Hi Everyone!! I hope you have all been enjoying watching the chickies these last few days. On the day before the official hatching day, the kids watched eagerly and excitedly as the chicks used their egg tooth to peck at their shell. We had a few early hatchers, but on the 21st day, all of the chicks hatched out of their eggs. Some eggs did not develop, and unfortunately, a few chicks hatched but did not survive. This opened up conversation about death among the children, so Marcia brought a dead chick for the class to touch and observe if they chose to. This experience was followed by a discussion. The class was asked questions like "How do we know this chick is not living?" "How does it look different from the other chicks?" One of the children asked "what does 'die' mean?", to which his friend responded "Die means it's not living". The kids observed that the chick was not moving, it's eyes were closed and that the feathers were still wet, unlike the other chicks.
On Monday, the children will be making a 'playground' for the chicks in our classroom using blocks. This is a really fun experience for both the chicks and the kids. In addition to building a playground, we've been doing various other chick activities. The kids have been doing observational art in front of the chick tank, painting with feathers, and simply observing their every move throughout the day. They love noticing when the chicks notice them... who's watching who!?
We had our field trip to the New Victory Theater on Tuesday. This was the first field trip we've been on where we were required to take our shoes off. So cool! The kids first learned how to use their hands and body to demonstrate the life cycle of a butterfly. They were then lead into a dark and mystical theater where they watched a very interpretive performance of two 'butterflies'. It was incredibly engaging, and many of our kids got to go up on stage to interact with the performers, but mostly the stage itself. Projected images on a white and brightly lit stage floor moved and transformed by the movements of the children. All of the kids had a lot of fun, but they wondered why it was called "The Butterfly Garden" when there weren't any butterflies! This was a show that really required them to use their imaginations.
On Wednesday, we had a songwriter come in to our classroom to work with us and teach us about song writing. She played the music she wrote for our very own song while the kids worked together to come up with lyrics. The class learned about the different parts of a song, including a verse, chorus and a bridge. They also had to come up with a lot of rhyming words to get the song to flow together. It was quite a challenge! They did an awesome job and they all really enjoyed it. The class requests to sing and dance to it throughout the day, and I've been singing the song in my sleep since Wednesday. Thank you to Michael Stack for putting this together!
Thursday was our smoothie day! Thanks to all for bringing in the delicious fruits, yogurts and juice. One at a time, each child made their own, original smoothie recipe as they added their chosen amounts of their chosen ingredients. Once it was all blended up, they enjoyed their homemade healthy treat for snack.
Because the weather could not have been more perfect on Friday, we took a surprise visit to safari park in the morning. The kids spent time hanging out with the hippos, stopping for a fresh fruit snack, and then they requested to take a walk by the reservoir on our way back to school. Many of them noticed the trees and flowers we learned about on our tree walk with Joe Bondy. I thought they were totally exhausted, but they wanted to stay even longer to eat lunch and rest in central park. Because we didn't have our lunches with us on Friday, we will have a planned picnic in the park THIS TUESDAY. Please make sure you pack a completely disposable lunch that does not need to be heated. We will start our day with literacy, snack and story, and leave for safari park around 10:00, followed by our picnic for lunch. We should return to school between 12:00 and 12:30 and finish our day with rest and freeplay.
Also, our last day of school is on Wednesday, June 9th from 8:30-10:30. All parents are invited to join us for our 'moving up' ceremony and celebration. I will keep you informed of the details as soon as everything is arranged and finalized. Let me know if you have any urgent questions.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Amanda
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
The Chicks are Coming!!
We've been doing lots to prepare for the newest members of our classroom, which should be arriving early this week. The kids have been religiously been counting the days until their expected date of arrival. The class is also aware of the signs that the embryos are indeed developing. We met in McKenzie's classroom with Marcia as she candled the eggs to observe whether or not there is a shadow present. The kids thought about what it means if there is or isn't a shadow. They also thought about what it means if an egg feels heavy or light. Most of our eggs were heavy and had a large shadow... very exciting!!
Staying consistent with our egg hatching theme, the kids played a sensory activity using 4 plastic eggs which were filled with 4 different objects. The class knew what the objects were, but they didn't know which egg they were in. Each egg was passed around for the kids to shake, and they described features of the unknown objects based on the sounds they made. When the objects were revealed, what was inside wasn't exactly what the kids expected because of a few similarities in sound. They were also able to figure out what was in egg number 4 through process of elimination.
Throughout the week during freeplay, there were various activities that were very sensory oriented. The class squished shaving cream with sea shells, noticed the effects of drawing with wet chalk, built on felt using bristle blocks, designed with sand and glue, painted at the easel with textured and unusually shaped brushes, and ink pads to make finger and hand print designs. It was definitely a very interactive and exploratory week.
We've also been doing more preparation for the end of the year and moving to a new classroom and/or a new school. We've been reading books about what we can expect for next year, how some things will be the same and some things will be different. We also talked about how everyone in their new class next year is experiencing the exact same things and feelings as they are and that they're not alone. The kids are feeling excited and nervous at the same time, but they know that moms, dads and teachers will ALWAYS be there for them and with them. We will be having a CPS alumni visiting our classroom to talk about all of the cool things he does in his new classroom, and the kids will have the opportunity to ask questions, too.
Just a reminder: our field trip is this Tuesday. Please make sure you return your photo release form and permission slip (which is more of an explanation of the trip than an actual permission slip) by tomorrow. Let me know if you need more handouts tomorrow.
We'll also have a special visit from the song writer this Wednesday afternoon.
Have a great Sunday evening!
Amanda
Staying consistent with our egg hatching theme, the kids played a sensory activity using 4 plastic eggs which were filled with 4 different objects. The class knew what the objects were, but they didn't know which egg they were in. Each egg was passed around for the kids to shake, and they described features of the unknown objects based on the sounds they made. When the objects were revealed, what was inside wasn't exactly what the kids expected because of a few similarities in sound. They were also able to figure out what was in egg number 4 through process of elimination.
Throughout the week during freeplay, there were various activities that were very sensory oriented. The class squished shaving cream with sea shells, noticed the effects of drawing with wet chalk, built on felt using bristle blocks, designed with sand and glue, painted at the easel with textured and unusually shaped brushes, and ink pads to make finger and hand print designs. It was definitely a very interactive and exploratory week.
We've also been doing more preparation for the end of the year and moving to a new classroom and/or a new school. We've been reading books about what we can expect for next year, how some things will be the same and some things will be different. We also talked about how everyone in their new class next year is experiencing the exact same things and feelings as they are and that they're not alone. The kids are feeling excited and nervous at the same time, but they know that moms, dads and teachers will ALWAYS be there for them and with them. We will be having a CPS alumni visiting our classroom to talk about all of the cool things he does in his new classroom, and the kids will have the opportunity to ask questions, too.
Just a reminder: our field trip is this Tuesday. Please make sure you return your photo release form and permission slip (which is more of an explanation of the trip than an actual permission slip) by tomorrow. Let me know if you need more handouts tomorrow.
We'll also have a special visit from the song writer this Wednesday afternoon.
Have a great Sunday evening!
Amanda
Monday, May 10, 2010
Hi Everyone!
Thank you to those of you who were able to come to the Children's Art Show last Thursday. The class was so excited to have their family and friends see what they had been working so hard on these last several weeks. The process was an incredible learning experience with each project they did.
The piece de resistance, I believe, was the flower canvas paintings. This piece was composed of several steps. We began discussing painting "en plein air", or in the open air, with the introduction of Claude Monet's Water Lilies. Afterwards, we planned a trip to the community garden to study the flowers there by drawing them and finding a flower that was most special to them. Once they found their flower, they took their own photograph of it which they would later represent on their canvas using pencil. When drawing, they observed all forms from the stem to the petals to the rocks on the ground. They counted petals, noticed if there was a lot of grass or a little grass, if there was a stem taller than the rest, or how the leaves look different from each other. There was not a detail overlooked. Finally it was time to add color. They observed what they learned to be shadows, highlights and low lights. They learned how to make a color lighter and darker or how to make a color more green or more orange. The also observed that a single petal or leaf is not necessarily one single color. This entire process took weeks to complete and all of the kids took great pride in what they accomplished.
The Still Life was also a very intricate observational process. The children each chose three items from our still life objects and arranged them any way they'd like under a lamp. The lamp was used to create more intense shadows and highlights. This project had the children become extremely careful observers. They were asked several questions to become very aware of each and every line they were about to draw, and took careful consideration of the relationships between their three objects. "is this taller or shorter than that? Is this touching that? Is this rounder than that? Is this closer to you than that?" An incredible amount of time was put into this project-- It is my hope that the relentless questioning of form has turned the class into keen observers!
