tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54921361360992785422024-03-12T22:49:09.879-04:00Inquiring Minds: Mrs. Myers' KindergartenIn this blog you will see a journey being taken by students and teacher to build up our minds, muscles and imaginations together through inquiry, exploration, investigation, problem solving and teamwork!Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.comBlogger226125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-17213854419144751352023-10-14T09:47:00.001-04:002023-10-14T09:47:56.948-04:00Interest Based Learning In A Public School Setting: Why And How I Do It.<div><span style="font-family: Arial;">In the realm of public school early childhood education many teachers are told what to teach or told to use a scripted curriculum. I am not against all curriculums. We use The 95% Phonics Group curriculum and have seen huge improvements in the kids reading skills since we’ve started it. But some curriculums I wonder if they consulted any early childhood educators at all when they wrote it. I have to do what is best for my students and give them the best education possible. Those curriculums won’t do that, in fact, they will make many students see learning as a chore. I want them to realize that learning is a joyful experience and never want to stop!</span></div><div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">One way I do this is through interest-based learning. This approach recognizes that children are naturally curious and eager to explore the world around them. It takes advantage of how kids brains are wired to connect the things they know with new things! Instead of rigidly adhering to standardized curricula, interest-based learning takes the student’s interests and passions and fosters a love for learning that can last a lifetime.</span></div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial">Interest-based learning starts by observing and engaging with the children to identify their specific interests and curiosities. Whether it's a fascination with dinosaurs, a love for painting, or a deep curiosity about outer space, I use these interests as a foundation for teaching various subjects. For instance, a child passionate about dinosaurs might learn about paleontology, biology, math and reading through activities centered around dinosaurs. Because they love dinosaurs, writing about them will be a joyful experience rather than a chore, causing them to write more! This approach not only makes learning more engaging but also helps children see the real-world applications of what they're studying, making it more meaningful and authentic.</font></div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial">Here is an example of interest based learning from our class this year. We go outside almost first thing in the morning. We are the only ones out there so the kids tend to notice things they wouldn’t with four other classes running around! Immediately they noticed spider webs on the play equipment and wanted to show me.</font></div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><img id="id_98dc_9f91_f39_ea7b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaDhLQ9A-0KyToq1EV9TBCnkhgmDk4enA3rdZmHd5qLfrArBz3j6IHLkMdMgUfDOZAgJdyAwBYkoNuWZkcNGplbYW4oL" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b20d_6837_c307_e34c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaC0VT-5MlSskYzo4tJ1zo2TSkPIUMTmfLnwEloRDSM79moJZLnBTzQaOiOMHWAhNG4AcRgDyIAWWQYriKkDtd860IS4jQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_24be_8dd2_7fc7_db85" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaCvSOmdLceFS07MO_gC-4Q-RFtGvHDaLo4qsYNi8CcxGY-H9y6mW_3oqJvrps4gSex4KxxVh7d1Sqec7MdSFePi5SPd_Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">I pointed out the shape of the web and wondered out loud how long it took the spider to make the web and it must have worked really hard on it. I wondered out loud why they needed the web. The kids gave answers and from then on, every morning recess they had to show me every single spider web, tell me what they notice and wonder about them. They commented on the shapes. Identifying and creating shapes is one of our math standards. Some were triangles and some were like circles yet different! They noticed patterns on the webs. We found some of the spiders and the kids started wondering and asking questions about them. So for our first class investigation, we started exploring spiders and webs. We recorded what we already knew and what we wondered together as a group. We read books and watched videos about spiders. </span></div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">We caught webs on black construction paper and I set an area for them to explore and look closer.</span></div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><img id="id_8017_51ea_f1b3_a35e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaDjTP2Z1UhOrxoKiu0KhEaOmN5Id4gAyOuowiGGA674V1Kxh9n_uqvx7Rs0kqHnohwcwvnjqoq8fniJBOuQufGZlSFJoQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial">They have been learning that we are surrounded by math! That everywhere we look, we can find math. So when we created spiders based on our observations, right away they were wanting to share the math they saw in the spiders! </font><span style="font-family: Arial;">They not only noticed they had eight legs but noticed there were four on each side so four and four make eight. One spider we looked at during math had four sets of two to make eight! One was missing a leg on one side so we saw that a group of three and a group of four make seven. They noticed the grouping of the spiders eyes. Some were four and four, but some were two and four making six. One pointed out one spider that had groups of two, two and four to make eight! It goes on and on! This is the pathway of seeing what it means to add two groups together to make a larger group! They learning addition naturally by looking closer and noticing. </span></div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">They also noticed the patterns and math on many spiders abdomens. They get so excited when they make those discoveries and can’t wait to share what they notice with everyone!</span></div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><img id="id_a392_5601_7954_9334" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaD92CJ7LpnDsJ9tYy4azXp5cjhLanW2hRguP8PdIEngPBog4uHGzACfKrlOTJ9uZQ4P6N8hKsfqY-ta-ccrGAF7lL6PEg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5941_7c47_323b_3de0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaCLoBRZPf_iww9-_HXIbFKnGcTaOMAtKQvq46Rdwvqz1LFZrhoDwd9jgodbOBN1TpdxQC4xKDTCRJJe4PTyD2nv73rEcA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_8c4e_f6ae_6d86_883" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaCbpbx0LAYCAoTDYM3K2wqTRb1aKHMIwFSsKJ5u5nO6mcZ0_It7f47bMBtcIwWKo10E6xVcFlRfTLgJ5QDdJ0igdPeh" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><font face="Arial">Some wanted to make some different math groupings, focusing on the math within science! It is amazing how math, art and science are connected in the world! They can show their learning in so many ways that are more engaging than a workbook from a curriculum company. This shows them real work application of these skills and how to learn through their environment no matter where they are!</font><br><br><img id="id_294_cd8b_53e5_3727" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaA2OpvEe276YQBVOLXgmHBy2V8CP-v7obopwfj5PmZTFIwqfM2KQJ2p74-iGhj4KIdJOzSJ1ZhGXFWX0aZNB0rP288b" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">Vocabulary we are supposed to teach them through one of our curriculums has also been used. They are supposed to learn what plants and animals need to survive and the vocabulary that goes with it. We have talked about what spiders need to survive and used that vocabulary in our lessons. We also found this grasshopper and brought it in to look closer. They wanted to keep it so we talked about what that grasshopper needed to survive and realized we didn’t have fresh food or a habitat with enough space for it to survive. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br></span></div><div><img id="id_f917_87ff_9101_377e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaBKpWkSc1qv80y0afLFShU5ErISvuBhe2OMdXafrhjFw33ContoOsID_Hk-0ptrkehV7Ul_1CQvDS6onqQ2PH6XMqq19w" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">We weaved our own webs and realized it was not as easy as we thought giving their finger muscles a much needed workout! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br></span></div><div><img id="id_5d09_cc05_ed84_e8c5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaALMkzsar5yyr2UHbds0seBtAU9kNP3EtYZE20CxBWkF83pZD8l8XA5aLo1A2Dbf0CmDolB6LY5V8kX67XKwQNfxidtmA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_16d1_7669_c4ed_7dfd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaD16Q5-mE2jCxp5i-66ahuhKSLm__IyATgenCA80BK3CdQpfSY6poeZ6HLW9yvWlqxxVzP-qqqXU8O5_XqtQ7QfQixf3A" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4785_a0ae_dacf_9a0a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaAn1n0otq8N0purriZ2aogw66R9Bnzo4QEBrHFq5U4f3Ke6-qnZ4VQKh45uYmcwmP3vlFTwlXP_DKtFOo6OSqAU0LpGbQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1c8d_590c_b89a_de2a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaAqnojKU8rvdJ1t79HIIAO7oKU44-3gsQOCD0nCzVoK9B8ai--e7nnBMv-x77VYaguQCE95Gc_bK51w0mSFiIe5KiV8yg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div><font face="Arial">We created a graph showing who liked spiders and who didn’t. When analyzing the graph, we discussed the concepts of more and less (also a math standard). We counted using one to one correspondence how many were in each group and also gave our reasons! Most felt that spiders were cool and creepy at the same time!</font></div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><img id="id_9560_9fce_368_6ed6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaDiPQ_F6buQ_pseDoSUZLEZMxt6QirdfAavquo7vAmRFyqU2zjXxjcLRkhJYHn4KBZSIS3oziUZqXPFFCCqIH-3hp5-PQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><font face="Arial">We incorporated literacy by focusing on vocabulary building and comprehension. We learned the difference between informational books and fictional books as we read both about spiders! They drew observational drawings of spiders and learned how to label by sounding out the words and writing the sounds that we heard. We also created a big spider and some who are ready will work in a small group with me to use their knowledge of sounding out words to label the parts of the spider.</font></div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><img id="id_a804_61fb_f71f_8477" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaCR88HWfNJnzFVwPnoNyFc-gTy1TsQVsoqkAM-xyoxPLfax3NqTgCfbwtWU_QYhJX3OFzvTZtw-aEDDSvIlPbbrdxcCtQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">As you can see, one of the key benefits of interest-based learning is that it enables children to take an active role in their education. Instead of passively absorbing information, they become enthusiastic participants in their learning journey. While standardized educational standards are essential benchmarks, interest-based learning demonstrates that these standards can be achieved in flexible and creative ways. By harnessing a child's innate curiosity, educators can instill a lifelong love for learning, empowering young minds to reach their full potential while still meeting established educational standards and showing them life long learning is exciting and joyful!</span></div></div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-24494415364524691602023-10-01T16:34:00.001-04:002023-10-01T16:34:44.948-04:00The First Weeks of Kindergarten: The Mystery Box<div>The first weeks of Kindergarten are spent figuring out what we need to do in order for us to create a learning community that works and plays together in harmony! We are learning the purpose of school, what our goals and passions are and how we are going to achieve our goals! Part of this is learning what it looks, sounds and feels like to be safe, respectful and responsible in our meeting area, in the hallway, in the cafeteria, at our tables and in our exploration areas! </div><div><br></div><div>We use a lot of different tools in all of the areas of our room! I use what we call “The Mystery Box” to introduce these tools! On our first day of school, I showed them the Mystery Box and told them that tools we will need to learn will pop into this box when it feels we are ready to be respectful, responsible and safe when using the tool! The anticipation when I’m opening the box is so fun! I read a book called “The Line” then wondered what could be inside the Mystery Box! It was something we could make lines with! A pencil! I introduced how to hold a pencil and how to take care of our pencils, then they all practiced by using pencils to draw a picture of themself on the first day of school and try their best to write their name.</div><div><br></div><img id="id_a04e_85bd_69e1_58bc" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaCOMC7BhNpcevNCzvyuzAqbjZ7v1A6njdpufSV3rW9J9BMtWTsziVKi9Q2Upjr69O5Fqm8afN5L3q5dmk-KOjixum0BYQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Each tool had a piece of literature read first to introduce what might be in the Mystery Box! After learning how to take care of our crayons, they colored the picture of themself.<br><br><img id="id_61c7_e0af_9462_c7e5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaC5oUHnYOu1JqhZK7j2IM_4oM_AptrnUyFnoMK1pwi4fTUbPdazL58Py9w6etrwL73G2l5GO-hAPSr5h6aHhbACeMcMqA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>A little hummingbird make all kinds of lines as he flies and a boy captures those lines through art! Markers were in the Mystery Box and we made our lines showing how well we can use and take care of them! <br><br><img id="id_2d41_9ca6_307f_1921" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaBostWCB1vQeuUmzCQiZa_a3DAFOjakKwnTbFAfhPvI4X8eLlF-p19k7FxX1c5AeRg-DApXSb3pCPUB2HV4lrzUeQjD" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We read Henri’s Scissors and learned how to hod scissors correctly pointing out in front of us when cutting! We learned how to hold them when we are walking and how to pass them to a friend safely! We cut strips of paper into squares for a name project. Next came glue sticks and sponges to glue the paper to our names and create a roller coaster park!<div><br><img id="id_8ad8_72e6_520_6299" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaCYLQm06FSZR6o6eVMOrBgHpnCQ_aV_pAi-qvN57vAVlDcD3aRkODbtZ9duXOuK0DjZN0n-R-ggsq65-cYYICH3SUi3" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9b93_28a8_2fd4_31d2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaANjiorMhv9GcPuq2G87vP2k-EZS2nDwF7elZSpVLhFpA9VJWbtN4byE9nFGFoHBvuJxzlBHPhitcCqgIB9JYeTPK_7sQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_588a_d6d_3809_324c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaC_Y40mVn0gbe0MdkVxBPXheaDDJdvJ7OhSQOB6nBlo_aSMlQy1sj4Q89ceMM03dxrvRISFjMaf2qhEkc7yULe6bQFi" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_13f1_8ca1_395d_52da" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaBY-tVph7PA7qsr4ANtSN0LG-_4xZe09Ww-KQFmmqorcz1y1m3HaIscMIZwg6HqYOGx-E4YxPf9ZU-L7Zxio5TJHjZRmA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><br><br><img id="id_d4cb_e570_f36b_c892" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaC3KjsEdt-kVrpV8XZiwcuugpUE3875sje0o2VouXgIFXAcnqB1O2Mnw9OH2lvUENcrXlY-N4ILzpCW2-ymO7bIBCYz0A" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_ef07_70bc_a174_3ef8" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaC4OOAlRY2dDcmBceizEs-rht-i2L9CJRt9s_57tQHrTdO8UhKPQwtR0yYK6YpXyB118cyGbCQV3hB3V521MoMh2zjPvQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br> <div><img id="id_1861_8e6d_d918_27b9" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaBs_wkdxXP85Y11zpW5vG6g3RLX2Cg6vgNLsArbT_oQscoHhmpNMj5gztoV4RV4SH8QVMYnBrZtwkbnXhC6mb2yA8uaBg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We learned that we have to be extra careful with Sharpie markers since they are permanent, but they agreed that Kindergartners are capable of using these! They made self portraits to practice.<br><br><img id="id_1ce0_7111_3703_63e2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaAa64bPOtVYOL8KQUR54qNNMBDitr5a_DzKNXughFcoJ3ySsbz7AgEnYJrto77KKq11xOESd3OntXUPY0fIok-HNr4L" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We use water colors for both art and science! They were so excited when this came out of the mystery box!<br><br><img id="id_6bc3_e5b0_8ec_f9c3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaBx0ukGZx6CEMdO6OFYX-nk5w1-OJFctVu1c2uGv4DmLF4BWPcKKIqdxA0qRHERjHrC2RkttKmCxwxelu1woM85iwVm8Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This group loves science! They want to explore, look closer and wonder about everything! We learned the difference between creative art and realistic art. In our science area we use our art materials to create realistic art to document what we see and notice. I wish I took more pictures of their documentation of the shells and rocks I set out for them!<br><br><img id="id_22e3_95d8_b24d_cbca" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaBp3WnVJy8q7b1RxiD1qu4lsMRJHQ7qnVVs_addEZ9LlcKcSCk_YAFAxjDzdlQuWXLWQwjEHKJwEQb3pwXxsMTuXxkL" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Pipettes showed up in the mystery box and they got to use them to explore color mixing and creating different shades of the same colors. This was a great lesson to develop self control! They had to stop before each little circle got too full! This was very hard at first but when they saw they had to have that self control to show responsibility in order to use these materials, they did great! They also had to be responsible for cleaning up any spills and always had it ready for the next explorers to use!<br><br><img id="id_16bf_77ac_ff3f_20d7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaDeEZ5FWcczJlApmdy54WPAuVTV6K7lXqioArI3W-SnOB-aMo2vjkLIBEw611DR4ACyDSR9-BIJdkUnAoc_jAGbbYLf" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_a0c4_421c_28ce_ce66" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaCgTGLD9xys5NM4ucDBhU0PEH5YaGcPtJGH0QIiYvfqarNhhPNFYS2zYXXFzosY38tfDfsbtgiRP23RuU6td9oF7FL8VQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Their favorite thing to do was to create a shade of a color to match the color cards on the table! They created darker and lighter shades of all the colors!<br><br><img id="id_eb3f_bbd0_c70f_6492" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaD1nEIrif727nH1xHev3xZrntOVH3cbavH51HQi7V1TGHmLEqNpPcPTuomQoYiHFG5Ird7QcFzhUJTA_yM5AQY0P3jnLg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_a342_deeb_5911_a017" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaBNYVmFYUDda73W-sEqS-_1SeIjFj6xIo1FO3HZDvSJ4eJK8pu4DX3VGz3rBxLzu0xv_MEyJZiuwCiaSpCdV--ocFA-" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Otherwise, we have been making friends and developing a learning community that takes care of each other while they learn and play together!</div></div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_ce5d_4cbc_c0b9_e506" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaBXMWOTvimmbRuIyqrvHSbNzB84EnxZB0k1E_XepDruTaiCVLRA487g-V0T5xvL_uNuBtoUonlcyrXo0HHbPQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_da4_2faf_18e3_4122" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaDrBtPQjEwk6bsOoyqZI89MBWC4TYKcmETM9Z1B6XhT6MJHKAqdHOxZvS0yGhBWWvfEHcZLMAcEK2TGjdiWyYEKyC1X" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_24d2_8595_1101_afa3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AK7aPaD_CgdXHaO02jMmgs-WGvN_pu6pu4PwB_trXPTTmPG5W_aWdMhKG9grj1vpp_rbeTxjLnmLIngTd9ylsCxIfsCZ_-af" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This group seems to be developing an inquiry mindset very quickly! They want to investigate everything they see and find and have started asking if we can explore some things as a class and in our science area! This usually happens later in the year so I’m really looking forward to seeing what we will be learning together this year! </div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-27311917042454031992023-09-10T19:11:00.001-04:002023-09-10T19:11:07.165-04:00Creating an Environment That Teaches<div>Before the kids come, I need to turn a bare space into an environment that will encourage exploration, wonder, creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and a desire to learn no matter where they choose to go! I need to create an environment where they will want to use the reading, writing, and math skills we learn in whole group lessons in natural and authentic ways. Where the kids use those 21st Century skills and academic skills without knowing they are actually practicing the skills they have been learning! It is no small task but one of my favorite challenges! </div><div><br></div><img id="id_5059_866b_320b_ab42" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-yWS_UrMABatnQYrX6_3oB396ormwuoFoLSqsopO8ec4KXnCsyO5ghhTBgZSOLJBdAtOsM2Sr6hmawDHw0WAR30ZDW8mQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I divide the room into different areas. That does not mean all materials have to stay in those areas though! Everything is very fluid as so much of literacy, math, science, art, engineering and building are all connected!<div><br></div><div>Here is our Art Area! Sir Ken Robinson once said, “Creativity is as important as literacy.” He also said, “We don’t grow into creativity, we grow out of it. Or rather, we are educated out of it.” Creative thinking is a very important skill that NEEDS to be fostered in our schools at all ages! This area of our room is always a favorite! We also mix science and art together a lot here! They will learn to use and take care of tempura paints, water colors, paint sticks, clay, oil pastels and sharpies in many different ways here! All of these not only foster creativity, but clay and painting on a vertical surface are very good ways to develop much needed fine motor skills to hold a pencil and write!</div><div><br><img id="id_78ee_1883_d9ae_e0bf" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-xi3m43RD02uKSmzBE6PIJAzeW8oiakrSufbFc83-enDOeCMuO7KHfDqMdsFZChRUzaynX6vrEjgbm5RpK6x0sVXH0q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This is our science area! Here the kids learn to slow down, look closer, wonder, notice and document what they see, think and wonder through writing and observational drawings, paintings and sculpture! We learn that our art materials can be used for both creative art and realistic art! Here they use them to create what they see and show their learning.<br><br><img id="id_e503_37dc_32e5_ff55" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-ygHm2EU313IfoyHwTZfydQpD5Uqp6fmdHjgmZWrL9rF5oG8y9sXu_pR5F5IpT2CR6iDOO8KeOQWgAiJGyQsAh82eGvqA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Our Building and our Engineering Areas are where they use a lot of creative AND critical thinking skills! They have to problem solve when things don’t work out, deal with disappointment when things don’t work out, and collaborate together to come up with ideas for their structures and problem solve! I love listening to the conversations here as they use all of these skills! A lot of math shows up in this area along with a lot of story creating (literacy) and physics. They often use spelling and writing skills as they create plans, signs and stories for this area! Some also like to document the structures they made and label the parts or write about it!</div><div><br><img id="id_7f22_8da7_cfaf_dc3b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-wNv4OfKQdFtp9eZOuZH-NLa7TzXZ8RmlbeoZRgosnsC_O4kAv-H-VeGubzls0z38XD3ytD37fBzrtDdA53pWws7WCDvw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_3061_2e21_afa6_7c31" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-y56trvUtdJqrkHwRqvDwxPnipB_TM-0TlZk5LpV14q26OYpXthqTcRJCLHKB8Glx095hgae5kp4nJleaaB6B610HkeoA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>The Dramatic Play Area starts out as a home. It usually soon becomes a restaurant or a school. So much writing happens in this area as they create menus and take orders! They make signs and magazines! Sometimes they choose to turn this area into a Vet Clinic or Beauty Parlor, Bakery or Pizza Place! It has been a Fancy Restaurant and a toy factory! Each gives more opportunities to foster creative thinking and also use their writing skills authentically and purposefully! <br><br><img id="id_743c_aceb_7a9f_71b0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-xjrwaSYk3cVG7fBtt-2wBenwS0LhTSAA3HEA4OcRJ0Nf5rivRYP8EHn_Wdf9dLv822NiZnAzfUUSRobTZxOK0DN7ESMg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This is our Math Area. The kids learn that we see math everywhere we look and we use it all of the time! But we do have a special area where we keep materials to help foster their learning of math concepts taught in whole group. We start out with simple items that they can use to freely explore counting, measurement, numbers, shapes and patterns.