1 + 1 = 2
In Math we have started our final unit on numbers and measurement. This unit leads into early addition and subtraction skills by adding components to familiar games. We learned about equations and the symbols we use when writing them. Later we played "Racing Bears" and added the challenge of writing an equation that matched the numbers rolled on the dice. We also learned a new version of the game "make ten", called "make twenty". This game ups the ante while allowing for additional practice with adding numbers. We will continue to build on these skills over the final months of school.
K105 Knows A Lot About...A Lot!
After writing our "All About Our Family" books, we continued with nonfiction style books and wrote about other things we know all about. The children wrote on a variety of topics, including colors, flowers, dogs, and fairies. It was fun to see them share their knowledge on these topics.
Up, Up and Away
We were very lucky to have a kite expert come and visit us. He talked about how kites work, and taught us that "if the wind is in your face you're in the wrong place". Next he showed us some of his kites and even let the children try them out. Finally, he taught us about the different parts of a kite and everyone got to make their own kites! We had some wonderful parent volunteers to help us, and the children worked hard on their kites. Of course, the best part was taking our kites outside and flying them! It was a great day of fun and learning.
Keep It Up
We have continued exploring balance in Discovery. We introduced a new concept, counterweights, using a bear on a tight rope. We noticed that at first the bear fell off the string, but when we added weights to each side he was able to balance. Next the children got their own paper bear. Just like the model, the bear could not balance on its own. However, when we added clothespin counterweights they were able to balance their bears. We continued exploring this concept with a bird with weighted wings. The children got to make their own out of paper. Finally, we put their knowledge to the test with a challenge: balancing a pencil on its tip. With some perseverance everyone was able to use counterweights to balance their pencils!
Peace and Kindness
For the month of March we focused on kindness and peace as a school. In K105, we read The Peace Book during TEAM Meeting and discussed how we could show peace. Each child made a piece for our class chain showing how they could show peace. During All School Meeting, we connected each class' chain to each other to make one giant chain that represented our whole school. The chain is now on display for everyone to see!
Where the Wild Things Are
The week before vacation we celebrated finishing our exploration of the alphabet, culminating in our animal day celebration. During the week we worked on several alphabet activities, including writing about our favorite animal we met and why. The week ended with animal day, with the children dressing up as a favorite animal. We painted faces, did more activities, and finished our celebration with an outdoor K Sing-a-Long featuring some of our favorite animal songs.
Check out some more of our April activities below...