Tomorrow's Mother's Day Celebration

      A reminder that tomorrow we will have a Mother's Day Celebration with Mrs. Porto's kindergarten class from 11:10 - 12:50. It will mostly be held outdoors but we will have at least one classroom open and supervised, with available crafts and toys for any siblings looking to play or to take a break from the sun.

     If you can bring a planter and spade (if you have) for you & your child to plant their seed, that would be most appreciated. Any treats would be great too! I didn't create a sign-up sheet, but no pressure! I know we have cupcakes, cookies, some fruit - anything is great and making enough for just our class will definitely suffice.

     Also, I want to let all parents know that every child will have someone to plant their seed with. Although this event is exciting for the kids in the class; of course, not all mothers are able to attend. Although the kids are encouraged to invite Grandma, Aunt, etc., I know that this type of thing also requires arrangements. Every child will have someone to plant their seed with and no one will be left out! Today, as a class, we discussed different family structures and responsibilities and talked about the ways in which our class is one big family too. I just wanted to communicate this :)

                                            

Does this belong to you?

         Yay! The warm weather is in full swing! Thank you to the parents who have packed some sunscreen and/or hat/sunglasses in their child's backpack. Thank you also to always ensuring your child has an extra pair of clothes. I am trying to discourage those children who like to have a mid-day outfit change... I can only imagine the laundry at home! That being said, though, we do play in sand, water, paint and the outdoors, so sometimes kids ask to change. I am thankful that kids always seem to have an extra outfit in their backpack or cubby. Thank you parents!

                                                     

          In the vein of extra clothing, there is some unclaimed clothing. The kids don't seem to recognize it... perhaps, you do?

Thursday Fun!

Thursday May 7, 2015:
             Today we read a "mathemagical story" where we used our numeracy to help us make sense of the story. We also had a read aloud from Mrs. Lambier and enjoyed painting. There were lots of creative games during freeplay - such as the marble game invented by Brandon!

Lots of Creativity and Imagination!

Milo helped cut the "grass" through his own mobilo-made lawnmower, Blake built a very impressive propeller, Jad & Liam enjoyed creating an underwater scene in the sensory table while Drew, Jordan & Liam were a "good guys" force!

Sensory Activities

Tuesday May 5, 2015:
                    Today, we made our own sensory bins and added all sorts of found objects, like  feathers, pinecones and pebbles. Sensory activities encourage children to investigate, explore and question the world around them.
Here are 5 reasons why sensory play is beneficial:

• Research shows that sensory play builds nerve connections in the brain’s pathways, which lead to the child’s ability to complete more complex learning tasks.
• Sensory play supports language development, cognitive growth, fine and gross motor skills, problem solving skills, and social interaction.
• This type of play aids in developing and enhancing memory
• Sensory play is great for calming an anxious or frustrated child
• This helps children learn sensory attributes (hot, cold, sticky, dry)

          

Learning to Orient Ourselves and about Estimation

Monday May 4, 2015:

   We continued our learning about positional words by labeling our drawings. The one in the collage is by Addison. There were many beautiful drawings with dragons (Milo, Drew & Blake), kittens (Danica) and stars (Peyton). I did not manage to capture all the artistic visions on film!

     We also learned about estimation. Children estimated how many pompoms are in the jar. We shall determine whose guess was the closest tomorrow!

Our seascapes have turned into potions!

Indeed, life is more with glitter! Room 8 has discovered this, as many children chose to infuse their underwater seascapes with glitter, electric eels and collected nature findings, like pinecones and leaves. Made for some very neat exploration and display!