Who Lays Eggs?
4/28/2018
This week we learned another big word: oviparous - an animal that lays eggs. We also learned that animals who have live births are called mammals. We went on an egg hunt in our classroom and when we opened the eggs we had found there were different egg laying animals inside. We discovered that birds, bugs, fish, turtles, frogs, and snakes are all oviparous. We did more hands on learning with our egged animals by sorting them into groups based on where they lay their eggs, land or water, and then made a graph. This lead to a discussion of nests and how animals protect their eggs. After feeling and describing actual bird nests our Explores built nests out of clay. This activity required them to use problem solving skills because their nest had to safely hold one of our model eggs. They reworked their nests to be wider, taller, deeper, or more stable depending on the design. We got the very exciting opportunity to learn about fish eggs by dissecting a real fish. A parent arranged for us to have a female herring shipped up from the fishery. Before we began we discussed how scientist (and us) learn a lot about animals by knowing what is inside them; just like our egg dissection. What we learned about the herring was that the eggs where cream colored, very tiny, gooey, and contained in two large sacs. The Explorers were also excited to learn about the herring's gills, jaws, and eyes, as well as to see inside the fish. As a teacher I love being able to show my students the real world objects, systems, and processes we are studying. I also love teaching them that they can learn and investigate their world in the same ways as scientists, even as preschoolers. Spring Trip to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center Our spring trip to the AWCC was wonderful; filled with learning, excitement, and discovery. Our guide, Miss Jen, taught us about the animals, their adaptations to living in Alaska, where they came from, and how what they needed to survive. We learned how wolves say hello to each other, what a wood bison feels like, how a musk ox skull let's the animal live in the arctic, and how an owl's ears work. We also discussed which of the animals we saw were oviparous. We were treated to an up close encounter with Snickers the porcupine. The Explorers were ecstatic and amazed to watch the porcupine move around on the table in front of them, see his orange teeth, padded feet and claws, to watch him eat, and hear him make his noises. Miss Jen showed us the three types of fur a porcupine has and answered all our questions. I was proud to watch our Explorers on this final field trip, to hear their insightful questions and watch them make observations and discoveries. They have become confident and exuberant learners. What's Inside an Egg?
4/20/2018
Our Egg unit has begun! We started off our unit with the investigation "what is an egg?" And we had lots of questions about what was in an egg. Together we did a class dissection of eggs. Ms. Bookman helped us through our dissection and we learned that there were more parts to an egg than we thought! By the end of the activity our explores were able to identify the shell, the shell membrane, the albumen (egg white), the yolk, the protein chords (which hold the yolk in place), and the small white dot that is where an embryo would grow. I was so impressed with how the explorers investigated and asked questions. Eggs are a wonderful topic to study. But they can also be tricky in that eggs are fragile and therefore hard for preschoolers to explore on their own. Doing an egg dissection lets students explore and learn and wonder and answer their own questions in a integrative way, being both student-led and teacher guided. After watching Ms. Bookman and myself model egg dissection and show all the parts, each student got a chance to crack their own egg. Some students carefully inspected each part with a single finger, others attempted to pull apart and separate all the egg parts, and others dived in with two hands wondering about the textures and what happens when it is all mixed together. Also, most exciting this week, we started incubating chicken eggs! We began egg journals and a countdown chart. We are all super excited to see and hold the baby chicks when they hatch. In our excitement, the explorers have been playing lots of egg and hatching games. Next week we will learn which animals lay eggs. A Volcanic Eruption The exciting end to our recycling study!
Something New From Something Old
4/14/2018
This week we wrapped up our Recycling Study by talking about how we can make less trash. We discussed reusing items, making old items into new things, donating items that we no longer need, and having items that are meant to be used over and over again. On Friday we went on a "litter walk" around school cleaning up all the trash on the ground. Our explores found lots of plastic water bottles. They were glad that they had their own reusable water bottles at school. We also decided to make something new out of all the junk we have been collecting at school. The Explorers wanted to make a volcano. After stacking and gluing items into a volcano shape, we used old newspapers to cover it in paper mache. When the volcano was dry, it was painted. This process was exciting as our Explores watched a collection of plastic and paper become something completely different. We are excited to make our volcano erupt on Monday! We also learned about the process that a paper recycling factory uses to turn old paper into new paper. Our Explorers mimicked that process in class this week to make their own recycled paper. They tore, mushed, and squished shredded paper with warm water to make paper pulp. The paper pulp sat for a few days to allow the paper fibers to become suspended in the water. Our Explores used a screen to gently shake the paper pulp surry into an even amount and drain off the water. After that they rolled and pushed the water out of their new paper. Next week we start our Egg Study. We had a fun egg investigation this week when one of our students brought in an extra large egg her chicken had laid. We cracked open a regular egg and the big egg and the big egg had two yolks!
Recycling Centers and Landfills
4/7/2018
This week our Explores learned about where our trash goes after we throw it away. We went out into the community and saw first hand how trash is handled in Anchorage and we talked to experts about what makes Alaska's waste management system unique. On our field trip to the Anchorage Recycling Center, we saw where the different materials get piled and sorted. We saw forklifts, dump trucks, and loaders working to transfer and condense these piles. We learned that all of Alaska's recyclables (except for glass) get baled and sent out on empty barges to recycling centers out of state. We watched the big baling machine create a bale of cardboard and a bale of plastic bags. Our Explores liked looking at the different bales, colorful aluminum cans and dusty newspapers. To end the trip we sorted and recycled mixed trash from our school. Hearing the glass break inside the big dumpsters was a highlight for them! Field trips like this one, help our early kindergarteners understand in real ways their connection to the world around them. To be able to see and experience the huge piles of discarded trash, to see how much work goes into dealing with what we throw away, really helps connect them to problems that face our community and to begin to think about solutions. On Friday we had an expert, who works on the methane gas collection system at the Anchorage Landfill, visit our class and talk about the journey non-recyclable trash takes in our town - from garbage trucks, to transfer stations, and landfill building. He also talked to us about the gas byproduct our landfill creates and how this natural gas is collected and used at the power plant to provide electricity in our homes. Our Explorers are becoming keen learners and asked insightful questions about our garbage journey.
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April 2021
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