A great way to end our first week back. On Wednesday, somehow the topic of grilled cheese sandwiches surfaced so we decided to make some cheese sandwiches today. Children chose their bread, cheese and assembled their creations. I was impressed that many of them were willing and eager to try a new cheese.










After filling our bellies and layering with warm clothing we headed out to Garden City Park. We ran, we jumped, we slid down hills, we climbed, we happily used our super loud voices and we discovered frost and ice! We used our sand tools (spades, hoes) to break apart the ice, small shards of ice flying about, water seeping through the cracks. It was an activity enjoyed by all, at different times.






I heard: How is ice made? Can I bring ice home? I want to give my mommy a piece of ice. I love ice. This is so much fun! How long will ice last? Is ice made from water?







I am thankful that our children can play outside in a safe, clean and beautiful environment.

Emily

After a rejuvenating break and a glorious time with my own family, I was elated to come back to class. I was curious to hear about their time off and wondered what had excited them over the past two weeks. After hellos and hugs we sat down to catch up on each other's lives. 

Over the holidays our frog died and we were wondering if the children would notice or ask about the frog. It did not take long before Cole asked "Where is the frog?" Dustin told them that the frog died and then the speculations began about how he died.

The following are a few snippets of our conversation....

Nico: I heard bad guys came. I heard them. They came and killed the frog. I am serious.
Cole: The frog is dead for real.
Zev: Maybe he swallowed a rock.
Chloe: Maybe he drank the water. Maybe he didn't have enough water.
Cash: Maybe he didn't eat the food.
Little Emily: Fish drink water

This last statement prompted a conversation on fish, the aquarium, sloths, sharks and a rhyme, Froggie the Broggie  Bryn). So....perhaps this will be an area of inquiry for this class.

On Wednesday, we will have a meeting to discuss if they are interested in studying fish and what they would like to know.

Over the holidays I was given a little kit to grow an amaryllis. I thought it would be fun to watch it grow at school so we planted it during first circle. The kit included a soil disc that swells as it absorbs water and this rather large bulb. We passed the soil disc around the circle. Colin said "It is very dirty", Nicolas exclaimed "It is very hard.", Zev panicked and said "It is breaking." and Kayla said "It doesn't feel good." When Dustin showed them the bulb, Nico asked 'Is that garlic?" I was thrilled with this connection. Chloe observed " It looks like sharp teeth.". The bulb went into the pot and over the course of the morning the children would periodically visit the pot to see how the soil expanded.








The children experimented with diffusing paper today. This fabric like paper blends colours easily and creates some interesting designs. Some children used stencils first while others simply put their own design directly onto the paper.








The children shared their enthusiasm for this activity as they were amazed at how the water "chased" the colour. Friends helped friends as they used the spray bottle and I heard many children asking their friends to look at their art for approval.  I find this interesting... the need for peer approval. Or is it really just the sharing of an activity, the notion of engaging in a collective experience?

Other moments....

Really using our finger muscles to cut deeply

Checking out the pattern this tool makes

Playing with magnets- a provocation-are they interested in learning about magnets?

Paper clips on the magnet wand- Zev was curious about how "they stick"

The procedure of flattening, rolling and twisting the dough was carefully explained to me by Loreli.

Crystal builders making a ?

Using a feather to write in sand

This is a very challenging maze that requires good fine motor, spatial awareness and logical predictions.

The other big event of the day was trying to come up with a name for our stuffed dog that will be sent home with a journal. Each child will have the chance to take the dog home, do activities with the dog, take photos etc. After a lively vote the name was chosen....Scratchy. We will post the journal on our blog so stay tuned!

Emily

We were all looking forward to heading to the farm. We had not been in two whole weeks so we were all experiencing farm deprivation disorder! We craved outdoor time, running on the paths, and checking out our favourite spots. We had no particular agenda- nothing to plant, nothing to weed, nothing to harvest and literally nothing to do! Perfect!!  Actually, we did have one special thing happening there but I will get to that in a moment.

The children could not get off the bus fast enough, bounding down the tall stairs. Jackets on, zipped up, hats and mitts on, ready to face the chill of December. The children tossed their knapsacks onto the picnic table with abandon, and began to run around the courtyard area, obediently staying on the paths
 ( finally, four months later they have learnt to stay out of the garden beds). They shouted, they chased and fell down! Once our initial burst of energy was out (only slightly), we walked over to the compost to see what the worms were eating- mostly apples, an orange peel and maybe squash. Time to go check out our fava beans, the ones we planted with our Dixon buddies. Would they be poking up? Indeed, they were! Questions arose like "I wonder how fast they will grow?" and "Do they like their blanket?" (referring to the straw mulch)




 Some of us marvelled at this.... this........this... carrot! Zev tasted the green "fuzzies" and said "Yummy. They taste yummy!".



I suggested we go look at our own garden and check on our garlic. Since the fava beans were poking out from the straw, would our garlic be doing the same? Alas, it was! The children were happy to see the tops of the garlic and Bryn was relieved that our own fava beans were still growing strong.

Garlic under its blanket

Since our last visit  I had laid down bags and bags of dried leaves to protect the few crops that are sill in the garden. I wondered if the children remembered the purpose of mulching as we discussed it on our last visit. I was elated to discover that they not only remembered but  understood the concept of mulching. Hooray!

