On Top of Spaghetti
3/31/2018
The Beginners have really gotten into learning about balls and ramps this week! We learned about how balls are round like a marble (sphere), instead of being round like a pancake (a circle). Their shape allows them to bounce and roll. On Thursday, the Beginners partnered up with a friend and were given two golf balls and a ramp to experiment with. At first, they began to manipulate the ramp by leaning it up against the walls and shelves to create a decline. They experimented with different angles and heights at which they dropped the ball from. As their experiments continued, they began to add obstacles and runoff areas to their ramps. They also used different objects to catch their balls at the end of their run. Some children used the hard floor to see how far their ball would roll. They also began making fun games, like creating "goals" that they aimed for, and gave themselves points for hitting targets with their golf balls. The Beginners focused on their work for a half hour without any interruptions, it was hard to pull them away for lunch. Many continued to explore the concept later in the day and into the following day as well. They have begun to use blocks, tubes and chairs to create complex mazes for their balls. We learned the song "On Top of Spaghetti," because, after all, that poor meatball rolled. Then, we made spaghetti and meatballs and enjoyed every last bite.
Balls And Ramps
3/23/2018
After Spring Break, the Beginners were ready to hit the ground running with a new study topic: Balls and Ramps. This week, we explored different types of balls and experimented with them to learn about their properties. We had a special Bring a Ball to School Day. The Beginners compared their balls with each other's and discovered who had the smallest and who had the biggest. We played sink or float to see who's would sink or float. We put 18 balls in the water, and the only ones that sank were the marble, golf ball and bouncy ball. Not even the wood ball would sink. The Marble maze was reintroduced into center play and the Beginners were mesmerized by watching the tiny, little marbles fall through the tubes. Taking advantage of the rest of the school being on a field trip, the Beginners played basketball in the gym. We practiced counting how many times we could bound the ball and how many baskets we could make in 2 minutes. The Beginners made some beautiful circle paintings by using cups to stamp paint onto paper. Next week, the Beginners will explore how balls bounce and roll.
Soap, Snow-Beaches, and Seuss
3/2/2018
This week, the Beginner's were very, very busy! First, we wrapped up our clothing unit. We explored how people take care of clothing and talked about the differed ways people wash and dry their clothes. We used 3 different types of laundry detergent, Liquid, powder and a solid laundry bar (yes, it's still a thing!), to see which one made the most bubbles. Liquid was the winner. Our sock drive ended and we had a special guest from the Covenant House come to share where the socks were going to go when they left PNA. She said that they will be given to the youth at the Covenant House, and they will all get 4 new pairs of socks. We collected 250 pairs of socks! When it snowed, the Beginners buried themselves into the snow, which sparked some great make-believe play about going to the beach. It was adorable. We transitioned into Dr. Seuss mode and read some of his most popular books. Starting with The Cat in the Hat and made some cat hats. And, at our parent breakfast we made Oobleck Volcanoes, inspired by Bartholomew and the Oobleck. But, I think their favorite activity they did this week was making our movie, Caps For Sale. Lights, Camera, Action! |
Annalee JohnsonEK Teacher Archives
January 2021
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