On Friday when the kids came in to a classroom that was blank on Thursday, they were in total awe when they saw everything up on the walls... and were especially engaged in the fashion show video as most of the audience was. With the rearranging of some of the shelves to better display their work, this presented an opportunity to do some rearranging of the classroom. The kids liked the changes so we made a few more. Our classroom now seems brighter and more spacious. We also had Barbarah Denham come in on Friday to bake her famous Zucchini Bread with the class during freeplay. The kids worked in small groups to add ingredients, grease the pans and shred the zucchini. After gym, we had a little picnic outside and the kids DEVOURED the bread. Thanks Barbara!
As most of you know, we've been incubating chick eggs for almost 2 weeks, 13 days to be exact. This year all of the eggs are being kept in McKenzie's class (just for the incubation process) because our class's incubator was not able to maintain the temperature needed for the embryos to develop. Even thought it was a little disappointing, the kids used this experience to learn that sometimes with science experiments, things may break or not work the way you think they're going to work. We found a solution to the problem by fitting all of the eggs into one incubator instead. And, even though our eggs are not with us in our classroom, we are still keeping track of the process. The kids put together a paper chain of 21 links that they each decorated, and we also made a chart that consists of 21 squares. Each day we remove one chain link to keep track of how many days are left until the eggs are hatched. We also tape one feather to one box to keep track of how many days the eggs have been in the incubator. The kids noticed that the number of empty boxes is the same number of chain links that are left.
Tomorrow there will be a workshop for the kids given by the actors of the New Victory Theater to prepare for our trip next Tuesday. They will talk to the kids about the show and give them opportunities to act things out themselves. We will be leaving for the trip promptly at 9:30 and will return around 12:00 for lunch at school.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Have a great evening!
Amanda
Thank you to those of you who were able to come to the Children's Art Show last Thursday. The class was so excited to have their family and friends see what they had been working so hard on these last several weeks. The process was an incredible learning experience with each project they did.
The piece de resistance, I believe, was the flower canvas paintings. This piece was composed of several steps. We began discussing painting "en plein air", or in the open air, with the introduction of Claude Monet's Water Lilies. Afterwards, we planned a trip to the community garden to study the flowers there by drawing them and finding a flower that was most special to them. Once they found their flower, they took their own photograph of it which they would later represent on their canvas using pencil. When drawing, they observed all forms from the stem to the petals to the rocks on the ground. They counted petals, noticed if there was a lot of grass or a little grass, if there was a stem taller than the rest, or how the leaves look different from each other. There was not a detail overlooked. Finally it was time to add color. They observed what they learned to be shadows, highlights and low lights. They learned how to make a color lighter and darker or how to make a color more green or more orange. The also observed that a single petal or leaf is not necessarily one single color. This entire process took weeks to complete and all of the kids took great pride in what they accomplished.
The Still Life was also a very intricate observational process. The children each chose three items from our still life objects and arranged them any way they'd like under a lamp. The lamp was used to create more intense shadows and highlights. This project had the children become extremely careful observers. They were asked several questions to become very aware of each and every line they were about to draw, and took careful consideration of the relationships between their three objects. "is this taller or shorter than that? Is this touching that? Is this rounder than that? Is this closer to you than that?" An incredible amount of time was put into this project-- It is my hope that the relentless questioning of form has turned the class into keen observers!
On Friday when the kids came in to a classroom that was blank on Thursday, they were in total awe when they saw everything up on the walls... and were especially engaged in the fashion show video as most of the audience was. With the rearranging of some of the shelves to better display their work, this presented an opportunity to do some rearranging of the classroom. The kids liked the changes so we made a few more. Our classroom now seems brighter and more spacious. We also had Barbarah Denham come in on Friday to bake her famous Zucchini Bread with the class during freeplay. The kids worked in small groups to add ingredients, grease the pans and shred the zucchini. After gym, we had a little picnic outside and the kids DEVOURED the bread. Thanks Barbara!
As most of you know, we've been incubating chick eggs for almost 2 weeks, 13 days to be exact. This year all of the eggs are being kept in McKenzie's class (just for the incubation process) because our class's incubator was not able to maintain the temperature needed for the embryos to develop. Even thought it was a little disappointing, the kids used this experience to learn that sometimes with science experiments, things may break or not work the way you think they're going to work. We found a solution to the problem by fitting all of the eggs into one incubator instead. And, even though our eggs are not with us in our classroom, we are still keeping track of the process. The kids put together a paper chain of 21 links that they each decorated, and we also made a chart that consists of 21 squares. Each day we remove one chain link to keep track of how many days are left until the eggs are hatched. We also tape one feather to one box to keep track of how many days the eggs have been in the incubator. The kids noticed that the number of empty boxes is the same number of chain links that are left.
Tomorrow there will be a workshop for the kids given by the actors of the New Victory Theater to prepare for our trip next Tuesday. They will talk to the kids about the show and give them opportunities to act things out themselves. We will be leaving for the trip promptly at 9:30 and will return around 12:00 for lunch at school.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Have a great evening!
Amanda
Sunday, April 18, 2010
We started the week with our trip to the MoMA! After looking at pictures of the works of art for so long, the kids finally got to see them in person. We started our journey in the sculpture garden where the kids gave me the opportunity to explain to them why we can't touch the art!! We had fun looking at the sculptures, Monet's Water Lilies, Seurat, Klee, Orozco, and the grand finale, van Gogh's Starry Night. The kids were most excited to see this and were captivated by van Gogh's swirls and motion. By the end of our trip, one of the kids said " I'm gonna make art you can touch when I get back to school". It was so hard for the kids to keep themselves from touching, but they really did an awesome job. My main goal for them was exposure, and the more exposed they are to the diversity of creativity, the more open minded they become.
We continued to focus on art in the classroom as the kids made their own collages, fashion pieces, still-lifes and sculptures. One of the teachers donated mounds of packaging Styrofoam pieces which were scattered all over our rug. Some of the kids sat for almost all of freeplay building and taping the pieces together. I brought in 2 cacti plants to observe, and some of the kids wanted to draw what they saw. From there, we talked about still life paintings and arranging objects in front of us to draw. We read stories about color mixing, and by now the kids know fairly well how to mix primary colors to get secondary colors. We also talked about songwriting as a form of art because we are going to have a special visitor coming in to work with the kids on writing the lyrics to their very own song. This unique experience has been set up by Michael Stack, Darby's dad, and the kids are really looking forward to it. We talked about what we'd like our song to be about and decided to write about making new friends for next year but remembering our friends from this year and all the memories we had together.
On Thursday, Joe Bondy, Sarah's dad, took us on a tree walk/sing-along trip in central park. The kids loved being out in nature as they soaked up a bunch of fun facts. Joe pointed out and discussed the Elm, cherry blossom, pin oak, goji, and pine tree. The kids learned about how tree branches get the water they need, how to determine how old a tree is and about the relationship between trees, aphids and ants. After finding a flat and grassy area, we stopped to sing, dance and skip along to Joe's guitar. We finished our expedition at Safari Park and then headed back to school for lunch.
On Friday, we had fireman Tommy come to visit us! Tommy told us all about fire safety like 'stay low and go', 'stop, drop and roll', and 'don't hide, go outside'. He showed the class the different parts of his uniform using me (ah!) as a model. That thing weights 80 pounds! And, before he left, the kids got to try on his hat and mask if they chose to.
We also spent lots of time on Friday making goo! Finally... art you can touch.
I hope you all had a great weekend and I'm looking forward to seeing you Thursday or Friday for conferences.
We continued to focus on art in the classroom as the kids made their own collages, fashion pieces, still-lifes and sculptures. One of the teachers donated mounds of packaging Styrofoam pieces which were scattered all over our rug. Some of the kids sat for almost all of freeplay building and taping the pieces together. I brought in 2 cacti plants to observe, and some of the kids wanted to draw what they saw. From there, we talked about still life paintings and arranging objects in front of us to draw. We read stories about color mixing, and by now the kids know fairly well how to mix primary colors to get secondary colors. We also talked about songwriting as a form of art because we are going to have a special visitor coming in to work with the kids on writing the lyrics to their very own song. This unique experience has been set up by Michael Stack, Darby's dad, and the kids are really looking forward to it. We talked about what we'd like our song to be about and decided to write about making new friends for next year but remembering our friends from this year and all the memories we had together.
On Thursday, Joe Bondy, Sarah's dad, took us on a tree walk/sing-along trip in central park. The kids loved being out in nature as they soaked up a bunch of fun facts. Joe pointed out and discussed the Elm, cherry blossom, pin oak, goji, and pine tree. The kids learned about how tree branches get the water they need, how to determine how old a tree is and about the relationship between trees, aphids and ants. After finding a flat and grassy area, we stopped to sing, dance and skip along to Joe's guitar. We finished our expedition at Safari Park and then headed back to school for lunch.
