Going On A Worm Hunt

Since we were inside all day on Thursday due to rain, we decided to take advantage of the drier weather today. Students were pointing  out all the worms they were finding on the pavement, so we decided to take a closer look. We discussed their habitat, and what they need to survive. We collected materials from outside to mimic this.

Some of us were very brave and touched them!

We used books to help us learn new information.

We used magnify glasses to take a closer look at them and see them up close.

Did you know that worms don't have eyes, a  nose, or ears? They sense light and vibrations to move around. They breath through their skin.

The Human Body

In our kindergarten class, we have had so much fun and learned many new things about the human body. We used a number of hands on experiences to demonstrate how different parts of our body work.

For example, we created lungs out of paper bags and straws to show how the lungs move when we breath in and out.

Some students brought in books and skeletons from home to share new learning and make connections.

One of our favourite activities to demonstrate how our stomach digests the food we eat,  was when we crushed up crackers and water in a zipper seal bag. By the end of that experiment, students were able to explain how the food travels from our moth and  around the different parts of our body.

We love learning about the human body. We are making many connections to our own  bodies and how they work!

5 Senses

We are beginning to explore the human body! First we are taking a closer look at the important parts of our body, what it looks like on the outside, and exploring our 5 senses. We are learning to make connections about how our senses help us learn more about our world.

Here are a few activities we have been using to explore this topic.

Mr Potato Head 5 senses game.
After you spin the spinner, you find the part of the that uses either sight, smell, taste, touch, or hearing.

We use our  nose to smell. We have a few containers with different object for students to smell and guess what it is. Is it cinnamon? Onion? Dill? Garlic? Or Vanilla? 

We used our sense of hearing to match the sounds of different mystery eggs.

We used our sense of sight to play I Spy, our sense of touch to come up with adjectives to describe objects in a blind bag, and our sense of taste to sense the difference between popcorn and apples.

We look forward to continue this investigation into the human body!

Space

We have been enjoying our new inquiry on space. Our students have been asking a lot of fascinating questions, and we have had a lot of fun trying to find out the answers. Here are a few questions we've had...

"How many stars are in space?"
"Which planet orbits the sun faster? Mercury or Jupiter?"
"Why is the sun so hot?"
"What is a rover?"
"Why is Earth the only planet with living things?"

To help learn more about the planets, we created a solar system. We used real pictures of the planets as a guide to paint our own version, and then used toilet paper squares to see which planets were closest and furthest from the sun.

We also borrowed a model of a space shuttle from our school library to help us learn more about the different parts, so we could begin to recreate out own. We learned all about how they launch into space and how the rocket and the shuttle separate. 

We even have our very own space command station and space shuttle, where students pretend to be astronauts and travel in space! 

Ocean Animal Inquiry

We have had a lot of fun learning about animals that live in the ocean. Each student chose an animal that they wanted to become an expert on. Every child was able to research and find one fact about their animal. We learned so many wonderful things! Did you know that an octopus has a beak? That's what their mouth is called! Did you know that it's the daddy seahorse that carries the babies in their pouch?

We decided to create a mural outside of our classroom showcasing our beautiful artwork and all the facts we learned. We also took this opportunity to learn about the difference between fact and fiction. Students were very interested in using books, Ipads, and computers to help them complete their work.



First, we did our research.

Next, we painted our animals and added characteristics that we found out about them. For example, we learned that an octopus has suckers on each tentacle, so we added them.

Our final product looks amazing!! 

Ask your child which expert group they were in. See if they can remember what facts they learned about that animal!

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!

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!