Over in the Mud Kitchen, someone made cake with sprinkles. It was a pitcher cake, and I thought it looked delicious, so I took a picture.

Love,
Teacher Michelle

Dear Mulberry,

Today, I noticed you following the three Rainbow School rules. You cared for yourselves. You made it clear when you didn’t want to play the pool noodle game. You got yourself more water to drink.

I noticed you caring for each other too. You washed your hands. Oh, that’s taking care of yourself too. Also, you carried people’s backpacks to the gate at the end of the day. That was an armload. You pulled the wagon. You pushed the wagon. You checked in on someone who boomed and helped figure out why the boom happened.

And you took care of Rainbow School. You made sure the trash got to the trash. You looked at the caterpillars with your eyes. You kept the sandbox sand low and in the sandbox. So many many ways you care! I wonder what ways you noticed today.

Love,
Teacher Michelle

Dear Oak,

“Is he a bad guy?” you asked. I wish that I’d asked you what you think. Instead, I shared a belief I have. Not everyone believes the same things, and I would be curious to know your ideas. I believe all people are good and that there are no bad people. And people do bad things. When someone does a bad thing or if I do a bad thing, I want to stop and wonder why. Sometimes, I might feel angry or bad myself before I’m able to stop and wonder why.

When I can stop and think that they are good and did a bad thing and wonder why, maybe then I can help or maybe not. Maybe all the help they need is a hug (if they like hugs). Sometimes, that’s all I need.

Love,
Teacher Michelle

Dear Oak,

“When is it going to be pancakes?” I wonder. You were on the watch for Mary, and Everett came. He didn’t know when Mary was coming. It’s hard to wait for pancakes.

Then, she came with all the things. You chopped and measured and mixed, and Everett cooked. Thank you!

We had sausage and pancakes. Some people had pancakes with whip cream. Some had strawberries. Some had bananas. Some raspberries. Some had blueberries. Some had peaches. Some had a mix of things.

They were delicious and filling, but by the time we were packing up, I was ready for some milk and cookies. Yum! Happy Pancake & PJ day. See you in 7 sleeps.

Love,
Teacher Michelle