We are rolling right along with the ball unit! Our topics the past couple of weeks involved people who use balls, and the materials that make up balls. Construction crews use balls for demolition, and people use balls for sports and entertainment. I took the class on a virtual field trip to a construction site to watch a steel wrecking ball demolish a building! We learned that people use balls for work and for play. One of the highlights of this unit was watching Mr. McWilliams juggle tennis balls for the class. We watched him juggle two balls and then three. I love to have parents in the classroom to share their talents. After we watched and learned about juggling, Mr. McWilliams gave each child their very own ball. A special thank you to our special visitor.
A few of our favorite balls were made of plastic, rubber, and bubbles. I used this unit to increase our gross motor skills with a balance activity. Each child had to balance a plastic ball on a wand. Balance and coordination activities help each child to develop self-regulation for daily tasks. Attention and concentration were maintained for a specific task during this game.
Mrs. Nicole let us borrow her reaction ball for a great class activity! Our reaction ball was made of rubber and it had knots all around it. As your child dropped the ball, it reacted differently every time. The reaction ball may bounce to the left or right. As we moved to catch the reaction ball we improved our eye-hand coordination and our reaction time.
Spring is a wonderful time of year for a science lesson!
I ordered caterpillars a few weeks ago and we have watched and waited for butterflies to emerge. We learned about the wonderful metamorphosis that occurs during the lifecycle of a butterfly. We learned that a metamorphosis takes place during the process from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages. It was wonderful to watch the miracle of nature.
Easter comes in the spring and we learned about the true meaning of Easter. I used Resurrection Eggs to help the children understand why we celebrate this special holiday. Each child opened a egg as I told the story of Easter. As we celebrate the joys of spring we also had a special friend drop by. The Easter Bunny hopped right in our classroom! Eggs are a symbol of new life and our classroom was the place to be! Have a great Easter and join us next time as we move on to the recycling unit.