On Friday, we had fireman Tommy come to visit us! Tommy told us all about fire safety like 'stay low and go', 'stop, drop and roll', and 'don't hide, go outside'. He showed the class the different parts of his uniform using me (ah!) as a model. That thing weights 80 pounds! And, before he left, the kids got to try on his hat and mask if they chose to.
We also spent lots of time on Friday making goo! Finally... art you can touch.
I hope you all had a great weekend and I'm looking forward to seeing you Thursday or Friday for conferences.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
This week was all about preparing for our upcoming field trip to the Museum of Modern Art. We read the Book "Seen Art", which is about a boy looking for his friend Art, but was misdirected to the MoMA. Every page was full of sculptures, drawings and paintings found in MoMA's permanent collection. The class looked closely at them, observing various compositions,media and techniques. After we finished the story, we closed our eyes to imagine our world with out art. The kids thought about not having paintings and drawings on our walls, everyone dressing the same, having no music to listen to or stories to read. It would be pretty dull! We talked about what they know about art and who can be an artist (everyone, of course!), but people have many different ideas of what art can be. We also listed the various types of art including architecture, culinary, literature, fashion, dance and music.
After talking about general art theory, we focused on a few modern artists from the 19th and 20th centuries. The kids viewed pictures of Claude Monet's Water Lilies as we talked about the impressionist movement and painting "En Plein Air". They learned that, a long time ago, most artists painted inside their studio and often worked from memory. When artists, such as Monet, began to use portable tubes of paint, they could work outside, "in the open air", painting what they see in front of them in nature.
The class experimented with this idea during a journal activity. They took their journals outside and found a place to work, drawing what they saw in front of them. They paid attention to color and form and thought about how they felt while viewing particular objects and scenes.
We studied artist Paul Klee, who is known for his remarkable use of color. The kids loved looking through his paintings, noticing his figures and symbols. They thought about why certain symbols were used and what the figures were doing. There was one painting with an arrow pointing East over a figure's head. When asked "Why do you think there is a pointing arrow?", one of the kids responded "Because there is a bear the other way!" FYI, there was no bear in the painting.
The class was very drawn to "Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. After looking at a series of his paintings, the children picked up on a lot of movement and bright colors. We talked about the use of brush stroke and how van Gogh layers his paint and uses a lot of it.
The last artist we studied this week was Hans Arp, which actually came about after some of the kids were making paper collages that were strikingly similar to one of his paintings. The kids learned that some artists left their work up to chance or randomness, and used "ready-made" objects as art, such as a shovel, wheel or cut out pieces of paper.
Taking a break from art, we started doing basic addition using our snack menu. For example, if we have 1 cup of water, 5 grapes and 2 crackers, how many pieces of snack should you have on your plate? We tallied up each item and counted them together for our final answer.
Also this week, we made it to hippo park before the rain came (90th and CPW). The kids loved being in central park and suggested we have a picnic there one day. When I asked them what they wanted to bring many of them declared they would bring different fruits and vegetables! I can't really argue with that.
For this week, we will have our field trip to MoMA on Monday and will continue learning about, observing and making our own art. I told the kids that what we've been doing is analyzing or critiquing art as we question and observe it.
I hope you all had a great weekend. Remember to sign up for conferences if you have not done so already.
Amanda
After talking about general art theory, we focused on a few modern artists from the 19th and 20th centuries. The kids viewed pictures of Claude Monet's Water Lilies as we talked about the impressionist movement and painting "En Plein Air". They learned that, a long time ago, most artists painted inside their studio and often worked from memory. When artists, such as Monet, began to use portable tubes of paint, they could work outside, "in the open air", painting what they see in front of them in nature.
The class experimented with this idea during a journal activity. They took their journals outside and found a place to work, drawing what they saw in front of them. They paid attention to color and form and thought about how they felt while viewing particular objects and scenes.
We studied artist Paul Klee, who is known for his remarkable use of color. The kids loved looking through his paintings, noticing his figures and symbols. They thought about why certain symbols were used and what the figures were doing. There was one painting with an arrow pointing East over a figure's head. When asked "Why do you think there is a pointing arrow?", one of the kids responded "Because there is a bear the other way!" FYI, there was no bear in the painting.
The class was very drawn to "Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. After looking at a series of his paintings, the children picked up on a lot of movement and bright colors. We talked about the use of brush stroke and how van Gogh layers his paint and uses a lot of it.
The last artist we studied this week was Hans Arp, which actually came about after some of the kids were making paper collages that were strikingly similar to one of his paintings. The kids learned that some artists left their work up to chance or randomness, and used "ready-made" objects as art, such as a shovel, wheel or cut out pieces of paper.
Taking a break from art, we started doing basic addition using our snack menu. For example, if we have 1 cup of water, 5 grapes and 2 crackers, how many pieces of snack should you have on your plate? We tallied up each item and counted them together for our final answer.
Also this week, we made it to hippo park before the rain came (90th and CPW). The kids loved being in central park and suggested we have a picnic there one day. When I asked them what they wanted to bring many of them declared they would bring different fruits and vegetables! I can't really argue with that.
For this week, we will have our field trip to MoMA on Monday and will continue learning about, observing and making our own art. I told the kids that what we've been doing is analyzing or critiquing art as we question and observe it.
I hope you all had a great weekend. Remember to sign up for conferences if you have not done so already.
Amanda
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Our week before spring break was definitely event PACKED. We had a lot to talk about and a lot to accomplish. It was also the last week for our friend, Macy. The kids worked hard all week drawing her pictures and dictating what they love to do with her in school, all of which was put inside a special "Goodbye Book" for Macy to take with her to her new home. She can read her book whenever she feels like she misses her friends at Columbus Preschool, and we talked about how writing letters is another way for us all to stay in touch.
We had a special goodbye party for Macy, and the class decided to make her cupcakes for a treat... with cinnamon! This deliciously sweet and healthy spice has been the biggest craze among the kids. As a class, we talked about how sometimes you need to try things 7 or 8 times before your tongue realizes it's yummy. After our conversation, all of the class was willing to taste cinnamon with apples and there was an overwhelmingly positive response. They've now been asking to add it to their applesauce and fruit on a regular basis.
Baking also gave us the chance to further talk about fractions. The kids were exposed to what fractions look like, and that a fraction means a part of something. We discussed the most basic fraction, 1/2. They learned that two halves are equal parts, and when put together, they equal one whole item. We used common objects from our classroom to demonstrate this concept, and some of the children recognized 'halves' on their own as they encountered them during the day, usually as they're opening their sandwich at lunchtime.
Another one of our math lessons was learning to count by 10's. This came about when one student from our class wanted to collect 100 blue unifix cubes and connect them to make one long, straight line. He and I counted them many times together to see if he had enough cubes to amount to 100, but counting by 1's took a really long time! After finally reaching 100 cubes, as a class, we counted them together by 10's. We divided them into groups, and they understood that 1 group is 10 cubes, 2 groups is 20 cubes, etc.
The kids were visited this week by Dr. Levy and his family dog, Shauna. They learned about what a Veterinarian does, and the basic needs of animals, which we discovered are quite similar to the needs of humans. He showed us how he gives check-ups to animals, making sure they are healthy, and used x-rays to demonstrate how he determines why an animal may not be feeling very well. There are some cases when animals need to have surgery, and after surgery, the doctor needs to make stitches. Dr. Levy showed us how this is done using his stuffed animal friend. The kids were in complete awe as they watched this procedure. After Dr. Levy's visit, it was no surprise that the kids were interested in doctors. This came out through their imaginative play as they pretended they were doctors or sick patients; some human, some puppies or kittens. We borrowed a doctor kit from Didi's classroom, equipped with a stethoscope, thermometer, blood pressure gauge and various other tools.
As Passover and Easter were approaching, we talked about which holidays we celebrate and how we celebrate them. When asked why we celebrate them, many of the kids were at a loss for words. Marcia shared the story of passover and I shared the story of Easter. We talked about what it means to be free and how it is important to be compassionate and kind to others, even when others may not be very friendly to us. The children were exposed to the traditions of these holidays as we learned about the significance of unleavened bread and made chocolate covered matzoh. They also colored eggs, which symbolizes new beginnings and the coming of Spring! We had a few egg hunts outside, and the kids chose to hide the eggs for the teachers, too. I must say, I don't know how fair it is to hide the eggs in your pockets.
Another emerging curriculum in our classroom has been sculpture. The kids shared their knowledge on sculpture and we discussed how they can be made using all different kinds of materials and techniques. They learned about different sculptors as they viewed photographs of sculptures from all over New York City. Many of the kids were excited to recognize the works of art they were shown, and were enthusiastic about making sculptures of their own from a variety of available materials, such as firing clay, salt clay (a.k.a play-doh), plasticine, and Styrofoam.
