Habitats and Homes

We had a lovely visit from Scientist Sandy yesterday. She taught us all about animal habitats - water, trees, forest, and underground.

Thank you to the Parent Council for subsidizing this experience, and thanks to our class parents for donating towards the cost.

Note to self

Sometimes we give so much to our children we forget to love ourselves too.

Jump Rope For Heart

Why did we do Jump Rope For heart today?

"To help our heart."

"To help everybody raise money." 

"To make our hearts strong."

"To give money to the doctors for people with bad hearts."

"To have fun!"

Check out these action shots:

Young Chemists

Hunter made a potion today out of sand and water. The other children joined in, combining ingredients and using their five senses to observe. As they added ingredients, they predicted what would happen, then tested their hypotheses. 

Here is the experience, in their own words. 

"We're learning how to make potions like scientists!"

"You have to get a cup from over there. Then add some water and salt and lemon juice and stir it. You add a bit more at a time and you can taste it. "

"It doesn't really smell."

"Look it's swirling!" 

"The salt is blue before I add the water. "

"Let's share the potions with this."

"I think the lemon juice will turn it yellow."

"Look I made a slushy!"

"Let's put them all together in this big one and find out what will happen!"

It was wonderful to experience the wonder and experimentation the children were engaged in. We have quite the group of young chemists in the making!

Wee Wigglers

We had a special visit today from our Wee Wigglers teacher. The children were tickled about the very own child-sized yoga mat.

The children learned about different ways to exercise (such as stretching and dancing) and about cardio-vascular health.

With fun and upbeat music playing, we learned to do Sun Salutations and both dynamic and static balances.

The scarves were a hit and the class was transformed into a moving rainbow!

We ended off by cooling down and stretching out. It was a great workout and we learned some fun ways to exercise (teachers included!). Thank you to our class parents for funding this experience.

Out we go!

As the weather is improving, we're moving more and more of our centres outside. The children have access to nearly all the learning opportunities they have in the class, plus the gross motor activities that can only be done outdoors.

What did we do and learn?

Playdough on the mat

Music, books, and writing exploration

Science discovery. Here the ant hunters are hard at work.

Water table fun

Plein air painting

Gross motor control and strength on the trikes

Building with blocks and in the sand pit

Dress ups and fun with scarves

Even our intrepid volunteer Mrs. Ball joined us outside!

Who says we need to be inside to learn?

Weather Watchers

Well, it was supposed to be a stormy day today, so I asked some friends to be weather watchers so we can track the storm. 

The storm never materialized, but some rich conversation did. 

Kenadi- What happens to the birds in lightening?

Ava- my mom days that thunder doesn't hurt the birds. 

David- What about the spiders? Are they hurt by the thunder?

Brynlee- No they are a part of nature and they like the rain. Like the Itsy Bitsy Spider. 

Eric- We were walking last night and it started raining last night on the way to Freshco. 

Ava- We're not going outside today. 

Eric- We might not cause it's going to rain. Hopefully the lightning doesn't hit us.

Brynlee- Sometimes people don't die when the lightning hits them.

David- No sometimes they don't. 

The world is our canvas

In the kindergarten community, our time is governed by the rhythms of nature. The moods and interests of the children wax and wane through the seasons and even the moon cycle. (Any teacher can tell you the day before a full moon is always crazy!) A long string of rainy days can put a serious crimp in our plans, so it is best to plan ahead.

As a result, I always seem to have my eye on the weather report. Today was the last sunny day for at least 5 days, so we were determined to get outside while we could. But I had planned to do some explorations about the role of an artist...so on the fly, we adapted the plan and went outside.

We prepared by making some special paint: 3 spoons of cornstarch, about a quarter cup of water, and 2 drops of food colouring. The children enjoyed the dry slippery feel of the cornstartch, and we talked about more, less, and the same amounts.

Ready to go outside:

Immediately the children got to work turning our drab pavement playground into a rainbow! They delighted in spreading out and making art on a grand scale.

Tomorrow, as the rain arrives, the masterpieces will be cleared away. The ephemeral nature of this medium is part of the allure - do what you will, because it will be gone tomorrow.