Monday 12 December 2016

3D Shape Fun!

We decided to take advantage of the beautiful packing snow that fell Sunday night and move our 3D shape math lesson outside. Students were busy creating spheres to build snowmen. One group found some pebbles and a pine cone, along with a few pieces of clothing to help put some of the finishing touches on their snowman! That snowman had 3 spheres for the body, 2 for the eyes, and a cone for the nose. It was so much fun!



Telling the difference between 2D and 3D shapes and naming them, can be a difficult concept to master at first. Often at the beginning stages students call a sphere a circle, and a cube a square. It is important to remind them that 3D shapes are fat not flat. A square is a shape they recognize as part of a cube. Any time you can point out these shapes in your normal daily routine is a wonderful opportunity for some practice. Our students get very excited trying to see what 3D shapes they have in their lunches and snacks each day!


Thursday 1 December 2016

The Importance Of Positive Experiences To Help Foster Early Writing

We have all heard that Kindergarten is the foundation for a child's educational experiences and success. The important fundamental skills a child learns in kindergarten carries through to higher grades. That is why it is important to engage young children in positive experiences to help them learn how to read and write.

The beginning stages of writing may look like jumbled up letters that your child says is a word or a story, or , they may write the first letter they hear to match a picture they have drawn. Writing may also take the shape of copying words they see around them. However your child is demonstrating the early stages of writing, the most important skill is for them to know that if they can say it, they can write it. Our words carry meaning.

Here is an example of how we engage our students in writing in our dramatic play centre. Right now we have a beautiful grocery store! Our students noted the importance of labeling where the food belongs so that the store is organized and easier to clean up. Below are some examples of writing. Some students copied the words from books and pictures, and others tried to listen to the letters they heard in the words they were trying to write.



We have been working hard to label everything in our store. This helps our shoppers and store clerks know where things belong!


Remember, practice, practice, practice. The more opportunities we offer a child to write, the better at it they will become!