</div><div><br><img id="id_1ebf_e1f7_761_6f6f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-y3OXY1d8GRhHoTMgGNuLnCoV9RiuIWeiDFENc4vHTe7IAlHs4B2XQkWLHQZWt0JbMxV4J1CAVZtsRLmOZKF8yiRdD_MA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_216e_a008_332b_c7f1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-zeISiPEN-QVRnTUsKwbNeNEr3Zlf4jO_PeBKTQv1qVixxvoZYt6rh3ySh-6hNaX9XUw97u0fB9PDhioT6letLVPWb1Sg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9121_2694_f960_bcda" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-wduiolO7Kbs259iR0KeSotU8Eqe1Cij_EpXrZwCIar8cDgu0DMjwEFynO5Fn6XskijCR8QuFR1LfeaoZ7q3XaIlKG5SA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This is our Literacy Area. Here they can freely explore the materials and use them to make connections to what we are learning about literacy in whole group!<br><br><img id="id_2ed0_8fe5_ed4b_fc11" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-zt1DGrmgbrFD8fHjYw0lJcVTh0-GjexxvLq50W001ET-qltQR61iDMD_mLrmU1MMtDfwZQ8bBmfvllbfUgPJ_NvEhXXw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><img id="id_b480_201_355a_8794" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-ykS84m9RzJrPE2DVHtYcAiqusYfnpVct5O-28LsXMIz7V_NXCvAOaXeQhLpTEchG_4NF5ZcbfYDNOgclRctiVvamzF" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_cb0e_7077_5ea4_2a3e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-yECwCMCnBS-9-2UpZxSg_El_f4m9XY6UcvmG9F-SuX79h67Ph7SAZePaayMqLhshgvIBD0RivA-sm-FZdkCr-cgtci" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This is our Light Table! It is an area that, depending on the materials I put out, they can practice literacy, math or science concepts. Or sometimes they can use it to foster creativity!</div><div><br><img id="id_6807_9d27_fe_f275" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-xNE8o76PfLY7MdYElCq6paP2eBKLnSwEDyWwI9q8_uNkTU1w4Q4BsM69b7lLtOgoP6mxOYfZyfM1PAbX-do129URBWlQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This is my small group area! Here I pull kids out for Reading and Math skill practice, but I also use it for small groups to work on inquiry projects! I hang up a lot of their creative work on the wooden fence against the wall. <br><br><img id="id_eb2a_af22_ed5b_b21f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-wgui3LYkqsoIQh6Ytheq-Y5tYj0CDfGgzV0tj45oA_EOwOVuHZf5M_BT1Lvc8tMzvwv2XhQYSKA9QOr96wv5G4l9Q6iw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This is our Whole Group Learning Area. Here we learn about Literacy, Math, Science and Social Studies, but that is not all! We share things we are proud of, we enjoy good stories and we also problem solve solve together! Like the rest of the room, we collaborate, and use creative and critical thinking skills here!</div><div><br><img id="id_9a0e_318c_88b6_87fa" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-y8ONjkA_nVEeBhUz__uaqFLnXkgy7pKA25CrYKfKc_5oEp5j0OtpFvpTQXDzGb12eD31gKtUQ24fTY6i76wgYRJPxrLw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Our Writing Area is where many creative stories are created! <br><br><img id="id_1c0d_2d93_e27_8302" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-xBfITmbJUBJqGEKMTa0y1JDyZRHPcV5LyrJKTz8umJ3U6fBu6rBfZedPCBZp1MzYzU6hnoQrvhE93koyGFDrelhm0g" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We may all get messy sometimes because that is Kindergarten! But it just means that we were really getting into our learning!<br><br><img id="id_428b_9f0f_198b_46df" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-xnR95DZC1OSiuCU3SskZ4VaDQT6pwMZAvJ68PDV9qW791yixxKdlWyjD15RhFIKojZWq_n_kpHv8Bu6fJqbGAgcYZ6YQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here you can see the kids exploring and learning in their new environment!<br><br><img id="id_f690_8763_4bd0_9398" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-zobUcmUD5Xv6BnTXL6DpKzp6Z9v7XDpGfbDvBuiATjS0cra04MB-OFQqkhv8b1j9JsxcnXRhmCujD7E0u4WwGXIPRb" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9e43_c616_ddcb_132a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-wstUXXmecHjbxfmO76XPN82XJlaiBiHguebAJLe4tcel88qKrbdHYN-y8y12IijyxPc-8QlWxHmFkahkSTVW3fzxpW_A" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_7c1c_e266_ed72_c36a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-ySPIh7j0C1WDYDzC6dWpkqk1572FwoH8sbIkLYniWyqklBfMGOdV1oU8mfmIupMNXmlrbQGJiUGZfEXailT3-STY5J_Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_a5dd_57e8_3972_e330" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-w33s_I9l57vkLckEZB8kqiin-YkdwWxssie920myBtq5Kp9mmkyknXWk0P8VSGNXWWumD7uLYr0_MBubCerAebPjXVbw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_f9a1_ae63_3dd1_ded3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-zyWVfWM_h4_1TvLnj_maQVyjtjteX0hdEDSxLNyTWAqLxu8m60A_1w-kqXGnObUv34gfCBeqGxzuPFFl2DHGZVUK5LwA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e4f0_8268_8eb_b12f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-y0bygKObKKetLDlwg9X8XeXiRN2aQPZsqoazt6qd9vEYs8M6H9heH6g1IW2K62ac19ZjcU54RjurbAhG_N0FQ43JtCtQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5de6_4f87_89bc_5e8e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-x3yawy2gPTOTjKPqSqO3UP-enOGGZn9rv7DCyOs6lI7fYhzJrSHRMczbpjiCvIcS9g5XphlZLvIEmgRbLVgAmTcFr5" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_19e_acbb_7949_7e24" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-xojGtmOY5ModbMqInIOMaSQw2acVPvglBbU75EE0mCd1nVizSxyUtyJV_SLVN9IAATBABO0H68emTWC_BfStEXBRgv" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_f6c6_85a3_3398_2040" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-y8ErROFHHW86qFjVCxondj_Hb13g1ntmbjbplpVR26qUIngYGa2rikorE-kYDDmVecVik3AUnO9jQ3n4gMF5cW3PbsmA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4456_7bd5_c372_e523" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-yZA3ZcQ8g9d9MBxuj6m-qIXVavMAv6Lys_1BL_N0UrcC9sRBneRqb7fqU844wtRuu_KCDJzqNyQzxyELZRA5WPHBZ-Cg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1b25_8d6e_48b5_83ac" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-xcpSsqXZhW9szUlU7ezHL5p0fmWQznmW4JAhkB9CargkCjZXYniTDPPlHddAOK4w3LyJCtrLKuXtkQZ9_YCvpLJNyLuw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5be0_d7e6_9a34_ecca" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-zZT376Fri27lyKfyDLJ8u7OKzHWC2Qnz4vB-XECmU24JwHZxuYIj5NGufrCBCpLcK43aweq_oAiCzBYexqffcOXX8u" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_626b_6516_d4ad_d472" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-yTYwWj-fc4snb58KJlQ0TE-5wm0rc0em3BxmF6eo4einSW1EDjOPRMMA7-EKRAOFbl4EGn7TpgGG0ZC9gfAy-a3wGj4w" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9414_595f_20bd_6ceb" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-wYR4s4KHCeM0GVXtHnWpKVcuDDOEW1E8tS5WzVXS1v6mz3h4Cn5IJTm0-PprpHdEH0V39VQOfPUYSFmemgBKqgdXi8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b70b_24f1_1665_b724" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-x1GQJW7QVB3L-tTAzY6zjRsDT4w2ju1Ej9czNx2gC_Vo6oJ3o0cuiQmqPz4-U_jHXBd5FqfjftBc1F5WBhbEzZjMVTWg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4871_50df_e24c_c80a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-xWiOyjMPmYfEabIPPdofcX9UxCYnY7rjoBVpXDboepEOBtdEYjM85iaWx4QYfh6noJc754ruUYJzDk9KUA6EFXje_a3g" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c8a8_82bf_a67b_76aa" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-wa905vWBuyspVwQfZYLWOOprmlxzAmBQ_iJiMDAQuMLzuhz_GEnA6TWvmSR6aGP11ZqdmJ-OPI2pDOE1TX2UXzEq6ATw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_7296_27d5_5a9a_fc95" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-wNnTwZb1UZTb5AbUbb9gK6W4d71AAB1NgqFsYsvzXYBYrjbGYqVDnNcKxIe6xexpmpa_B0BvI8mGhy0IGAVsQJ3ymdZg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_f924_41b7_35ab_22ed" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-xzhDVlZHSGbj2oEQ51I9tUHdCYTUtJkqgnhkBV5A_i7DJA56drH-pUqNW1ncJBNk9-LQcJYWFh4K8bwkAvivk_uA1V" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e47e_2a89_637_502c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AITFw-zv4IFEx79PHSdofX9AHQL1Pe6-tS5hoKozd3GyXtCC956o0Otl4aVzKNrXAK50vzVOjQGsM-M9CuU-9MnyTDJk7VUU4g" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>As they see how the room works, the areas can change to foster different concepts we are focusing on! I teach based on their interests so I can’t wait to see what happens in this room this year as they learn and grow an inquiry mindset!</div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-35660569049545403532023-03-25T15:58:00.001-04:002023-03-25T15:58:06.638-04:00Little Geologists and Paleontologists at Work <div>It all started with the kids finding and bringing every rock they found in our playground area to us as if each and every one was the coolest treasure ever found! </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_9b6f_ad98_ac3e_6595" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Y9WGaWapNELdgjDbVTyXE4BtCwN7TC3NRtTRkxesyaZW4VdNqf0okOLO2PL75_478qA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They loved scrubbing the dirt off to see the beauty underneath!<br><br><img id="id_81d9_ceb2_1326_d4c1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/adpBtS4NgbW5dxWrmsWgjyZ0xSWBGNMg53zXSje3nDFH7HZyX3IPVElVRpuSn64ujEU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_305e_b3b5_8ed1_6a76" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Ytp8FQmT2L9UQ1Ya2P0alI9UxhYOaCVJS8bVnaxMCAANtMNuAWT_z3Skqsn3M6XJhOk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Some started bringing in their own precious rock collections to share with the class!<br><br><img id="id_f97c_828a_9174_7ccb" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Ayhspf0RJVyUj-XWGPnpRS1kHrvY90YATYS5gYryg-XywUlFjvlXWGVLAppOwFWTyIE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>Since we teach based on the students interests, we grabbed on to this opportunity! My amazing student teacher, Miss Abby set up an area with a few rocks for them to document what they see and notice!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_59e3_65c4_af6f_c9dc" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/3JNWy526WXAgyYBZneaOfcKpjzNDa7xGy5CKIjHBEQUBI18Xi3hbdFVkzhLRl8rx8vk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1f69_4ff3_48ab_2bb9" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/M1lPi-Dh_JnTcagtfIre4VcUH6zm_QX-n-LacJp5I2W2y2srPtEzJsgPwIp45sXhN0c" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Because this group was so interested in the different kinds of rocks, I set up invitations in our Art Area to explore land forms to see if that also sparked any interest!<br><br><img id="id_f739_43c0_6769_3668" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/5LdpCzrLkDOaeRPcvtQiDS9xfImPUYQYG_HZiNPIKOo5lXLd3w3nmtbfq-5ybGPOhxE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_41c6_483b_4b9f_5a1" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/h-p6uwTG8CxrfAF8DNjnyEeELMAEmlp-L_ctjy1ZODh94wZL7BmD8RXI0hsgAIBGngM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_6799_38ae_6d4c_8758" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/3d1K4mrCOlG-6vtn7VLOZWPtAvr58n6yIV1wyxagJEpv5ELtFISEzmEAvSuVMcRuqUw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_3879_145b_651d_bb3f" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/9Qj6kccerteiZV8kgyrrBDb4sj9inHMn_QDZImf4iqYANmeWK__Lrc7WkfF8IF0BF7Y" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>It definitely did!<br><br><img id="id_6967_ac9d_e970_7e3a" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/OEajXN3V-fLVbxugvyE3FANrQE-4Xfqy-vLyGLO51iZLm6pjdbxEN78UvI0UFHPnxmM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I set out magnets for them to explore and see what they notice! They loved sorting the items and exploring how the magnets both attracted and repelled each other!<br><br><img id="id_87ec_2851_aa2b_dd55" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4fItUjllPNJ8VXUk2ywBCrZ6EX8P9OKtrILtm21HvZjeV2raIOtsGwUjBqHCD1BBCo0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_829d_8325_cc09_b589" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/odAfNUH9YfW0HwqHW9Eiq1r-jQ55thsXKfdphyME9Rg_kYohWRZKGI-nOSFeqmTcXhU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b572_dd2c_3d2d_84c0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Ng0E8iC7s1ZGrI6fLZmYb2A9UkoKZeUPhvzzv5UzfGjP3SXqvdr9Fy9lhjpcTLW9waY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e1db_b2d2_7173_4c5b" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/84qHLvWooeA0Y5tHVMk7njEUCr1ES5JhXQqkRwiLMLTaYumADLeRAG8bEt1dA3WWQV0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_edaf_ce07_4b83_4824" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/pj4uZpFDAVRQA0lh8sMvZSEMUNu8SrdKAsSr0TWYfb4Y6XmY4zVViIcz-2ECEON5AlU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Miss Abby had them create “Rock Collection Holders” to hold all of the rocks they had been collecting.<br><br><img id="id_36fc_8668_3ee_7b7b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7T0g8kADTi2bWogh5VkSzlHZWpjdQMK1a1PsJsn9hdx-l63xEajC7rtlivV-wl8p72Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4caf_6c50_21cc_7708" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/M7AXtsjPJl8AKunczFatTx-YdKqqG98UdmAYOCcy6vwjCtHAXsHZrZg-jhCFGndbxGE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We set up an invitation to create “Nature Art” like Andy Goldworthy!<br><br><img id="id_a357_c652_1fb5_4f46" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/toQRyFFOZjzWK2GgbLuBC7H7uqWYNzQs3rVJFyzDxGleng178e6BkexnGSpnfpm9ieQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They were definitely inspired by his work!<br><br><img id="id_5d31_b715_5b2b_b3e0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/dX22N52P39eLiM56L5yeKNQPmJq9ypJlQHPJEzMsLv0CsEwoTozaQt8xoOxRvmCX42Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They created a rock with Miss Abby! <br><br><img id="id_4a9a_268a_e1c_c190" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/dXkPZfBe9muVoKcCKUgOMIaBoDovtZGim9UvNKW0GdtI8tbEDWQPb_Oh1NXU8_306Bw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We became scientists and sorted by as many different attributes that we could think of!<br><br><img id="id_e0ad_1361_5671_d7b5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3r5OW42mJ00GdxYhtqeD-4AZi8GuQxa_RBlNxjTDx9KyS8dVkP_fYyDKLlgYZgbx_XE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We looked closer and documented what we noticed to practice writing informational pieces. <br><br><img id="id_be6_a133_c59a_e61f" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/lIoFVjF9eB1aoGy9mlyjY0wcwhuMBNHNdDjQqAKvH0YdFAxVYWZ5VZzgkTAmb8jHSfI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c9ec_362a_bd71_dbc3" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/5xyB7Mo6O6AdsOlieJUXZ2wpEpFIdzexjReF2KuesMI24fiRifK8ag0X1uxqZgikauc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_aad5_46fc_bc11_ad9b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/PPnaqGmvuWD_JsnoE22SjLlnymjsDl7IWEF8u8LBW6gah-_1TE4ddNLzTCp_eZI2rWs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2b4d_329a_9f3_d3a4" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Jfi8zXNYTasNHZ3HwpkFSPc0TwREwsB_7fZQqG7PoXcoKiwlsufTfQmJbZD0y-EiHAA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They really loved the geodes so I brought out Agate which are sliced, polished geodes for them to show what they noticed after looking closer using liquid watercolors. <br><br><img id="id_a067_97d2_2b06_ec99" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/RebBhG0SWYfYAmn87PubR9__5jYvIxT17O-V58Zg2qT6eCTY3XZDK64RYg1GjMh4c9o" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Their Agate art turned out beautiful!<br><br><img id="id_e023_db84_5af5_ee6a" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/78XBsZSwUOoLzr0yO_Oh-qr9JFoKHW2E5MpfR2egIqJiSJGl2ObwYHUg6vgHL69-GfY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9fb5_f75d_eebb_accd" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/ORyNqbE9jJh6IV0Lytyd5d_k2hcWHwqHpIhHhd4VyZ7fezMAxbXapZzW-9BgeuAY5Ig" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Miss Abby set up some great invitations to explore fossils!<br><br><img id="id_74d8_21df_a748_28e3" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-RnXfOQRLvyqcc81d-Owquq9fRYxnKnQihQXRX_h5x_1KyRJGPF3gaBIIC42ZgSvXDg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_8bd1_e671_5bb8_b4c" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/R6YH9dGQyyb_HuB4dEnVIoMyd39SItkuUEfGDSs8QMnT1Uw7QBf8aRd5jncd84DoQ8w" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9628_fc2a_5397_dd59" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hU_eFgqlR0thfDnp-SPJWGqngIkRupTelHajdr0rmDQpYmVzC2aCxE_0ajvVAUeBU-k" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_38d8_f32d_548f_fcd4" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/ghsWHcsoENLaGEJ3EwGDj_sUVQj6gDWS78eEwEn0L0BeFNuV3ahmErE1PMzKHPAKzXg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_d66f_70e0_44e0_ebbb" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Fa0cLgKmHKU2u-k9ECozh52jd6M8T28S6e2tJQH7c8KuIAEMVW1zsaEX8yXbcEEYuZQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_8c5e_de93_e19_4f28" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Ney2KvMeLQ_BWKs5hmEOfVRvW8rJHQwo-1Diov56qLuVYPLJ_OcJKtvnI_5JGoyoXiY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_a842_f9b2_c2ca_fd29" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/rTSX-foNnAfs01IIAa__ljJ_n9qHTqz2tg3ZMQzouVXhzEmJCkKrTtuRFIqehEeHoX4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_117c_8957_4a37_37a7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/DZ3cuD1xEKwzRqCvvdPDJ6cQk3XHu5usI2izUnkGF7rCxIcY_MSMlTJ3RQvu0NvMz6U" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_ef80_82b2_be8e_b45" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/6YmJv0I3plS6z1r6Qa2D_Mt-mGRDZMJTn2qgTKkBmBJalk14mSLPPmpOT5OrBmDqfOo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They became paleontologists as they tried to excavate chocolate chips out of a cookie without breaking them! They had to be extra careful since they were fragile like fossils!<br><br><img id="id_de69_58a9_eafb_6c39" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/KVd3dpp3C4-GthDs6XNXbyaOELHzzuyTrbguPhj_SXFtHBna4ZDLRqdgzVvsPzmHdo8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Miss Abby did some Land Form projects with those who were interested and created a display.<br><br><img id="id_a115_e983_e9c7_8e3a" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/YDsCiho-pwTPQv48NOFwvQ7KStyehfrLQPGVcEGF7rMeSskRcOVxbXAfNEkQKLGgseY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>She also created a display of their fossil exploration. <br><br><img id="id_3118_7b1a_517f_c28f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/GwYnmAgiet1IwqAiWwcIvAm2QsP6DMhib2x8yJuwOdP7pdMDqwdwUxeTdtd6Ri0FaSU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Another side interest was mythical creatures! <br><br><img id="id_dcc9_6201_340f_4dd9" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/RgDtbJOGKBvhTTo1jFM26PHPul-OzEA8wZ6F4Nr0GJfXlO9x30vPFDAHTvq8kJfH4mE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They painted yetis, trolls, Bigfoot….<br><br><img id="id_93ff_978e_790a_57f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/cvwUqZk83YIXvSz6trT8AygEddCqusVqERG9wrLhSVNcXJ75WLyWPf99bwiWKcRSDq4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Mermaids, dragons, unicorns and Pegasus.<br><br><img id="id_e770_ae41_b658_b239" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/vrn5H_Fa7rSIH0v98771k08DqYdC4NDDiP-V7hLHb68-eJW_A8dX3r8N5iu1Hedboso" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_58c1_bfad_3359_45e3" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/ML_Eijtu_t1bWa_00RAFH_6qvjWYi0xyH3VVGUV4AyFmJdMtjGiC7s-ftErkF5AItSE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This inquiry was totally interest based! We notice that when they write about their interests, they do their best writing and have a huge desire to learn more! Wait until you see where their interests will take us next!</div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-2020399746500217692023-02-12T20:53:00.001-05:002023-02-12T20:53:23.359-05:00Kindness Ninjas Changing the World With Kindness Again<div>In the late Fall, our class was invited to become Kindness Ninjas! Every year, the Kindness ninjas live out their mission of changing the world one Random Act of Kindness at a time! </div><div><br></div><img id="id_4aea_8bb0_a072_c0ec" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/A0BAWZ4i39HjGc3mZNvhZLARnCuectiYtR9mTu348SMT9W9kr-10piwN_N1QIR5z5NU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We started out by brainstorming kind words that would make others feel special and encouraged! Then we wrote out messages for kids in other classes!<br><br><img id="id_6a79_ac1a_9ca1_1e1e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/B_2ofUD4WHrPY1epCtquAASsMmb1wySaasam4eChCYlCJ9MdXSLqimqvzkZQFM68OcY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Kindness Ninjas were turning up all over our room!<br><br><img id="id_77d7_56f9_e5d4_bc37" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a8mojeQHYl2FFIscsFRU4lowW7uk-MWZlMOscYhmdrRUmVdwiFuG-VyVZYrJwRzoCa0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1364_9b55_6a22_1a5a" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/qEad0ynczIBOgpumb0PKCdArpWcAn48Xp6zRvOzgIIQQGmTQCkd-bgDJB-bQyktoM6g" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We snuck the baskets outside their doors! After each act of kindness, we talked about how their acts of kindness can make it spread further! We found out another class filled the basket with kindness notes and gave it to another class! <br><br><img id="id_4ec3_7df0_24ac_8cf7" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/1zfgSD8aP1SWUz0DwXYg-nznRtW754ByeLlgH7M-qUTkk68zk8bsrPz3j-0iD6uNGZQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We gave another class Christmas Cards with kind words for them and candy kisses!<br><br><img id="id_789d_8af4_934a_cf8e" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/S5VtH2VIcHTgxxK7U0smkUnTBuTs5tuqRf9ToMcaDZjAs6Cq04ZYaysLKa6N9I03UKI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I can’t remember how homelessness came up, but the kids were very concerned for those without homes! We got blankets donated to us from a parent who was able to get them from “Blankets of Hope!”<br><br><img id="id_65cd_2618_d9a1_1896" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FSU4aStn3Nw01ixnmyQeaGQUsltVKc0009nz3I_O4OOTDalEaWP_iwTWiu2td9hM1_4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We rolled them up.<br><br><img id="id_b13e_3c38_eeb4_716d" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/GrGAc2_r-bmnSJ4K4B-4Gc7Hh1ZYMTxSR-WBJ_6gX7Ghflnvj3J-FKa_fygRzVcK44Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Then added an encouraging note to each one.<br><br><img id="id_32bc_ecbb_fa63_f82d" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/JVDFt1GsS_XlQd57c86x8o-TnCA9GSi5Bx8TndRmhTgUgfrU8opDQ7Yrdubd5R-EZlQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br> <div><img id="id_30c3_ebcd_1674_3589" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hbYipVGNnDQKSWvd9B2dWzkPsjycSVDkyKt2zdfMMxdCKwbH4w2myTx0_V8gbaoXKX8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_55bc_9f22_ac04_822" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/8gvLbcXHWaE_ZcMiPCr2WWyeJVH_N2p76Ppw5scALft5JTweyEwXtTyHpZFaYqbWY0I" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I dropped them off here at St. Vincent de Paul to pass out to those who need them.<br><br><img id="id_ac33_3543_bc1b_b516" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/ZuR-N-cILTTzXvysBgy6qrPAVfPnRBYwnZDMDqlZWLMqVRSNeXalM40sshR94iQvr3M" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>A few weeks later we found out that during a major freeze, St. Vincent’s was sheltering over 600 people each night. We decided to collect some things they may need as they are taking shelter. We also decided to ask the other classes in our school for help.</div><div><br></div><div>Each one of the Kindness Ninjas wrote a letter to a teacher asking them and their class for help! We next made posters and collection boxes to put around the school! Talk about an authentic use of their emerging writing skills! <br><br><img id="id_7baf_8e13_e4fe_6601" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/mvClkul3Xj5H9nzuzZdG9s15ml7UGwOqtbx6q7gFOHRZrpxd_W1N0M_QJHGHrIMm8-k" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4289_a78f_ffe1_cf4a" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/jatESYPPKDPQKpLyfanYV9sc8YO8YkkCY-jbfdjK8-yRGIcjGjyZVZE7yP5D1mAabcA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_649a_6298_9241_eae7" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/HiA39zITKX4HRklBbjk_29_uFtB10CbNIMBgXEn7vfh5Xyvk_BfMk1ctVZM2IUd2wuc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_71f9_ab0a_73c7_e582" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/wgyWeI_rSshSJN0czfh0ZQYMU9m5yhXTTxnN0QTvtMMwu-xv_uJND2zotiF9vCVMyxs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We checked the boxes and brought everything we found up to our room to put with our own item!<br><br><img id="id_eb46_f112_f34f_24cd" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/g14Xha9GRn1LpXBTDBeCfADxX22B4_hqdsIV4P7PnzwVYNYZOGJZRAhKpHmu_U5_YEs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_eaa1_e5e4_1988_adfb" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/3sMLmT_migvvyUhIMjsJjDIGAw52nGCtg0wdV-cVoqlWbC3845cL1FZU35VE8dKUxGA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We decided to organize them and put them in groups of ten to figure out how many of each we had. Because of boxes with multiples, they had to work hard to make some groups of ten by adding groups together!