INTO THE WOODS

We finished our tree unit with a special visitor and a special nature walk into the woods around our campus. Mr. Clint Harris is the Southern Arkansas Project Manager for the Nature Conservancy’s Arkansas office. Mr. Harris showed our children the different types of trees that are native to our area. Our woods are full of pine, oak and cedar trees. The class learned about evergreen trees and deciduous trees. We discussed the wildlife in our area and we learned that the woods are home to several animals. We found a bird’s nest and we noticed that a deer had rubbed a small tree with his antlers. We were thrilled to follow our woodland path as we explored the natural beauty that surrounds our campus. A special thank  you to Mr. Clint Harris and Emily Harris for taking time out of their day to educate our children.

After our tree unit it was time to move on to our clothing unit. The past couple of weeks we discussed what we know about our clothing and the features of our clothing. I used the children’s raincoats to discuss the different types of materials used to make clothes and how different materials can protect us from the weather. We used snaps and zippers to keep our raincoats together. This fun activity was also a great fine motor workout! Everyone had a blast putting on their raincoats and telling each other about the color and features of their raincoats.  

After we looked at our raincoats, I had the children take out their winter jackets and we talked about small, medium, and large sizes. Everyone looked for the size in their jacket. We searched for the letters S, M, or L.  I used my sweater to show the children a large item and we compared my large sweater to their small jackets.

Each investigation has a set of books that I read each day.  One of our books for this study is Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The story of Goldilocks helped us learn about size. It is important for each child to learn to recognize objects by size. Ordering by size also prepares children for more complex math and problem solving.

Our P.E. class this week had us jumping for joy! The children had to jump with feet together and land on a colored circle.  After each child completed their task , they galloped around the orange cones and resumed their place in line. During our next P.E. lesson the children used scooters to strengthen their core muscles. The class had to use their gross motor skills to move forward , backward and spin around. Our P.E. class helps with several skills. The class has to listen to instructions, wait in line for a turn and learn to work as a group.