Last week we played a fun game at Morning Meeting called Bat and Moth. The lesson embedded in the learning related to echolocation. We learned how bats are able to locate their meal as they fly through the forest at night. Bats send out waves from their mouth or nose. When the waves hit an object, they bounce back, alerting the bat where it can find a tasty moth! The teacher blindfolds herself, the children hold hands gently in a circle. Every time the teacher says, "bat," a few of the children who are inside the circle respond, "moth." Once everyone gets a chance being in the circle, the game is over. If the moths are too fast (which my little moths tended to be!), the children tighten the circle together. It was just so much joy at the start of the day. Go outside and play!
0 Comments
“Passion is lifted from the earth itself by the muddy hands of the young; it travels along grass-stained sleeves to the heart. If we are going to save environmentalism and the environment, we must also save an endangered indicator species: the child in nature.” Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods
This week we've had a chance to learn about pyramids, rectangular prisms and cubes. We brainstormed where we see these shapes in our world. Mini-marshmallows and toothpicks are excellent tools for building small three dimensional shapes and the kids had a lot of fun making these structures this week. In addition, we practiced "buddy reading," using the tools we've learned in our Guided Reading Groups to read to a friend.
A combination of nature book, social stories, and ordinary magic. Some of these I adore for the illustrations (Squirrels is just beautiful), some I think capture certain childhood developmental stages spot on. I like the simplicity of messages (The Quiet Book, Muddigush), the variety of familial experiences (Todd Parr, Buzz, Butterfly Count), and the way certain authors can fully inhabit a moment (Country Crossing, Taxi! Taxi!, and Sammy!).
Squirrels Brian Wildsmith Yo! Yes! Chris Raschka The Thankful Book Todd Parr A Book of Sleep Il Sung Na Country Crossing Jim Aylesworth Into the Wild David Elliott Muddigush Kimberley Knutson The Snowy Day Ezra Jack Keats Ben's Trumpet Rachel Isadora Butterfly Count Sneed B. Collard III Taxi! Taxi! Cari Best Inch By Inch David Mallett The Things You Will Be Emily Winfield Martin Buzz Janet S. Wong The Hello Goodbye Window Norton Juster Lola at the Library Anna McQuinn The Quiet Book Deborah Underwood Houses and Homes Ann Morris Daylight Starlight Wildlife Wendell Minor Where is Bear? Leslea Newman Lost and Found Oliver Jeffers Again! John Prater Sammy The Classroom Guinea Pig Alix Berenzy Sleepy Bears Mem Fox Little Beaver and The Echo Amy MacDonald Thomas & Autumn Jana Laiz As the winter removed all obstacles of brush, prickers, and weeds, the kindergarten has assumed new territory in the Outdoor Classroom. They've discovered a new hill and are enjoying new sledding opportunities. The first snow was met with squeals of delight, pretend campfires, and pretend marshmallows.
We're really excited about our new suits. They're waterproof, they're durable, they make it easier to climb trees, slip in mud, and we look adorable. So thank you Tom's of Maine and the donations we received from folks around the country to make this happen. We are having a BLAST outdoors on Forest Friday!
We voted on a new Dramatic Play center this month. After some long deliberation, a democratic vote revealed that a NASA Space Center would soon be up in orbit for our little Kindergarten. Couldn't resist posting these adorable pictures. |
Mrs. AndersenKindergarten teacher, Mom, musician, robot aficionado, and milkweed enthusiast. Archives
March 2018
Categories |