<br><br><img id="id_d5e6_d62b_bacc_b21b" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/9Q2yvYUnnGhPVE1_SqSlB4BVXCZsedUdnQgBt9TLlyttnveqYrzYWNP7DsHG1nk8Z2k" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_6d58_3079_69_ddb2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_LsZ4EoXssVZmioerk8cmOuFoD-9Ljb00e-Fp21XHpMqBDzSjTTL8ozTHHM9j87s2ds" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_8295_abf7_a095_d745" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/ieWtFoGfxO9_4PdsdZWocEzcPuC6BbquiML7DTx94XrkDIG12SyHobl2Kv_0ig92KGQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We recorded what we had collected the first week.<br><br><img id="id_22ae_5c69_ee57_3fdc" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/21J0azLmzxpfiB8ORNyEEXI3gEC88SbYqKxiFRSE1QLliglNKm4WHGXnhlsKSR_EfnQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c139_85d6_e038_4530" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3bCS7oZ9D44ha3ln59QS0UJeSkI5fpRNA3wHw0k8O4r95BD_ZKVVNQk7GWXt6IM2PDw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_3a9c_dbae_af8_aa02" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/lH7YfMTXb9xp781kOrRhTCNt2DaqDDR5dnbprFSTljMqbUX3xcebyBI5EoRyeb_ALvw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1c19_b973_f105_283a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/iAS-5wvFm20E5KwPnjGcYvFMoP9vj0On4sE1oWoONInr-3atOfhjPoTsJpZ3BEUMTdM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5189_e47e_be79_652d" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/NsAPBjiyQtSeMyFX__dqMiuagrCXNQ1HNA_NlHFvuTwQzbsfAPVI9ZAwu794Gp8uRe4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_340b_1f92_f86a_94ba" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Oa9ClCdAW3ZLop9vWyTllLqDOG6B27oXkoF5l5b0ok55Qn5Sh4IJGr1PJxy7QwCrQcc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_8e90_ec5e_7521_a94c" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/mqjdXcQ7F4Wf-URKJfaqcbIi-viEwQz8AH0XFFuJu2X0coarf_gYq8G-3vC2Th1oGfY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>After a second week, we were amazed at the amount of items we had collected and organized! Everyone really wanted to help! In the end, we donated around 320 wash clothes, 350 tubes of toothpaste, 300+ toothbrushes, almost 500 bars of soap, 23 more blankets, plus some deodorant, bath towels, chapsticks and lots of socks! I think maybe there are a lot more kindness ninjas in our school than we thought! I cannot wait to see what these sweet kids with their big hearts will do next to change the world with kindness!</div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-20213660873310644042023-02-12T20:05:00.001-05:002023-02-12T20:05:20.804-05:00The Tree Project <div>In the early Fall, we noticed that the kids were very interested in trees so we took them out to observe one as scientists and see what they notice.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_3610_a24_20d0_9eb7" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/uooKI0K_dHSLmTsg1JIO39cMSU1hI-i3HTt5NcXKR0NwW1SHYJdWsRD7myF18bJ0-CQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They took this work very seriously and looked closely, but we noticed they were more focused on something other than the attributes of the tree!<br><br><img id="id_9824_f05b_5aaa_716c" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/rJA-1Fvy4snJq0RS3v1ga6kGv1idk23wjjXL08iBANsOFUJbzRPIc-Z0FQZ_qJyhBmU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They were noticing the evidence of things that lived in the tree! Nests, cicada shells, webs, daddy long legs, were added to their observations of leaves, bark, color and texture.<br><br></div><div><img id="id_3d2f_ba3d_5df2_8a15" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/7fQMVnWMKvgYWLYnOZdGpwuT1oZBVv2jkSGB6ELJy8SU-Yz-7_DjR1MMuk_Rm16zCAU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They learned about the leaves and how they change in the Fall and fall off of the trees. We looked closely at them and noticed details such as the colors, stems and veins. As Christmas was getting closer we asked them about Christmas trees. How were they different? They were so interested in this we held off on our Animals in Trees Investigation to investigate evergreens!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_1214_ccce_f3a4_2295" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/du2ro8G2Onq-qaJADw1TqjurE90qOTnKj0QyKxq5o1wF3AxKn1IBGs9mpLTwvZWspg8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>We watched videos about evergreens and learned as much as we could about them!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_cbde_8a44_6186_d399" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/RJ1r_XyR8BDefy4B_K6oyWSnFurgI69PJWTNFI2ugFvdiPvWXhFdSdupea64x1WK9IA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We decided to show what we noticed by creating both kinds of trees…an evergreen and a deciduous tree!</div><div><br></div><div>We made a list of all the different parts of the tree we needed to show. They used their math skills to stack boxes by size starting from largest to smallest. They looked closely at pictures and decided on three different shades of green. We added some branches with pine needles, some pine cones, and some roots, then labeled all the parts.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_1913_b9c6_6706_1cd1" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/lLjlCmVm8xQD3HzDM30P-GXbFGEXd1_7yAFD6-CFrL4NcUf3x0KLgqAMyXgj2LTzVwI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They also showed what they noticed through art!<br><br><img id="id_c9af_e4bd_2261_490e" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Fc9mL4QZ8Vah6EMeHYBDLwulJUh_1sxSQi-2CtadQB0O60KChlrjDFBjrIbR8qBNQrM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_d148_c320_d36a_9520" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/pfw4K18Zqo5ZqaN6Ok8rayO0WbZOJvQ1GbFzPWR6Mv46sFxZ8m_hITYlMtSCMqbfA54" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_461d_5cef_630c_6777" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/UryMnhwKm5oaaIcHIHrRvnseXmoCcJsHKzBW-0joP3EQl8X-0CDN7DMpkqe_EqiVYIM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We explored some different types of evergreens and recorded what we noticed as scientists.<br><br><img id="id_e501_769c_baf4_9891" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/rzA_r42s2Sl_z7pNP6e77hnb1YYkYfLazI83CGCyQh4ztuavej2HcnnOoltHzGt5fkM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We learned that pine cones will close up to hold their seeds in when wet so we decided to test this and find out for ourselves. They did! After they dried out they opened up again!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_9579_c66a_514f_22a1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/F0b33SuYkdFG2tamvgO1fv8rmKa_MsL_2S5GAslcxvLBuQZsedHGrPX6Ge63e1DpG_Y" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Next we created our deciduous tree. They had to problem solve how to get the tubes to stack because the thinner tubes just fell inside the wider tubes. They decided to stuff the bottom tube with paper so the next tube could rest on that inside! We added branches, bark and roots. Since it was winter we only added a couple dead oak leaves we found on the playground.<br><br></div><img id="id_e6dd_5e79_a4d3_381b" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/awym_xh44SWzlngFgebVfVrzICWXf6Mdj8njmdQ_J2UzQcgB1nA-kxFypfUX3G0vz6Y" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Of coarse with Christmas coming we had to make ornaments to decorate our evergreen!<br><br><img id="id_a5a0_27b5_1695_568e" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/IxoaCfqKLA6OzBBmblDJcgl66CCGeXsQ-THW_2zKKOoXRj0YE6znOxADhFIzbwXanu4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div>Here are our finished trees!<br><div><br></div><div><img id="id_2467_ad5_7375_7c5b" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/i80_Gl73KRXziZeUKgHUnx48TnH_0m7FnvC5DAqyGv5rmJuG_dD3RTF9YZ4Bnql_PVg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Now we could start getting into animals that lived in or used the trees in some ways! I set up some areas for them to explore. One which I don’t have a picture of had them dividing animals into categories of “Animals That Live in Ohio” and “Animals That Do Not Live in Ohio.” They did very well! The moose and the bear caused some debate. We also looked at the animals footprints in the snow!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_8532_a128_3e66_985" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/w7NMCdpiyWulzBZbbZRtA2LJ4087yOQVa19IefhgvEbI_wcFJNCylpx4WsjscCi3oZQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2e3d_fe18_96b8_afea" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/BxMLdUtRk7KPw9Dhk2ry0QswanGJQSWLvNXQVibFtP5GPYcs5DGYRfA1FAQee1iK2SA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here are a couple others they played with!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_1361_c55f_3bcd_7703" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/dGnls1Vd8h8Ce14vu2OLKgQHE6i7MNWIgCkolbyBuD3Au1T5_QjmFCHctKKyx9Rll5Y" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_bf9f_5b5e_cb2b_2322" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/rC55OLAqMfQa-_naBMpReL91QH0ll__Eq-bHIp_zu85FNrG61-w7QskKTC-thtFk_MI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Squirrels and Owls were a big interest so we dived a bit deeper into those two animals. Squirrels use trees for both homes and food! <br><br><img id="id_41fc_5e92_eb97_1e9" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/bT9xGqRc56SgAwXji0hPqoof2JDzQf9J1TGqk0lkWbigZuv2HadEIy-C7x1BJ8dJfYA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_58e4_8ef7_2771_6baf" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/I2nMFM961pbSMo7CcFRtje3MoOBTYslR5hulFhcgCT-m99GPSd-qJ3Yb_4Iq-3rB1Zo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They learned that squirrels homes were called Dreys so they created one for our little squirrel friend so that he could live in it in our tree!<br><br><img id="id_2b54_2460_18fb_55a7" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/BOQ--BHbQreIz5zTZHIA4k1dx59HOSrS9aSzbbamke-z1XvwXGpD6aaD71VuxuSr1SA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b686_69f0_e309_e2da" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Xcfz9_wh-MnCtceKtSqcG0gmR0ewiQPBmezLV0jq_tOHHSDkRA59cSaI_YY7qYtXAcw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_196f_a06a_b461_3e2f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FKr7XqQZxn4cmQZdR02VctqykIpJgxxNzYHLqz_ga9qBpmAwqcFvrY8fHf2bELKTJVc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We learned about owls and how they use trees for for homes, food and to hide so that their prey won’t see them!<br><br><img id="id_186f_72c_9c52_4cca" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/H70krxHUIhC_m2Ff8ztTU7S790xQq4elV6fDZnyVygk_dNjieOaHQTZhottD4LSXI9Y" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They made some mama owls and baby owls like the ones in the book “Owl Babies” to also live in our tree.<br><br><img id="id_4594_dc6d_ccac_536" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/j2yeSC3pH4jh8U7V980UtD9P7pn69c1TXEkk0hQlexa8RJ8IUUE9j9GSp-f7cDpnS9U" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Miss Abby created a display with them to show off our owls and what we learned about them!<br></div></div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_fa6d_ca77_8251_ae64" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/5QIBf1mFjySV9YSeu9CMi6uNhnPyM4UQD9IGzG5VIY1Zxc1lqpWFywsL0Bp1EehQ4ac" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We also studied about animals that hibernate, migrate and adapt in the Winter. We read a couple books that talked about helping feed animals that stick around in the winter since it is so much harder for them to find food! We made some animal feeders and took them home to help the animals in our neighborhood!<br><br><img id="id_2dd4_cb98_ac44_ada0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/3Z4uu-GRPi-4P24Gacuc9yVeejb5QsEzMWt3L9Sbwwv2YVkLKNeFjDg3KD2SOV7edSo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>One family caught a squirrel on camera enjoying their feeder! In a video you can see it grab what was left and run off with it!<br><br><img id="id_3aa8_bf3f_1be7_a33e" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/sV4jnkPSYSXVlNqDSjThjaklfTW1cmjYW8AVfHosWWQTC5D5IbWphlcRqQMRdxqdjXo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We will be taking a little break from our trees and animal studies as we follow a couple other interests and celebrate Valentines Day and 100 Day, but I can guarantee we are not done with these trees and the animals that use them!</div><div><br></div><div>Here are a few photos to show what else went on at the same time as this study! Holidays, the Gingerbread Man and Fairy Tales!</div><div><br></div><div>Holiday Traditions! </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_941d_7da6_e7bb_b612" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/y34Asl5vXtlm4M-v7aVxoCBAstmX94LiixGYf1bO7kmV40sYy18y3AmTEhnwPCdVEdI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br></div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_b48a_dad7_d746_fafb" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/9ILUynceKdDmp4XlmVEXm3BSWAC2p2_CVLoe-vxI5PLLTdoC1vinFDP30E9HejSDRNY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_dcdf_e9ca_d14c_29e4" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/EvalDvN2x17HDodcyFwsznmpXdEfgH8I5nv_9CK5bxm9oEky9f7viPBZmhQeAutufBk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Our Gingerbread Man ran away!<br><br><img id="id_b8db_c64c_d6f0_5e4f" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/UQXrIYx9IfM03bp3RcyiNp2P21LKw19VAu9FG2Sbqnag5lLAJZQOErxNSzVdwg89PcI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We made posters!<br><br><img id="id_8667_3359_4fbd_2a52" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gXsbh836a3NS-Tjhkx_ucDub2JA3Uv4Gvvai7Wv8RKYOCJd9kYumn4qhIdrHAoF8nzs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We used persuasive writing!<br><br><img id="id_6c47_595a_1585_1b57" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/zmU7OFdRwNMv9qFjzuwEVdW3I27REYlIcGFdB-i7qc83NdtQhQE2dl7TP5ZhWHLoTjo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We planned and made traps!<br><br><img id="id_8f3b_5da5_2d2a_5f5a" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/ZwHZ_jM2Mr7ce966hznB5HVYwae0VWaO1Q9rgCy5LFEOmWKtpuUPEniQCr9Pj0YS390" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>And we caught him!<br><br><img id="id_51bc_a163_f4ea_938" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Eqb5GZMoPOQ6cKTBvkzbf5nlqtxBuUHlCxZpAqfVks0wnru2p6CpVfZIEVn-_WuP-_0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We created spice mix recipes and crushed them! They smaller amazing!<br><br><img id="id_b319_dc39_a371_cb53" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/m91IjyKa3HEk0y3WwR1WEE5flSXUEWWruvWIVqE7D9vI7d_4C6uj_H4CO4v8L0l0i4U" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5cc2_526d_e3a0_f102" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/sOE9U2xnqhHXlOTgsEQBB9OAUuC_B4bJBBouErc-D-9slCBl8xarUe-3PBZTypCss_o" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9efa_2e0b_ca54_28d9" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/JiyNItkBvqhwbaJZNNWvbA5N2qpAPS_S-1O_U1tYeQx2qFnK5fitysgwDcj0RTZmtos" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We read and retold many fairy tales and each friend wrote a book that was their own original version of The Three Pigs!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_a45c_fb21_e8e3_71ba" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/dG2ob9-nUjB09fTypeMTItEUmkq2wPwtQfppEma68PXhFyr1x6fJG8jy_19y8eWwxcM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>So many things have been going on the past couple months! I can’t wait to see where these kids take us next!</div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-88747503294418195712022-11-20T10:53:00.001-05:002022-11-20T10:53:47.287-05:00A Focus on GratitudeFor Thanksgiving we learned about how things were different in the past compared to the present, but our main focus was on the concept of gratitude. We discussed how we can have positive or negative attitudes and that gratitude is a positive one. Having an attitude of gratitude is being grateful for the things we have and being satisfied that we have the most important things such as family, love, shelter and food. We also discussed how when things are not going our way, we can stay positive by having an attitude of gratitude.<div><br></div><div>We started out the week creating Gratitude Boxes as a gift for our families. I got this beautiful idea from the amazing </div><a href="https://mericherry.com/" id="id_fcdd_ba4a_9866_2b7c">https://mericherry.com/</a>. We created beautiful art on 3x3 sheets of watercolor paper using liquid watercolors. Liquid watercolors are so vibrant and beautiful! I taped them down to create a white frame around each one which is what gives these such a beautiful effect!<div><br></div><div><img id="id_9478_4d66_1e72_395e" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/QE2KTQktjCSkD1CYQYpu3Eqa7itUwiNWRP_oKbckJA4PVrmMd8SS0kaSOCLw4b57kaU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b94_673c_e2ee_b5a8" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/T0s6aI2_bIswahARuIbs3mnqnhfRr_VShEK9ktF_1sNarGvZ9_yPF_VM9qRsOkaAPP8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Next the kids dictated to us what they were most grateful for and we put them in the box. These were 3.5x3.5 from Amazon. <br><br><img id="id_b017_17ea_d0a1_47e7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/cUXL8tXLfwcfc8nmdAzBzmLMRKHm2b5R2k24VzpZ87I19gWjQrPCnny75k-R0Y36zwY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We broke out the glitter to create gratitude sticks. These sticks can be passed around the table during their families Thanksgiving Feast or just around the dinner table. Whoever is holding the gratitude stick says something they are grateful for.<br><br><img id="id_80e1_90b9_6873_81b3" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/qZ774oegFg0amLehkaWqkTWCLggvZ9El5CWAz8kZDfm_dD03NJSaHM4hxASexmI0Z1s" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here are the finished Gratitude Boxes!<br><br><img id="id_1725_194b_d069_5bc9" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/ZENJNy0BBC53YkZjq1nD7cHweiboRYZEuosh68soJEPgxg-BKoiIEW5ErG4Ra_cRSR4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Next we got ready for our Friendship Feast to celebrate Thanksgiving and how thankful we are for the friendships created in our learning community! They created pumpkins for our centerpieces and then created cards for the table that labeled four things each of them was grateful for.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_746b_414a_b2db_7d8f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Kxe2ttIlE5LcFZ2tXDK-JIGVB-LIez2PAwGPsGLGVQ26MtdEPqjpRabBYLKqb2pDnKw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2636_a09a_6dfd_d61b" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/P8r78SHFudEP4qiovOA6IX0gf4QgeqE8FCItZoJEJvBcqHcoAIPpjewK1-hnhRSyLNA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We created some turkeys to decorate our room.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_cdd7_9041_c378_91e7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hc_bdKc2YCR9j9vmoZkosDhSmLlVq9WARF4fTgDGgV3viRbY1q1qguVcrgqQhFKs0vM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_bd3a_ce8d_48df_ee63" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/wqJlHHy6_mH1MOd0BjQXUrF1ZjeB9jXBn5wBcbJfi4UkCPib0IiKUkPGs-T78bIyq5E" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We created some hand turkeys with feathers but I didn’t get any pictures. You can see them on the upper cabinets in the whole room picture coming up.</div><div><br></div><div>Finally, everything was ready for the big day!<br><br><img id="id_3368_b716_9321_41f0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/E6vTqXrqhMe79PqcO-g02G8_Iaonhp3cuMWAz01d4PsmUj9WP_4UjGlJogwlMX6b56w" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_df22_3c62_1d2d_bf51" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/RVr68ym5AwbVR5T1gRjmv_5Q4n_PVHmGWk7O6NA1M0YSSh5ViLdH4LG1jJh4HBcAdBA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>The room was ready for our feast!<br><br><img id="id_e885_b42d_cee2_3973" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/WQZzsOgdnRkZ9LvJRvr5IX0rlyAYsV2rbIxzhcNrCn7yE8HecUdc4nOb3wRNwrtwTn8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We made some butter like they had to long ago!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_ecaf_33a0_adb8_f652" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/xvN5zsd4WGjgIqy3QkucUIxyL93f5OQ_Dak_VsPW0qb5pXHyD0OdP1HY1zZa8f46cGc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_7f07_d4c5_5c38_c1e1" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/iUHyJGw7G_mLc8gRhfw_6pFhc9pNufJCNI9OjsGoA8dJRQwoVorOLP6EZxYZIMe4if8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>We started out by watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and then served the same food the Peanuts Gang ate! Thank you parents for all of your donations! </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_d930_40a_c193_3f72" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/y4cA_Ez14ItlffwyLJQus_OpeANydMgtmJFYQcII45hIufwBDbZ5J3tRBHvY_43saEE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>The kids loved it!<br><br><img id="id_6f35_ef5e_f47a_bc0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/U6ri6l8hlKq1lZhyhxDBOJQSdPw3WAY3aqcd7VoXPnVRSyMZQd823Vx5dBHXCMtBk5s" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Before we ate, we passed around a Gratitude Stick and each friend said something they were grateful for to model how they can do this with their families at the table.<br><br><img id="id_96a5_f51e_8d55_7fdd" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/IBatkwZQI-GFic-gNjXoy-OABoR84_MFTg2sqMtlc2AQ7xBUWZo5JqZe94o6UN_prVU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Then we all dug in and enjoyed sharing food and each other’s company! Look at those joyful faces!<br><br><img id="id_de4a_6958_4298_13fd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/HYOKN50c_v1HJ1Hs9Ek7JuNU8p08Bsfya_MrMb8QbX5sTBYSq2h5gjfd9q-RaFhNUJg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_40f1_8e0_ec8c_bf67" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/fCeTnj55S85A2n-U7pdrpmRUP0r68PYMrfH_WoEtAJwFzr9T6ceY96fueCUlkGnwU-A" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here are some pictures of our Literacy and Math areas and things they are working on. They use these skills in all of the areas of our room, but these areas are for specific practice.</div><div><br></div><div>In the math area…</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_7a57_ff6a_b1af_3c22" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/W-ZTZ2oh4qqejIZu_aPx0O4B8QEwuRFmiOK4dLJX8fInoCQHv45Vnpu9j3-sqY2Vkxo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Roll the die, find the number and show all the different ways you can make that number using two rows on the ten frames and math racks.<br><br><img id="id_2bad_aa94_72aa_9c72" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/WQ0tEySRm1ta6Aimi5d-V5iYhJtRdt00gDVmt6fmFRJng9SpAFv5ex1WCpzWdCHFjAM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This game is called Top-It and is played just like War. You each flip a card and the one that is more gets to keep both cards. Whoever has the most cards at the end wins.<br><br><img id="id_e542_e40a_812c_dad3" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/2FxHzU6WGKyiT3CZxYObzS7D1o2eHCwfY-mXtumHHnuR45DS8xIZztskR8MHWsqFZ8U" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here are a couple,e ways to practice counting to 100 and noticing the number patterns on 100 charts.<br><br><img id="id_5109_2448_c155_7e51" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/j5Nel67GcCXIZ7A2M2M2oGjyXHQISg-dXN1cT1UT7YZttifPgV5e1xcKeG3mAdcAfYY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>The cards can be used for a matching game or one partner flashes a card and the other sees how fast the can make that number on the math racks.<br><br><img id="id_e01d_7bc8_ace5_b59a" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/7syHxX-cCLMR438uT4YdAAy0zLL6ZjJa3pOPerby116CeIlOypdgtykuyd9S4MyFbJI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>In the Literacy Area…<br><br><img id="id_3349_3b9b_ed10_5196" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/r5DEjnJ4mqyeRbeLtlI_Kymgg4UiHcy34a9kSt9LFzdlNUkPCVydbuAj4-xrzO27O8Y" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Sort the pictures by the beginning sounds focusing on the letters learned the last week for review.<br><br><img id="id_519b_83dd_40e0_e109" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FT13DxMEYKOUi1U6MelSGEhMxElcL9nG3ze0_26Mc_XKgDTDThyJuJpb3_O_an1gFOw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Tap and say each sound in the word, then blend it faster then read it. After reading it, create the words using the lines needed to create each letter.<br><br><img id="id_3bfa_f0ad_828f_ae20" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KVwNaeCMB-v1WDZ2ejDFMSehm58nlMDvBEJ75XHE8OodCrIdnKD8NIfV0HQC_O7TkZQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Look at the picture. How many syllables are in that word? Put that many squares on the picture.