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!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
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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