Week in Review: January 25th- 29th

Week in Review: January 25th- 29th 

Creating, Sending and Receiving Messages 

As a class, we extended our thinking about how people help one another within our community. At group time, we talked about how mail carriers help deliver letters and packages to people across the country. We went on to discuss how mail carriers know who to send the letters to. During explorations, we provoked the children's thinking with mailboxes, mail carrier outfits, white paper and envelopes. The children took turns writing and receiving letters. They enjoyed pretending to be the mail carrier by removing the mail from the mailboxes, and delivering it to correct person. In the coming weeks, we will be discussing how the mail gets sorted, and the different ways the mail can be delivered. 

Early Childhood Standards of Quality Met: 

• Participation-Cooperation-PlayNetworking-Contribution. Demonstrate increasing ability to be together with others, in play or intellectual learning opportunities and/or making positive efforts for the good of all; join a community of learners in person and digitally as appropriate.
• Writing Skills. Children begin to develop writing skills to communicate and express themselves effectively for a variety of purposes.
• Positive Attitudes about Literacy. Children develop positive attitudes about themselves as literate beings — as readers, writers, speakers, viewers, and listeners.
•     Diversity of Communication. Children begin to understand that communication is diverse and that people communicate in a variety of ways.

Testing Force 

The children have been interested in how objects can move with direct and in-direct force. We explored how our cars travel down the slide. The children developed several different strategies for manipulating their cars on the slide. Many of the children would release their car at top of the ramp and watch as it traveled down. They relied on the gravitational force to move their car down the ramp. While others explored how they could push their car down the ramp. The children who used this strategy, noticed that their car would either make a sharp turn to the right or the left, or it would reach the bottom of the slide faster. 

Later in the week, we explored how we can move objects through a path using a tool. We provided the children with halved cardboard tubes, pom poms, and a baster.  The children explored squeezing the baster to move the pom-poms through the cardboard tubes. The children develop various strategies for manipulating the basters to get the best results. A few children were able to hold the shaft of the baster and squeeze the bulb, which resulted in their pom-pom traveling farther down the path. 

Early Childhood Standards of Quality Met: 

•  Initiative-Engagement-Persistence Attentiveness. Children demonstrate the quality of showing interest in learning; pursue learning independently.
• Reasoning-Problem Solving-Reflection. Children demonstrate a growing capacity to make meaning, using one’s habits of mind to find a solution or figure something out.
• Observation and Inquiry. Children develop positive attitudes and gain knowledge about science through observation and active play.
• Curiosity–Inquiry-Questioning Tinkering-Risk Taking. Children demonstrate an interest and eagerness in seeking information (e.g., be able to see things from a different perspective, fiddling with something to figure it out or attempting a reasonable solution).

Experimenting with Aquatic Animal Cut-Outs 

   

Last week, we explored the various animal cut-outs in front of a light source. We wanted to extend the children's thinking about animals by projecting a habitat on the big screen. We gave the children aquatic animal cut outs and observed their interactions with the projected image. Many of the children explored how they could portray their fish swimming. 

Early Childhood Standards of Quality Met: 

•  Living and Non-living Things. Children show a beginning awareness of scientific knowledge related to living and non-living things.
• Knowledge about the Earth. Children show a beginning awareness of scientific knowledge related to the earth.
• Curiosity–Inquiry-Questioning Tinkering-Risk Taking. Children demonstrate an interest and eagerness in seeking information (e.g., be able to see things from a different perspective, fiddling with something to figure it out or attempting a reasonable solution).

Acting Out "The Little Red Hen" 

As a class, we read the "Little Red Hen." Then we discussed the beginning, middle and end of the story. During explorations, the children were given masks to re-enact the story. Ms. Nivine read the story aloud, while the children brought the characters to life. The children enjoyed pretending to "thrashing the wheat" and "baking the bread."