<br><br><img id="id_41e7_6215_f74e_59bc" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/sSSKG2BwyttczKh3vxTdNOyvJ5FbFmJYY-AnaS432b3cQdak2Zz-Uj6AVBQ6wFHEIg4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><br></div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_ae26_aa7a_b2c1_da5" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/2C7e6dUKVjMSqD_6LgR6uOc_7TbNSzoCsm-XApxQ39B0cWL4Q5qcUqo0N0nGUlQRV30" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5dd3_d579_8519_90f9" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/uFM-C8PnKOKCezK5n7qug--iz_ZL0e-yH-Bqee8swn-FYxzxt9PtvGdwLBeYtpMnWxk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>The letters we have explicitly taught are available for them to explore in different ways. Some friends used them to sort by letter and sound/pictures.<br><br><img id="id_70d3_9951_b71c_e8ee" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/UlKvdS6cdTCDjsOZL_rKoRspJCOQKX9LOR-Lea5gObGJjYIbPYjZgkANvVSdzxtywsQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Some friends used them to create words.<br><br><img id="id_800e_5012_d0e8_ea17" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/psNt-uqJjQOmVHpKm4Gs3lbC4VmycCkgS69T4oC6UtDEgY-Occlumz5mFS2LuEtaEuk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_ee9d_c234_4bbb_2aa8" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/nDUnoH2AllgIUJ_N53DKvt5WjvAXvNPzfA56OQcRo70fQN6ZoOiGK9RqvgPU9hAQ5KY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving! </div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-79404308536486843732022-11-09T20:30:00.001-05:002022-11-09T20:30:16.756-05:00Exploring Leaves and Pumpkins <div><br></div><div>The kids and their families collected all kinds of wonderful Autumn nature items for us to explore as we continued to study the Autumn Season and the changes that were happening around us! These two friends helped categorize everything into groups.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_e0f3_e8e_9d3f_3805" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/qbrr4DdCOLGl4yu64mRFqIHkGKhRW-OSSGvkWAsg3JfMS8dnP1TrlcAbvBfADGndc34" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Then I organized it into an invitation for them to look closer, notice, explore, wonder and document!<br><br><img id="id_3268_6d4c_983_df89" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/yuBel7zdMyUmdN600Js5IHed_6mIBeNFVh2KqV5SrH8jKr3QvjvN-5hEub294ANkavM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_deb1_29e6_63fe_733f" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/632mlDgiKnCE5IHDPKc7sYv_r4kF6bVmQ9zEmDt1XBRAnVgIxlAc1cxouuppPN62lnI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They used tempera paint, water colors and collage to show what they noticed happening with the colors of the leaves on the trees! <br><br><img id="id_4840_bfe1_754d_bfc7" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/1qNZO_1V6qhDL8ulOZ_-_8pY_eIergeX_s-elkAnLSU1j9sot2QfUU6pF_ABnxYJwNo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_6cd_50b0_86a_ac50" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/ZyHj3K-peedXlsLd7XQbuVbVaj9imFd0Q9WPHRscFEwA5DXx5BLSl35F2hyRWHOmi5k" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>After exploring the materials they used creative thinking skills to create with natural items inspired by the book “Leaf Man” by Lois Ehlert!</div><div><br><img id="id_338e_1c74_46a1_48c3" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/UQt8lGt_ZhQtzYeiMWGVBaFaxmA6dqJGD4CrnfKr6U1hS8yjLdQBpUMIGomq8D5io_w" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c1b8_8c31_b0f4_d915" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/v4UtUPae9xMDR4M9Edpoflued7pE2DpKLRWpJBVv7P8HfdcHqTxLW_Kre0pJj5P7jDM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5b92_dade_f1df_da2b" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Cpbw6cDUrAzQhzZyUC_K5ZO4CH-qSnYcenlsBtcCa2DeMi-hqsY5C9a5wsAbSCjMvP4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They worked hard to document what they saw like scientists!<br><br><img id="id_da02_e05_9996_2065" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/cNz2oBnUrfv70o2hlygCBtVGlWk-xCRWFj4nmduaij8X6vMSd1sNEcS3m9gU1xlLoe0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Next think we knew it was Halloween! The week of Halloween I set up invitations for story creating and telling in our sensory bin and block area.</div><div><br><img id="id_b58_4dcd_4f3_b5d1" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/2UkjgOSHnZWovRWdXXiXxtJ198xXqK3zJBS9gGKMVo0t0EozdRMdPaZId_oxGK2nF7Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1a5_f158_c002_7c0f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d_oWXiPfesD02CUtXH9wTmVfE-MCoYqMT-rdnC3gS0X-CmoCHOurAooyjmTE8_zMi0k" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They LOVED creating monsters out of clay!<br><br><img id="id_e556_db1_1136_62f7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/UlwonJS4hmJGl3uTsh3NSWhBPL85DuncY23s6gAIrgmrLgfUjxUi8pZgX9x_oT3RCNY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2ff2_f29f_1507_6e15" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/HZ4UZbEnrhQaqri6KOaY1p_ZhVlMrJB5koOylQsxgpUMnvOwr5kh3-38Wl7pxj5-SLs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>One of their favorite stories was Creepy Carrots!<br><br><img id="id_eb53_201d_b013_4dce" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/xD3z4KL0RZpaVa2B10hA1TZ1QaYxeNJ8050IpwLraMM9Nd9GFsZ5yqvyS9Y0TdoWtXU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Creating these was a great workout for our finger muscles!<br><br><img id="id_2c75_beed_6e91_a2cd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Ky-5Ok9oopx0pPWoa_oFABhHlHhc2MRyOUKU5cns-1T1QdsqPlrk0isNofm-H7s1o2k" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>More monster creations from our Maker Space! Halloween really inspired them in their stories and creations!<br><br><img id="id_703e_ec91_58ee_2ea1" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/bcTP5MVrtEV6VbiAbMA1bzvqbJbapXqPNjOcN-cw2EKJjkUn8nXWFyjFELn6kcHelMU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They voted on a creepy face for our Jack-o-lantern! The ones who love pumpkin goop had a ball smooshing around in it and then separating the seeds from the pulp!<br><br><img id="id_bcd2_413f_39c1_c13" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_1PARswR5TRawTASay4MmOZ75woXFXs0WYGB4BQWoW8B-RLcK_wZVNeseTUBa04-g18" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here is the finished carving!<br><br><img id="id_c664_f1ba_36de_d9ab" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/65yrC56sRhjeWi2FukTbtwGztvtK0cK0WcM0nuOQMO9PbL-iRzm4RCI8YHNybvochcU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We will set it here to see what happens to it!<br><br><img id="id_5f5b_bbea_5e03_163d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FrGp8HDJDBQyn1gq7XJwO_9Vdeng2Lj2KVzJ6C5JmN3WqTCCfm0RPy0eLp695okiO5U" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here is what happened to it! They had to touch it!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_73f9_4c56_44c7_4792" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/VPEc1KjVcBRLrYSsb-MnYfM9dnQBX8Y0JBte3ypUZar3as2r_Sj67HRoDbbAA003gHU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_325c_6dca_a8da_1cc4" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/6FFBLMhOubG8349w4l7AEvJYNktbN9os1dEdLTKt897jh4pzSMddILcaAIE-Avz4Aw4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>On Halloween we had a parade in our costumes! </div><div><br><img id="id_2e02_8212_bf02_53f0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bztEH6kyoZCgBP4XcYJSQ62ZoHsa8PPxebBhorAyq3cx52qFHqYrkCn3MxHrk-DPTFA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Kids are always smiling on Halloween!<br><br><img id="id_f74f_a08d_5308_2c59" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/LcsdIUk5Ai-LGerkyARAcrO8LIdJIh5X6NZesALvGc_nhzslr_QmIiWAURHs0WpDjK4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>After that exciting week, we started looking closer at our pumpkins and seeing what we noticed. I set out an invitation to explore, document and measure.<br><br><img id="id_5c0b_103b_283c_eb38" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/D5xD_N9cU7B8Tej7CBcha4QzXs2jzCelKF-i_CyG-21bxslutlW7xCfznlotcMa2fv8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_f7ac_8504_4373_fc59" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/oVLbjcC_SVC07nhbzdOfrXqX3WrKuPRhmNRaoUXDSllemaZJpvcehNFQl2Zgc019jCU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5512_f244_29f7_ba49" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Q0tDwrwxIvne2cRo6Na13gXCC4SNXCu0BKnJCkCPA22DkRB-bqaZYUUJmtV96R7YyGg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><br><img id="id_efe_7892_c73_6d33" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/tWn-dpyCtf97M5hZRR3EkX6XeFRRaIDAOxaoa4RPYZLGfBdTHLxAtOyZ1dbTNPIJHUk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We read a lot about the pumpkin life cycle so we created a project to show what we learned. They divided into teams to make the different stages. Each team used books and technology to make everything as accurate as possible! Then they got to work!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_dfcc_8da7_19a9_d40c" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Uf_2waJMcjEc3sZRf9-ckGX6KRhIkSIzoINLHdul8OqKoxxShZAgZf9Hq_pZPYcw3Js" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_61ba_29c2_8e76_d2c5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bYaFG1rFPeaGS7AHBkQstGgXtjQw1wNfcb5v1LH6iPG_T9zdOLwfSDqWLlioUlpr4YA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_744b_5b32_3068_98e6" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/pW3x078CQ2umHi2v-CXqCAZyPFZoPiuvYOm9BTPeF6pwaSo3GYHNMtc52_HssplSNBM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_ffe6_db_2d37_5dab" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/z1q2tKH42FgIRa7LcmV8TatGMKDHt_yF9BwcT4j__v0k6q1cXAFs1OhyeOO4-Wdaujo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_60ea_54cb_e9f9_ca87" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/CcmnEU9RuEM-3_eaL7V3HV8oUL_T-TnxctriPT0EIZ9cfOYP5LycPKGzAQXD24xCDZs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_ea45_c96a_d313_f2b" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_f1q80GI7ox_T3ncYoW7P2bebeFxBcYSz50LDr7vSn_B0x1E9ENG2tcrHoZ7zg79DS0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_7c53_58b5_c67d_8b4d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/UBuBwCKV7PQuW1TLBuMrHoxyWeLbmc5Rh1zl60XdAonlRyfUrIlSUbLoT0GQv1j76x4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Finally it was time to open the other pumpkins. They wondered mostly about the inside of the white one! We cut them open and let them observe, document and explore…but most just wanted to squish it all up!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_ea78_f980_10ee_1130" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/q-RmFHFu8uAGUShC_7gdO9bxjQ788jLwe4o2V14E9oaycun02KZofE4VBL7TlOchDXA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_60cb_51ee_d39b_96ae" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/wBfFE5KUTDbLgjxckOil4wJg_6pNU623bIiPguIhVbTZL5hvQAU8yx188YQsbUVDCug" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_62b1_a429_da28_7a73" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/S4HPigcN3JTQHb1948fn3lHi9HCG8qBXnlTxTItS2XdSPP4_HGPyve_HoqcnOt5Brh4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_3f67_9488_84f9_ce03" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Vvl-1wkGnW3cJxEcLFdFvsakkZSYXRjTNUTLYHmSmHutMtAj48sClCY8Dw7sR4p7Hoc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We also went on a field trip to Cox Arboretum to go on a Fall scavenger hunt! They were so interested in all the little details in nature! </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_211_f0d5_8806_8dcd" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/VOaBxws7_aTlXatKGriW_RQp0ALqB0OHbQi2gqn_wnmpdIY3YDgBZwvWnYU92CXIqEk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_47b9_f553_36a3_e30c" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/ZMYOmI-8BNhsfh629gaf3NghN_UDSf6ly9bPuvs8Yp_x5okEwasN2Gnms8XhmcohKi0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9cbe_7ee2_661c_4225" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/i7Hg90CY6J5UVd5om5-nFhDOaG2QxTb0hkZOlXnIB-G7RjCrz48k1-6HcdKWPeiO_OI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_133a_972e_6080_f9aa" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/CJXbAgK0gP1krNYih4NBWj4v7BxTlYlr1R_Vx2Yx0OHmxp3j0qg9jo2SQctxg8Dot4U" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b819_359e_f4c4_a9a8" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qLKt0inklDV9ENG2sa780qy7ssyFREx4W8SLAWrhZgbVPIntr5rnw4YA5p8OlhxRcE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_fab7_2b3_da28_4d00" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/rZxj5dTp_SNxN1vvBbUVUxuYME4hiYcd5axmIfKkHhpDa72_hIeifpvhga2EgysiR-s" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_cd12_2f01_593e_e814" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/6FFt-C7qqHJ-NONWUKn1wsi0zle9xsmnJiuDfuPiRNgFceb121VSWfONLmpUlPCNEAI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They always want to climb the observation tower!<br><br><img id="id_ff40_eb5a_4770_bf5d" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/U3w9XxD1RyeZv5a-bsVYPjgGEzyCmGCf4QzQrRomwQBtBDucMSqaMK4CDX9lc9uVKxo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_3a9d_f327_88f9_a6cf" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fpsIudXL80f2n3Y1gW13TJer3SHisrEHsMRUPVGkH0Kcd5CdpayYpSj4odOx47ZxmU4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>The view was wonderful!<br><br><img id="id_dc09_4e49_b475_4248" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/I3JfMzvUBCh5JYZh2fiCZiVX6lhoFE1xvTt7mZ-kewpKdrc8I8jBT1_4ZxbqiPqNGtk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Ginkgo trees are there favorite because they were around in the time of the dinosaurs so we had to take a picture in front of one!<br><br><img id="id_e0d6_e86e_20a0_d8c4" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7FYfsJyRS9-B3rgtRnkRWhhfXKa1APf1TPnm369rgD5ZroupmwYs4rPyDFMvuws7CG0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This hedge maze is always a favorite! I remember when they first planted the tiny shrubs when my kids were tiny 20 years ago!<br><br><img id="id_30c6_72a2_4a84_e938" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/tCjfWbWZQSCjIpLD8lJ1IVj1Uq5i8z5WNnOI5ttgs21GN_g3B1Di7l18vtijzSGrHdg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We went on a fish/frog/turtle hunt and found all three!<br><br><img id="id_7fce_c983_aff1_a411" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/MojVvBvNCWtPxFwozWqIOf9ez2mtoN4Y5Yvlpbr-2p8xIrxx4K3H6WZeTZ6R1jojbBU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here are some of the things that were collected on our hike!<br><br><img id="id_c7d9_c2ae_32d_178c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/zWc87kISyAGz57Ywgy4EvDlnvH7pnndgzHjOuXIjAs10iTy9GbrnQwDuPtLlPI5eGac" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>A lot of discussion happened about the animals and which ones would live here! An investigation into Ohio Animals may be coming up! They were also noticing the berries, hedge apples and walnuts and wondered what would happen to the animals when they all got eaten! Where would they get there food? We will see where these wonders will take us!</div><div id="_blog_touch_end_br_for_reorient"><br></div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-64630333709028509512022-10-22T14:50:00.001-04:002022-10-22T14:50:56.399-04:00Inquiring About Fall- Sunflowers and ApplesAfter we have created an amazing learning community, we focused on continuing to grow an inquiry mindset! We look at the world around us, notice, wonder, try to find out answers and document what we see and find out! I brought in a sunflower for them to investigate.<div><br></div><div><img id="id_8a15_3727_966d_393e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/5KJAVsBYUkQtEhNS4p7GowV_8-mh0B_ZAdU5GLQ2VaXYAHMoF3aTsR8rzPGp5pdPiSM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They loved using tweezers to take out the seeds and it was a good exercise to strengthen fine motor skills! It took them a while to figure out where the seeds were since they were only seeing the tops!<br><br><img id="id_9829_d4ec_e1ab_99e9" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/IqC2akZtkqPR_FlFznFDhyRcMJvldTMfK8roazs5D2fWiwC0jQecxSVy7aIOUkwq5eQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Our digital microscope is one of their favorite science tools to look closer!<br><br><img id="id_d92a_d528_7470_9f17" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/skQYa0aOEVzXBPKPEiVplUsBq5g_t9_lXI-U6rUYIBJjhRUwauuS7zhwsdKPTYsYR5c" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c140_51b6_11fe_e885" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Y8VD1g6-Dcwbe_sBSW-zQD5QVMTg8-oYGlinhFpACd6I9Ff4upYoxtnErYAStz4Zmq0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_79_f7_54e1_c689" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/X_UwtslEhuxf2nQTri1_-acipxE3ncM1D33BklCPQBZpud_CpWCRYIVwq1vrX5ulMRA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We also used watercolors, oil pastels and sharpies to create observational art!<br><br><img id="id_a9d8_db46_4ddf_1145" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/YyZETwrHfADMVfsmlQAdkT-bmk8EBDyRwJH3LvKo9MfP5v-Mvhj1DMz8Gkby2LTG7Is" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b48e_8a95_47db_2a3b" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/A7RoX991JC_T40oX1l9l4SOa-fdFntOBdIFyFVemB_ix14nnet3eJ5dMlAP7IO0gvok" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They noticed how the seeds were in the middle and had a pattern. They learned about how sunflowers grow and the sunflower life cycle. They also learned what sunflowers are living things and what they need to survive.</div><div><br></div><div>Here is some of their sunflower art. The paper plate sunflowers were done in their art class!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_8a5c_d061_ec41_f37b" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/tCE73MqP1Me1OJkNCRbe_kvFocEQKh_d4vouJz4jxXIu7wegrOSHWkErf-XNTn641C8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Next I set out apples for them to explore. We learned that harvesting sunflowers is something that happens in the Fall. They learned that apples are also harvested during the Fall season. I love giving them everyday objects that they have seen hundreds of times, and having them look closer! They notice things they didn’t ever notice before! We learned about the life cycle of an apple tree also!</div><div><br></div><div>I changed up our sensory tub! I added the dice to see if they might create some games but they were more interested in the sensory aspect of it and sorting the apples using tweezers.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_f03e_8eb0_394b_3b9d" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/kLnB17L_ljua8PBxvth4UwIs_ilR0iJX3QrFkgw64gcVBxM6YC3EtEWegqkC_7ubEfs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They noticed that apples were not always just one color but could also be red, green yellow and even a bit of orange all in one apple! Again, we used art to show what we noticed!<br><br><img id="id_a886_1be6_e358_2a58" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/ZwFv2fBAGRLWF1yr6j15Nr2Lm3S96KGXm5ZouD0r2URfgFDXhM48uarioi-TFHrRAiI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_920_fd01_af09_2186" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_gM_NDUdljrBHTQO3GBSTaKrfUPbt21putSo3lv5AOQ6awMaXzF9afqD0Ut2GdO9n2o" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2cfe_d50b_20ab_c017" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/GwLg8M-IixrZih_hwhzQxbQ4DcAeZkblEWNAbW9r3mvzz2BuAGZt_xQOIRtTmIeIxnI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_410f_e264_6dc9_ea86" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/W8NGVsX1IZIr_vlaFYgG4wj0i_CeZgA1oKJnLGuwIL4WQA03hAEwGowkzsyrLFwi1bA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I set up the science table for them to explore apples, but forgot to take a picture of this invitation to learn! They were very interested in the star in the middle of the apples!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_2d4e_32ee_2156_53d9" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/1XP5Pwn0F02xMb8AB9o-y38aT9MrJvsPUchrNBpKoFmROde0yT_B5sfTujhw6VuhXtQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Mostly they were interested in an invitation for them to see if an apple or lemon would sink or float. They wondered why the apple floated but the lemon didn’t! This was very interesting to them! I think an inquiry into what sinks and what floats will be in our future!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_dda7_3ecb_43ba_6b8b" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/NrEzi41vVhLqKehArdDtMM0Ngia_Io_yLUiO5PNBe0cWuv4qQWyGNfc7t3vlSZLIDek" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div><img id="id_dc20_308_59c_9ca4" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/OwDFGUSkZR6vpI6nT1ya1FcT8ORNcdM7SsxdAFFy6M29_yDh23MU8BhWt1dLnOvqULM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>They explored measurement using apples and documented what they noticed.</div><div><br><img id="id_92a9_2c6_658f_2d59" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/ouEhwGRnAm2b5p2lwlCTluQnuS3by5fuyLLLHnjNyJCWBYa9x2pEYTkYiqRgWQqVL9E" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_a776_3d03_26e6_60f" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/kyKY50eZzrbRSzb2wD5oLJV_n0eQKz19CUmGhn1biGhEIkuiuH87PfIR7SKVCZ79E7s" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div><img id="id_d909_6c0b_9e1d_c7f7" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/GKUfIvRRtMlPzC-SbVF9NqMR0b47Y03QUEBfC_0HL8GsaS1qJAOn-DAv9z3UuLW2mvc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_7df9_3_4f5c_30ec" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/uM7dUwjsnr_WnadZGz6laI1XZv6pDVYYU58vSK_XPgnjzg8ZQXRP89kTvPYhRWGvT7c" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Next we tasted apples and used adjectives to describe their taste and texture!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_99d6_76c9_16bd_a4fa" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/B7iNKVJCRE8abYqICrg4m2WSYZ-NFp40zju3lBZ7PJ-eL5IicJMJ-AvE78qhh3iBXJc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They recorded their opinions about the taste of each apple.<br><br><img id="id_7475_81de_8660_4473" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/UAQ1mOXzlbxw2FAXmZdTdcY9S-ImDWw1QdCnTlAMVKcKL-_qabE_rVrhKR8DWId1pA4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here are the results!<br><br><img id="id_9232_3ddf_f5d4_8a97" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/hZdSJ_cx94_Lih9A1RYhpQNgb7MJZLmwjbfGdSnuo0C2znEEM8geuPKabip6oC5snNc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Our Student teacher Miss Abby went over what they noticed about the data. She talked about how the word equal means the same in math! <br><br><img id="id_ea97_428b_8398_c9ef" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/5vHBppn0-u7QAZGlK43COXu8Cv2UHUn65cVwTv7vEzqTsCRiNdKB-EeyF6c_OOrOMmk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>For our project, we decided to document the details through art and use the describing words we came up with for each apple in a display. They were very serious about making sure they mixed the paint to exactly match the shades of their apples!<br><br><img id="id_5bf6_1232_eed5_179b" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Jc5rDSarzGZk_d20fxTrbrB6k0jCPn1TuCmiz8qbMpbR3BKe0cxShwQ4vOX8nL1Qjcc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4cba_2ef5_2b5e_d868" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/8O3PsqaGDxido5CEYIDedw9G5R0mZUiU2KziE-VZVWk5QTut9LWuM0w6ca8Ycxp1pF0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They wrote out the describing words by sounding out the words and writing the sounds they hear. To display their work, I had to think outside the box as our new bullion boards are vertical rather than horizontal. <br><br><img id="id_bcba_374b_15ed_73c0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kdHIebikb3RfLARNEiy55lT3akk2CYZ3S_IC532HJQeHjsHtX4HRxVcTXyRuLmMk_u8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5260_f3df_b694_26ba" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/ion0dXlOGViyTawPRNMYRV5gEM-NUh5yoD7L6Ie15ouCk3oY7b7H_Vsp7_u9lB_y6jQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4681_86_97d2_2e57" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/5FMmMVQrsHSGxDJ21705KTVHU0uR89gYZCMV9HaCFc6ePDMmwv0S2lffNCz30FOiWuY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2a77_a178_9123_8fd" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/NF1CON8o9BhB_qQs1Geh-Cx_u3-DeMpwlyGbrWi9miuxP4pkQesvJI6smZbwcsFhkLk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_3cf4_bdde_9b72_496" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ceZOgtuRb6udbUze7sAh7T_OsEXO4hB3m8TyF3XxPqntGnzRCNvNQRI0qP0yWDpL2zY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_a1c7_aaae_693c_b62d" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/t05_v__mKGMNUl92hjXS3S9dAdCrPoh6gU7QcNn5bxYhC3MBhHz6elPkCodi_hnvbWY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_6f36_1291_ef2b_332" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/qd_McwIS-TFkzRp6mV_j8rr8EUx9L0gjRI9Z1Wr4Dtnqjh4gUAWoxR4sBH9nAnCthOs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We ended by making homemade applesauce! Cutting those apples into teeny pieces was a very good fine motor muscle workout!