Week in Review October 12th-16th

Week in Review October 12th-16th

Investigating Gourds

Last week, we used the clay as a medium to guide our gourd exploration. The children used the clay to represent the size, shape and texture of the gourds. After becoming familiar with the shapes and lines they saw, we gave them the opportunity to draw the gourds. They were interested in representing the shape of the gourd and especially the lines and bumps they observed. Some children focused on drawing the shape of the gourd, while other children wanted to represent the texture of the gourds with a series of small ovals and circles.

After the children represented the gourds through drawing, we started working on adding color to their pictures. We talked about what colors they saw on the gourds and how they would add those colors to their representation. Some children focused on creating the stripes they saw on the gourds in their own painting. Some were more interested in representing the bumpy texture of the gourd. Others tried to create both designs in their picture. We talked about the different details they could add through shape, line, and color.

During group time, we asked the children "What do you think the inside of the gourd looks like?" Many of the children thought it would look like a pumpkin, or that there would be seeds in the center. We opened the gourds up and used the tweezers and magnifying glasses to explore what was in the center of our gourds. The children used great descriptive words to describe the center such as "sticky, wet, seeds and stringy."

 

Exploring Leaves

Exploring lines through nature has been an ongoing thread with the children lately. Their work with sunflowers and gourds inspired a new exploration of leaves. Many children have noticed new things going on outside during the season change. We wanted to give them the opportunity to explore the different leaves they were finding. First, they used magnifying glasses to observe the leaves on the light table. The light helped to distinguish different lines and shapes within the leaves and the children used magnifying glasses to observe them.

We wanted to continue investigating the lines and shapes within the leaves, so we introduced the idea of rubbing over the leaves with crayon on paper. The children could see and understand how the designs of the leaves looked in a different way. Their interest in these designs lead us to create a collage for the window. The children went outside searching for the leaves they like the most. By hanging this collaborative collage on the window, we can observe the lines and shapes within the leaves when the sunlight shines through them.

Experimenting with the Movement of Water

The children showed an interest in how the water traveled through the bottomless bottles  (bottles with holes). We wanted to strengthen the children's ideas about how water can travel through pathways, so we introduced the water table, plexi glass grid, funnels and plastic tubing. We tinted the water purple, so the children could so how the route the water took through the tubing. Many children noticed that the more water they poured into the funnel the better their chance of the water exiting from the other side of the tubing. Some children experimented with manipulating the tubing to move the water out of the tube. 

Continuing Our Work with Shadows

Last week, we focused on how we could create and manipulate shadows by building in front of a light source. Many of the children identified the different shapes that made up the shadows. To strengthen their understanding of shadows we taped a large piece of paper on the floor. We had the children build on top of the paper and then trace their shadows with a pencil. Some children were interested in tracing the shape of their shadow, while other children wanted to trace the base of their structure.