Early Childhood Standards of Quality Met: 

•    Spoken Language: Expressive. Children develop abilities to express themselves clearly and communicate ideas to others.
•    Spoken Language: Receptive. Children grow in their capacity to use effective listening skills and understand what is said to them.    
•        Dramatic Play. Children show how they feel, what they think, and what they are learning through dramatic play.
•    Participation-Cooperation-PlayNetworking-Contribution. Demonstrate increasing ability to be together with others, in play or intellectual learning opportunities and/or making positive efforts for the good of all; join a community of learners in person and digitally as appropriate.

Week in Review: January 18th-January 22nd

Week in Review: January 18th- January 22nd

Creating different kind of lines 

Last semester, the children explored how various lines and shapes came together to create organic structures such as flowers and plants. This semester, we are looking at how lines can come to create inorganic structures such as designs and patterns. We provoked the children's thinking with white paper, black paint, and pictures of different types of lines ( swirl, dots, chevron). Many children took their time looking at the different of lines (swirl, dots, chevron). Then they explored how they could fill up their paper with the various lines. 

Early Childhood Standards of Quality Met: 

1.       1. Early Learning Expectation: Creativity-Imagination-Visualization. Children demonstrate a growing ability to use originality or vision when approaching learning; use imagination, show ability to visualize a solution or new concept.

        6. Early Learning Expectation: Fine Motor Development. Children experience growth in fine motor development and use small muscles to improve a variety of fine motor skills both in structured and unstructured settings.

1.       Early Learning Expectation: Visual Arts. Children show how they feel, what they think, and what they are learning through experiences in the visual arts.

Exploring how force can move an object 

We provoked the children's thinking with basters and pom-poms. We asked the children, "How can you make the pom-pom travel to the other side of the table?" Some of the children used the long end of the baster to push the pom pom around like a hockey stick. We wanted the children to think about how the air could move the pom-poms. We showed the children how the air comes out when you squeezed bulb of the baster. The children were very intrigued this idea. They placed their basters in front of a pom pom and began squeezing until they saw the pom-pom start to move. 

Early Childhood Standards of Quality Met: 

1.        3. Early Learning Expectation: Curiosity–Inquiry-Questioning Tinkering-Risk Taking. Children demonstrate an interest and eagerness in seeking information (e.g., be able to see things from a different perspective, fiddling with something to figure it out or attempting a reasonable solution).

1.       5. Early Learning Expectation: Reasoning-Problem Solving-Reflection. Children demonstrate a growing capacity to make meaning, using one’s habits of mind to find a solution or figure something out.

 6. Early Learning Expectation: Fine Motor Development. Children experience growth in fine motor development and use small muscles to improve a variety of fine motor skills both in structured and unstructured settings.

1.       1.Early Learning Expectation: Observation and Inquiry. Children develop positive attitudes and gain knowledge about science through observation and active play.

Transforming our cardboard box into_____

Last week, we read "Not a Box" and drew our ideas of what we could turn a box into. This week, we provide the children with a real life box and discussed our ideas for the box. When we laid the box horizontal on the ground it turned into a house or a cave. Yet, when we placed the box into the upright position, the box became a rocket ship, and the children wanted to blast off into space. 

Early Childhood Standards of Quality Met: 

3. Early Learning Expectation: Spoken Language: Expressive. Children develop abilities to express themselves clearly and communicate ideas to others.

     4. Early Learning Expectation: Dramatic Play. Children show how they feel, what they think, and what they are learning through dramatic play.

1       6. Early Learning Expectation: People and Their Environment. Children increase their understanding of the relationship between people and their environment and begin to recognize the importance of taking care of the resources in their environment.

Exploring Animal Shadows 

In the block area, we projected light onto a large curtain. The children explored the animal cut outs in front of the curtain. Each animal was given a distinct movement and sound when the children were experimenting with the cut-outs. The giraffe, polar bear, and elephant moved around the screen in a stomping motion while making a lot of noise. While the snake and bird were assigned more fluid movements and represented in softer tones. 

Early Childhood Standards of Quality Met: 

    2. Early Learning Expectation: Living and Non-living Things. Children show a beginning awareness of scientific knowledge related to living and non-living things.