<br><br><img id="id_8fbe_cadb_cb41_7ee0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/R5D0zvK4obM87o7ArDQ0O3Y5kTNlWd5e89jmBoZM1fANYnUdaK7D7jC-h7sFdTf3zDw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_f81e_e20e_c76d_5e4a" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/JLgZOar_5f17LXPM2MLqmr0-sBtkjVt5fW8v85vD5hMvpDAf3D0dgqX4-YsT2utRj3s" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1549_b126_6360_ed47" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/hMdw8zcTv3Mq-z45w_Ba7e7f7fTn-lD3HP4zF-uwdKlnqFZyPXCNY6G4BqJ0bMOszm0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_dd28_ae5_30cb_9c6e" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/itSZMMKNfeZ6GZPXgCIlqAGiIATaD0sxPVBCOSMZqLSSpNqSvsjZBRVHlmcAo3hOOKY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>It was delicious! All of them tried it and most liked it! </div><div><br></div><div>Now that the leaves are finally changing, we will see what else we notice about the Fall Season!<br></div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-29315687378601985802022-10-02T11:33:00.001-04:002022-10-02T11:33:57.855-04:00Outdoor Learning: It’s More Than Just a Break (And A New Barefoot Sensory Path)At our Early Childhood Center, we had an Outdoor Learning Committee that was dedicated to creating outdoor learning experiences that gave children the opportunities to explore their environment, build core strength, connect with nature, and use collaborative, critical and creative thinking skills! Outdoor play was not looked at as a break from learning, but rather a natural way that kids learn about the world around them. For example, they are learning social skills as they play and create games together, learn how to problem solve as problems arise during those games, and learn how to get along as they play.<div>They are learning how to take risks that are not too dangerous yet allows them to find out what their physical limits are. </div><div>They are learning about the sciences as they explore insects, plants, sound and weather. They learn physics as build and balance large objects. These happen naturally if an outdoor learning area is set up for it! Here are some examples of outdoor learning from our old playground.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_1ccd_fdc0_9290_6ea4" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/dLxtJgCc1rkAj-vcdF7aB4ktty8JPC4z_JsIpE_I5n_WiBwcSfFHjMCDn8bNyavhg1E" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_557c_f528_7a60_1dad" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/YfQAoAEWBeQtlPUeke4e03KpqO0rOD5gNEIkI1pOP1w59xAgBz3fhuv6wZc8c72X_Jg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5ce0_d49a_4170_67bf" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/rzYPVtpGcFR9Gxyth2AMX3ABrw5pvTkhVdR_Y_1AeOz6aRHKCx2odd_2MYJTyaOAD4k" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_7790_153_5f7a_ed7e" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/gjp8Dzlnoas9qpFK0Ta6YJx5yJDna-S-w8VgHEx8lMvGeCL1GBoY2tFBx-4_oYZUngI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1421_ac9c_70ec_9561" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/oKOJRGA1bnqHYFiTmrx7XsfG7wwGp7UsQVa49PwqMCRQpLp2j_hJzzv5Zfr_yc2UDnw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_20da_572_bbcd_9345" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/9o7SmcOlg4PmEqwPYpuJBXM38yk2RcVbz9ZN53wY1bIEooYBbQwj-buRKiWDjTVerZo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4fd1_89fd_763f_dc82" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/QbfkFETwaPgAKh3coRydS6nHTINM4iaZyAZzi2CWFCrNILUL78yqLY9Za1BwUGXADr0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_7282_c310_27b9_521b" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/KI0IrRsgg7v4ZBZPGCzAPjU7EkbGU7w1Gc2YCLg6XvQoXQA4wS50QeS-jWkLBGZY8rA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>These experiences were what most often started our investigations into science related studies in our classroom!</div><div><br></div><div>Now we have a fresh, new playground! A blank slate to create opportunities for kids to explore, discover and learn! My class has already started investigating the seeds coming off the bushes in the mulch along with crickets that live in another bush! They have also found a frog and grasshopper that they were absolutely fascinated with as they observed them and wondered about them! They already have an investigative frame of mind!</div><div><br></div><div>Our first project was recreating our barefoot sensory path like the one we created at our old school. Here is the original one!</div><div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_1972_a185_439b_63e9" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/ljA3JB4H7h_KZy_DuANjz94x1iNnAOATGfe69S2u_2G28LbStH8IVBd9KYUTRNBJzzY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>My husband has always helped with outdoor learning area projects that required some serious building knowledge, so he helped me and two other teachers who are also very passionate about outdoor learning experiences create our new sensory path that will last hopefully forever! A rectangle hole was created when they poured the concrete for us and our districts Maintenance Team filled it with gravel. We measured, framed, and measured some more. We used composite lumber this time so that it will last forever!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_b96d_e9af_a9f0_cd19" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/nOeA133roF5xoWGhpu7_wgBuodUT3x72S7TIyjnWEAeeEZ6UWeEfFTOLAeQbUEN62ts" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_8080_9cea_b9d3_f7a9" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Vd8BN0ccESNBLzti0-CbmtVNjS8sqHPFmzY8SB7hughypORW_WmSi72JLL-RMLIMswY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_f916_ae8a_67ec_29f6" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/RJPRkoRPmZWbeeK7b2gtJw_qOmyKFBx2yUztakoF4tU6idDQz-LnHbjyVTjB9bmc8Ws" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here is the finished product!<br><br><img id="id_d3a1_7a8d_919c_3745" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/jb0V5JjKhm0_xhuaOe5FNrkDprlzPTtiNdCcAP1g2_QQinFhtRJsSWaLkd0lYqGuzX4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_56e9_5fa0_3f16_dfb5" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/u_6aqYvYd04aPYKRg97WMAjcH6n02Oe2Qxij8Ooi6CTwdAwmCz5wrzAPDCckmKjHMBo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_f099_ea3b_c9cb_2093" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/1Nid3h6FUVW3afQxTiVq0bbnNd4H3rFLrQ_CviKUo3_2rvrOCcL99iNqsSBrlaBfqq8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_fa2d_214a_3948_cfb9" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/SIIuKWkg5XGN2RR6JG6TfzFdgDGln-LTlrWz6N4TFC7lLRdsSixYgYQ1JRrRfFIqelo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>At first they didn’t use it! Once I modeled for the kids how they could explore it barefoot they all wanted to try it! Without modeling how to explore it with feet and hands, they didn’t really understand what it was for because they had never seen anything like it. Once I modeled it though, they have been using it consistently!<br><br><img id="id_6e4a_1a29_4866_3295" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/4eu1enE4yDDvzRcikqmp5HH5JQTymQH_4uyPkr3HX8v8M5555ZuCh9kDAM1knBwqMOw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_be1a_4560_8c56_17f7" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/JCWSU8GZly3_2lBPgGA9OQT_uvdCZxrhgN96sh3Jy8KrpheS4KpL18Ns-QoTuP2Lf8E" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_efa6_2522_4ab2_c0c2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/i40aO6XE7zTv7e26vaIrih6Lbdzio36G3yKvKr1_uHVb90Ch9K9BA348QwvEfFAdn6Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_7ebf_3da8_723f_af28" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/cLoE71AClVfAh1ZwrtsfttKjKQiF5MdEP95wfKouLvIVnYMBuLOPGxCNREQPZgmqXXU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We have a small area against the building that I am hoping we can turn into something. The sidewalk provides a natural boundary. Maybe we could plant a garden with sunflowers coneflowers, mint, lemon balm, milkweed, etc? Or maybe a sound exploration area? Maybe both? Or big logs to build with? We also have some garden boxes that maybe we can put into use. </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_7daa_ce63_f03_b1d2" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/7LCTD0OL1HokVO0AvWUWUkofMYhr4kZ_YM8jUU9xH4kY7MlbaY3PyUx2sXFDhABM3nU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We don’t know yet, but our Outdoor Learning Committee and our classes will come up with some creative ways to create more opportunities to explore, discover and learn in our new outdoor space! </div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-25061738009152816912022-09-28T20:11:00.001-04:002022-09-28T20:11:25.884-04:00A Color Inquiry and ProjectOur first inquiry was about colors! I wanted to get them to start thinking with an inquiry state of mind. I want them to use our classroom to be curious, wonder, and discover answers through investigating and sharing their discoveries with the class! I gathered some books, set up some areas to explore color mixing and see what they would discover! Since our new room does not have a color chart, this group will get to create one as a collaborative project. <div><br></div><div>Here are some of the books we used to investigate.<br><div><br></div><div><img id="id_28f4_299f_ae8e_c6f2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/VJL6162pK0u6KXushK31p1Ak10t-_qnILxbpvb9Mmtz98zSGIxl9pOPFd1ndwvrvyT4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This book was the one we referred to the most! They were amazed at how many shades there could be of each color.<br><br><img id="id_a689_46e4_71b2_4118" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/LZ9gax4YWXE3WJo7hi8QsLGOkQhin2D77B2XwYXCcyZZcT62BTrKGOsBlGIXBWnsPG0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I made primary colors with water and food coloring. Pipettes, a science tool, showed up in our mystery box and we learned how to use them carefully and responsibly.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_5812_dda2_cb0d_647b" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/vklwmLGWWCLSYo99ALbPWqN8rDxyZyWwswuzhrtVbrbFZALDKgeALzeeJTSB9USsx-w" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They found out they could use more or less of primary colors to make different shades of the same color! They also found out that red, yellow and blue can create every single color!<br><br><img id="id_8208_9b06_6b31_3bc1" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/FCutW__2ZAvRUXuzQxrOKoUwItpDAv-B9bhXVCbGZPJ28bPWV2P_GFm8lkTNGM5RXac" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_3666_bcad_7c9_ac11" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/HrXK8FCsiUwuGTc8B7TeBd9DgsxNICgB9NIKDn0XvKHWp8S0yFI6kvYUla7QgFkncyc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_51c2_7b16_c577_f151" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/14ZHLAF4egafhg386kRoZ7kMMxTuo0QzKdgPG2nZeKnDI17B7STqn3wD2rQS8FJjUQo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>I set up our Maker Space area for them to create different shades of all the colors of the rainbow using paint! This is what we will use to create our color chart!<br><br><img id="id_99e_4ec9_ab7a_5e46" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Mressr0slfSVOX92SWV_J8PJpqsdu01FBT3Rp2zanBfzwEp719ZHu5CdeoSC-t8gP18" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They picked a color they wanted to make, figured out the two primary colors needed, decided if they wanted it to be a light, medium or dark shade and figured out a “recipe” to create it by figuring out which primary color they needed more of and less of to create the shade they were going for. <br><br><img id="id_3ef2_83a7_77f1_f1e" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/co9Q-cKMijnbdWBlBQHaWfWYcqSKoFH2vSGoASogURiCCeeNTxIsq65WhdSw9Fnq9P0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>For example, they figured out that lighter orange shades would have more yellow and less red. Darker green shades needed more blue and less yellow!</div><div><br></div><div>It took a lot of self control and muscle control to not use too much paint! They did very well with it!<br><br><img id="id_697d_60a9_9a27_1299" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/a_kmnw1M68VmhJAeMD8tq3WR4owVa-1URjy4hwCGkrHNg_Pa1BII4lFUYuF2CAQr58k" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>After they created a color, they named it! We had Ocean Wave Blue, flaming pink, sunset orange and so many other creative names!<br><br><img id="id_52ac_c3d3_dd2a_8c93" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/US8nLuVHNUMENDGtRiI8J7QO66JOncf_7ifERY_udD-DxDxHMIE9SbVBsPCKzCaqhKI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>After we felt we had enough rainbow colors, we created all of our shades of brown! They used brown, peach and white to make their beautiful shades! These two books were perfect!</div></div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_5cdd_7c63_1e1_e530" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/GymVlc_h9orhhJ868h9RsSOJeYedcpkyV1XLEB6fkur2qCp9CcxmMkxUPhLolilq-k8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9143_c159_af8f_3235" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/PMMOsgLjZxa-WO5OBLyuzlCtbaOAl9lXAnJusFvT5SX2_e6kmQjgWJYiSXYkvSdORD8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I put out a canvas for them to make their mark on for a collaborative painting!<br><br><img id="id_b061_f60a_2ff2_a47a" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/EIekK4Kn2MjklH6prw73qs-82QDFry_mHj4DD2JIOv9I4dtc3rKKmntPvZroV33ENJI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_d4d5_a403_302f_de0e" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/RYAFOvaGt-ZHfnZBgUQXlAzTW8H3D1Lg8BjSqjheiV3qdchrsmEI47upAqHxuP83YxY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here is the finished art piece!<br><br><img id="id_4081_9e66_bc66_433a" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/PEglZc22YMXT1VrRFWVA31mzyWrzvQ6rLdNIe6Mhhrwg528pjA0h4XYIaAXNyZ21Gu0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We also explored if there could be different shades of black and white! </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_4ba6_aed6_951c_687" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/eXXYdgXE4M_CnRq3x3AwzDJvfZ68wcICIdgkFNZs0-zf26q3vpPFGtDOG7qRo5fqnXo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b3e9_3f50_f12c_4c13" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/4YVst-n2CZ0uH-d8xEhwuvvTsqfj6pYmlHmBRvxd6XRfdoM32KyQYUxS8KmngrzBID0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>A lot of these kids are knowledgeable about the order of colors in the rainbow so we decided to put them in that order. Here is the finished project! We will add the color words as we learn them!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_6ee8_b0cb_a8c9_ab35" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/DcSzvktVaf331EnW5qKXAxyMof5DUbTg1Z_nSloC2qyfqXekOQNZBhxhY0h0IIiICNw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_d1b1_c896_5d08_6a55" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/y6owjg4ifaGPxLLF_KpMkzcInCFtz-zvx1-6LBweEWSmHyRrgaWn6XHgtbR--qxd8d0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_12aa_5867_3a5d_339" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/lLHZOyIwExGXuwHI8YZgt-rmnz1rMUw9AyIuAhar6KENiNLF23yIynMDokLB0jZxC9Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Color exploration was even happening in our Dramatic Play Area! Check out all of the shades in this cake!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_730_861a_a296_8f99" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/1g65uu-PbdCOgXAVpst0B3A5RJ1zu1z5DZkaih7Xiquoztc2nQCo73gFMKJTR04OxZk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>It was a perfect first inquiry and class project! Our room is more and more becoming ours as we make our marks! I’m so excited that these kids are already calling themselves scientists, mathematicians and artists! Tune in next week as we start to dive into the Fall Season! It is not just about trees!</div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-46386050050168114082022-09-18T14:54:00.001-04:002022-09-18T14:54:07.255-04:00The Mystery Box: Introducing Tools and Materials Used for LearningThe first few weeks of school are spent building a learning community that is filled with kind, helping, empathetic problem solvers who love to explore, think, wonder and learn together! We have created a learning community that feels safe enough with each other to make mistakes without feeling embarrassed but rather embracing them and using them to learn more. Our community has worked hard to have a growth mindset knowing we will get better at anything with practice if we put our mind to it…no matter what we are tackling! <div><br></div><div>Another thing we needed to do was learn to use our learning materials! I use the “Mystery Box” to introduce new tools! When a tool appears in the mystery box, we 1) Read a story that relates to it, 2) I model how to use the tool and take care if it so that it lasts, and 3) They practice using the new tool to show me they can be safe, respectful and responsible with it. As long as they continue to use them correctly and take care of them they can continue to use them. </div><div><br></div><div>Here are some of the books I used!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_fd1c_1a11_2679_eb1c" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/syQgg8MXHM-WtsXyeBZPrhLEzAO48eDCbbUlDSqKOav5CmJmhw7QgIZh_rYm2xA36Uw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here are some items that have shown up in our Mystery Box that we will use to create, explore and document what we notice with!</div><div><br></div><div>The first item to appear was the pencil! We learned how to grip a pencil properly, not push too hard and put them away point up so the lead doesn’t break! “The Line” was a perfect book for this! They used their pencils and lines to create their first drawing of themselves in Kindergarten and to write their name. Next came crayons! “How the Crayons Saved the Unicorn” is such a sweet story about friendship and helping and worked so well to introduce crayons! We learned the same thing with crayons as we did with pencils but also need to put them away with the right colors. </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_3947_c07d_bf61_293b" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/h9gUia7mWf4i6Fj2Qy-ypz_BIcTF6fTTo-xZSh-uv_6i6A8P6Y0dgk7ygINgyRmstE0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Next were scissors and glue sponges! We practiced learning to use scissors safely by cutting strips of colored paper. We used the glue sponges to glue the colored pieces to their names. Cutting is a great way to strengthen those fine motor muscles needed for writing!<br><br><img id="id_b175_89c3_44d9_671" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/4nmbEp6mlguuowA8NrS-pV3-KIqNYabKssbG3sNqOOaBeNE8lCPvUh9R5BzWkhoMI08" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c519_16dd_cd86_5082" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/wtoS5g654b_4VAk1e3Afq1AIAylQYqbmOWPOiQs6xycEz7HrT6mn_9YicBLGUmHuOOg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c50b_4c44_6957_8771" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/JDYJYude9VGc1XYFwNTm0S8pJlUgmqeNCnjSAF2sQIYRUloY-uBHyzN-wVi0hqjhx54" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We also found glue sticks in the mystery box! I modeled how to create a collage with scrap paper and scissors and then used glue sticks to glue them on. Then they practiced making their own! <br><br><img id="id_69b5_a179_f9ff_dded" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/S8luhlOtUfKKcMm1EqWDjcI2dIdIee20oJMsP6hojsbgVDqlOc8UdfMmtcWwRNNYyXY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They were VERY excited when markers showed up in the box! We learned to put the caps on the backs like hats so the cylinder shaped cap doesn’t roll and get lost! They put them away caps up so we know they all have their caps!<br><br></div><div><img id="id_de52_7703_634e_ad8" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/mQC6CBbp64EyJezk5e0VV4gifErkgid813hVkRg2eSV_6C0lD3RqKw7a89_0MWnZtGY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div><img id="id_99c2_c63f_9221_591d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/1FS1dHUTPY3Ueq_G08U8Z4SgSvohhfRzwsKghqa9P-fxDJHgBH8yvRFFE9-4zqexCHc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>We read “Little Green” and created our own lines capturing how the hummingbird flew! Lines are important because we use straight, curved, slanted, loops, zigzags and more to make letters, numbers and pictures.</div><div><br><img id="id_e662_c012_460a_9c0f" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/kTGxbeQ37kZblqbXf6boQKQ9ZX64NcOhjG41fPN7pU0sX8ixwwGsGmbm4eSM8e70UsM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They were shocked to see these appear in the Mystery Box! Permanent Markers!! They learned that to use these they have to put the cap on the end and put their paper on a clipboard so it doesn’t mark up our tables. They also learned that Sharpies are only used to make line drawings. Never for coloring! We read “Ish” so they knew their drawings didn’t have to be perfect! They practiced by creating a self portrait using sharpies. If their self portrait looked “Me-ish” that was just fine!</div><div><br><img id="id_9301_c6ee_d2e0_21f1" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/8c3SX7QYCqiwAqiITEJ2GLIQ9jFrEDDtUleqA5om5cA9F-uWh-4CqflSS-78m8-cLJE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_eff0_4637_8a2e_b284" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/6YUxX3XylBztd1nOxEOes-SapUeYejHe55gEG0iveDhtnm27YxipqumrjH5QuIk5uaI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Watercolors were next! We learned how to keep the colors clean. We also learned that a lot of water makes the colors lighter. Too much water and we can barely see them. A little bit of water and the colors are brilliant and bright! <br><br><img id="id_b11c_459a_dd2d_274b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/RDYlYVWoIzrBQ7JhBJaM_sqWFvPsNkKK0tBDQ1MX9syFEz779tkHxptoaK38ZFU4ysg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We practiced using them by adding some “Oomph” to our plain, white name tags! “Oomph” is an awesome book to help kids add more detail to anything…rather it be illustrations, writing, building, art, observational documentation, etc. <br><br><img id="id_d2d6_6de1_177a_226b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QvtbjmqEwbyYwjqYpcV7Sg3jJxp7Stxjoj-k49UVtpN3CBaBEDjoW5GQKPPSTvHHQLM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We also used watercolors to create a backdrop for our self portraits we made with the sharpies! There is a beautiful book called “Our Kindergarten Family” that goes perfect with this!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_c908_68a9_dd1e_4784" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/lMlk2_FPR4Q3f2pCCXMEpg0C-4DCY7yPqtOJo3BnjauAz_ruzx0exzwa-DIBnpVkxlU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Permanent markers are a great tool to use with watercolors. They use the sharpie to create the lines then use watercolor to add oomph! We use these together in science a lot to create observational drawings to show what they notice!</div><div><br></div><div>Here are some other items we now can use that appeared in the Mystery Box!</div><div><br></div><div>Play dough! </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_830_97bc_ad7d_4cb5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/j0AEplJBhbdutu17OPdpb-yrel8Dda8ZN6lr3ujWZfYNamZ7KMMJMsR2SCtY7PyrHrc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Oil Patels! These are great to use along with watercolors! <br><br><img id="id_1c6d_f4f_2d25_5a83" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/r222D6WgecoT0yw_1xuOKGCYM8QS6KNOCDBNcGPurovJMQ6xsHes1PYx6g_E6_5xR5g" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9e4f_50a5_eb6e_e118" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/qQDWNaImSryfJUF_3KcRej6k5gvU0Squqex9MP5153g6YbDKBSN2q1KY05LAYGxZrOU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Twistables!<br><br><img id="id_7d5a_15d3_56ca_dfb7" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/5-9z522c0hJ21TIUOvTXOon6Bjn3x2wh0l3SYusGX-NGzY4bxpFQqU1AFDKae6vSTCU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Pipettes!<br><br><img id="id_b691_c5e3_7305_7595" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/15oFcxwuVTwVWOi8t5qWCeWR4Ld0TmHQivrBmnfi8z5skYWgxlA_15DAb3q4Fip0BLs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>All of these tools look like they are primarily used in art, but in our room all of these tools are always available for them to use to show their thinking! You can show your thinking with so much more than paper/pencil/crayons! These tools can help them show their thinking from math, to science, to writing, to story-making….every single one of these can be used! Children use many languages to show what they know. The language of painting, sculpture, drawing, building, creating with recyclables, collage, etc. can be used to both learn from and show what they know about every single subject! It is a beautiful thing to see and I’m excited to see how these kids will use it all!</div><div><br></div><div>Here are some other things going on in our class!</div><div><br></div><div>We are being exposed to one letter a day and creating an alphabet for our Sound/Word Wall! The picture go along with our keyword for each letter in our phonics curriculum.