We have had a wonderful couple of weeks trekking through the conservation area! Spring is finally in the air! The children have noticed so many changes as the snow has melted away and the birds and bugs have returned again. We are also beginning to see new growth, with buds on the trees and plants pushing their way through the ground. With all these changes comes ample amounts of learning and exploring and just plain fun!!!
There are many slides to go through showing you some of the wonderful learning that is occurring in our class. As you peruse through, you will notice that the children have become very interested in bugs and birds. Therefore, our groups have been learning about life cycles of butterflies, frogs, and plants. We have learned that insects have a head, thorax, abdomen, six legs, and two antennae. A spider is not an insect, because it has eight legs.
We have also noticed the different types of evergreens that are found in the forest (e.g., pine, balsam, fir, cedar, juniper, etc...) and during one of our book explorations we found information about the cones found on these trees. Trees have male and female cones! As the students played along the fallen trees they noticed that when trees fall to the ground they eventually get very soft and fall apart. They decompose and become part of the earth.
The mini trails left behind by wood boring insects make for interesting natural line artwork on the branches. We have brought quite a few of these branches back to class and yesterday we practiced our safety measures (e.g., gloves, goggles, and adult supervision) as some of the students sawed through the branches to bring samples home.
For the last few weeks we have been bringing sunflower seeds out to the forest to that we may eventually train the chickadees to eat from our hands. We are quite a rowdy bunch, so I am not sure we will attract them to our hands, but we are having fun and we do see that our seeds are being eaten!
Inside the classroom, we have planted seeds and now we will watch them grow, ensuring that they have enough sunlight and water.
Here is just one small area of the kindergarten curriculum that we cover when exploring outdoors
"Problem Solving and Innovating.
This frame encompasses children’s learning and development with respect to:
• exploring the world through natural curiosity, in ways that engage the mind, the senses, and the body;
• making meaning of their world by asking questions, testing theories, solving problems, and engaging in creative and analytical thinking;
• the innovative ways of thinking about and doing things that arise naturally with an active curiosity, and applying those ideas in relationships with others, with materials, and with the environment."
https://files.ontario.ca/books/kindergarten-program-en.pdf?_ga=2.95931673.480866081.1525448978-1002361089.1522181643
Your child was involved with the April/Earth Month assembly. From playing in the forest, they have become so invested in environmental concerns for the animals, especially with the amount of garbage that they see. They are so keen to remind us to bring garbage bags so we can clean it up! Bravo, les amis !!!!
After viewing Molly Steer's presentation on the devastating effects of plastics on our oceans, especially straws, they wanted to start their own campaign to eliminate straws in our school. Our challenge is to not use straws in our classroom, to eliminate the use of juice boxes (and their straws), which we learned never break down either and cannot be recycled, as well as to remember when we go out to a restaurant and order a drink to say, "No straw for me please, I'm doing my part to save the environment!" They may be little, but they are certainly already socially aware of our need to protect the environment.
Straw No More by Molly Steer - https://youtu.be/Rr5Py1r9xjw
In light of the recent letter that was sent home, we would like to remind you that your child's safety is of utmost importance to us! We venture into the conservation area every day in small, manageable groups. Yes, we meet people along the way. They know to move to the right to share the path, ask their teacher before approaching a dog, say, "Hello!" or "Bonjour !" when they walk by, and that we always stick together and are in view of the teacher.
This coming week, we would like each child to bring in a raw vegetable (e.g., carrots, potatoes, celery, broccoli, beans, tomatoes, etc...) and an apple so we can make a community soup and apple sauce. Merci !
During a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) period, some of the children began exploring gravity, force, friction, and simple machines as they designed and put together mini cars. If you happen to have spare wood parts, nuts, bolts, washers, and screws, we will gladly accept them so we can continue to design, create, and test! Merci !
For the past four years, I have been working towards a Master in Education, researching holistic, child-centred, inquiry-based, experiential outdoor education. My focus has been to study research that is relevant and thought-provoking to bring learning practices to the classroom that will benefit your child and my teaching practices. Next week, I will post a copy of my research project for those who wish to read it, Outdoor Experiential Learning and its Impact on Problem-Solving Skills and Social Emotional Well-Being. With the submission of this paper, I have finally completed my degree!
Important Dates
May 7th & 8th - Please bring in a raw vegetable and an apple
Spaghetti Dinner - May 10th
With Mother's Day close by, we would like to invite our special Mums or another important female to our Mother's Day Tea. This will take place in our classroom on Tuesday, May 15th at 1:45pm.
Pottery-to-Go - May 23rd - For Father's Day, the children will be given the opportunity to learn about pottery from a local artist, as they make a beautiful gift for their father or special man in their life. The price will be around $10/child. Details will be sent out shortly.
Book Fair - May 10th-16th - Scholastics Book Fair in the library
Friday, June 15th, at 1:45pm - Father's Day Celebration
Wednesday, June 20th - End of Year Trip - R.A.R.E (Please let us know if you wish to volunteer)
Tuesday, June 26th at 1:15pm - Kindergarten Year End Celebration Picnic
Have a wonderful weekend!