1.       2.Early Learning Expectation: Initiative-Engagement-Persistence Attentiveness. Children demonstrate the quality of showing interest in learning; pursue learning independently.

1.       6. Early Learning Expectation: Participation-Cooperation-PlayNetworking-Contribution. Demonstrate increasing ability to be together with others, in play or intellectual learning opportunities and/or making positive efforts for the good of all; join a community of learners in person and digitally as appropriate.

Week in Review: 1/11-1/15

Week in Review: 1/11-1/15

Helping Others: 

Our classroom community values being kind to one another. We wanted to explore this idea further and talk about how we could help others. The students were interested in the firefighter materials in our Dramatic Play area. We had a group time discussion about how firefighters help others in different ways. We also talked about how we can help others in our own way. During explorations, we offered the students different firefighter materials and observed how they integrated their knowledge of helping others along with what we learned about firefighters. We noticed the children using the long ladder on the truck to help people escape buildings and using their imaginary hoses to put out fires. We will continue to work on understanding how people can help one another. 





Early Childhood Standards of Quality Met: 

1. Early Learning Expectation: How People Are Influenced. Children begin to recognize that many different influences shape people’s thinking and behavior.

2. Early Learning Expectation: Participation-Cooperation-PlayNetworking-Contribution. Demonstrate increasing ability to be together with others, in play or intellectual learning opportunities and/or making positive efforts for the good of all; join a community of learners in person and digitally as appropriate.

3. Early Learning Expectation: Personal Safety. Children recognize that they have a role in preventing accidents or potential emergencies.

Sculpting the Giraffe:

Before winter break, we explored the various shapes and lines that made up the giraffe. The students worked on representing the long lines within the giraffe through drawing and painting. We wanted to revisit these lines and shapes this semester in a different way. We offered the children molding dough to create their own rendition of a giraffe. We talked about how we sculpt the dough to create different parts of the giraffe such as the body, long legs, long neck, head, and tail. The children were interested in rolling the dough into balls and snakes to create each part. They also experimented with how to represent the design of the giraffes skin on their sculptures. 

    



Early Childhood Standards of Quality Met: 

1.       1. Early Learning Expectation: Creativity-Imagination-Visualization. Children demonstrate a growing ability to use originality or vision when approaching learning; use imagination, show ability to visualize a solution or new concept.

1.       Early Learning Expectation: Visual Arts. Children show how they feel, what they think, and what they are learning through experiences in the visual arts.

6. Early Learning Expectation: Fine Motor Development. Children experience growth in fine motor development and use small muscles to improve a variety of fine motor skills both in structured and unstructured settings

Connecting two points with pathways:

Last semester, we explored ramps and pathways. We noticed the students interested in using different materials to create long pathways. To help their play become more purposeful, we invited them to create a pathway that would connect two adjacent points. The children worked together and problem solved to create pathways that turned and curved to connect one point to another. We saw some children making a curved path to connect the points while others added an angled turn to accomplish their goal. 

Early Childhood Standards of Quality Met: 

       5. Early Learning Expectation: Reasoning-Problem Solving-Reflection. Children demonstrate a growing capacity to make meaning, using one’s habits of mind to find a solution or figure something out.

1.       6. Early Learning Expectation: Participation-Cooperation-Play Networking-Contribution. Demonstrate increasing ability to be together with others, in play or intellectual learning opportunities and/or making positive efforts for the good of all; join a community of learners in person and digitally as appropriate

Transforming a box:

As a class, we read the book "Not a Box. " The book's premise is about a rabbit who turns the box into different things such as a car, rocket ship, and house. We gave the children a piece a paper with a square on it and asked them, "What are you going to turn your box into?"  The children responded with rocket ship, monster, car, house...ect. As a group, we discussed the shapes that made up their rocket ship or car. The children went on to add details in and around the square on their paper. 

Early Childhood Standards of Quality Met: 

1.       Early Learning Expectation: Visual Arts. Children show how they feel, what they think, and what they are learning through experiences in the visual arts.

