Forest Friday Fun

With some nice fresh snow and a bright March sun, it was perfect conditions for tracking animals.

Some students identified these tracks as deer (but were probably squirrels) and got very excited.

They also identified a bunch of sumac branches that had been nibbled at about deer head height.

Can you spot the vole tunnel under the snow?

We also saw evidence on top of the snow of a vole or mouse visitor.

The children were busy making lots of other obserevations too, like the ice formed around the shed's downspout.

Natalie found a perfect branch and a clean canvas for drawing.

And there was lots of climbing fun too!

What a perfect way to end the week!

Zebra Day

Tuesday was the day we read the very last Letterland story, all about Zig Zag Zebra. To celebrate learning all the letters, we had a Letterland celebration. Andrew brought in his zebra collection and we had lots of fun with it!

Most people in the class dressed up in zebra stripes or in black and white. 

Three girls dressed up as Quarrelsome Queen. She must have her umbrella!

Bouncy Ben dressed up as himself, and Emmett was Munching Mike. Noisy Nick was there too but he was shy for the camera. 

There was lots of black and white fun to be had. We tried on costumes....

And made stripes with marbles and black paint. 

We did zebra puzzles...

And did lots of dramatic play. 

The biggest hit was zebra cookies, with DIY stripes. Thanks for those Mrs C!

All around, it was an exciting day! Luckily there's another Letterland book and we will be learning about special blends (like CH and SH) soon.

Hoppy Leap Day!

We celebrated the extra day today by leaping for joy!

We had some jumping contests and learned how to leapfrog. 

Ben used a YouTube video to make a real jumping frog!  Make your own here: http://youtu.be/ZHTHvQnycKE

And how better to celebrate an extra day than with cupcakes? They learned fine motor control as they decorated, then got to indulge in a treat courtesy of Ms Pomeroy. 

What did you do with your extra day?

Dance a thon

The action was fast and energy was high at our dance a thon! The lights and music were captivating for our young dancers. Thank you for your donations!

Learning to be artists like Michelangelo

The art studio was turned upside down as the children learned about Michelangelo and how he painted the Sistene Chapel while lying on his back.  Some of the children gave it a try and found it to be a fun and enjoyable experience for a "short time".

The children filled one roll of paper and took it upon themselves to put some fresh paper up to do more work.

Austin then just enjoyed the view and being with friends as they created their art.

Gravity

Explorations into gravity, force and motion have emerged on the building carpet!

The scientists have built a ramp and pathway to give force and to direct the motion. 

They have developed a cooperative system to collect the marbles and bring them back up to the top for launching again. 

The children are working together to wonder, explore, and solve problems.