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!