During snack, we reviewed our letters by making them with pretzels. Hands-on education gives students both the freedom and responsibility to learn through real experience.

A/B and A/B/C Patterns

Through a series of activities, students learned the life cycle of a butterfly.

Last week we started our new study about reduce, reuse, and recycle. This study offers opportunities for our children to explore a topic that not only interests them but allows them to gather information, become more aware of the world around them, and solve problems. During this study, we will enjoy sorting and reusing the trash collected.

Building a Recycling Center

Since we can't recycle styrofoam, we reused it to build a recycling center in our classroom. We had fun working together as a group.

Making Art with Environmental Print

Using recycled materials from snack time, we cut out petals and made flowers. Each student had a chance to point out different letters and symbols.

RESURRECTION EGGS

Every child was excited to see what was in their egg. We discussed how each item played a part in the story of Easter. Children love the eggs because you can see, touch, and listen to the story.

JELLY BEAN GRAPHING

First, we had to color our Jelly Bean Sorting Mat. Then we classified and graphed them. Kids love hands on activities. The best part was eating some for snack.

JELLY BEAN MEASURING

Using jelly beans, each child measured and recorded their answer.

N FOR NEST

For our building unit. a student brought a bird nest. This was perfect for our letter of the week. We also rolled pieces of playdough to make the letter N. This is a great for our fine motor skills.

EASTER CRAFTS

During our building study we discussed maps and how to use them. For a fun adventure, Mrs. Diane and I put together a treasure hunt. At recess the children noticed something dangling from a tree, it was a treasure map. Using positional words, we followed our map. We had a blast!

Who builds buildings and what tools do they use?

I asked everyone our focus question and wrote down their answers. Everyone said a construction worker and named several tools (hammer, drill, backhoe, and saw.) We also took a tour of our school with Mrs. Denise who maintains our campus.

Tower of Babel

After our Bible lesson, we discussed the meaning of pride and language. The children built a tower and complemented each other on their work. We also discussed why they used the largest pieces on the bottom.

This week we started a new study about buildings. This study features five investigations that we will explore. The investigations offer children an opportunity to learn more about the characteristics and features of buildings, the people who build them, and the role buildings play in our communities. Each investigation will also help children explore science and social studies and strengthen their skills in literacy, math, technology, and the arts.

As a group, we built a city with houses, a space center, a farm, and a skyscraper.

One of our focus questions was, “Which would you use to build your house: straw, sticks, or bricks?” Each student had a chance to vote and tell the class what material they would use and why. We tallied our answers and then read the book, The Three Little Pigs. After reading the story, we discussed each house and the definition of the word “collapse.”

In pairs, I asked the boys and girls to walk around the room and count the doors. Each student tallied the number of doors they found on a clipboard. I was impressed that they counted cabinet doors, refrigerator doors, and the doors in the barbie house. We counted twenty-one.

After the boys and girls observed 2 boxes with different items in them, I asked “Which has more, the box with the blocks or the box with pigs?” Each student recorded their answer by placing a mark under blocks or pigs. We then counted the items to see whose prediction was correct.

After reading Noah’s Ark, we built our own. We also discussed what a pair is. They put a pair of animals in their ark.

Noah’s Ark

The boys and girls also reenacted the story. One at a time, Noah let the animals onboard.