Week in Review: 3/14 - 3/18

Week in Review: March 14- 18th

Thinking About Our Families

This week the children thought a lot about their families. During group time, we talked about who was in everyone's families. We noticed they were all different! We invited the children to draw the different people in their family. Many students focused on representing each family member in a unique way. The personal relationship to their drawing seemed to inspire more focus and details. While drawing, many children described their family members' characteristics and what role they play in the family. We will continue to discuss families and encourage the children to understand how each member works together to support the whole family.

   

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.

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

3. Early Learning Expectation: Relationships with Others. Children develop healthy relationships with other children and adults.

4. 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.

 5.Early Learning Expectation: Relationship in Place. Children begin to understand and interpret their relationship and place within their own environment.

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

Creating Fish Scales

 Our new class fish, Blarggie-Blarggie has made the students interested in learning more about fish. We learned about how fish live in the water and talked about how their skin is different than ours. We read "Rainbow Fish" to help us understand how fish's scales looked. Afterwards, we offered the children different collaging materials and invited them to make their own fish scale. Next week, we will work to combine all of the scales together. 

      Early Childhood Standards of Quality Met: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.2.Early Learning Expectation: Initiative-Engagement-Persistence Attentiveness. Children demonstrate the quality of showing interest in learning; pursue learning independently3. Early Learning Expectation: Visual Arts. Children show how they feel, what they think, and what they are learning through experiences in the visual arts.4. Early Learning Expectation: Aesthetic Appreciation. Children develop rich and rewarding aesthetic lives.5. 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.

Exploring Force with Hand Fans

To extend on our study of force and specifically air pressure, we brought some hand fans into the classroom. We talked about how to move the fans to create wind. We have used other fans before, but they were powered by electricity and spun around. These fans had to be manipulated entirely by the children. The students experimented with different ways to move the balloon using the fans. They noticed that they had to move the fans fast to create wind. We also discovered that large waves of the fan were more productive that small ones. 

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. 

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

1.       3. 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.

         4.. Early Learning Expectation: Gross Motor Development. Children experience growth in gross motor development and use large muscles to improve a variety of gross motor skills in a variety of both structured and unstructured and planned and spontaneous settings.

2.    

Manipulating Light 

Lately students have been exploring how to manipulate flashlights in different ways. They discovered how to change the light by moving it closer to or farther away from a surface. We decided to combine this discovery with their interest in the shapes of light. We put different size shapes on the wall that matched the shapes found on our flashlights. Students had to experiment with how to fit their light into the different sized shapes. 

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. 

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

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)

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

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

Week in Review: March 7th- March 11th

Week in Review: March 7th- March 11th 

Exploring Force Through a Fan

Our class has been discovering different ways to use force to move objects. There has been a particularly big interest in air pressure. Ms. Heidi introduced a large fan the the children and they have been experimenting with how it moves a balloon. The students have seen how different speeds of the fan have different effects on the balloons. They have observed the balloons flying high, hovering in the air, and moving across the room. We are working on comparing the different speeds and directions of the fan and thinking about different ways to move the balloons. We are excited to continue exploring different types of air pressure and force.

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. 

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

3.        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).

4.       4. Early Learning Expectation: Resilience-Optimism-Confidence. Children demonstrate the capacity to cope with change, persist, move ahead with spirit, vitality and a growing belief in one’s ability to realize a goal.

5.       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.       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.

        7. Early Learning Expectation: Gross Motor Development. Children experience growth in gross motor development and use large muscles to improve a variety of gross motor skills in a variety of both structured and unstructured and planned and spontaneous settings.

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

Manipulating the Light

We invested in a set of flashlights for the classroom. The children immediately showed an interest in moving and manipulating the light from them. We explored how the light reflected and moved using mirrors and targets. This week, we altered the flashlights to see how this would affect the children's play. The lights were taped in different ways to change the shape of the beam into lines, rhombuses, triangles, etc. We heard the children talking about the shapes they saw. We also noticed them experimenting with how the light and shape changed as the moved it closer to or farther away from their target. We will continue to experiment with different ways to manipulate light.

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. 

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

3.        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).

4.       4. Early Learning Expectation: Resilience-Optimism-Confidence. Children demonstrate the capacity to cope with change, persist, move ahead with spirit, vitality and a growing belief in one’s ability to realize a goal.

5.       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.       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.

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

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

Using Stairs to Connect Places

We have seen the children testing different ways to connect two points throughout the semester. Ms. Ashley asked the class how they could move a doll on the ground to a house up on a table. The children knew they needed a type of path for the doll to travel on. They worked together and experimented with using large blocks to form some types of ramps and stairs. We are still figuring out how to make stairs with multiple levels to travel up. This architectural skill will continue to expand as the students work more with Ms. Ashley.

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. 

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

3.        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).

4.       4. Early Learning Expectation: Resilience-Optimism-Confidence. Children demonstrate the capacity to cope with change, persist, move ahead with spirit, vitality and a growing belief in one’s ability to realize a goal.

5.       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.       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.

7. Early Learning Expectation: Relationships with Others. Children develop healthy relationships with other children and adults.