At the end of our week, we had to do a little spring cleaning before our break, of course. The kids rolled up their sleeves and got ready for a shaving cream party. The tables were coated with shaving cream and they dove right in. After they were all done with this amazing sensory activity, they used a Styrofoam cup to lift away the soapy, foamy mess. The kids were so proud of how squeaky clean and fresh they made their tables-- they actually called the teachers over from the class next door to show them.
I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of their spring break, and I will see you when we return on TUESDAY. Also, if you have not returned your photo orders, please make sure you do so ASAP.
See you soon!
Amanda
We had a special goodbye party for Macy, and the class decided to make her cupcakes for a treat... with cinnamon! This deliciously sweet and healthy spice has been the biggest craze among the kids. As a class, we talked about how sometimes you need to try things 7 or 8 times before your tongue realizes it's yummy. After our conversation, all of the class was willing to taste cinnamon with apples and there was an overwhelmingly positive response. They've now been asking to add it to their applesauce and fruit on a regular basis.
Baking also gave us the chance to further talk about fractions. The kids were exposed to what fractions look like, and that a fraction means a part of something. We discussed the most basic fraction, 1/2. They learned that two halves are equal parts, and when put together, they equal one whole item. We used common objects from our classroom to demonstrate this concept, and some of the children recognized 'halves' on their own as they encountered them during the day, usually as they're opening their sandwich at lunchtime.
Another one of our math lessons was learning to count by 10's. This came about when one student from our class wanted to collect 100 blue unifix cubes and connect them to make one long, straight line. He and I counted them many times together to see if he had enough cubes to amount to 100, but counting by 1's took a really long time! After finally reaching 100 cubes, as a class, we counted them together by 10's. We divided them into groups, and they understood that 1 group is 10 cubes, 2 groups is 20 cubes, etc.
The kids were visited this week by Dr. Levy and his family dog, Shauna. They learned about what a Veterinarian does, and the basic needs of animals, which we discovered are quite similar to the needs of humans. He showed us how he gives check-ups to animals, making sure they are healthy, and used x-rays to demonstrate how he determines why an animal may not be feeling very well. There are some cases when animals need to have surgery, and after surgery, the doctor needs to make stitches. Dr. Levy showed us how this is done using his stuffed animal friend. The kids were in complete awe as they watched this procedure. After Dr. Levy's visit, it was no surprise that the kids were interested in doctors. This came out through their imaginative play as they pretended they were doctors or sick patients; some human, some puppies or kittens. We borrowed a doctor kit from Didi's classroom, equipped with a stethoscope, thermometer, blood pressure gauge and various other tools.
As Passover and Easter were approaching, we talked about which holidays we celebrate and how we celebrate them. When asked why we celebrate them, many of the kids were at a loss for words. Marcia shared the story of passover and I shared the story of Easter. We talked about what it means to be free and how it is important to be compassionate and kind to others, even when others may not be very friendly to us. The children were exposed to the traditions of these holidays as we learned about the significance of unleavened bread and made chocolate covered matzoh. They also colored eggs, which symbolizes new beginnings and the coming of Spring! We had a few egg hunts outside, and the kids chose to hide the eggs for the teachers, too. I must say, I don't know how fair it is to hide the eggs in your pockets.
Another emerging curriculum in our classroom has been sculpture. The kids shared their knowledge on sculpture and we discussed how they can be made using all different kinds of materials and techniques. They learned about different sculptors as they viewed photographs of sculptures from all over New York City. Many of the kids were excited to recognize the works of art they were shown, and were enthusiastic about making sculptures of their own from a variety of available materials, such as firing clay, salt clay (a.k.a play-doh), plasticine, and Styrofoam.
At the end of our week, we had to do a little spring cleaning before our break, of course. The kids rolled up their sleeves and got ready for a shaving cream party. The tables were coated with shaving cream and they dove right in. After they were all done with this amazing sensory activity, they used a Styrofoam cup to lift away the soapy, foamy mess. The kids were so proud of how squeaky clean and fresh they made their tables-- they actually called the teachers over from the class next door to show them.
I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of their spring break, and I will see you when we return on TUESDAY. Also, if you have not returned your photo orders, please make sure you do so ASAP.
See you soon!
Amanda
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Spring is in the Air!
With the arrival of Spring (finally!), there have been some major changes in our classroom. The most significant change has been our new schedule. The reason for the change was primarily to extend freeplay for a much longer period of time. The children have proved that they have grown and matured immensely since September as they are focused and engaged in their play and problem solving all throughout this long stretch of time in the classroom. With a longer freeplay, the children also have the opportunity to use materials they would not normally explore and engage with friends in a more in depth and meaningful way.
Curriculum wise, the outer-space talk has fizzled out as the children are expressing more interest in planting seeds and exploring the nature of our home planet. So, to bring an end to our space curriculum, we first talked about what it means to make an estimate, and then each child made an estimate about how long they think it will take the Sun hanging in our classroom to finally collapse. They had observed over a period of time that the Sun they made was slowly creeping closer and closer to the floor. Based on these observations, some children estimated 100 days while some estimated 16 days. One of our students thought that Amanda would become so impatient with the falling sun that she would rip it off herself! Only time will tell... All of the estimations are posted on our classroom door.
Using the Sun to transition to our current curriculum, our class talked about the new changes in season and why they take place. We discussed the changes that will occur as it becomes warmer, and the class expressed a strong interest in planting a vegetable and flower garden. While they've been out on the playground, they've been working hard to prepare the soil in the garden to plant new seeds and they have even been observing some plants that have already begun to grow. In addition to blooming flowers, we also discussed hibernation and why animals will soon come out of their long slumber. During our afternoon rest, some of the children pretended to be hibernating bears as they 'slept' all of the way through rest time.
The children have been learning about how to find the root word, or the basic element of a word with out the suffix or prefix. Learning about root words has helped the children think about how to create words using letter buddies. For example, when we talked about the letter buddy, -ing, the kids recognized that -ing comes at the end of words like walk, run, and swim. Along with letter buddies, I've been working with the children to sound out letters in order to read words or write them in their journals. They children are excitedly diving into reading and are very eager to learn. I'm so pleased with the level of enthusiasm-- as you know, they bring in books from home on a regular basis and enjoy reading them with their friends. Whether the words are memorized or they are making up the words on their own, these are the significant, early stages of reading and they will be independently reading in no time! Some of them already are, as they are reading 'early readers' books in front of the class.
Macy's mom, Krista, came in last week to do a project with the kids that followed along with what we have been talking about in our classroom. She talked to the class in depth about how to find symmetry, and used the letters of our alphabet to demonstrate this concept. She also talked to the class about how butterfly wings are symmetrical and worked with all of the children to make their own symmetrical butterfly wings. First, they drew wings on a folded piece of paper. After cutting out the wings, they painted one wing, which was then pressed onto the other wing in order to create an exact, symmetrical design on the other side.
We had Carolyn come in on Friday to read "Click, Clack, Moo" to the class. The kids loved the personified animals and onomatopoeia throughout the story. When asked what their favorite part was, most of them replied "I liked the whole thing!" A big thanks to Carolyn and Krista for coming in to share these fun activities with the class.
I also want to give a HUGE thank you to Stephanie Lee for organizing our latest field trip to the show, ImaginOcean, and to all of the parents who were involved. It was a great show, from the black lights, to the neon puppets and music. Everyone had a fabulous time and everything worked out very well considering the last minute planning. Thanks to everyone for being so flexible.
Some of the other activities going on in our class have been finger-printing caterpillars, cooking strawberry soup, building high car ramps using blocks (the kids noticed the sharper the incline, the faster the car goes!), picnics in the classroom and on the playground, and experimenting with cornstarch and water.
Lastly, I'm sure you all got to see the pictures from Picture Day! They came out great-- Just a reminder to bring in your order ASAP. Also, drum day has been rescheduled to a later date due to the damage from the rain storm.
Enjoy your weekend, Everyone!
Curriculum wise, the outer-space talk has fizzled out as the children are expressing more interest in planting seeds and exploring the nature of our home planet. So, to bring an end to our space curriculum, we first talked about what it means to make an estimate, and then each child made an estimate about how long they think it will take the Sun hanging in our classroom to finally collapse. They had observed over a period of time that the Sun they made was slowly creeping closer and closer to the floor. Based on these observations, some children estimated 100 days while some estimated 16 days. One of our students thought that Amanda would become so impatient with the falling sun that she would rip it off herself! Only time will tell... All of the estimations are posted on our classroom door.
