Saturday 28 June 2014

Look inside your heart

Goodbyes are always hard. 

The end of the school year is a time of excitement, joy and accomplishment. It's a time of celebration and togetherness, a chance to soak in our classroom community one last time. It is also a sad time, as we must say goodbye to each other. On a personal note, this was a particularly difficult goodbye because I am leaving my amazing "work wife" Katy, a school I love, and the most amazing children I've ever had the pleasure of working with. It's a bittersweet time.

We took our celebration to the splash pad this week, and had a beautiful time together. As I watched my happy children jump, shriek and dance with joy, I felt tears well up. It always surprises me how much I come to care for my students, and just how hard it is to say goodbye.













 

During the last few moments we had as a class, I handed out goodbye letters to the children one by one. They spontaneously started hugging me, and I soaked in the love they so readily gave. Mia was the last child to get her letter, and as she reached for it, she smiled widely. 

Then she said, "Miss Russell, when you look inside your heart you will see all of us hugging you."

She was right.



Wednesday 25 June 2014

Pizza Planning

We had a real-life math problem to solve. How much pizza should we order for our pizza party on Thursday?


Hamish and I got out the counters and checked the Pizza Pizza website. If a party pizza has 20 slices, how many do we need? How many bags of brownies do we need?


Hamish wrote down his work, and showed it to his friends to explain how he figured it out.


Real life math is the best kind of math!

When I grow up...

It's amazing how much a person's personality is determined by the age of 4 or 5. When we asked our children what they wanted to be when they grew up, there was a great diversity of choices. Our little artists were drawn to hairdressing, painting, and art. Our thrill seekers want to be lion tamers and race car drivers. Our gentle girls want to be babysitters, doctors, and nannies. The curious children want to be scientists.

What did you want to be when you were little?

Miss Carter - "A midwife"
Miss Kentner - "A baker or a dance teacher"
Mrs. Carter - "A teacher"
Miss Russell - "An archaeologist"

Here's what our class had to say:











Monday 23 June 2014

Showtime!

Thanks to all the families who made it out to our Spring Concert.

You can view a video of the performance by clicking HERE.

Here are some pics of the show. While we were getting ready, the excitement was really high!

Jesse is blowing out some sillies before we got on the stage!






Tuesday 17 June 2014

At the intersection of magic and science


Hamish had some big news the other day:

 He lost his first tooth!

He told the story of how he lost it, and how he had his first visit from the tooth fairy. This led to a discussion about the tooth fairy, and how she gets into a child's room at night. There were many theories, and I asked the children to write them down. Some children theorized that she was simply so tiny that she crawled under the door.

"I saw a tooth fairy ball."
Others were sure she traveled in a purple ball of light that allowed her to go through walls and doors.
-front-
-back-
"The ball pulls the tooth and brings it into the ball."
 Jack thought she used Santa's trick and went down the chimney.


Regardless of their theories, many children wanted to show off their teeth and tell their stories.

THIS is one of the many reasons I love kindergarteners. There is a whimsical, innocent blend of magic and science in 4,5 and 6 year olds. Through their eyes, science is magic and magic is science. I wish children could hold on to their innate belief in magic a little longer...until they are just a bit older. All too soon, they won't BELIEVE anymore. The ephemeral nature of childhood is why we the teachers honour their beliefs, rather than telling the "truth". To our students, the tooth fairy is truth.

 As adults, our own travels in the magical realm are long passed. But it's a fantastic experience to visit that whimsical world everyday (and get paid to do it). I love this job! 



Shadow and light

One of my favourite memories from my outdoor childhood is exploring solar paper. When I saw a package for sale at the Montreal Science Centre, I snapped it up for us to explore on a sunny day.

It almost seems like magical stuff...it starts out bright blue, and after time in the sun, it turns white. If there is anything on the paper, it makes a beautiful print.


Once the paper is white, it goes into a quick water bath to develop.

The children made lots of observations as the prints set into the paper.
"Oh look! It's a heart shape!"


The result is a beautiful blend of art and science. 

Storm chasers

When the storm hit, our intrepid weather watchers grabbed their clipboards and headed to the observation window. 

They are confident about observing, recording, and communicating their thinking. 


Whether it's with pictures, letters, words, or sentences, they are able to communicate their observations. 




Landon added the sun after the rain stopped and the sky brightened. It's amazing how fast our Ontario weather can change, and Landon adapted his work to reflect that. 

After recording observations and the rain let up we stuck our heads outside to see if another storm was headed in from the west. Sure enough, there it was, a big grey cloud. Within a few minutes, the sky opened up and the rain began anew. Our little scientists are becoming adept weather forecasters!

Growing,growing

Every time we head to the park, I can really notice the changes in our beautiful children. When I think back to September, when they couldn't reach the monkey bars, or confidently climb, or use their brains to inquire, I'm struck with how much they have grown.

The children are careful observers...

...and artists...

...and actors.

Their bodies have gotten so strong, and their sense of self is confident and brave.


They have learned self-regulation and can wait patiently at the swings.

It's always so hard to say goodbye to our children in June. I wish I could hang on to our lovely students and continue to watch them grow.