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_b7ba_76c9_2cbc_b789" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/yqyOn3_oBJU7G4wAD1RpxqGjbWFk65lVT3Lv8DzxZnihGJDNGpXuA-VO1qDiJhBI76g" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We started Learning Stations! We have two playtimes not counting our outdoor play. Our morning play/exploration starts with 15-20 minutes where they are assigned an area of our room (see my last post to see the different areas they would be assigned). After that time is up, they can choose to stay or clean up and make another choice for another 15-20 minutes. Our afternoon play/exploration is about 40 minutes long and is all free choice. Here are some of the literacy and math invitations I set up for them.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_b525_2f5a_6716_cbed" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/qQxHYiQYMkAJLKk0s-ykrMLRlLPn14ZnqzNGUyIuLDtWTFpsNNnr8hR_m8TP73klDTE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Who can find all the letters first?<br><br><img id="id_6319_26c5_4885_f4a0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/O-zt_l3F7ZiE15ZN0FxnALDMKml0AZ5qsnQU-ik-0w5S6Pecf4XfLZDRk72oUsSz98Y" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5fa5_cd15_5fa6_ce46" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/o2GhACxKl1Qzvfuvpsz_2ZJZdw9W2_rY6g70IxCdD5aFk8lqiepm12CYVgto0A_iIkE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_a076_aee9_b2b6_c779" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/f4vJHxx27tghnGtNYATggrggCnyWRyXqg1AwPD814mFmONtaTGUg8pMjn6-VdmlrU4g" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_247b_afa_b64d_5563" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/yNb0h26PlAPOuPxFnNV7oA5O1SN07Onl6Mv-D_DTNfWd7S6__RbjgXcboJykJCdAJGQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Build a tree and see how many letters it can hold!<br><br><img id="id_38fe_3623_3e7f_3e48" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/47E2Q7v757ZXxIPmsX0qwtvDBCOBALCmP6QoxNVSppQYsjSHigF-SeICjCOnaW_7a_U" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Our new Writing Area!<br><br><img id="id_f49d_c3d_9a0f_e405" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/qGjt6zVH19scqo8mAHIFpwoQ5Bzae_omn9gtr4fyLzGHJX-y8uN5AVX64TFwqiStBYA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Developing number sense!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_2fb5_f30b_dc43_35a7" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/C1SBIaB6VCHa2DHHPcOQxteTvJtPjVVFh_-FOrm3svM3sFpOZMCbsFcVlJI_4F2haLw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They have shown a huge interest in patterns and using weight as measurement so I put out some invitations for them to explore these concepts!<br><br><img id="id_53ca_b0c5_6f3f_3f9b" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/wV8nqe6poeBjNc9TJyqvajhIcJs7CqxssB_HBv2e7x_k8Og2yAAq0ZlN9zzeH1ymhn8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Bingo is always a favorite! This will help them identify numbers with automaticity! <br><br><img id="id_a724_e5b6_e05a_37b4" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Zrh-88t1ML83U_vq706rgTflhQEFS5I9wFZII5RbGD96jIW6BocJ6rcv55FkjhwJWjI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We have started exploring color at our Maker Space and Science Areas! You will find out all about that next week!</div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-13774158072200032512022-09-05T18:47:00.001-04:002022-09-05T18:47:47.196-04:00A Play Based Environment in a Public School SettingI get many questions on how I work play into a public school setting. In our room, play is the priority and everything else works around it. The reason for this is that play is how kids learn about the world around them and where they practice skills naturally. One way to foster play is to create an environment where play experiences are set up for them to use as they want to and where they can see, think and wonder. They will practice not only academic skills, which do get used constantly in very authentic ways as kids play, but also the life skills they need in order to be successful in any setting. In order for kids to be successful, they need to develop and practice problem solving (this includes problems with others), critical thinking, creative thinking, patience, collaboration/teamwork, communication, and self regulation/self control. In our room, these are the priority all year long.<div><br></div><div>Here is a tour of the areas in our new room in our new school and why they are important! The room has already changed a bit since these pictures were taken and will continue to change as I get more shelves and tables needed for some of these areas! Here is what it looks like so far and how each area fosters learning.</div><div><br></div><div>Here are a couple before pictures of our room. It is truly a beautiful new room/building and I love it!! It’s so big! The building and technology are top-of-the-line! And we have air conditioning! I am very appreciative of all they did for us in this wonderful new building.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_15dc_f76a_6999_e8de" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-wAoc3IssKc41MjVbNn8A4XIWJL2XNJSuoH0REZSOzfblNpnW2f74CDJp2Zz6l7JP6c" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e6d8_9e21_fe14_694b" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/SgM2ic9IKEeMEfLdBFgjjWHRlGuD_9CFRsbfz5k8l6IkBp2TRCY0TlKojb54f1Io1UU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here is our room after I added my own things that I feel are also necessary to teach early childhood and my own personal touches. We do put a lot into our classrooms. The art easel and Dramatic Play furniture came from my old classroom. The baskets you see are not for decoration but are used as containers for different things we use throughout the year.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_dd80_9b1c_2899_6002" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/yXkhwtfEIqyUmacn11H5xB7e47OpfhFJfzQK2cEaUBQfmnU4whXvDqmACmFz9wPXbfs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9a51_4be5_1a77_a25" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/ffGSdk6CCGo0zvRWmJemaPyTwYx6-VIOGqpvCcKSXGqz6inv1uxxVkHu8EyhdbGICGE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here is our literacy area. I desperately need a bigger table dedicated for writing! Hopefully soon! In this area, books for enjoyment and learning can be enjoyed and provide inspiration! Laying down with a good book is also a great way to self regulate and calm big feelings! Same with writing/drawing! Writing materials such as crayons, thick and thin markers, colored pencils, pens, scented markers, water colors, etc. will be kept here for them to record their stories. Also, decodable books and literacy stations will be here for them to practice phonics and other reading skills. They choose what they want to work on when they visit here.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_3620_8e3c_4c73_b7d2" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/zzde2Vxm2oHCovwY4iNGX-4BYOs7GB845g3AZEeQZbBNp954tj-QVG95aA-jTZMcNl0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>Here they are practicing making different lines by painting them on a rock with water. Lines are important because we use them when forming letters and drawing pictures. </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_d783_8b1d_6180_4204" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/YmAQR5JPAKG1vw1xzxVKl00DsPPm7q6v77aTda0sEVJYdgUTX9wCN3Cbdg9_BJHtkvg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This is the math area. Right now they are exploring the different materials we will use when exploring math concepts and learning how to take care of them and put them back where they belong when they are done.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_9280_d568_e8c0_a935" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/ogv0fR1uq1iR4sWv-yVdWCIx_UZL14_gEdqIy5JuBk2hLnAyZoi6a_PRq7hm26lq4pc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Measuring by weight is a huge interest I have noticed as they played so I will set something up here soon so that they can explore that concept further!<br><br><img id="id_8f87_a46e_c364_3a1" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/gYAcA50x-uMp9UHLF4GlrI1dGbfEWEExTUd0KaznALefOT-1x8RJ_b1AYJvhB28pKAU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This is our Dramatic Play Area where they can role play different roles such as those at home, in restaurants, at the airport, flower shop, beauty salon, space station, bakery, toy shop, etc. This area will be changed based on their interests! Here they practice most of the language skills in our state standards. They also write for authentic reasons because they need to. They build vocabulary as it turned into new areas. They practice problem solving skills as problems arise between them and their friends or when something isn’t going as planned. They act out stories showing knowledge of sequence and comprehension. They use critical and creative thinking skills here also! It’s one of the most important areas in an early childhood setting!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_c67_26_5644_cc87" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/VnZ5X4ugR7w4aAI27yExsYKrgNefXYZ0SEGRrZ3fKZ9o25kVW3-zUOUToG8giKildAQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Next is our art area! I need to add another table to this area also! Here is where their creative thinking skills can shine! Things will be hung up to inspire them, but I always let them listen to their inner artist in this area! Art builds confidence and also is a calming self regulation tool that can help with mental health! Tempera paint, water colors, play dough, clay, colored paper, yarn, collage materials and more will be made available in this area.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_b020_44f5_203d_6ad7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/DLU_wNQv62zMVg-SrhIJ7lHn7nRYUrvur_RXxHZkbPxUssoG7aG69ZjiWlFUk618Ao0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>The glass jars hold loose parts that will be used in pretty much every area in the room! <br><br><img id="id_4e86_12fd_f27b_4760" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/SIOVCp-o-Y5Hf2UNC_7JUW9LnXb889f4FKcuNTXa3h_b1o_4mKAuvW2nmvB4oYZctG8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_bb89_bcf5_f8d0_f3eb" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/xLQ4zZD_ICwy-EdAU4yrqpXyRrg25bhr3M7e1mSEEAUDRO1jZuRergbthBJzlFlq1x0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This area is our Maker Space. Ultimately it will be the area where kids will write out a plan and create using art materials and recyclables. Paper tubes, puff balls, beads, feathers, wire, pipe cleaners any odds and ends parents send in that they think kids could create something with! A mixture of art and engineering happen here. They have to be both creative and critical thinkers and also problem solvers when their idea or materials they chose aren’t working out! They will sometimes collaborate with others to create a project together or ask for someone’s help if they can’t figure it out. Here they have to learn to deal with frustration and have grit! They learn to not give up but instead to sometimes walk away from it then come back and problem solve! At first they created with mandala pieces until they learned how to be responsible with glue and scissors. For now they can create with paper, scissors and glue but as they learn to take care of more materials, more will be added. </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_fdca_86c5_2fa1_df29" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/PUUJCSm-AmvxgUd71w9Ur1hdqSlFUa_LJBQvW2QgZU4YVawfFxUzrHyU7frJpaPF6JU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b22a_851a_13c5_763f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/F2K7IrhXqbaoeVaO9GKKyf6EVkhpHFgZRgT8PFRqW7BLTax0ynkhdhl8spTmjtEha5M" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e3a5_e438_7de2_88c8" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/KBhrJVYnjqvpdP99FxDGFlZQfXCUyWDDjEQJpOl1WFoT8u9mvvgaRxHzwbusRjwMVZM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here is our Engineering Area! It is filled with Engineering toys such as Legos, Magnetix, K’Nex, etc. Here they will use creative and critical thinking skills, problem solving skills and will also collaborate with a team to create things! Also, what is more calming if your frustrated, angry or sad than building with these toys! </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_44c0_69e8_a06a_45c2" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/MrO_Mh_r8FJyUKTSP4L38-ruMchmB2PIDlrPy7JoRgLzggXxkoZX0p6UJC8tGb5ivsY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div><img id="id_6636_47b1_f589_17fc" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/w8XGhf3ndA6ZTEQOZ8o_05G9bAL2uqE1TL6gvAkYIinxgEzpSAsE28jqqnF7_UjQEhc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This is our Building Area! It fosters similar skills as Engineering, but also creative storytelling! I love the stories they share with the settings and characters they create here with blocks and other materials. I also see a lot of math and physics being explored in this area!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_f58f_cbdf_55ad_881a" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/nloNIGVrp44ewoxgEzp3IFVb31s8GKogcdHk5JJmmYx8cxO_qCIxkms1J0tvtiOQT2A" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_de3f_b39f_8b70_e677" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/KXO7dIjgzqnL68CkClhlX_SVKkxHU31shLMRyy4uMEkLY4PmMMTIgSKI9p4coie0Xdg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Our Science Area has been very popular the first week of school! These kids love to wonder, look closer, and explore and this is the place to do it! It also happens outside! Some are very interested in bugs. Here they will also use writing skills as they create informational writing about what they see, wonder and think! They will be able to use art materials including paint and clay later to show what they notice as scientists!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_dda0_2b74_ca65_a3a9" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Nd248tZFa8RrqtcJCutlxn0rknfNtjEXatacst0iOzaPKBJ3f1o4-HL42YimnVQ6Fl8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_80c8_819e_8d46_d078" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/A1RSGKatP5ux4wIevnIRwmIL-K32IPmLPOdtvhtnZnVwTwD_wUt35L0Jo3hU6pxPens" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I love how they made friends for an ant they caught so it wouldn’t be lonely! They tried so hard to catch the grasshopper!<br><br><img id="id_1920_7ed8_3cf_857" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/G1YNy-O8imTi0Urb9lYL1RsZvKhjFKHjI9fZWhkBnaBkd0aami2XIVQ6_8MlinRyrpU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We have a sensory area where they can calm through running their hand through different materials. They can also explore math and literacy concepts here. Right now they are filling, scooping and dumping!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_87dd_2868_c97f_d820" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/d_Dz7Hu1z-7RlIIxiwzdYNdDKzfbNcoJt-7Z8JP-GnHKunROs8Gy-blLF2cIJKtljUs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_f342_5ad_c749_316d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CnBZc1zdJaNL51dOsVNFwM_7H5FEcjJ2zkFEpNUX4dCVcfwZAhyAln6emqXJb_rl7F8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We have an area to explore through light but it has not been opened yet!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_190d_4200_87d2_4a43" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/5tAt2EZGkBJ9oZPMDlHmS-6E9OfbppmiN1Bkn7yOG3p7q25z7edOK85HifPl4jcTsGs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Drawing and writing materials are always available at their tables also! I separate crayons by color because it makes them choose colors more deliberately rather than just grabbing a random crayon from a box. They also take much better care of them this way so they last much longer!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_4fe7_4507_64d0_79e8" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/8saoM-H-Fsv1IaTXnPn_GwIakAamy5x3pYFh5O8O7Yc8L6TwyPWnCAij6L4q2X8PPqI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This will be where I do small group instruction. Reading, writing, and math will be practiced here but we will also use this space for group projects that go along with the subjects we will study in science and social studies.<br><br><img id="id_9290_5931_c8b5_4eeb" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Z96I4LCjIWGCqQAHGgaIQVV_bMQjaucFDoC9VggrKQ3VdPO613cERirbydHqI2TlGZY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>And last but not least is our whole group area where I provide whole group instruction in all subjects but also where we dance, sing, be silly and enjoy good stories together!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_3138_819_a33d_f8f5" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/u9F-SWthXT-0_0AioIwBJqx2grUbanxXWTnIC8HoOue9AzCY9evX8ZstGV1wdwJEYF8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>And that is our new room! As you can see, play has many benefits. Not only for learning but for mental health and community building. Almost every area can be used to clam down or get your mind to take a break from problems or emotions that sometimes might take it over. I started teaching this way the last 10 of my 29 years of teaching and the difference in the kids problem solving skills and coping skills is amazing! The first half of the year I guide them through it, the second half of the year, most are doing most of it on their own. </div><div><br></div><div>We had a great first week! You will hear all about what we have been learning about in next weeks blog post!</div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-20253488240539154892022-04-03T19:28:00.001-04:002022-04-03T19:28:03.361-04:00Kindergarten GeologistsWe knew we had to start investigating rocks and crystals when the kids started opening rock shops on our playground!<div><br></div><div><img id="id_14ec_db7c_7e6b_1124" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/41N68s-Yr-_MZqDRVTNjDK2MRHAJ8YNkCLiF9ckNJNbdp-W4Al47PhyziP2RP-S9BJ0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_55f4_375d_4097_ba45" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/QkGnMzF5JYM8YQ8_konsp3JLVKI2SbdNn08CnEDmV4Lxqo2hlIBWx2aBBG2Q2xHg9ck" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div><div><div><img id="id_948c_3479_5832_5c09" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Jy5vIiXelFzNVD5I8RaqRo5q4Hmp_5AclpQdBOrEQD0Lkl7EpKnQA6-7bIUqGY1L1UQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_cace_db20_c95b_9b1e" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/TfrrpNgDhyRTBIP8AkQSwVNBQVozABQ_dN83gnm7wlgJEwkns6NZCvbuB09tKhrENhk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>These rocks are meteor rocks from space. If you buy one it will give you a power…but you don’t know what kind of power you will get until you buy one and see what happens! <br><br><img id="id_2af5_fc00_76c0_e6f" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/rBJqjLLOtGPHagtgGEsGzLLI-q7CSTr_SUlcczGbq9v0dff__x-Qp9SVSUi2_tXo9UY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I am very excited for our new school and new playground, but this imaginative play with nature…rocks, sticks, pine combs, leaves flowers, etc. that become so many things in their imaginations is something I will really miss! I hope we can still somehow incorporate some natural elements!</div></div></div><div><br></div><div>The kids were also bringing Miss Megan and I all the rocks they could find to show us what amazing characteristics they had and asking if we could take them to our room!</div><div><br></div><div>Based on these interests, we set up the room so that they could explore rocks and their attributes further!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_a17a_6d4d_723a_67b4" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/4r3i99p4OKEbM-FLGznX4fc1MAMOGqKwbJPwp-Xx8ZpAHfbMGkJbNI3Y3oFp9dQpAW8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_993_e94b_4c0e_3753" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/lTeBFCC8Dx8x5a-T9nDR3GmvSrksC92q_w_mfowPoWUfM_GRvT8SEU3UJHJKKc6-V6w" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We had been learning about measurement in math so we provided some materials for them to apply what they had been learning. They compared weight, height, and length of different rocks. <br><br><img id="id_53d7_f91d_f339_24ad" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/nTa0MIa6Mcl3upLAaIFn84156ruoqDt4zCO7MfxsTJSITdsQKWdtN1LQ_7UQI2s15hI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_d9ae_54df_f368_2543" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/qBr53l3jvkFzFf4TOqTf7GUoTqnZ7CIG6MBx7k57Hk5AS2dl81Dv0u27u5r2vBf_dtA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>The kids also sorted rocks by different attributes: color, shape, size, rough/smooth, crystal/not crystal, geode/ not geode.<br><br><img id="id_3ffd_51a1_5ca6_4388" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_d2QHxSFx6LreAZah_2CEN_sZeU0mZuW8YEIREmT87UEvKHWC026e64-kjPVBlZlEIA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2b8e_8780_ab6d_7716" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/jhr71uuGjI_QXn5AXjJ0k1xirm9JpJoAf6wFwuyPa4Ok8bhOHf101asFXI90nxpgrbM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_6de6_c810_c85b_18bb" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KH7znSw33YHDsx87QNvbQiO0163Lor0COcBbZ2bpzXtYxw3Un9vnpwJ1SbhGwhQVxRM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_d506_66ec_40db_737" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/HQuS43JucLuafTOnHpWNUf0n-sg5-GS6Dd0fyIX5ohQF6gdEFV7pwWZQCEi7Yu1lFTY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They looked closer and documented what they noticed! </div><div><br><img id="id_30cf_3329_c836_425d" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/PLxhv00Op5TXmJIRHwBdNva9ZKa2ywJ5DYtbCv9PvQuM1MlqaeQQgHSRwOomwFxCubA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_ab8a_76ae_7339_6013" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/14F5vzvXyHwKwZ7Tw2F44Ddqp5aOiD7zuTTN5-qczUqnAHfFzkU6wmtxesQQOmEdjyg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Some decided to use watercolor to show what they noticed. Their detail was amazing!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_ca24_34c1_4e2a_97c3" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/AiT4DNWCVXhyvC2k8mS7H0eUF-smim4C1SrZe__5OiWHSU2a543KlZz0PhcnZWzUoJk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_55a8_8ba_ba7b_3afd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/VYRhGmS13IHyTNiQdFSoSlPxvtgv7wizy5cHEojmNpN0cZQqC5Y0o8OPeTlhM38BTRA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>One friend who chooses to show his learning through the language of sculpture whenever he can even documented a gem from a book using clay!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_121a_2ba3_2fb7_966" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9M0YhtcP1jQ8SlCMNEs6gNhOIneWL7i6cyhyKX72rWLGrGrNgFb3FXchLkLiqXUskE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here a friend used agate to create some art on the old projector! Can you tell what it is?</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_5ade_2f65_7b71_f8f1" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/xgNUlz9D0XefRiGgy2WlJT5RbRmMNR3CXfdX-AsrGqhIEfyTYYjBO680KIaH9_Y78mw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They practiced observational drawings/informational writing by picking a rock and trying to record every tiny detail they noticed and listing some of its attributes to describe it.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_aa30_2dc4_1669_e5ec" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/ogwPVm7UxOcMmP0l7-zDYTugnNwRZfQNtgRDKCYmV7DUdT_2Pmae_bEleD8apN6dtWU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b955_7f06_8ebd_74db" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Lm4ODRv6o2z9YreAySAW4l6RqyeHrfrnLyjBIIKw7bPztwtoWKjgDBpnspHGr1onD08" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_71ec_424c_c81e_d242" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Uk6TcxmLBiltBbK9yLfWikHE98kE-QlsQcQ-Hb4lfxNxGRWgovOGESlxywTheT7bgC4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_f780_209a_932b_626" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/VY-h3aMnBP0qv0HvJpCogC9kaMpydEqM0jjNWUdFDDakPVaQI8ZxpwLoN6gFXDS_4a4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_ac35_3ea_7b51_538e" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/sh4Zh0sazHkwqXcx87ULOSq8JpkYupHE9adQcc_WTEpVqhWSLOx0ZrZPKHCiOraEO7I" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_16b6_45eb_4c36_7303" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/3YvRZAt52brplRvvtunOG-1mfrFEMl0MD0VyuQGdeXQ8IJla2d6T8WXQU2ecC_kxUXU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5afe_85f8_1574_3fb0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KAZaKoawL0vNLNYo3G9Xc3wEEOrvYfSilUA1JpNHCfh53N4iA3ZM7tvjOFLzN634A_Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_51b_193_cfa8_c79" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/DFVzNWPT1jx2_VrTy6A6D3ag83rPFxylxWmg3jwNuwuTIwwpA3BVNlNSrUFRDlmTCsU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>On the playground a group was very excited to have found what they considered a very interesting fossil! They thought it might be a leg bone or a tooth!