Using the Sun to transition to our current curriculum, our class talked about the new changes in season and why they take place. We discussed the changes that will occur as it becomes warmer, and the class expressed a strong interest in planting a vegetable and flower garden. While they've been out on the playground, they've been working hard to prepare the soil in the garden to plant new seeds and they have even been observing some plants that have already begun to grow. In addition to blooming flowers, we also discussed hibernation and why animals will soon come out of their long slumber. During our afternoon rest, some of the children pretended to be hibernating bears as they 'slept' all of the way through rest time.
The children have been learning about how to find the root word, or the basic element of a word with out the suffix or prefix. Learning about root words has helped the children think about how to create words using letter buddies. For example, when we talked about the letter buddy, -ing, the kids recognized that -ing comes at the end of words like walk, run, and swim. Along with letter buddies, I've been working with the children to sound out letters in order to read words or write them in their journals. They children are excitedly diving into reading and are very eager to learn. I'm so pleased with the level of enthusiasm-- as you know, they bring in books from home on a regular basis and enjoy reading them with their friends. Whether the words are memorized or they are making up the words on their own, these are the significant, early stages of reading and they will be independently reading in no time! Some of them already are, as they are reading 'early readers' books in front of the class.
Macy's mom, Krista, came in last week to do a project with the kids that followed along with what we have been talking about in our classroom. She talked to the class in depth about how to find symmetry, and used the letters of our alphabet to demonstrate this concept. She also talked to the class about how butterfly wings are symmetrical and worked with all of the children to make their own symmetrical butterfly wings. First, they drew wings on a folded piece of paper. After cutting out the wings, they painted one wing, which was then pressed onto the other wing in order to create an exact, symmetrical design on the other side.
We had Carolyn come in on Friday to read "Click, Clack, Moo" to the class. The kids loved the personified animals and onomatopoeia throughout the story. When asked what their favorite part was, most of them replied "I liked the whole thing!" A big thanks to Carolyn and Krista for coming in to share these fun activities with the class.
I also want to give a HUGE thank you to Stephanie Lee for organizing our latest field trip to the show, ImaginOcean, and to all of the parents who were involved. It was a great show, from the black lights, to the neon puppets and music. Everyone had a fabulous time and everything worked out very well considering the last minute planning. Thanks to everyone for being so flexible.
Some of the other activities going on in our class have been finger-printing caterpillars, cooking strawberry soup, building high car ramps using blocks (the kids noticed the sharper the incline, the faster the car goes!), picnics in the classroom and on the playground, and experimenting with cornstarch and water.
Lastly, I'm sure you all got to see the pictures from Picture Day! They came out great-- Just a reminder to bring in your order ASAP. Also, drum day has been rescheduled to a later date due to the damage from the rain storm.
Enjoy your weekend, Everyone!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
This week has been full of varying interests and activities, but the human body has been one in particular. We read the book, Everyone Poops (My Body Science Series), by Taro Gomi, which inevitably created a commotion of questions and comments from the class. We talked about why we go to the bathroom, why our body needs nutrients and how we can get them. Later in the week we read "Gregory the Terrible Eater" and came up with a list of nutrient dense foods under the fruits, veggies and protein categories. After reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar", we talked about why too many treats hurt our body and why we need to eat food from plants and animals instead. The children were given the opportunity to explore a 3-D model of the human torso which contains removable pieces.
We will talk more in depth about how our body works, but before we move on to the human body, we're going to continue to discuss more about butterflies and insects. Our butterfly garden mural is on its way to completion and all of the kids have been making very creative contributions. We have started to discuss the many different kids of butterflies and where they are found around the world. The class learned about symmetry by observing a variety of butterfly wings. They practiced this concept by painting one side of a piece of paper, folding it in half and opening it, revealing a symmetrical image. Many of the kids were already familiar with this activity. We also used shaving cream, food coloring and a toothpick to create a design on paper and then pressed it with another piece of paper. They recognized on their own that they had made a symmetrical design.
One morning before meeting we decided to meet on the rugs while sitting in chairs rather than crisscross on the rug. The kids really got a kick out of it and had a great time. We played a facial expression guessing game where the kids had to figure out how their classmates were feeling based on the expression on their face. Some of the feelings they demonstrated were Angry, nervous, sad, happy and surprised.
Also this week, some children chose to build on top of a mirror which creates a totally different experience and a new dimension to block building. It can give the impression of a much larger structure while also providing an opportunity to take a glance at yourself while building.
There was a lot of Olympic chatter throughout the week that definitely permeated the block area. The kids made a HUGE 'Olympic Stage' that covered the entire rug. Here is their explanation of what they built:
Sarah: This is the torch and you turn it when you get a medal.
Savannah: When you turn it, you get 10 medals and you did a good job skiing. You an go all the way to the top if you really, really win. Then you can jump from here to here.
Josh: When you go skiing you can jump. I saw on TV there was a lot of bumps.
Sarah: I made a snowboard with cardboard!
Caden: You can stand on the board with airplane arms
Josh: We watched the Olympics hockey game. The red team won and got a god medal. The blue team was sad because they lost and got silver.
Sarah: The blue team is USA
Savannah: The red team is Canada
Leo: I watched the Olympics. I watched and watched and watched but I didn't see the US!
Dylan: This part shoots rockets. A cannon goes up over here.
Josh: Over there I made a ramp. The cars go up across the bridge so they can watch the parade. Dylan says its an Olympic stage.
Emma: If you take off the triangle, you can twist it and get a medal.
Sarah: A fire truck is here. They are going in the building to take the fire out.
Check out the pictures of the block building on shutterfly!!!
I'll see you all during the week. Take care everyone!
We will talk more in depth about how our body works, but before we move on to the human body, we're going to continue to discuss more about butterflies and insects. Our butterfly garden mural is on its way to completion and all of the kids have been making very creative contributions. We have started to discuss the many different kids of butterflies and where they are found around the world. The class learned about symmetry by observing a variety of butterfly wings. They practiced this concept by painting one side of a piece of paper, folding it in half and opening it, revealing a symmetrical image. Many of the kids were already familiar with this activity. We also used shaving cream, food coloring and a toothpick to create a design on paper and then pressed it with another piece of paper. They recognized on their own that they had made a symmetrical design.
One morning before meeting we decided to meet on the rugs while sitting in chairs rather than crisscross on the rug. The kids really got a kick out of it and had a great time. We played a facial expression guessing game where the kids had to figure out how their classmates were feeling based on the expression on their face. Some of the feelings they demonstrated were Angry, nervous, sad, happy and surprised.
Also this week, some children chose to build on top of a mirror which creates a totally different experience and a new dimension to block building. It can give the impression of a much larger structure while also providing an opportunity to take a glance at yourself while building.
There was a lot of Olympic chatter throughout the week that definitely permeated the block area. The kids made a HUGE 'Olympic Stage' that covered the entire rug. Here is their explanation of what they built:
Sarah: This is the torch and you turn it when you get a medal.
Savannah: When you turn it, you get 10 medals and you did a good job skiing. You an go all the way to the top if you really, really win. Then you can jump from here to here.
Josh: When you go skiing you can jump. I saw on TV there was a lot of bumps.
Sarah: I made a snowboard with cardboard!
Caden: You can stand on the board with airplane arms
Josh: We watched the Olympics hockey game. The red team won and got a god medal. The blue team was sad because they lost and got silver.
Sarah: The blue team is USA
Savannah: The red team is Canada
Leo: I watched the Olympics. I watched and watched and watched but I didn't see the US!
Dylan: This part shoots rockets. A cannon goes up over here.
Josh: Over there I made a ramp. The cars go up across the bridge so they can watch the parade. Dylan says its an Olympic stage.
Emma: If you take off the triangle, you can twist it and get a medal.
Sarah: A fire truck is here. They are going in the building to take the fire out.
Check out the pictures of the block building on shutterfly!!!
I'll see you all during the week. Take care everyone!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Back to Basics
I hope this newsletter finds you cozy and warm at home on this snowy day.
Despite the extensive variety of materials the children have available to them, they have narrowed it down to a few basics, requesting only paper, string, scissors and glue on a daily basis. For the last few weeks, you may have noticed a small group of children each morning gathered in front of the art corner on the floor, surrounded by a sea of cut up pieces of paper. They have been meticulously constructing highly detailed and original paper designs. Some examples include 'cream-puffs', roses, butterflies, people--with all of their many parts, flowers and bumble bees, cell phones, masks, and even doggy ears to use in lieu of the dog-ear headbands in the dramatic play area. What stemmed from a small group has now inspired the entire class. We have dedicated portions of our day this week to problem-solve and create using only the basics. The impact of their latest visual artistry does not come from the materials being used, but rather from the ideas behind them as they use their brain power to demonstrate their inner creativity.