1.       5. Early Learning Expectation: Reasoning-Problem Solving-Reflection. Children demonstrate a growing capacity to make meaning, using one’s habits of mind to find a solution or figure something out.

   7. Early Learning Expectation: Geometry. Children build their visual thinking skills through explorations with shape and the spaces in their classrooms and neighborhoods.

Week in Review: November 30th- December 4th

Problem Solving with Ice

Our classroom has been working on problems solving in many different areas. Since the children have been exploring water recently, we wanted to integrate the two ideas. We talked to the students about materials that were trapped inside of ice. The children used different tools like spoons, paintbrushes, and cups of water to release the materials from the ice. We observed them breaking and scraping the ice. They had to work together and be persistent in achieving their goal.
When we saw how interested the children were in this idea, we wanted to revisit it. After working with the ice the first time, the children started focusing more on melting the ice. Some of them knew that hot water would melt the ice. We also offered them salt and they explored how it affected the ice. We were proud of how the children worked together to solve the problem of melting the ice.

Early Childhood Standards of Quality: 

1.       1.Early Learning Expectation: Initiative-Engagement-Persistence Attentiveness. Children demonstrate the quality of showing interest in learning; pursue learning independently. 

2.        2. Early Learning Expectation: Curiosity–Inquiry-Questioning Tinkering-Risk Taking. Children demonstrate an interest and eagerness in seeking information (e.g., be able to see things from a different perspective, fiddling with something to figure it out or attempting a reasonable solution).

1.       3. Early Learning Expectation: Reasoning-Problem Solving-Reflection. Children demonstrate a growing capacity to make meaning, using one’s habits of mind to find a solution or figure something out.

2.       4. Early Learning Expectation: Participation-Cooperation-Play Networking-Contribution. Demonstrate increasing ability to be together with others, in play or intellectual learning opportunities and/or making positive efforts for the good of all; join a community of learners in person and digitally as appropriate.

Experimenting with Mazes

The children have shown an interest in ramps and pathways throughout the semester. We wanted to help them extend on their thinking with this. First they looked at how the ball rolled down a wide ramp. After they saw how the ball moved straight down, we chose to introduce the idea of mazes. During group time, the children looked at pictures of different mazes and we used blocks on the wide ramp to collaborate on making a maze. The children tested it during explorations and noticed how the placement of different blocks affected where the ball rolled. If the ball got stuck, we saw them move them ball to another spot or change the position of the blocks. We will continue to see how we can create mazes in different ways.

Early Childhood Standards of Quality:

1         3. Early Learning Expectation: Spoken Language: Expressive. Children develop abilities to express themselves clearly and communicate ideas to others.

2         4. Early Learning Expectation: Spoken Language: Receptive. Children grow in their capacity to use effective listening skills and understand what is said to them.

1.       1. Early Learning Expectation: Creativity-Imagination-Visualization. Children demonstrate a growing ability to use originality or vision when approaching learning; use imagination, show ability to visualize a solution or new concept.

Painting the Giraffe

We have explored different lines and shape through plants and flowers. We chose to extend this exploration by looking at a giraffe sculpture. The children noticed different lines and shapes within an animal. We provoked them with the sculpture and asked them to draw what they saw using a black pen. Many of the children created detailed drawings based on the shapes and lines they observed. After drawing the giraffe, we helped the students explore the colors and designs they saw by using paint. They were particularly interested in the design of the giraffe. We plan to extend on this by researching the design on a reticulated giraffe's body and drawing it next week.






Early Childhood Standards of Quality:

   1.      Early Learning Expectation: Visual Arts. Children show how they feel, what they think, and what they are learning through experiences in the visual arts.

     2. Early Learning Expectation: Aesthetic Appreciation. Children develop rich and rewarding aesthetic lives.

Curriculum Night

We wanted to say thank you to all of the families that attended curriculum night! The families that came were able to see the hard work our class has been doing all semester. We appreciated the opportunity to share thoughts and ideas about your children and how they are represented within our classroom community.