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_d19f_6ad1_9513_4ead" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/jEIGGkpOoDVrBrDmgZH_rdPW74xa76xX1lwQFapgarp5oslcp7sOpuQ8W3er2IMpgsQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e6de_3bd2_50ff_eb26" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/3nen9w2pe6LE15BJM3BfPNsh2BH6y0zW_9W1D1H7IEB_WzM6VwB9q5AO9Oi9AZtW0Qc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Miss Megan showed them a video about paleontologists and fossils then set up an area for them to make their own out of air dry clay.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_d7d9_a8d2_118b_df91" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/RAzmeBxtFhLgjyUggNn73EE8AXa6RHBlcPXbQkVQcPQLwvxwyj8536wOYigfl6Iv9XA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5f05_730c_fd83_75e9" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Twxr8WdEy9f9n2ebKIJq8OndmVc9LxfAYoTzOUvpMAEHPohSGw6GEOcM7eMN0BHVcDo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_174f_f882_178b_3b76" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pVTkIaUJU3S7MSFWoen1SjZcWZosgPtcPP8rfUrHyxudgjdTPEtMIgusbRQf_G-mYiU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We read a very good book called “Scribble Rocks” and it gave us an idea for a Random Act of Kindness!! It was time for the Kindness Ninjas to strike again! They decided to create scribble rocks for Miss S’s class! They found rocks outside, then made a plan of how they wanted their scribble rock to look. They painted their rocks with acrylic paint. The idea is for Miss S’s friends to make marks on the rocks and pass them on to another class!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_516d_ece8_e87f_ef13" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/qqhg-44FYmD_QqL2Xr5wpC0BsQ8aJ_wzPN9-2xaJ6iyGNhavyM-gOVkBIhmbLdVAXDg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_a8d6_ce29_8b15_7f0f" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/88uadH13XaCxjNyo9SPK8ZQI577QNZtl9LawD0jiR-czP5W8ycFtcTVTzN1S_0y7CIs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c7dd_2d90_b31_9684" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/lWa33jx4LQa-sFLqWjE4xKVdgClZ1ICFAUGPPtcs2grXQySblnhEKOqhNSXno6CwrZU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_32d9_58ae_257d_868a" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-BJUWPFNRqxWh9w-PphP-epRnW4PJmSzBMRJ5nFenay7uYjlYJpPv73O_FtcjeSx06Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>It was a great way to end our unit on rocks. They all started a rock collection and may decide that geology is in their future!</div><div><br></div><div>Here are some other things that has gone on in our classroom!</div><div><br></div><div>Miss Megan explored sound with the kids and they learned that sound is caused by vibrations and is made in many different ways! I wish I took more pictures but I was testing the kids for their report cards! This unit was also interest based as the kids kept showing us ways they could make different sounds with different objects, so Miss Megan grabbed onto that interest and did an amazing investigation with them!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_32e5_bf01_3554_634b" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/sWo3abyFzddXLG-LUifgB2RvGP3Ks9jKADQrGAaGu5lU3-6JblHzymhxwO9zkD5LKQ4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_65ca_c0e4_3522_75ac" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/PHxwd-dV3WXDx-ihyfGHUo1XwZCpZ9VlF0fHfyRWk1N5uDzWAcll48oKFj_qbF7PUaA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_a88b_c9f0_2b58_ab77" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/F6383-nizy0Wf9LN1uveqyV_LNAN3SwE0CGkpR70_ryFESs5JxXOnNhJum8b7MHRZjM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>The kids created a pet shelter in our dramatic play area! They learned the needs of living things and what pets needed to survive! They also learned how to take care of many different pets…even snakes!<br><br><img id="id_6da6_b74b_3d91_a74e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3jBkBovTlllvDErs_pvJSrTjz-FmCLUzOE13ljAXWzpJ3RLYmSYEZ2oPXGV33USRImE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_adec_804c_ab37_5bcd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vhsURFbHNA1PHyp1eU-0B1KI9EeqGTEXeJqnUCoL22uRsI98UMoNi913gDLWkfNZp0U" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>The kids worked in teams to make traps to catch a leprechaun, but he got away! He did leave us quite a surprise when we came in the next day! We still have glitter everywhere! </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_90dd_12f8_d83f_8a5f" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/YASckSliA6cNdi7CwlIeJFjSxpzQRiuv2yi8sdQnlzoHdhhYwJ_Us-upKFy9YLHr2mk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b1b6_a7b8_407d_de77" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/0crEKk7T9wCKiFKWizXWGPpsLXgBr01Qmy454oM2730kcn8HWEQNaM6Wb0kFrYS0gAI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>So much more interests are being shown that we may have to start picking and choosing! We have noticed an interest in fashion design, beauty parlors, rainbows and space! I can’t wait to see where these kids take us next!</div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-54176665056786177362022-02-13T20:55:00.001-05:002022-02-13T21:08:42.085-05:00Exploring Force and Motion And Simple Machines<div>After making the ramp to get all of our food items for those experiencing homelessness down the stairs, the kids started showing an interest in ramps and how things roll. We grabbed onto this interest and set up some ways for them to explore these concepts further! We learned that force is either pushing or pulling. We also learned that nothing can move without some sort of force. But sometimes things moved without us pushing or pulling them, especially on a ramp or if we dropped it. We discovered the force of gravity and enjoyed exploring through art! </div><div><br></div><div>We created an incline plane so that gravity could pull marbles down through globs of paint! They noticed that sometimes the paint created resistance and slowed the marble down!</div><div><br></div><img id="id_d239_898c_7835_5dbc" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/s-KuOw7ua0CF3bPPKM0StXZCxQu1xc-_U4lqXBHWnJ9D9foRSdr2CZyl3fSW6MYFNOY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_38cd_b254_8d0f_84c6" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/pkb_YIBhpydc5wyFabL_Koji88o8ZpB2tDpDz3KVN095ZD5kaYumD1azpttdxB9GbqQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We let droppers <b>push </b>paint out onto paper and gravity <b>pull</b> the paint down the paper!<br><br><img id="id_eb_e4aa_2b30_a2af" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/YxOmdIKW5D-E3AaOQPah0THCrxS7vvLr6cPolI-4pd4KGv9a_gHX2nth5Sm8DZmo_ng" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b548_e896_433a_40d5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/dUiccT7HV8-PKm-k6-1W_NLq4SEThInAoPH-E7E4qhvZaOgdYUDfm0CKQE5sNMn-kZs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We created a collaborative art piece by using the forces of push and pull! Here they pushed and pulled the brushes across the canvas.<br><br><img id="id_643c_a23_8255_4bcc" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Q-GxTtzlIMaY3jCxKH1ngXoCfrc0xgeboqyOJzdXoXRH9BrMwlJBTsn71eZP2RoAhs0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c8a5_d6b0_d420_b289" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/eivduk3brZWw42XNSvnJxt-daGrdwpIMPs8TSkjcYFVzhiI0hFJk0kcJ-qL5io018zE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They pushed toy trucks across the canvas in paint and also made the canvas into an inclined plane so that gravity could pull the trucks down.<br><br><img id="id_f069_bb1a_fc94_552" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/R1svQNP5rUdbv-tfhBp_PCDmA2q9l7fQC5qi2C3VxZEuHwzhV341fCi69ptbY7ET1E0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_30cc_b1f8_ffd2_bca" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/zq5rm_rupdmx57iQPUrGG-0uRWnbqWR_KTrsWjQSGEJ8HHAhCHe6psc4JlIy79DXcTQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They pushed and pulled cardboard across some paint to create more marks. <br><br><img id="id_41d6_df62_18f7_8889" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/lN7lyazOjJxjqj0HoH4R_EkIuYL_ZcWG0BEIu5NSv1mtf-Yg6ZnKnuJfaBNl2benQNg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They also dipped yarn into paint and used forces of push and pull to flick the paint or drag it across the canvas.<br><br><img id="id_a859_527a_1616_93d3" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/EVjz0ioau_48DM4kZ0-VtBww41f2UkjlD5e88BPZC51J1bDex9zWMs_g003xq7PCD3A" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here is our collaborative art piece so far! We are taking a little break from it for now, but will definitely add more as the year goes on!<br><br><img id="id_dedf_7a0a_b883_bb4c" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/oDF0ZK6hvuUON59CuhiX5ECgZ1p90Biod_F1qcecJpcIBWT-cAIN8XoaHC1cZjK5eNk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4f22_1b3c_1275_a993" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/VZxgsRsDMgUOrqSzNOEkmBr68aa8-EonjN1e5gW8EdmA55yiKt4rbZXZm3pl7hDxk5A" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>My amazing Student Teacher put together this display to show their Force and Motion art!<br><br><img id="id_99e1_56eb_1fb3_234f" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/HPgJvULInIwa28CAUJgdySRGAG19NJkJu2XYFdlKXA0ImOV0tQGY--1K7Ak4dect2ww" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><br><div><br></div><div>We made some salt dough to show how sculptures are also made using the forces of push and pull.<br><br><img id="id_a74a_1064_ead3_311e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ntzcDlYn958nSrK4rLLqBfo8BOHWsGTi7vjR5GC8U623VUjqWiN6Ng95vHpE80i6_2k" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e2e1_3364_54c4_de4f" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Yw4JpnMTiOj2wmaOlIRTcczV4LrtD7hVNTHRI4YukzvfK15lGuN7vS5BDo3uTgksMcs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9e67_b793_60ac_7559" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_zTfhJyMoC1u27Bw5YKjmAeiIIMs7kukflMoMfNSIYh-VBMeF0mBvEl-rOGQvD2r8xY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5b37_a480_82fe_6ed7" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/ovalKtnalI-yDBOqrf1dHnGOtlE-o_Hr9ZZYLIqvYl45gxPbVvRK2h7ORGn0PLT7Hlg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They created plans and then pushed and pulled the dough to create these sculptures!<br><br><img id="id_e941_da97_ce70_b742" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_Mq6eU6HAMItMVJJTNU5ahyjTeaD-HSZ8Es4Ol71wTHPlGxVKHDZ876HKKaoXbljw_M" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They loved this so much that I brought out the clay. We have some very talented sculptors in our class!<br><br><img id="id_4115_d326_ea55_9bbe" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/s1hnlX0vw-eQ2J1rPdiHHwzIWylIwlIaJWJE4zOvZGXgn-IIglk1W3uzoScQ--PwZw4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_ecf0_fb10_59af_c248" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/F3VXRDQNQelvu0bRwQcgB3mHSWYl2kwVh1VIeAwWMxnRmXJ3emn2ureJNge4TxzPOXE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_6958_8d9f_b18e_305f" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/tQEfD75EMCmWGBLk5FvTAQWsH3wP8BqydySgLeL5rWO9pFUQSP7ax5R4zNJbXJCwqzg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_7d42_6ad5_89cb_e387" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/YkVAOSx_WlwAmQ3kXYjqAvl8WPLZMc887fS0DqRC0za5Dsk8WhYWpmv6EEmyhYgkttU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_8c84_ba44_dcb9_50df" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/tPhxxMwHpCL7FZqdQdgWCNRSD7q1t_4FYFsUlV9angTQMMxjFKXLaGKIVaRRMJMv7nk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_7b58_50c3_ed4e_c483" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ezV933gpYIoL212NuBfz1a1ca_ghYM-kl55btPkNkbuZ795gxP8M_otrV0t5UbSEprs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>As we started learning g about simple machines, we started out with ramps. Here they were challenged to create an inclined plane that would make the ball roll and stop at the end of the rope. Only two were able to do it!<br><br> <div><img id="id_b8f4_7bed_ca0d_d4ff" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/E-P6tXyxLC-17YO3-MfzfZuCbsl3zQ6TLPllGaAqUnMkq9vmk1uOzuW2hK5ZjyHGMw0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_d65f_6304_2a47_bb5" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/PfolGUWl_D_yHNC4L2T-acOpOe2gLEnZMFY7XhF1EkjR5mua3Xv5Kg6O0Bymineg0Rc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4bae_7be1_1420_44bd" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/61nyyWmWSrUWWytYUGrtrdwMGI3_GesSnv4UequebBNaf9-JlDjEUmg7lFNwKyU3-Z0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I set out materials for them to try and create some Rube Goldberg machines. When creating these, they collaborated, worked as a team, problem solved over and over and over and showed persistence to get them to work! They really showed grit and did not give up, sometimes working multiple days to get them to work! <br><br><img id="id_9af1_7a85_5bc8_4c74" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/dddYj8iENEO1mFeL_epahFDrRtc_7OMgZ1Tl8A0CdxX3wHd4i4Paq5s7RtVQJDpxgic" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1fe8_1565_1456_f19b" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Myc05TlnA6hMAFlRLX5j_gRD_30eHi5nArBRKcUz5jDBoPOKUW9s6mpaaNG8L1JTf2o" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5adb_5e96_4a46_2091" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/j7RSg952SnCUkzdLtXrEONHQsr5HcvHU1ZdEF3QNxFL-5wvRdMSI0iV9UZZOMSOhz0M" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_28b1_3e_d6b5_bd1d" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/MKbThcB-jzPy4ljrS5Nu40c5F5PIFYf5I3AiDnY5mZwGH8MRsP4UD2WDBmhkDIU7RQI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_40ce_f29b_9cb7_e748" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/gGtIpfUeD6LndVbouzY5jKOOcqPz0pDsRL2MXCE3qRXIwkl1EwjMp6fRJc5JZ_ub8CY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_248d_1090_4068_d069" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/xT5dj6dv0BwzUjlNwKmm7oNVIqwHZ-L79BYnikNxt5Jwh4HM29pihNbaFEr6bevJznQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_f296_5da9_6cb4_5c7d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/1wCjcDWuaVegdh5sTiZWykOwvLfMpQjSNDUbStPmybBbUgD99sKv0NtkFu111LKBi0M" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We also explored levers, screws, wedges and pulleys. <br><br><img id="id_6952_3044_cbb_aa92" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/m6DVMl5HIFaZnveRLhIVdc7ae0cjY8_MGz6ahTYvaDDFBMmjZuqhUmmGsuIXnvwj2ik" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e7b4_c35e_19af_77ae" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/5GYp8GyNMKFipx2WJEu1YfIbsxYTN9dEPpCvx7eXNNz-kQTRdvuYWeD7nAAQCdfyd-s" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4ce5_d4af_2f6e_6d05" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/NOJrOtCdXlWDzVQXWBNwozRhAxrGRLN5RyQMQSjldSzz5JW-EnEsIMtMp6Ae6kHUC-w" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e764_ff7e_304e_c712" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/GYASb_2rP39-BNbTygC8uxcUuCUfoE6E6IqZ_ykIaxvErF9cflSupRumRIOa3qskOZ4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We also learned about pulleys and how they make lifting loads easier! In fact, we learned that simple machines make all of our work easier!<br><br><img id="id_ae38_950e_e473_f9fd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/AzXtku8iXm0yCy61jgUg8kw8oL_f-2Yc_nTtK1Lvss5UYd8VXPBEaslKaeVSpwkyJ6Y" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Marble runs were a favorite!<br><br><img id="id_186e_320f_58e4_8d76" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/0Nco8UHDYrMbnHhgrlF8D8lzuIax31UrqhSmHMW4HVykXdQJA3VIvTjzvRxXKArkGsI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_dc1e_cb65_56b_c9e7" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/ZOUKv5TX1IgZNRpaOSHu3jCMTSY_PmhUC1FMfZbWFF5FZkq4WVcOBdke8KZr4gbAOwQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This inquiry into force and motion and simple machines let these kids practice and use so many skills that future employers will look for! They came up with creative, innovative ideas, used critical thinking skills, tested them out, dealt with frustration and handled it, collaborated with others, worked together (teamwork), problem solved, and dealt with disappointment appropriately if they couldn’t get it to work. These kids amazed me constantly as they used they skills and I look forward to seeing what else they will do with them!</div></div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-76073615725126038672022-02-06T11:08:00.001-05:002022-02-06T11:22:48.369-05:00Little Ones Changing the World Through KindnessWe have a new group of Kindness Ninjas this year! <div><br></div><div><img id="id_5bc2_d06_16df_7f55" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-gTkUd_dDYlrrLnbeLJzEaH9B5V7clyyT7qqsHAjFZXhu9nT10G5An5_QbxDGjufhNo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>The Kindness Ninja’s mission every year is to change the world one random act of kindness at a time! We started out by leaving messages of Kindness for some of the other kindergarten classes! This was such an authentic reason for them to use the writing skills we have been learning! Some classes got candy canes with their notes and others got spice packets that smelled amazing from when we were smashing spices before the holidays! </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_7617_602f_193f_47ad" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/53u7flMo_kbEZrnL52Y-YIWQQSKyzxykW73XZsGLYkSWCfbQscTDH5XQYd6wuBa5nl8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><br></div><div><br></div><div>Next, our school had a food drive for our local Food Pantry. We talked about families in need of food and how we can do something to help. These little Kindness Ninjas and their families brought in around 380 food items to help feed families in need! My student teacher helped them figure out a way to get the food items down the stairs since the boxes were so heavy. They created a ramp and had so much fun using it! This actually set the stage for an interest in force and motion and how simple machines work!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_bb95_3f9a_e9f9_f523" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Qadz4b1tLUdCRvqxtD-hqOV4ZVkvnIbuBddaPVaXVXZDv_bs9Lh_y25RwFsSGmowCzM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2359_4d91_7d36_cb92" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/gD_yS4O02eb7iYy9yNAdDDOYBRcX6kKBrIB00703nrVTHItQFyNJKgFkORWaQeYQkvA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_41e5_94b_d11e_d6b1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xPrk9wU4U6qaiYJkJXMHbDk-RChrLiliYUtgeU8rgbVvwpG7Qnp0dPWGX9LHm_4xQh8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Our next random act of kindness started when the weather was getting cold. We talked about the homeless not being able to stay warm. I got in touch with an amazing organization called Blankets of Hope! We asked other classes if they wanted to join us and got 7 more classes involved! We watched a video sent to us by the founders of Blankets of Hope that walked us through the process. It started by talking about empathy and how it would feel to be homeless. The kids came up with a list: Sad, frustrated, mad, scared, lonely, hungry, cold. Next they had us write kind and encouraging words for them to lift them up and give them a reason to smile! </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_b038_75b3_981_b3b3" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/l5pts8rzDxS1_1uvevtQQ6KkXw1UGbL0AnhcsA5WkR19crWoNZm8qeMRyRzQwIewxDk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5090_98cd_e9e9_f33b" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/zMODEDhgoYtbngjxUcnSO1vgoiZxVfqOcTJuihK0LBU3ppws371Wb4cdUGfHOQ_7eBs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e312_49c9_67d9_b51" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/IISFtOsTr8czJU1dCtc2948U8KjEGCas7nfpECwozfj-lLDXgYSVlGGWke13jrN1Kk0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Next, we attached them to the blankets. These blankets were so nice, thick and warm! One of the kids said they felt like a hug.<br><br><img id="id_916d_b7a_8eaa_3b19" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Lrn0xtiLHYE6DZbUinjoizdtXYOktnQ54IMMsmNHA-_V664DziTujPg8int_fPrBe0k" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e897_fff1_4384_835f" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/w6BlAT_voF0b2b3ol9A6YjqVanjHjlRk3eUI25NSKnxILEmLKCJYcnMLvaeda0alC3Y" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We made to sign to show how living is giving! <br><br><img id="id_b440_d481_7eb2_92da" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/mWeLjms1LAhigw4WY2DCgkP72XsHTijFOTpwD5aMEGo32Bz1YxOvni0mTVpmLVvxMhY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>“It is a Native American tradition that giving someone a blanket symbolizes kindness, honor and respect. It also represents love, security and protection.”- Blankets of Hope<br><br><img id="id_6f0a_d48b_4eec_e812" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/p_4b8rSYmbPW1FcpotuAsE5U78wAtNWJZQX-WgGsLUwzA0kuuBICYN43XwYaTuH9FG8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_f485_201d_1e68_e8db" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Qr8FGbpvo2zJVrSLL71tfY8dAMJmKyhe5fEnJTT-EZ13E1upftHcXa09AQkVa-ecdII" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Next, we boxed them up, collected the blankets from the other classes and loaded them into my car!<br><br><img id="id_428a_bd8d_7c8_e2ae" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/7IbycEvaiYAgP_3uCnTTYQH0UrcThnIX37p9E3TtvpQFQGvMpD-cksi-nqbHqPW1HMk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We collected around 150 blankets for those experiencing homelessness in our community!<br><br><img id="id_7f19_e1ec_d05c_f8c6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kScq96TWSzqRdOvhBOpw7k4EqnZlMz7TdoPwLOQx571rbMg-TudJXcnbP6VWo8LGmDM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I took them to a local homeless shelter and they were so happy to receive them! These kids are learning that they can do very big, important things that can help others and change our world for the better! They have such big, pure hearts and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next to change the world through random acts of kindness!</div><div><br></div><div>They have been expressing concern after this experience about homeless animals and are wanting to do something to help them, so I think they already have a new goal in mind!</div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-25943285889713225012021-11-14T15:03:00.001-05:002021-11-14T15:04:38.584-05:00All things Fall and More <div>I left off about our bee project on my last post! Here is the finished project after we connected to what we learned about the pumpkin life cycle!</div><div><br></div><img id="id_45df_d157_8a91_85c" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Z0Q46h-iKC9sWmRHUuTegwYFLW8j5nYKH5Y9YPX_rQxc2krfxNJMeLm-MMk7jV-7H5o" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_d1e5_1abd_978a_356" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bdyDwRoUHbXr3JTmKxvny2NKMxWcZ2q3aJRpGYKEm5u5qElXjFxtNJjUGGDid3-UZ3w" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4fe_742f_bd5f_4c95" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/BJMIBuJP78lg9DS23PB17s1bKdYd8PWCA6p6x_4_95BENKGcUGC6wIkaDZMrO-EDEMQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e835_a60_1126_f7e3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_vbTXrngx-uxIP4qEkDFMLllXz8gS_bA929eapxqjQI3eIjYg3cGUSQ92huFrR-ygwU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I set up an area for them to explore pumpkins, fall harvest and weight.<br><br><img id="id_428e_aa2f_9758_514b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CgmoevIE6WNCtWWcl1Zky377Pa3qAYZn6xvqcdGlj5uBSjyVzkSa0KEySqWJ_ApnwpA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_d902_cfbf_7b2d_b75b" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-c_kW4DO1mv2xKSUF3bfA50Eh_IHLcB1IshLMJkHgtpssVWNwFuDJcym-li67-ONkYY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_606b_281b_45c9_fea3" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/UhKHJiXD3KIqSjjLKjJa7zrckTWEu9SfGSzkAK0oPk7vz_3QBDx4IkqaDwUVr1a1CLo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4e1a_ac49_34c0_7470" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/SmGV4hY4fehrUujbeovDi0uuFQsKBqBZY4QtulyF6lt3gQSIaRQaEyR8FK2zBmWIinw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_126f_50fc_d12e_e1a6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/5VlZ2vldp463jNKTASUPogfZgvo5E25H_xdaYjF3C31iTnroWo9Pr_fgvQk2YJoQXL0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><div><img id="id_4e19_16ab_9258_c4bc" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/VDFGHvEtVziBWIiUCPnc0L9jdbNF9HKCDi8lCiJxum9D65Ls0fphzKtNKObwmgEZeXw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I did not make recording sheets for when they weighed pumpkins so on their own they used art materials to record the weight themselves! They are becoming quite the innovative thinkers!