It's hard to believe it's already February, the year sure is flying by! Check out what we've been up to lately...
We've Come so Far
As we returned from break, we thought about all that we had done so far in Kindergarten as well as thinking about the future. The children had a chance to write about something they were proud to be able to do after the first 81 days of kindergarten. Lots of great answers! Next, they were tasked to think of something they hope to do or learn over the course of the rest of the year. Hopefully we can make these hopes come true!
Race to the Finish
In Math, we have been learning lots of new games to help the children take their skills to the next level. Many of these games have helped the children start to think about the relationships between numbers. In one game, "Collect 20", children rolled a die to see if they would add one, two, or three chips to a pair of ten frames. With each addition, they had to determine the new total number of chips. This allowed children to learn different strategies for figuring out this total; they might count all the chips, use the ten frames to help them, or think about adding one, two, or three more. Another game, "Racing Bears", had the children roll a die and move a bear the corresponding number of spaces. Children had to make sure they weren't counting the space they were already on and think about what to do when they ran out of spaces but had more numbers. This gave the children a chance to start to break numbers apart. This work with number relationships helps build an important base for addition and subtraction work.
Embarking on an Egg-cellent Adventure
In Discovery, we used eggs to begin our exploration of balance. We talked about how one way to define balance is when something stays up and doesn't fall down. The children were challenged to balance their eggs somewhere in the classroom. Even though this was a tricky task, quite a few children found success! Later we recited "Humpty Dumpty" and the children tried to balance their eggs on a "wall". This time, the task was much more difficult. Even though no one was successful this time, stay tuned for what happens at the END of the unit...
Balance on Your Toes, Balance on Your Nose
Next, we got our bodies involved. Again, we talked about balance meaning something staying up, but this time we were talking about ourselves! Children were challenged to stand on one foot. The children noticed this task had its challenges, and counted how many seconds they could stay up. Some noticed strategies that made the task easier, such as using their arms or closing their eyes.
Later, we used our body in a different way; this time we used our bodies to balance a cup and keep it from falling. The children found all different parts of their bodies they could use: their heads, their feet, and even their noses!
Building a Balance
Later, we learned about a different way to think about balance and about a tool called a pan balance. We learned that this tool helps us determine the relationship between objects' weights. Experimenting with pan balances, we learned that the heavier object goes down, the lighter object goes up, and that when the two objects weigh the same the balance is even, or balanced. The children were challenged to think of one object that is heavier than them and one that is lighter. I even made the list!
After using a pan balance in various ways, the children got a chance to make their own balances! They worked in pairs to complete a "shopping list" of parts they'd need. Later they worked with their partners to build the balance and try it out!
The children learned and noticed a lot through this activity. Some learned that they had to work hard and persevere to complete the task. Others used their balances to compare the weights of different Duplox people and animals. Lots of fun AND lots of learning!
Making a Game of It
To celebrate all the balance learning so far, we had an afternoon of balance games. The children played a variety of games that reinforced the concepts we've been learning. Children had to find different ways to balance different objects, from robots to elephants!
Another game tasked the children to keep a bear balanced on ice cubes, and think about what kept the cubes from falling. A final game presented an extra challenge; children had to remove discs from a structure while keeping it balanced. They noticed what happened to different pieces of the structure as each disc was removed. Thanks to our parent volunteers that came in to help us play!
100 Days of Fun and Learning
We made it to 100 days of kindergarten, definitely a reason to celebrate! The children made glasses to wear, did a variety of math activities, and best of all made a special 100th day snack! The children each received a place mat with ten ten frames. We talked about how these ten ten frames added up to 100 spaces! Children then chose from a variety of snacks, filling each ten frame with one snack. Of course, as much fun as it was to make the snack it was even more fun to eat it! Check out some pictures of the children working on their snacks. Thanks to our parent volunteers for helping us with the snack!
The children also wrote about one of their favorite things from the first 100 days of school. There were many wonderful answers, from math games to special events to wellness (always a favorite)!
Guess Whooo Came to Visit
Along with our special days and celebrations, we were lucky to have some special visitors. Two of our visitors brought along some special friends, a collection of owls and birds of prey! They read us an owl story before introducing us to lots of different owls. They taught us about the different kinds of owls and their characteristics, such as their weight and what they like to eat. Everyone enjoyed the fun and informative visit!
Safety First
We also had a visit from one of our Lincoln firefighters! He taught us all about fire safety, including how to crawl under smoke and how to stop, drop, and roll. The children had a chance to practice both techniques. Later the firefighter showed us some of his gear so that children would be familiar with it if they ever needed help from a firefighter.
Roar!
Finally, we had some visitors come to teach us about Chinese New Year. They told us about the traditional lion dance, explaining the lore and that the lion is meant to scare away bad luck. After performing for us, many of the children got to try out the dance themselves! Others got to practice "feeding" the lions red envelopes.
Ever More to Learn and Explore
Of course, amidst all the learning and special events we still had lots of time for Learn and Explore. The children continue to use this time to explore interests and build connections with friends, all important parts of learning too!
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