This week we started learning about aanakwadoon (clouds) and aaniin ezhiwebak agwajiing gimiwang (how it is outside when it rains). We started our fourteenth coloring book, Niminwendaan Ezhiwebak Agwajiing (I Like How It Is Outside), to review how weather changes what it looks like outside and which activities we can do outside.

We also studied pictures of aanakwadoon (clouds) and learned that ayinaandewan (they are many-colored) and come in all kinds of shapes. Nigii-kanawaabandaamin aanakwadoon wezaawaagin, meskwaagin, mekadewaagin, miinawaa maanaandegin. We saw yellow, red, black, and purple clouds. Nigii-kanawaabandaamin aanakwadoon ezhinaakwak dibishkoo-go moozhwaaganan, anishinaabeg, miinawaa memengwaag. We saw clouds that looked like scissors, people, and butterflies.

In art class, we painted our own aanakwadoon (clouds) with water colors, and then cut them out later in the week, adding raindrops underneath with yarn. Gimiwan! It’s raining!

We also did a lot of moving this week – in and out of gym class. Nigii-niimimin da-gikendamaang iniw enaandegin. We danced to learn the colors. Weweni nigii-noondaamin anooj nagamonan mii dash gaa-izhi-mamaajiseyaang aaniin keyaa noondamaang iniw nagamonan. We practiced making shapes using our bodies. We learned it takes niswi abinoojiiyag (three kids) to make nesing-gakakaag (a triangle), and much, much more!

In gym, listed to different musics and then moved ourselves how we heard the songs. For fast songs, nigii-pimibatoomin (we ran). For slow songs, dibishkoo-go memengwaag na’egaaj nigii-pimisemin (we flew slowly like butterflies.) This was a first-time activity for us teachers and for the students and we hope to have cameras present during our next gym class so we can share a bit of our experience with you! It was truly amazing to be a part of. Nigii-kichi-minawaanigozimin! We really had a good time!

Such a fantastic week!

Note: Our sincerest apologies that there have been no new photographs on the website lately from our past two field trips. There is currently no free memory space available on our Picasa account for photographs. We are working to secure more storage space and hope to have the photographs up for you to view as soon as possible. Miigwech for your patience!

Refreshed from spring break, we had a wonderful first week back imaa gikendaasoowigamigong (at school)! We continued with our theme on manidoonsag (bugs) and had fun practicing our enaandegin (colors) and asigibii’iganan (numbers) recognition as well.

Imaa adoopowining (at the tables), we finished our Manidoonsag Niwaabamaag (I See Bugs) book and played a lot of manidoonsag (bug) dominos. After a discussion about various waakaa’iganan (homes), dibishkoo-go wadiswaanan, asabiinsan, aniibiishan, mitakamig miinawaa-ge ishpiming (such as nests, webs, leaves, on the ground and in the air), we also drew pictures of endaawaad Anishinaabeg miinawaa-ge manidoonsag (where people and bugs live). The drawings will be coming home soon!

In art, we made ezhinikaazowin-mooseg (name-caterpillars). The mooseg are as short or as long as each student’s name. They are hanging in our classroom windows for the time being if you would like to come by for a visit! Gichi-daajiiwan. They are very cute.

In gym, we had fun running manidoonsag (bugs) relay races again, and we finished off by going outside and playing in the sunshine. It was a very good first week back!

Note: The ikwe-manidoonsag imaa aniibiishing (lady bugs on leaves) art projects we did before spring break will not be coming home soon, as mentioned before. We were informed by the art teacher, Ms. Lackey, that a student art gallery is being planned for early May and we needed to submit some art pieces in order to be included in the display. Apologies for the inconvenience! Other, equally adorable art projects will be on the way home to you from your child shortly!

Short week before spring break! We talked about manidoonsag (bugs). Aandi endanikiiwaad ingiw manidoonsag? Where do bugs live? Aaniin keyaa ezhi-maajisewaad ingiw manidoonsag? How do bugs move? Aaniin ezhi-bakaanak anishinaabeg miinawaa-ge manidoonsag? How are people and bugs different? We even started our thirteenth book: Manidoonsag Niwaabamaag (I See Bugs), a counting book about different manidoonsag (bugs) and where they live.There’s a lot to know about manidoonsag!

For art we drew and cut out paper ikwe-manidoonsag (lady bugs) and glued them onto leaves. They will be coming home after spring break. In gym, we ran manidoons relay races – dibishkoo-go moose nigii-pimoodemin, dibishkoo-go memengwa nigii-pimisemin, dibishkoo-go asabikeshiinh nigii-pimosemin, dibishkoo-go bapakine nigii-kwaakwaashkwanimin (we crawled like caterpillars, flew like butterflies, walked like spiders, and jumped like grasshoppers).

We also had an all-school assembly at the end of this week. Every classroom was expected to present something about how they had been learning about and practicing following the seven grandfather teachings (wisdom, love, bravery, humility, etc.) For our presentation, we read our book Nininjiin Indaabajitoon (I Use My Hands) to the whole school, acting out the safe and fun things we do with our hands and saying together “gaawiin” when we talked about hurtful and unsafe ways hands can be used. You should be very proud of your young Ojibwe speaker – gigichi-wawiingeziwag! (they have mad skills!)

Weweni! Take care during spring break!

In another discussion about miinikaanan (seeds), we compared miinikaanan for planting to miiikaanan for eating. We looked at giizisoo-waabigwani-miinikaanan (sunflower seeds). We talked about how some seeds are alive, and some are dead. We talked about cooking and eating seeds. We talked about how cooked seeds aren’t alive and wouldn’t grow like the miinikaanan we have already planted. We even compared the packages of planting miinikaanan – an envelope – and edible miinikaanan – a bag. The seeds were a little tricky to open, gii-minopogwadoon dash (but they were tasty).

Miinikaanan (the seeds) we planted are growing! Especially the bean plants – gichi-michaawan (they are big)! We went for another walk around the neighborhood and noticed which plants outside are waking up. Some of the buds we saw are leaves now. Agaawaawan dash. (But they’re small.)

In gym we played with hoola hoops and in art we drew pictures of underground tunnels and glued yarn worms into the tunnels. We also finished up our twelfth book, Maple Sugaring Moon. Too bad our field trip to Porky’s Sugar Bush Camp had to be cancelled. Hay’.

Miigwech and thank you to our family members and friends who were able to join us on our field trip to Como Zoo and Conservatory! Photographs from the field trip will be up soon!