On Thursday we discussed in depth how we can create a butterfly garden to house all of the butterflies they made, but only using paper! Next week we'll get started making grass, sun flowers, rocks, tomato vines, corn stalks (there are a lot of vegetables in our garden, although I was corrected by Sarah when she told me, "corn is not a vegetable, it's a grain"), all of which will receive light from our shining Sun at the center of our classroom.
We have been reading some really great books lately, including some new 'chapter-books'. One of my childhood favorites, "Tales of Amanda the Pig", and "A Harry the Dirty Dog Treasury" have been particular hits. The kids love the suspense of pausing the story at a certain point and resuming it the following day. Many of the children have been bringing in their own chapter books to share with the friends. We had Eva C.'s mom, Heidi, come in to read "A Kissing Hand" to the class on Wednesday morning. Many of the kids were familiar with this book and were excited to share their thoughts and comments with Heidi after she read. As I always say, it is always a special occasion when a family member comes in to visit our classroom. Thanks, Heidi!
Before we went on our February break, Caden's mom, Nancy, came in to make winter hats with the class that they were able to design themselves. Nancy brought in materials such as neon puffy paint, jewels, sticker felt pieces, sequins and ribbons, all of which were used to create some very original and funky hats. Once the kids finished their designs, the hats were completed with a tie and a fringe on top and were ready to take home to wear. Thank you, Nancy, for sharing this activity with the class! They really enjoyed it, especially considering their interest in fashion and clothing design.
The kids have been very determined to complete challenging floor puzzles each morning this week. Small groups have worked together to put complicated 48 piece puzzles together, always with success. It's great to see the pride the children take in themselves when they finish, and they will often protect the finished product with a barrier of tape in order to relish success as long as they possibly can.
The class participated in baking some all natural quinoa cookies before break that they all LOVED. Here is a very simple recipe for those of you who are interested:
1/2 c. Honey
1/3 c. Brown sugar
1/2 c. Butter
1/2 c. Peanut, sunflower seed, or soy nut butter (we used sunflower seed)
1 c. Whole wheat or rice flour (we used rice)
3/4 c. Quinoa flakes
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon (or more to your liking)
*cream together honey, brown sugar, butter and vanilla
*combine all dry ingredients in separate bowl
*Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and beat with electric mixer
*drop ~2 Tbsp. onto baking sheet and bake 10-14 minutes, until lightly golden, at 350 degrees
REMINDER: Picture day is Tuesday, March 2nd at 10:30 am.
Have a great weekend!
Despite the extensive variety of materials the children have available to them, they have narrowed it down to a few basics, requesting only paper, string, scissors and glue on a daily basis. For the last few weeks, you may have noticed a small group of children each morning gathered in front of the art corner on the floor, surrounded by a sea of cut up pieces of paper. They have been meticulously constructing highly detailed and original paper designs. Some examples include 'cream-puffs', roses, butterflies, people--with all of their many parts, flowers and bumble bees, cell phones, masks, and even doggy ears to use in lieu of the dog-ear headbands in the dramatic play area. What stemmed from a small group has now inspired the entire class. We have dedicated portions of our day this week to problem-solve and create using only the basics. The impact of their latest visual artistry does not come from the materials being used, but rather from the ideas behind them as they use their brain power to demonstrate their inner creativity.
On Thursday we discussed in depth how we can create a butterfly garden to house all of the butterflies they made, but only using paper! Next week we'll get started making grass, sun flowers, rocks, tomato vines, corn stalks (there are a lot of vegetables in our garden, although I was corrected by Sarah when she told me, "corn is not a vegetable, it's a grain"), all of which will receive light from our shining Sun at the center of our classroom.
We have been reading some really great books lately, including some new 'chapter-books'. One of my childhood favorites, "Tales of Amanda the Pig", and "A Harry the Dirty Dog Treasury" have been particular hits. The kids love the suspense of pausing the story at a certain point and resuming it the following day. Many of the children have been bringing in their own chapter books to share with the friends. We had Eva C.'s mom, Heidi, come in to read "A Kissing Hand" to the class on Wednesday morning. Many of the kids were familiar with this book and were excited to share their thoughts and comments with Heidi after she read. As I always say, it is always a special occasion when a family member comes in to visit our classroom. Thanks, Heidi!
Before we went on our February break, Caden's mom, Nancy, came in to make winter hats with the class that they were able to design themselves. Nancy brought in materials such as neon puffy paint, jewels, sticker felt pieces, sequins and ribbons, all of which were used to create some very original and funky hats. Once the kids finished their designs, the hats were completed with a tie and a fringe on top and were ready to take home to wear. Thank you, Nancy, for sharing this activity with the class! They really enjoyed it, especially considering their interest in fashion and clothing design.
The kids have been very determined to complete challenging floor puzzles each morning this week. Small groups have worked together to put complicated 48 piece puzzles together, always with success. It's great to see the pride the children take in themselves when they finish, and they will often protect the finished product with a barrier of tape in order to relish success as long as they possibly can.
The class participated in baking some all natural quinoa cookies before break that they all LOVED. Here is a very simple recipe for those of you who are interested:
1/2 c. Honey
1/3 c. Brown sugar
1/2 c. Butter
1/2 c. Peanut, sunflower seed, or soy nut butter (we used sunflower seed)
1 c. Whole wheat or rice flour (we used rice)
3/4 c. Quinoa flakes
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon (or more to your liking)
*cream together honey, brown sugar, butter and vanilla
*combine all dry ingredients in separate bowl
*Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and beat with electric mixer
*drop ~2 Tbsp. onto baking sheet and bake 10-14 minutes, until lightly golden, at 350 degrees
REMINDER: Picture day is Tuesday, March 2nd at 10:30 am.
Have a great weekend!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Last week was all about exploring the senses. We began the week with some tea infused play-dough. Some children mixed in watermelon tea, while some mixed in peach. This experiment not only appeals to the sense of touch, but also to the sense of smell. They've enjoyed the sweet and fruity aroma almost as much as they enjoy getting their hands sticky.
The kids finished planet Mercury by molding craters on the surface and painting it golden red. Mercury has been hoisted up next to the sun, and we've now started to learn about Venus. The kids learned that Venus is the slowest moving planet, and is similar in size to Earth. They also learned that Venus is not only covered in mountains and volcanoes, but also in a blanket of clouds, making it the hottest planet in our solar system.
The cold weather brought lots of snow to the ground. The kids rolled several snowballs out on the playground and brought them to our classroom sensory table. We added some watercolors and the kids experienced snow in a new and colorful way. The snowfall also brought the opportunity for some observational art. With paper, glue and snowy materials at the window sill, some kids translated what they saw in the snowy, three-dimensional world to a two-dimensional world, creating snow-scapes on paper.
Along with observational art, the kids painted using Q-tips... not only for cleaning ears! This gives them a lot more control over their medium and the ability to add more detail. Not to mention, it's fun!
Many of the kids have been going journal crazy lately, which is great! They're so enthusiastic about their journal entries and have been unstoppable. One of the students came up with the idea of making their own journal. The kids chose a cover for their journal, and decorated it any way they liked. Some opted to use their journal as a book, and some turned their journal into a calendar.
The class has been getting extra familiar with their last names, and the last names of their friends, using our last-name-cards. We use these cards to transition from one activity to another, and they all love using them. One suggestion was to do middle name cards next. As a person who doesn't have a middle name, I told the class I have to make sure that everyone has a middle name because not everyone does!
PAC provided a visit from two dental hygienists. The kids had a great time learning how dentists help keep our teeth healthy and clean, and how we can take care of our teeth at home. Some of the children had the chance to brush a giant set of teeth using a giant toothbrush, too. A big thank you to PAC from all of the kids and teachers.
As I mentioned in my last blog, we used marshmallows to learn some addition problems. The kids each had two cups and moved their marshmallows from one cup to another in order to solve problems such as 14-4 and 7+7. Once we finished (and spelled MARSHMALLOW together), the kids added their marshmallows to a warm cup of hot cocoa and enjoyed a cozy story with our blankets, pillows and rest toys. Our marshmallow math is posted on our classroom door. You may have also noticed our "How We Take Care of Our Books" poster, where the kids have listed what they need to do in order to care properly for our books. Each day, two new books are added to their shelf as they demonstrate the rules they came up with. But! if there are ripped pages, a book is stepped on or not put away, we will have to go back to one book on the shelf. Right now we are up to six!
I recently sent an e-mail out about our Valentine's Day event on Friday. Let me know if you have any questions. Hope to see you all there!
Amanda
The kids finished planet Mercury by molding craters on the surface and painting it golden red. Mercury has been hoisted up next to the sun, and we've now started to learn about Venus. The kids learned that Venus is the slowest moving planet, and is similar in size to Earth. They also learned that Venus is not only covered in mountains and volcanoes, but also in a blanket of clouds, making it the hottest planet in our solar system.
