Exciting Science
2/24/2018
Science is incorporated into many of the activities we do at school on a daily basis. When the Beginners explore the sensory table, and are dropping corks, stones, feathers, and marbles into a tub of water, they are scientists who are exploring whether objects sink or float. When they lift, shove, stack, and move blocks, they explore weight and size, gravity and forces. Sometimes, though, it is fun to do some observable science experiments. These moments are extra special because the Beginners get really excited about the things they are seeing. Last week, we made some "potions" and it was one of those rare moments when every, single Beginner had their full, undivided attention focused on what was happening in the middle of the circle. Baking soda and vinegar reactions are cool to watch by themselves, but add colors, glitter and soap, it gets so much more exciting. Operation Socks
2/16/2018
3 and 4 year olds are, by nature, egocentric. They are not yet burdened by the political, economic or social issues that surround them because they are only concerned with figuring out how to get their own needs met. They are unable to see a situation from another person's point of view and think that everyone else thinks and feels the same way they do. Right now, their world is their family, and the community that we have created in our classroom. As they continue to grow, their community will expand to the entirety of PNA, then to their neighborhood, city, state, country etc.. until they are able to understand that they are just one person, on a planet of many. They will someday learn that people live differently than they do, and look different than they do. But right now, all of that is difficult to grasp while they are still so young.
Still, as an educator of young children, I want them to develop awareness of the needs of others and to learn to care about the people that live in our community. My passion is that these children will someday grow up to change the world, one act, small or big, at a time. That's where socks come in. As children who live in Alaska, they endure the cold and snowy conditions daily. They know how important it is to have socks on before going outside, and if they get wet, there is always a dry, warm pair available for them in the classroom after recess. When they were told that some people in Anchorage don't have socks, their concern was genuine. "You mean people have cold feet, always?" One Beginner asked. "Do they get frostbite?" asked another. The idea to hold a sock drive was born. The Beginners thought it was a good idea to give people socks who do not have any, and they thought that maybe the E.K. class could, too. But what would happen if everyone at PNA gave a pair of socks? That would be 100 pairs of socks! So, we made signs and put them up in our school.
We also made a video to tell everyone why socks are important and how they can support our drive. The Beginners thought it would be a good idea to show their parents and grandparents the video, too, so maybe we can get more socks!
Teaching awareness, empathy and compassion isn't always easy, but when it is something as simple and relatable as socks, then the concept becomes a little easier to grasp.
How Are Clothes Made?
2/10/2018
This week we focused on how clothes are made. We learned about 2 different types of fabric, cotton and wool, and how one comes from a plant and the other from an animal. We discussed how and why we might use each material differently. Wool keeps us warm, cotton keeps us cooler. We learned how the cotton goes from the field to the factory, then to the store where we buy them. At the factory, many things happen to the cotton. We explored how clothes are dyed to make each piece of clothing have a color. On Monday, we tie-dyed t-shirts brown to begin making costumes for the movie we will film soon. Each Beginner was given a ziplock and 2 different colors of brown dye to mix around in their bag in order to stain their shirt. We learned that by using this method, each t-shirt might be the same color, but each one is going to come out looking different than the others. Tuesday was 100's day. We explored what 100 looks like. We looked at different collections of items and tried to guess which one had 100 pieces to them. We learned that the biggest collection didn't always have 100, it sometimes had more. We also learned that 100 had 3 digits. At the end of the day, we went to the gym with some of the older classes to experiment with the number 100, like sticking 100 stickers to a paper, stacking 100 cups, decorating 100 shoes, and adding numbers to total 100. Continuing on in our clothes factory investigation, we learned that after the cotton is dyed, it is cut and sewn into a piece of clothing. On Wednesday, the Beginners were allowed to use sewing machines to add colorful bellies to the tshirts they dyed on Monday. They were able to see first hand how sewing machines work to stitch together material. On Thursday, we read the silly book Dogs Don't Wear Shoes. After reading the book, the Beginners created their own silly pictures of animals wearing clothes. Some creative responses were an elephant wearing a tie, a monkey wearing underwear, and a shark wearing swim trunks. Friday, we began to explore what people wear for work, specifically post office workers. We will continue this exploration next week.
What's in Your Pocket?
2/3/2018
This week, we learned about the different features of our clothing. We focused on sizes, pockets and different types of fasteners. Using the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, we talked about the sizes of small, medium and large. Then, we used that concept to decide if some clothes were too small, too big or just right for different people, like babies, adults and Beginner-sized people. The children applied their knowledge to sort different sized buttons into 3 different sized pockets (small medium or large). We learned how "medium" sizes can be lots of different sizes, while still falling "in the middle" of the smallest and largest. We explored different fasteners and talked about what kinds we use, including buttons, snaps, zippers and velcro. We looked at our shoes and sorted them out based on the types of fasteners they have. Then we tried to guess as to which category had the most and least shoes in it, then counted to see if we were right. We learned that in our class, most of our shoes have velcro, but half of those also have laces. We read A Pocket for Corduroy and discussed the things we like to put in our pockets or if anyone had any treasures in theirs at the moment.
Next week we learning where clothing comes from and will be making some unique pieces. Extra snapshots: Block roads and swimming pools, lego zoos and tea parties. |
Annalee JohnsonEK Teacher Archives
January 2021
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