From Trash to Treasure
Recycling makes use of materials that would otherwise be thrown away. In kindergarten old bottles and boxes have been turned into rocket ships and houses. Giving the children the opportunity to plan and execute their unique ideas is beneficial on so many levels. It makes children use their imagination and organizing skills. This kind of activity gives them an opportunity to look at the ordinary thinks with different eyes, to think out of the books to develop their creativity. Creativity is about expressing ourselves. It is about trying new things and new ways of being. Creativity involves being imaginative and original.
“If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original.”
Ken Robinson
St. Patrick's Day Celebration
Human Body
Our science unit on human body is soon coming to an end. It was such a fun, interactive and engaging unit. We got to know ourselves inside out, and we are now able to talk about our skeleton, our major organs and all their functions. The last topic in this unit will be centered around what we as individuals can do to keep our wonderful bodies healthy and strong.
The Way We Start Our Day
Our mornings are very busy. Children work hard at play. They invent scenes and stories, solve problems, and negotiate their way through social roadblocks. They know what they want to do and work diligently to do it. Because their motivation comes from within, they learn the powerful lesson of pursuing their own ideas to reach a solution. We use this time to play in the home corner, to build amazing constructions, to do arts and crafts, to read books together, and visit our friends in the other classroom. Through all these morning activities we are able to set the tone for the day as each student comes to the classroom feeling welcomed and appreciated.
Outdoor Classroom
We love our outdoor classroom. This is the place where we can explore, play, and learn. The outdoor classroom is never the same, as there is always something new to observe and discover. Students will practice fine motor skills, use their senses, and most importantly…explore! Being outdoors helps our students develop an interest in science and math through this connection to nature.
Walking In the Woods
Our class took a walk into the Vienna Woods to expand our observations as we discovered that we not only could make visual observation but we could use all our other senses too. What do you smell? What do you hear? What is the soft green thing on the bark of a tree? We also asked ourselves “How do you know the season has changed?” In order to answer these questions we went looking in the woods to find evidence of fall using all of our senses. The students brought back all kinds of things leaves, sticks, and stones that we did and will continue to use for future observation and investigation (or maybe just to play with). We also didn’t forget to end our trip without celebrating the arrival of the fall season, a huge leaf pile that we all jumped in. Fall is here!!!