The cold weather brought lots of snow to the ground. The kids rolled several snowballs out on the playground and brought them to our classroom sensory table. We added some watercolors and the kids experienced snow in a new and colorful way. The snowfall also brought the opportunity for some observational art. With paper, glue and snowy materials at the window sill, some kids translated what they saw in the snowy, three-dimensional world to a two-dimensional world, creating snow-scapes on paper.
Along with observational art, the kids painted using Q-tips... not only for cleaning ears! This gives them a lot more control over their medium and the ability to add more detail. Not to mention, it's fun!
Many of the kids have been going journal crazy lately, which is great! They're so enthusiastic about their journal entries and have been unstoppable. One of the students came up with the idea of making their own journal. The kids chose a cover for their journal, and decorated it any way they liked. Some opted to use their journal as a book, and some turned their journal into a calendar.
The class has been getting extra familiar with their last names, and the last names of their friends, using our last-name-cards. We use these cards to transition from one activity to another, and they all love using them. One suggestion was to do middle name cards next. As a person who doesn't have a middle name, I told the class I have to make sure that everyone has a middle name because not everyone does!
PAC provided a visit from two dental hygienists. The kids had a great time learning how dentists help keep our teeth healthy and clean, and how we can take care of our teeth at home. Some of the children had the chance to brush a giant set of teeth using a giant toothbrush, too. A big thank you to PAC from all of the kids and teachers.
As I mentioned in my last blog, we used marshmallows to learn some addition problems. The kids each had two cups and moved their marshmallows from one cup to another in order to solve problems such as 14-4 and 7+7. Once we finished (and spelled MARSHMALLOW together), the kids added their marshmallows to a warm cup of hot cocoa and enjoyed a cozy story with our blankets, pillows and rest toys. Our marshmallow math is posted on our classroom door. You may have also noticed our "How We Take Care of Our Books" poster, where the kids have listed what they need to do in order to care properly for our books. Each day, two new books are added to their shelf as they demonstrate the rules they came up with. But! if there are ripped pages, a book is stepped on or not put away, we will have to go back to one book on the shelf. Right now we are up to six!
I recently sent an e-mail out about our Valentine's Day event on Friday. Let me know if you have any questions. Hope to see you all there!
Amanda
Monday, February 1, 2010
Our space vocabulary has been increasing more and more as we continue our voyage through our solar system. Here is a list of some of the words/topics we have discussed thus far:
Gravity
Poles/Polar
Atmosphere
Nebula
Rotation
Solar Flare
Sun Spot
Crater
Freezing point
Meteoroid
Comet
Mercury
Here is a clip from a conversation focusing on Mercury:
Sarah: "Mercury is like tiny, tiny Pluto"
Julia J.: "Pluto is the smallest planet"
[do we still call Pluto a planet?]
All: "it's a moon!"
Sam: "Space is huge"
[What else do we know about Mercury?]
Ryan: "Mercury has lots of craters in it"
[Why?]
All: there are space rocks!
[What protects the Earth from space rocks?]
Savannah: "There is something you can't see that makes it so things can't get through. [what is that called?] Atmosphere.
Gravity
Poles/Polar
Atmosphere
Nebula
Rotation
Solar Flare
Sun Spot
Crater
Freezing point
Meteoroid
Comet
Mercury
Here is a clip from a conversation focusing on Mercury:
Sarah: "Mercury is like tiny, tiny Pluto"
Julia J.: "Pluto is the smallest planet"
[do we still call Pluto a planet?]
All: "it's a moon!"
Sam: "Space is huge"
[What else do we know about Mercury?]
Ryan: "Mercury has lots of craters in it"
[Why?]
All: there are space rocks!
[What protects the Earth from space rocks?]
Savannah: "There is something you can't see that makes it so things can't get through. [what is that called?] Atmosphere.
Some of the thoughtful questions the kids have been asking include " Does the Sun have an atmosphere?" and "Is Mercury as hot as the Sun?" We have also been keeping track of the facts we learn which will be hanging under each 'space object' the children make. Last week, the kids molded Mercury using a glue paste and newspaper wrapped around a balloon. This coming week, we will cover the mold to mimic Mercury's surface based on pictures they've seen and begin to learn about our the second closest planet to the Sun, Venus.
Aside from Space, we have had a lot of interest in fashion and costume design. The kids have been working hard to make masks, capes, crowns, wings, dresses, and even huge paper dolls using materials such as tissue paper, tape, fabric scraps and pipe-cleaners. They have also ventured into the world of accessories, designing purses and wallets! Their interest in design has demonstrated originality, creativity, problem solving and team work. It can be quite a challenge creating an entire outfit with limited and non-durable resources.
Another hot area has been the block area. Their structures have been incredibly complex, and have really been testing their ability to balance TALL and intricate designs.
The cold, cold weather has had us all thinking about cozying up with blankets and pillows inside. Eva Y. and all of her friends thought it would be a great idea to snuggle up with blankets, pillows, favorite rest toys and hot chocolate and marshmallows while reading a story together inside. This is something that we will do together this week, using the marshmallows to help us get a stronger grasp on some basic addition, subtraction and even fractions. Math can be so delicious!
Remember, please bring in a shoe-box (or any similar sized box) to be decorated as a Valentine's Day mailbox no later than Monday, February 8th.
I'll see you during the week.
Amanda
Sunday, January 24, 2010
First Stop: The Sun!
Our space curriculum has really been taking off this week!!! After reading a story about traveling into space, a handful of students expressed interest in making a space mobile. Since the rest of the class roared in agreement, that's exactly what we've started to do. Because the Sun is the center of our solar system, that's what the class has set out to make first. But, before they did, they took time to observe details about the Sun through photographs, and also learned about solar flares, sun spots and how our Sun formed in the first place. They also learned how the Earth spins around the Sun. Savannah explained to her friends that, when it is bright outside, the Earth is facing towards the Sun while the other side of Earth faces away in darkness. All of the kids have expressed a tremendous interest in the planetary system and have been asking loads of questions, leaving me with lots of research to do at home.
Greta: "Why is the sun so bright?"
Eva Y.: "How does the Earth move?"
Dylan: "Why does it take one day for the Earth to spin once?"
The more we have been talking about the Sun and space, the more the children's ideas have started to flow. They started filling our classroom with stars and space dust. They want to add asteroids, rockets, astronauts and moons, ultimately converting our classroom into outer space. Next week, we'll talk about planet Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun.
On a fairly regular basis, the class has enjoyed setting up the classroom with rows of chairs, finding a partner to walk down the aisle with, getting married and ending the ceremony with food and a dance party. They spared no detail, including top hats, veils, fancy attire, paper roses, and they even decorated the block area with tassels. They all have really had fun attending and dressing up for the occasion as it has happened several times in the last few weeks.
The kids have been working hard on making cards for those who have been hurt in Haiti. Once they learned that there was a need for help, they recognized that they can spread peace and offer support through something as simple as a card.
As we have entered the second half of the year, the kids have started to write in their journals every day. They have continued to work very thoughtfully and diligently in their entries, and they all take a lot of pride in whatever they express. This week, I asked Tyler to share his journal entry on Friday with his friends. The children are now sharing only things they work very hard on in school, rather than items they bring in from home. This has shown to be much more meaningful to them, and their friends also participate by asking interesting and thoughtful questions in response. Tyler explained to his friends the following:
"I drew the Sun. I drew the fire that shoots out."
Eva Y. asked How he drew the Sun
"I used yellow and orange to draw circles and made triangles to make the fire shooting off."
You may have noticed that our bookshelves are bare... again! We have had a lot of ripped pages in our books. The kids needed a reminder about how it is important to take care of our books along with everything else in our classroom. They helped to collect our books and return them to the library. They remembered from earlier in the year that they can make their own books in order to demonstrate how to take good care of them. Once they have shown this, they can begin to choose books from our library and bring them back to our classroom again.
Valentine's Day is quickly approaching. We will be celebrating in school with some special treats the children will make, and of course with Valentine's day cards and show box bail boxes. Please be sure to send in a show box with your child's name on it by Monday, February 8th. I will keep you updated with any other details.
I hope you all had a great weekend! See you during the week.
Amanda
Greta: "Why is the sun so bright?"
Eva Y.: "How does the Earth move?"
Dylan: "Why does it take one day for the Earth to spin once?"
The more we have been talking about the Sun and space, the more the children's ideas have started to flow. They started filling our classroom with stars and space dust. They want to add asteroids, rockets, astronauts and moons, ultimately converting our classroom into outer space. Next week, we'll talk about planet Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun.