Last time we were at the farm we ended up playing around the Parson's House. They had loved it so much so I asked them if they would like to walk towards it again. Claps, cheers and squeals of delight ensued so I took that as a "yes" and we began our journey. The lovely thing about having a good staff ratio is that we can walk in small groups at different paces. Really, it is so wonderful to enjoy these moments; listening to the children, sharing ideas, being silent and relishing freedom.

Throwing rocks in the water-look at the pattern it makes!

Jackets off, mitts in pockets, hats stuffed into hoods... their bodies warm from running,. How healthy..inhaling this beautiful Terra Nova air!

We arrived at the house, in staggered groups, and again I found myself smiling with joy as so many children remembered the history of the house and who had lived there. I love seeing their growth, in terms of making connections. They are so clever, so intuitive and so ready to take information in. Games of hide n' seek, tag, and leaf pile jumping followed until we realized that our special event did need some time and we best do a reality check and wander back to the barn. This was an important event. And what was the event you ask. Well, it goes like this...

I think I might have already mentioned that Luca has a very special stuffed animal named Penguino. And, it was a result of Penguino, that our class embarked on the explorations of penguins, eggs,  birthing, families and genetics- wow, talk about a domino effect! Well, according to Luca, Penguino's birthday was on Tuesday ( I have since learnt that he has many many birthdays but this is irrelevant). I thought it would be fun to celebrate Penguino's birthday in class because as a group we are all very intrigued with Penguino. I asked Luca if this would interest him and he said without heistation, yes!. I spoke to his mom and asked if she could ask Luca to bring Penguino to school on Wednesday so we could celebrate together. I was going to pick up a treat but his mom kindly offered to send a snack. Luca entered the preschool room with a huge bag filled with Penguino and a  tuppperware filled with rice krispie squares.

At greeting time, we talked about our special celebration and all the children were absolutely jubilant about Penguino's birthday. We planned to sing and eat at the farm and this is exactly what we did. A few of the girls planned out a song and dance which was to follow our happy birthday song.


I was completely enchanted with the group as they took on Luca's adoration of Peguino and made it their own. I was impressed that they supported each other, supported Luca and adopted Penguino into their life. They did not pass judgement nor did they make an attempt to dismiss the idea. I think we can learn a lot from this event. We have the power to believe in what we want, we can suspend our disbelief and go on a fantastical journey. Find your own journey... today.

Emily

Dollhouse
It was an interesting day as I had lots of time to observe the children at play and listen carefully to their conversations. I was particularly intrigued by a conversation between two boys playing with the dollhouse. I heard Cole say to Nico " Where are the boys for this house? I need a boy." True, for some reason, only the female doll house figures were put out. He repeated the question and Nico said "I don't know but I need a boy too." They sat for a while, picked up some furniture and the dog, banged the items on the dollhouse roof and then stopped. They sat. And sat. And sat. I was so curious... why is it that they felt they needed a male to connect to? Our gender identity is clearly very strong at such a young age. I have seen this before when we act out stories in class. Generally boys want to play boys and girls want to play boys. The notion of pretending to be another character can be unappealing for some. Why is this? Should I, as a teacher, encourage them to explore the other gender in pretend play?

Designs
I sat with some Kayla, Zev, Cyanna and Cole as they created designs out of stones, rocks and glass pieces. They started with no vision at first but then soon I heard " I made a sun" and " I made a house". I commented on where they put which pieces but I was mindful of not commenting on the design itself; I wanted them to be free to just simply create a design, letting it unfold as they worked, rather than having a specific end result in mind. Are children wired this way? To want to organize, create and make sense of things right away or have we, as adults, taught them to strive for an end result,  a concrete product?






They started to pick up the blue glass pieces and put their eye up close to it. Can they see light coming through? I suggested that they take the pieces to the window.


Cyanna said " It glows."
Zev said "It's shiny."
Cole said "I see bubbles."

I find it absolutely marvellous they way children can describe things...bubbles, glow...shiny. All appropriate words and completely accurate.

Math-Patterning-Matching-Cooperating




We played a domino game, first using the textural version and then flipping the pieces over to the number version. I enjoyed listening to the four children as they made up their own rules (some which were right according to the rules as we generally know them) and some creating rules to best suit their own needs and some not following any rules at all.  We had moments of anger, excitement and laughter. We also had times that it was just so so hard to wait for our own turn that we would suggest that the order suddenly change directions! I was happy to see them so engaged this activity. I was also in awe of them wanting rules and wanting to know if they were "right". Again,  I wondered if this is just human nature at its base form or have we adults created this need?


Letter D

Writing the letter in the air, on the carpet, on paper. Sounding out the letter. Looking at its shape. And brainstorming words that start D. Fun, playful learning....no pressure but supporting literacy connections.


Eye Colour

After class on Wednesday, Emmett,  Yvette and I spent a lot of time discussing the children's interest in eye colour. We talked about where we should take the conversation. Can we play a game to introduce the concept of genes? Can we go further into recessive and dominant? We decided to try to use pom poms to try to explore this challenging concept. The game was very successful and the children were all completely involved. So involved in fact that they were shouting out and jumping up. They really seemed to grasp the idea  so we pushed further about genes form grandparents-yikes! I had every intention of recording the meeting but alas, I was far too engaged myself and didn't write anything down!  We will dialogue more about this on Monday.

Now... everyone ready for the weekend. Time to think about our week gone by, enjoy our time off and plan for next week.

Emily

turning...leaping...jumping...twirling...spiraling...spinning...crawling...posing...flittering...flapping

smiling...turn taking...sharing...arguing...grabbing...laughing...exploring...looking...watching...twinkling


Emily