Sunday, 12 October 2025

Sundials, Autumn Leaves, the Letter Ц, and the Little Hedgehog

Today felt just like real autumn — bright, full of life, at times blustery (especially during breaks and warm-ups), yet cozy and homely when we worked with dough.

Kapelki began the day with math and logic. No more “measuring by eye” — today they worked like real engineers, rulers in hand! They measured carefully and precisely, as if on an important construction mission. Some hardworking little ones puffed and sighed like hedgehogs — their rulers slipped, their lines ran away. Others smiled slyly: “Oh, this is hard! Maybe we can do it without the ruler?” But no! By the end of the lesson, rulers were finally behaving, eyes confidently followed the marks, the number zero found its place, and everything looked neat, tidy, and beautiful. Well done, Kapelki!

Then Kapelki traveled to the land of the letter Ц. What adventures awaited them there! The Heron (Tsaplya), the Circus Performer (Tsirkach), and the Chick (Tsyplyonok) — all tried to show which sound they hold within. The children learned to write, read, listen, stay quiet, laugh, and even cluck like the letter Ts itself! This letter has now found a home in their hearts, because it lives in the words Umnitsy (“Clever ones”) and Molodtsy (“Well done!”).

Zvezdochki began the morning with Russian language and handwriting. They worked hard on connecting letters, especially the tricky lower ones. Excellent job! To prepare for their dictation “The Little Hedgehog with Big Ears,” they watched a short video — just to see what their spiky hero really looks like. They discovered that the hedgehog’s ears are indeed big, and his personality even bigger! And now everyone surely remembers that the word “yozh” (hedgehog) is written without a soft sign. Cool!

Then they moved on to reading comprehension. What a thoughtful discussion that was! They read and analyzed several stories, especially one where a girl visited her friend but couldn’t really help her. The students debated: did she not want to help or just not understand what help was needed? The debate flared up like a real philosophy class!

When they reached the topic of old Russian games — lapta and gorodki — everyone’s eyes lit up. Some even wanted to run outside, grab a bat, and knock down “rukhis.” And now we know for sure: lapta is the great-grandmother of baseball!

During the “I Want to Know Everything” class, we revisited the history of timekeeping — how people used to measure time long ago — and, of course, the fascinating sundial. The children learned that sundials can still be found in many cities today, sometimes even decorating courtyards or house walls! So we decided to decorate our gardens and verandas with our own sundials. We finished the ones we started last time — setting the gnomon at just the right angle for our city’s latitude — and even tested them in the sunlight. They worked! The excitement was real: “So that’s how the sun tells time!”

Our magical day ended with autumn creativity for everyone.

First, the children molded leaves and fruits from salt dough, then switched to drawing. Using stencils — and even real leaves from the forest! — they traced shapes of oaks, maples, and birches. Their imaginations burst into color: red oak leaves, lemon-yellow maple leaves, orange birch leaves — what a palette! As for the dough leaves, they’ll have to wait: they need drying and maybe even baking. We’ll finish them next time and create another masterpiece. What kind? That’s still a secret 😉

Yes, autumn inspires — and our students make it even brighter!

All photos and videos of the day are available on Bukovka's Google Drive via this link.

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