On a fairly regular basis, the class has enjoyed setting up the classroom with rows of chairs, finding a partner to walk down the aisle with, getting married and ending the ceremony with food and a dance party. They spared no detail, including top hats, veils, fancy attire, paper roses, and they even decorated the block area with tassels. They all have really had fun attending and dressing up for the occasion as it has happened several times in the last few weeks.
The kids have been working hard on making cards for those who have been hurt in Haiti. Once they learned that there was a need for help, they recognized that they can spread peace and offer support through something as simple as a card.
As we have entered the second half of the year, the kids have started to write in their journals every day. They have continued to work very thoughtfully and diligently in their entries, and they all take a lot of pride in whatever they express. This week, I asked Tyler to share his journal entry on Friday with his friends. The children are now sharing only things they work very hard on in school, rather than items they bring in from home. This has shown to be much more meaningful to them, and their friends also participate by asking interesting and thoughtful questions in response. Tyler explained to his friends the following:
"I drew the Sun. I drew the fire that shoots out."
Eva Y. asked How he drew the Sun
"I used yellow and orange to draw circles and made triangles to make the fire shooting off."
You may have noticed that our bookshelves are bare... again! We have had a lot of ripped pages in our books. The kids needed a reminder about how it is important to take care of our books along with everything else in our classroom. They helped to collect our books and return them to the library. They remembered from earlier in the year that they can make their own books in order to demonstrate how to take good care of them. Once they have shown this, they can begin to choose books from our library and bring them back to our classroom again.
Valentine's Day is quickly approaching. We will be celebrating in school with some special treats the children will make, and of course with Valentine's day cards and show box bail boxes. Please be sure to send in a show box with your child's name on it by Monday, February 8th. I will keep you updated with any other details.
I hope you all had a great weekend! See you during the week.
Amanda
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Back in the Swing of Things
Everyone was so excited to be back in the classroom-teachers included- and the kids were able to jump right back into our routine. Our first week back was quite a cold one, so we had to get creative indoors during our morning playground time. It was clear that the kids missed their teachers so much while they were away that they actually wanted to be them. They decided that they would conduct the yoga lesson as teachers while all of the 'grown-up' teachers followed along as students. They also realized that, as teachers, they must be able to set a good example for their students. If they were not helping to clean up our classroom or being a good friend, they must not be ready to be a teacher yet!
The puppet show theater got a lot of action during literacy and freeplay on Monday. The kids made tickets for the show and got chairs for the audience ready. There was so much enthusiasm that we made this puppet show a more formal event. During our meeting the next day, we decided who was going to be a puppeteer, who was going to hand out the tickets, who was going to be a snack vendor, and someone thought we should have a clown performing before the show starts, too. We made a puppet show sign for the schedule and worked hard to prepare for the show all day. Everyone did his or her job and the show went smoothly. The treats from the vendors may have been the highlight of the event.
Rest-time has become a new adventure since the kids have been motivated to turn their mats into forts. At the end of rest, we have been setting aside 10 or so minutes for them to work together and be resourceful in order to create their mini rest mat homes. Their interactions were incredible as they successfully constructed their forts. Everyone worked together in a very positive way, and there was even opportunity for some conflict resolution (with out the need for help from a teacher).
Once the temperature was reasonable enough to visit the playground, the kids noticed the ice build-up on their playground toys. They chose to collect pieces of ice and put them in an orange cone, and then brought them into the classroom. We made a hypothesis about how the ice might change inside--"it will melt!", and why this might happen--"because it's warmer inside". They also remembered from our previous ice experiments that, if we put it in a pot over a burner, it will melt faster because a burner produces more heat. They also stated that, if we put the ice under the sun, it would melt even faster. This discussion lead to the idea that, if we put a log under the sun, it would also melt. I explained that different materials produce different reactions with heat, but this concept could be easier to understand with some fun (and safe!) science experiments in the classroom.
One of the stories we read this week was "The Moon Man", which was a huge hit-- we actually read it twice. This book introduces how the moon has different phases, changing its size due to the Earth's shadow. I will demonstrate this process next week in order to explain how and why this happens. "The Moon Man" also introduced many new vocabulary words, and the kids were eager to learn what they mean. They learned words such as committee, invader, furious and bore. The kids recognized that 'bore' is the root word for 'boring', and they actually defined it on their own. We also learned the difference between a sphere, like the moon, and a circle, like a cookie.
During our morning meetings, we started to learn some letter buddies and continued to construct double-digit numbers using the numbers 0-9. This comes easily to the kids, so I may have to kick it up a notch. They have asked if "tendy-ten" is really a number, so maybe we will enter the realm of the high double-digits, or even triple-digits.
By the end of the week, the creative juices were really flowing. The children were painting with toothbrushes, choosing to mix paint colors in order to make the colors they needed, and started to construct a robot using open-ended materials. The children also made some great drawings and cards for Anna after we read the letter she wrote to the class. They understood that Anna has to go to school, just as they do, and that their other teachers are not going to leave them. They remembered that I have to go to school, too, but I am going to my school at night. They wondered who was going to be their new teacher, so we explained that Chris is our new teacher and he is going to hang out with us every day. They are adjusting to the change really well and are having a lot of fun with Chris.
We had some new snow on the ground later in the week. The kids made snow angels, viewed snowflakes through a magnifying class, stuck snow to the brick wall outside, and made hand and foot prints-- just like in "The Snowy Day", which we read on the day of the snowfall. Everyone has been great with sending in gloves, hats and scarves. Next week will be another cold one! Stay warm, and I will see you on Monday.
Amanda
The puppet show theater got a lot of action during literacy and freeplay on Monday. The kids made tickets for the show and got chairs for the audience ready. There was so much enthusiasm that we made this puppet show a more formal event. During our meeting the next day, we decided who was going to be a puppeteer, who was going to hand out the tickets, who was going to be a snack vendor, and someone thought we should have a clown performing before the show starts, too. We made a puppet show sign for the schedule and worked hard to prepare for the show all day. Everyone did his or her job and the show went smoothly. The treats from the vendors may have been the highlight of the event.
Rest-time has become a new adventure since the kids have been motivated to turn their mats into forts. At the end of rest, we have been setting aside 10 or so minutes for them to work together and be resourceful in order to create their mini rest mat homes. Their interactions were incredible as they successfully constructed their forts. Everyone worked together in a very positive way, and there was even opportunity for some conflict resolution (with out the need for help from a teacher).
Once the temperature was reasonable enough to visit the playground, the kids noticed the ice build-up on their playground toys. They chose to collect pieces of ice and put them in an orange cone, and then brought them into the classroom. We made a hypothesis about how the ice might change inside--"it will melt!", and why this might happen--"because it's warmer inside". They also remembered from our previous ice experiments that, if we put it in a pot over a burner, it will melt faster because a burner produces more heat. They also stated that, if we put the ice under the sun, it would melt even faster. This discussion lead to the idea that, if we put a log under the sun, it would also melt. I explained that different materials produce different reactions with heat, but this concept could be easier to understand with some fun (and safe!) science experiments in the classroom.
One of the stories we read this week was "The Moon Man", which was a huge hit-- we actually read it twice. This book introduces how the moon has different phases, changing its size due to the Earth's shadow. I will demonstrate this process next week in order to explain how and why this happens. "The Moon Man" also introduced many new vocabulary words, and the kids were eager to learn what they mean. They learned words such as committee, invader, furious and bore. The kids recognized that 'bore' is the root word for 'boring', and they actually defined it on their own. We also learned the difference between a sphere, like the moon, and a circle, like a cookie.
During our morning meetings, we started to learn some letter buddies and continued to construct double-digit numbers using the numbers 0-9. This comes easily to the kids, so I may have to kick it up a notch. They have asked if "tendy-ten" is really a number, so maybe we will enter the realm of the high double-digits, or even triple-digits.
By the end of the week, the creative juices were really flowing. The children were painting with toothbrushes, choosing to mix paint colors in order to make the colors they needed, and started to construct a robot using open-ended materials. The children also made some great drawings and cards for Anna after we read the letter she wrote to the class. They understood that Anna has to go to school, just as they do, and that their other teachers are not going to leave them. They remembered that I have to go to school, too, but I am going to my school at night. They wondered who was going to be their new teacher, so we explained that Chris is our new teacher and he is going to hang out with us every day. They are adjusting to the change really well and are having a lot of fun with Chris.
We had some new snow on the ground later in the week. The kids made snow angels, viewed snowflakes through a magnifying class, stuck snow to the brick wall outside, and made hand and foot prints-- just like in "The Snowy Day", which we read on the day of the snowfall. Everyone has been great with sending in gloves, hats and scarves. Next week will be another cold one! Stay warm, and I will see you on Monday.
Amanda
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