Week in Review: April 4th- 8th

Week in Review: April 4th- 8th 

Creating windmills using loose parts 

During group time, we discussed various types of windmills and how they move. We provoked the children's thinking with a variety of different materials such as spoons, cups, paper, and toilet paper rolls. Some of the children used the paper towel rolls or cups as a base. Then they attached spoons or strips of paper to the top of the roll to represent the blades. While other children were thinking about how they can represent the blades. They started off by finding a circular lid and then adding to pieces of paper and/or plastic to it. 

Early Childhood Standards of Quality 

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 independently. 
3. 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.
4. 1.Early Learning Expectation: Observation and Inquiry. Children develop positive attitudes and gain knowledge about science through observation and active play.
5. 2. Early Learning Expectation: Living and Non-living Things. Children show a beginning awareness of scientific knowledge related to living and non-living things.

Creating roles for the slats 

Last week, the children were working on creating a pathway for the ball using the slats and wooden blocks. Many of the children favored rolling the ball down the ramp and watching as it traveled down the pathway. Many of the children noticed as their ball traveled down the ramp the slats pieces moved away from another resulting in their ball rolling onto the floor. Some children pointed out that the path needed to be longer;therefore, more slats needed to be added. In order for the ball to roll down the path successfully, the children needed to maintain the pathway. During group time, we brainstormed various roles we could take on while exploring the slats and blocks. We came up with a launcher this is a person who releases the ball. A connector a person who connects the two slat pieces together. Lastly, an adder a person who adds more slats to the end of the pathway.

Early Childhood Standards of Quality 

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).

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: Positive Activity. Children participate in activities that encourage self-motivation, emphasize cooperation, and minimize competition.

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

Painting are self portraits 

This week, we focused looking at ourselves. We guided the children's thinking with a mirror, white paper, a paintbrush and a palette with a variety of different skin tones. The children discussed what they saw in the mirror, the paint color that would best represent their skin tone and how they were going to guide their paintbrush. The children enjoyed mixing the various colors together to achieve their skin tone. Also, they thought about where they needed to place the paint circle on their paper. 

Early Childhood Standards of Quality 

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.Early Learning Expectation: Understanding of Self. Children develop and exhibit a healthy sense of self.

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

Week in Review: March 28th- April 1st

Week in Review: March 28th- April 1st 

Exploring how wind can move objects 

Throughout the semester, we have been exploring how force can move objects. This week we focused on how the wind can move objects. In small groups, we observed how the wind moved the pinwheels "fast" or "slow." We placed directional arrows on the sidewalk and asked the children to move their bodies along with the pinwheel, in the direction the arrow was pointing. Some children noticed how the pinwheel would rotate more if they were facing the direction the wind was blowing. 

We wanted to strengthen this idea of how the direction of the wind influences how much an object moves. We used bubbles to help strengthen this concept. Most of the children noticed how the bubbles would travel in front of them, behind them, or to the side of them; depending on where they were standing. 

Early Childhood Standards of Quality 

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.

Exploring positive and negative space using light 

We used the projector and various cut outs of shapes to extend the children's thinking about light. We observed the positive and negative space the cut outs created on the wall. The children noticed how the white space could represent a circle, as well as, the dark space. They enjoyed placing other shapes within the white space. Many children noticed if they moved the cut out closer to the projector they could fit other shapes into the larger shape. 

Early Childhood Standards of Quality 

      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

What path can we take to get there?

Ms. Ashely has been exploring paths and how they aid us in getting to our desired location. Ms. Ashley provoked the children's thinking by cutting out a large piece of white paper and placing pictures of a school, playground and house onto the paper. The children dipped the plastic people's feet into the colored stampers and created a path to and from two locations of their choosing. This sparked a discussion about short paths versus long paths. 

Early Childhood Standards of Quality 

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

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

6. Early Learning Expectation: Measuring. Children explore and discover simple ways to measure.

Exploring the shapes that make up the Chrysler building 

This week, Ms. Kholood and the children took a closer look at the Chrysler building. They observed and discussed the various shapes that make up the Chrysler building. To develop a better understanding, Ms. Kholood had the children draw the building and focus on the shapes. The children talked about how the building was long and represented it with a rectangle. Many children placed a triangle at the top of the building to represent the tall peak. 

Early Childhood Standards of Quality 

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

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

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