<br><br><img id="id_25d1_3262_d100_2420" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/xTYwR1BEkf01Im6DpeWWOoooMDsl97imOejmNxf71AjcqvDxthagEiy_H0TTtOnY_w8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This was the pumpkin they chose to make our Jack-o-lantern. We voted on the shapes for the face. This was a very traditional group!<br><br><img id="id_41c0_cc97_23ac_772b" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/PmK-nwSQ7SZGQxQpJwExOE6xOnUrH5TlmYl8_8igFuk_dMxP3z7YDX4BUn3HskG4yVY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Some kids LOVE the sensory experience of scooping out the pumpkin guts! They separated the seeds for roasting! <br><br><img id="id_9d88_cd23_c671_c358" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/gWOCKGNj5gbxqsATARqj-gERHkc3A5UFZ1fyW8hoThK3CcZ0244nttYoSltBb2gnl68" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2b18_ac8d_2fd3_cb5f" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/eC4hnHMmNg3t2d8MJfoY-CoBzkDOCDpK5Z9v_O_ftAkYxUjnAsr67qtWmT8nPFTjcu4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Some used the art area to show what they noticed about pumpkins.<br><br><img id="id_c714_2669_8b2c_f2f2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vU4JmY3sZWlUGs7o7oOkLmjjOypwb2Yoz5G6GaUKR9tJgdZdJpNZ_DOZXzHungrkoCE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>The kids noticed that the seeds from each pumpkin were different as they explored the inside of the pumpkins.<br><br><img id="id_4f29_bbdb_ffc2_647e" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/0TqLk3aZC4THRLrA2EuiKGE_edrfvvHy7VgB4yEalheAevI11gK3KedUWV7MvRzvLm8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here is we’re they last pumpkins are! We will plant a few of the seeds to see if they grow!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_4579_358f_a86a_2e5f" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/sy3Iw1xE4MTmYU8vBC_U69mhhwTZhPjM2QPFgziVK0FbJV2theuFj7p4EUpLBX-CBqI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>The leaves finally started changing color so we could explore the fall leaves! Our student teacher, Miss Megan, set up an area for them to look closer at leaves and see what they notice and wonder.<br><br><img id="id_d1ef_3599_32ec_c115" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/dX5IOFS96S0sjYHZ-IbqsSSyzsVzdrs9fUcX9LFTS643w9QQt9yHvOySC8Kxh1Q7rKY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>After exploring, we turned it into a collage art area inspired by the book “Leaf Man.” We just set this up so we don’t have pictures of the students work yet.<br><br><img id="id_7b9c_e0bb_2b2e_4d88" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/giSBCX9eQOzj5BKFoTJMkX7TsFUPc7Ilj6V0K9MojzbGZnadeXfPGc6emydY4CY3cU8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We set up an invitation to paint Fall tree scenes. <br><br><img id="id_7d14_7585_4f4e_6251" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/aOZ3wxA9A1MPof8KL4d_GbkERsMmad7hch4A5tJRIh0odSUstTGIkpbEj4-HmgFb1ps" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This next week we will focus on leaves and being grateful! </div><div><br></div><div>In other news, we all got to dress up for Halloween and have a parade!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_6bf0_fc8_f29d_ea34" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Hgu8lVlJAORbbFFgv9UkH_wOC3OrtLPiy4i1yWK_Q3SAHNK1t1UgHrmlS-PDZ_-0c68" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_fb24_4447_fbdd_d871" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/VER_TrbYscwrgotzmYGte6PCp2pcD0uEBC170W9LZt5LGFdAYvSWRLlAzidXJogRbcU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_3d37_13a_34e9_d8fb" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/zghAA6KxwyXgpQBRjg8uBvVEtYSeVwZhDCOg4GzNyF7UKbS66hvwIk2zV1Li1-v5PUM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_3adc_af41_6286_fa1f" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/1ph885ehjB4svwWwjSHbIT8F0o2QZPZj8haFhMrOB01Cf6FvCTapHHkLFb2Y2pKmovk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_413a_d585_9dac_72ca" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/uObcpfI4VuqjRaOhXwPgNYixt9emWQzHvYeJke6gqJpAwPYtCj2rHOPy1f10O7jyJWg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here are some stations that were set up this past month!</div><div><br></div><div>Exploring measurement</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_1f43_5843_a007_3f19" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/hLwCGeR4EmK83SFbQaow_qSnQFEagN7Z0yF8gP_8BiNxerWwt3hKMAIFYmz-GkKMCDc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Exploring patterns<br><br><img id="id_2eb9_4be3_1a52_d9c" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/3WKyGPVbYLqGKEjVJk68Pxx3P7NJxWI0AT35gSZSJ5AgQpj5HFHDmJz6ArRAt50MtC4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_a01c_6182_a494_5287" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/9wHii58hqaFcmMV3m0aO-ortIuW3mAoSCIePuJ6_1-Si5PbxRdhrQhtStTgP27xXNM8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Exploring letter sounds<br><br><img id="id_ff82_a8cf_aa0d_3c48" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ACgSt3GpBPoNzMKZBe00jJ0y10ZnmthoWKgIjoNHr1ltc88x-rvIGLgaftalBS_stSI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Exploring sight words<br><br><img id="id_30f5_81b8_fa28_e8c7" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/h0iqMwhNeWYAQJWQ4LSOLxooMnXIb5qJUWbVv4E5r4RK0cyiDrBENbPLGC_nxyHmxoE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1388_1789_53ac_b92e" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/oJEpfdMJ93djPw3E9K1gHn9jl8MVQCVtLJ_Pr348HlsNkwgE6_GJlGCOLStuAwcjZxM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>An in invitation for writers<br><br><img id="id_f676_afe1_4efe_70c0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/kf6sc_3--03hqWUCUUVx71emMaA1J-dg7UvXt49HxBqjN3LoWMRikSqF3dD0gKfwxuo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Sight words on the light table<br><br><img id="id_71b1_2f8c_937f_aa74" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/rORqBWXc4CQtSzviOzH-WMeDr872Xx6Ea1ZSM1dkciTnA50jTYaA9fdxinsWXNEMvWs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Someone decided to show their letter knowledge in the building area!<br><br><img id="id_3cf1_6148_a7e_d4bb" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/AaNyXeGZnf2QEVq_GiUD6z8glzaF7mxDp08g81EtYdtkXJ0CuSQi-IaYr716ZY552eE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Recipes for alphabet soup in our dramatic play area.<br><br><img id="id_2184_f20a_5242_7d28" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/wujFKkHgQ6Kmz9lukXkHQl3SHie1ebK9009mNCrfq-ZeFxPwSOim-m0dP35r8iw0I2Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>More sight word exploration.<br><br><img id="id_9edd_bcb3_42c6_c7b8" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/fvZ8gHzcvTVSs16KRqryURBYdlhBDhsohnPV0kAtfrjle0K267kMi6Xf9P6tboQSBGA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Miss Megan set out an area for them to use different materials to show numbers in different ways.<br><br><img id="id_c620_684d_b324_7e68" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fFqkuRQfYTQLO9vOai1VfgI9LGHe73H1_BQGfhZC7LmJ2FXZzZ1mVLfKX93ooVuDVOU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_ab07_d8e7_9851_b7df" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/r043JEbvqxwQxfG22V1vNNE_b9WaNIaxmEBeNOOZ8TGv_jbpzQodYM8dZw0NLPVxpbU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here are a couple of mathematician during play time! Look at their focus! If it’s their choice, they focus so well!<br><br><img id="id_f259_fe45_7a3c_d2f8" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/V4eq5g8MwcfpxzqSTVXvIwf3i0pFQ6aIxUDLBo5OJWVyHuQqNlhSlP8_GOGEpUvr1wg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_612b_c771_d0a4_4601" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/HQZry_pj3i-6TUrRCxkOt2YpG5Kv3Ik1SP-aGELAuc-yJ63iWOKXnunspfkUi1avPTE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I love the creations in our building areas! In each one you can see the creative and critical thinking going on!<br><br><img id="id_7549_910f_ab92_caff" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/DDx6RsvKWkcAQZ7ddzP2Gh1k6uJqf_xXYRkK1bCI0dlcCWZ6GCMeQJlNWDzLEwgfTps" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_aed4_8d06_7f4f_692" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/tsUt9GtwDo5b7vAAifIFK1C9CALd7RtnXUdykjCaYVQl3vG8hrw-IGy-JXH2O0AADV0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_6cc0_ae78_cddb_a6e2" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/C9qJZQ5odHL0BsllEDsrIjG1MuUlvmOx3tnvASD78Z_sjPBtk69__AtgyBcCUxa2LLQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_f156_4cc9_fb05_c279" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/VM4v7sA-w-3_073oKLqtsMRFBsKFVSaXJaBRKgMXOLaii5vrWQfwBGonXyuUEMgFVH0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5477_6db5_5676_4280" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/i1IWdLRutOZBebOghZSgsWiUz2YOp6-7FireAiQefQ2_OW6ZaOnTIBWV_1YYo8WfSr8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_bdc_7ac8_e3e8_85a3" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/CPwGfaQ-triWrS_NGbsCCV9Xw8vDp-tUpeitpWG_uVjZ-Bz7RVckgpMIwt72ajIbO4g" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2f33_3dc0_4305_e3bf" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/AXxQvzb1zdwozI0oLRv7vHlOyOjv1n9KfE7ks9aSmKLWvOg_EQeJFBti87DTi3oIUWk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>A lot of creative story telling happens here also!<br><br><img id="id_61f6_e90c_ef8_5c30" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/wUJa-gqS_hm-BEDYGQyxaH_nLC_Rm4nR1r3ERNCaoechZT1IY2HV_OC2mdIE3CQROkA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_6336_9cbf_760b_ce6c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2HoPVcEM3tturmBjhqJTU8CeCjvB-vfusYIKKhJPjG7tV5JxiV-9SYKf46yqodCapw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_593_66c0_22ef_ed3" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/7TXGZoQGWPxr2ipClAhYZ2H_iTl7OEI0fTQ7Xs29TEbSpqVi9qoncfET2Slzhsi6HB0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_f1f9_83a1_669a_543c" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/65trAVVTLtk1Vq7acsldqg4jnfEzaa58IiIzAx2mI_Z2dWHWdjITC1DYjIciCOwyNA0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>At first glance this looks like a random mess, but look closer! You can see the intentionality of each piece! This was very thoughtfully planned!<br><br><img id="id_4512_d8e9_52b9_9e9f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/GUWSU-HUZNhFLWgaTsoFN27U8udAoV7MbF9kDGMhexn1rO0O9mAXzMTfHo-9TvANqWY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This is a tea party at the beach! Again, every item is intentionally placed! I love the wood pieces and granny squares they are using for their tea cups!<br><br><img id="id_446d_df92_81dd_a9a7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vS_m3QAO4qOEIcaHvJ6Zbbr_uELo0t-C_mlQN5Pbe-aKBKWbjiIkDbeCRZel9ZDeUEI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>It has been an amazing month of growth here in our inquiry/play based room! I can’t wait to see where they will take us next!</div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-29285219861060923062021-10-30T14:25:00.001-04:002021-10-30T14:25:51.750-04:00Insects, Insects Everywhere!!It all started with grasshoppers. We usually do not have many grasshoppers on our playground, but they were everywhere this year! Then it went from grasshoppers to all the bugs! They were even catching and petting spiders! All the kids wanted to do was catch bugs to observe in our science area! <div><br></div><div><img id="id_6d83_62f4_a275_8a8a" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/I5Az-HXfm0SjqXfzEAmW_WuHauu9j_CTIAdAt8r6AwVZjkTZLmRuwr3Qc4IzSu12k7E" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div><img id="id_1251_aae1_e435_19c1" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Lak1WIfRAWnV5T2F7RJ7c9Xc8X4VLi3fB_MHz7LkrYD2qQXJUCYDeHRHlNVV1ODQSog" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_84ea_86c2_e6d3_1b66" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/aSU8HYi0mz_STx77zMGsvfrQ9t31pQOhThDrBO1MpKQDmGQV0RITX-_6TujUlZWnZP4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They were fascinated! We learned how Katydids and grasshoppers were different. </div><div><br><img id="id_67c3_64ee_3108_3a49" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/sGFYe_bbae5mf9DgwrPrfVR2DtKym9GoEdRL2quBZ9jsPp13xHiS9b66oO6RGpYsWhU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"></div><div></div><div><br><img id="id_4437_c0b2_82b2_5991" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/u9NBogDOwTXqcPO-PhMEQA5oRs5Ibrhd6JfEMuGcrcTDNd0IYeb2RtqLxaeymBEO8dE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I set up some areas for them to explore! We learned how to use our art materials for science as we created observational drawings like scientists and see what we notice about insects when we look closer!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_a11a_d093_af3_c1e5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/H3z_FKJgChzgyaQGV97wnIrrhzDjADfaIrzb3Q-CaP0EuVaPjxeU5M7srJDdTh9UuUc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e2a5_7feb_6a81_6af0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/h0SLPYbInrY4ytUEoqALLVFZIDkyzJ7a1nq0uHPMJJauiwmNhzQc7KxinkvXhed0QB8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_bcef_3f9b_7bdb_2f84" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/K9wlX_WzEdme4Ea88K9oymi7xzhEJb7HxEp5iMJ8J2NEgpkH1kXYFvVaEt7lqBJTg4Y" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1a66_bc11_bdc7_8658" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/kfDq2QogIkzQayxH4vPZq09X6t04epoUoGZGQsAtWHSGqrcJp5XTh3KARJ0NSC3u5EM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_13a4_4a5d_38d8_4b5e" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/j1TIyzcneZ7vlwQVLYXFxH2w5TYROcE6QklTLve6YNj9Uww6znkRAulLU0sOSJt9UWY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_be72_8c8_c083_f056" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/JAmIEE2jfPLJKumQPWahy_Ig9KTFjec4HborEHe19ropBoRJ1mUZv36d037wl3k91F8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div><img id="id_2919_e24d_3a22_9311" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/gy3dN6To0U_K65edn42prXeMjwvdif90OMQvJa8qhMFHEZ43mkwYUIDp6O2jy6KbxGs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_d8df_6e66_5611_96e5" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/GPnh48Le9AyXwZwUH1ORGoRiGXf7ZLy-qWoixZwnzUq9MMmkgt3xirjviSMnpc-UNd4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c595_f5c7_eed_269" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/9nF2HOwSZBwzCOuTAvjucBvB91V1ZNfFVX1EKtjwOPV-i-BarirQ9L0lEOMjBU9xrlo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They made beautiful webs with glue and glitter after observing what they looked like! They were very excited as they learned about spiders agreeing they were creepy, but very, very interesting! I forgot to take a picture of their webs!<br><br>They started really focusing on bees, especially when they learned how important they are. They found out bees are what helps create more flowers, apples, strawberries, pumpkins, etc. They decided to create a project about bees.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_a35e_34b2_cb20_7f95" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/3rnxguIBxySsn6kO1qsHVso1u-6L0BmzXZwWlocyC8W7xgnIk6p2W2jnLqe7ixjkXr4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_198c_fd7c_59af_65e7" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/JQXA7_ZEodVSNLitEQcJXgr80-7TlayW6HcrDFPR0mezlnZff_SQYcw1pdx07fEWSeA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_dfb2_bb3d_4dd6_4594" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/GuzTEdZPqaL60eYtJSF4kZX720jyG-Q22fAp_KVzij41nKAit4vMkwve1bAe9eoRw7g" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_8cd4_b0f4_b7c7_828b" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/XSBd5OhRM70gZ39AHR-qjfzSvcVuSK7xFk1EL9ni1edMH6th-zZFQtguCPKjj4oba3o" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1f5c_93c2_2152_6422" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kQtVdXepiaulMt7A9hbkkjbBEtIx1HPHmeh2bb6dAxjpiJ6ParF5BnS19376v6fH8UY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This is still not finished! They made a queen bee and we are going to connect these bees with what we learn about the pumpkin life cycle to finish our display! The finished project will be in the next post! </div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-19435730602382648622021-09-06T18:53:00.001-04:002021-09-06T18:53:18.286-04:00Starting the Year by Creating a Community of Young LearnersThe classroom environment that I set up is very thought-out to create a calm, safe environment that the kids will learn from no matter where in the room they go. Sometimes I may be there to participate with and guide them, but many times they will be exploring materials, looking closer, discovering, creating, problem solving, and practicing skills we are learning about independently and with friends! Everything that is put out for them in the beginning has no directions or preconceived end results. It is purely exploring the materials, learning to take care of the materials and building relationships as they explore together! Here are some of the materials they explored in the beginning.<div><br></div><div>In our Building Area they were only allowed to play with the blocks on the bottom. If they did a good job of being safe, respectful and responsible, I would add another cubby of blocks. This continues until the whole area is open! I have everything out so that they can see what they are working toward.<br><div><br></div><div><img id="id_1a37_6eae_a70b_dee2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/rnM1yMsmeCLmZ8oC4qYrKaVk1V_7bBA1aPQiv79jKWtKKAkrflV4xxUJ-_WrSrkPkMU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_8e90_84d0_fdfc_8436" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/AoOwomXrdo4701LpSd8pXqG6Bpuyomo8cJaUfX0ImViT87wyq2wXewDDOFCKA4S2xEo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>The baskets on the top are open to build with also. The white baskets are what I call Loose Parts that are open ended materials that encourage creativity as they have no set purpose…their imaginations are the limit! They like to use these along with the blocks! When the all of the blocks are open to them, they will get to start getting to use the loose parts as well. <br><br><img id="id_51f6_3aff_7a65_72ae" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/zMaREnTKNJyk6Ubk8bKp-gW4A0Nop32F7rsX2rMS1gCVVz6HHZ7fZn3OsdNkvMYl-W0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This is our Dramatic Play Area! Here is where they role play and build vocabulary and language skills. A lot of stories happen here and a lot of writing as they see how many of the careers they are role playing use writing for many reasons and want to do the same! It can be a kitchen, restaurant, vet clinic, doctors office, space stations, toy factory….whatever they are interested in, we will create it here!<br><br><img id="id_a67f_d01d_6a5_fa37" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/wqgzl15sm1oytszJ4fXBAxrpBpG5-LdsgM6hVgWZvSm-Oo-PooJYALFXoN7q9Jtj1XU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This is our Art Studio! Here they started out with only red paint and will work up to all of the colors! All of the materials we use for art, we also use to show what we notice in science so this area mixes science and art a lot!<br><br><img id="id_7818_20b7_fe83_ca3" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/gjQbb4p8YP4uY0UvE1wX1FM2eoB8Ay1K-v7k0SUy7V8RuWWDSKgmvgbbv_JGKzVwHio" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We call this Transient Art! They create with more open ended loose parts.<br><br><img id="id_4afd_86e2_49e0_9c56" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/oeQZLDHTkTf3oNuSg5UFGG1beGNN6n4Q1RwKl_8GjsIQUZ3nunhrOTKwkMSri7Xgm8E" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Clay is wonderful for strengthening their finger muscles and creative thinking! <br><br><img id="id_3b6f_8ea8_baa6_2bc0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/TojNUyscrNy2KqvFMW6BxrY7uyX73jeeaRyy5yEx-g3aF4akVctHl5bvXA07YTQPZaY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This is our Literacy Area! Here they will enjoy stories, write stories and practice literacy skills that we learn together!<br><br><img id="id_90a8_77a0_95da_75a1" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/AYL9lndcx3RSvaX6Y9QIh4Qz-wk4epPTK4NPbQ8TJBe96wVfTRm-63B0_p8ZD3mekn0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_47_8506_c37e_bcbe" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/jHBpcJ9ebUkcjDCRpwwxALbS0tO1CCyQklXGt7WxVfT3oh_KnsVl0oETUCAR7WJKQcI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_160b_e187_320e_6fe3" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/iZe0AeyhDbM0pjdjxuIg52DRQPdFRbCtfoZ_HOORu4tS-tQW2izLa8DfPXVD3n7W7ng" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e7d7_d0ff_d11b_74b0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/xTVrphyf4TXlG-HFR0oThPg3Zluw4mAzKzg32mOnmJFaqgQMCZXP__brf6alz4KSeHk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e73a_a1b6_a11e_b941" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/A8AvwUnmLBYOK37gEUcv_qedkqNtJa1HniiRO5c-61-4S_zTLXoDckQvMA9mkbEkvsM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here is our Math Area. They know that when they are here, they are mathematicians! Right now they are freely exploring math manipulatives that we will use later as we practice math skills.<br><br><img id="id_6f92_db43_e611_88dd" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/3WvQDi6VJ4FOfJBgaB7zjC8ef5U8wV-pj8HSY606EqSLBh7yXO-m9B5Mm_XkYtMAuO0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_75ef_250c_7e51_1321" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/NvhP7pMoSfyy4FFxHE5AL_Td7ZoD7q4-uyMwdhgpQb9NOh-y8FyMGqWvmJWyCiOnAc0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_50cf_2d4_9e88_897f" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/u2-dYIfkpsK_qL45IUgdrXYkT57pTghWInmD9O9zfKVhuHRvFiPNfi_bMCAbI5i1x3Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_ff15_c85d_9d7a_a717" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Ya9B75DkxtM-dn33WjlLOAGzu5xT6YxN6dqPzhX0-rcGLP6YhFRwjuGJmCozQ3L6YTs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here is an area to explore cause and effect as they paint a rock with water! I put out some line cards if they are interested in creating any of the different lines!<br><br><img id="id_cb_8f85_7f17_62b1" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/vrjZ9cj4CCp0Ya0rEiFecWd_l59p4Y1dZAj9rGjnWJXqFfl4rbsjACtc0LwNDRx6mkg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This is our science area. It is starting out with a focus on stories but using items from nature and familiar creatures they may want to explore for science! As they learn about science tools and informative writing, they will use this area to look closer and show what they notice using writing and the different art materials available to them.<br><br><img id="id_e2b3_a75b_c1d3_1393" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/yPvYc0soE41r1_v_8krKRuWeahvpaS_mqw2dSvpjwFK6z9b5CD6ZNTSu5qbR4eik8WE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They have done a great job taking care of the materials and getting along with each other as they explore each area! They are very quickly becoming good friends and a wonderful community of learners!<br><br><img id="id_83ab_211c_8934_a8bc" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/qO1WZJKzV9gFUaoHv_5Z5Y2_M_M5ECqbVAGoIFZlIWB2CloQkbaoG6tFO0NQHxFvPTA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4fc3_6943_baff_aa9b" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/aNIJatP4ybdEdu_vM1YVKzJf_HbtddYfnuavaW5nodDFDo9SMKqSx5-md_2KT5k1DcA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c348_dd2b_e62_d5fb" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4zO1rskI7tJt__LtDClPv3mmfPz2iiG41-qqQlQIwBxe3fB_n2Q8L-Xa6IXEYoAH7n8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e979_b825_e1cd_6e12" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/L4iapmb6LXtSczr-tU_Qt5nR1OcAl15Lgnr7GZf2ZrLzVFJTf1jpOFPDLDv1iHCYNU4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_d24d_e488_d013_3756" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/RTlX1KMpqxZAVEBxutpIjssj4xerarTieeyIVDgskU--mp47pV3Tm98bs-BBTgzL-Ao" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_7cbd_e607_7f34_2a94" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/9M9jNd-mzqVPjvOQnSuPKaFKaEWUxj6u9_-hfHDb1Ql79eHXBLOqyLNLPZJz2RRC2ZU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1a97_3b9f_758a_4658" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/yJFYQl1khqlNTObZIevQ3nvJ40UkpDG1VyYlDRxoo4FXnWRhFH9CQM8QVoT1zXJtMfI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I am excited to see what this incredible group of kids will choose to explore as we grow as learners together! In my next post, I will explain how I use the Mystery Box to introduce new materials!</div></div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-33358425498769151692021-05-27T20:23:00.001-04:002021-05-27T20:23:48.293-04:00Turning a Fear of Bugs into a Fascination of BugsThis group did not like bugs!! They didn’t even like to see pictures of bugs! But we started discussing Cicadas and it all started to change! Every 13 years, the Brood X Cicadas come and take over! When they do, there are thousands of them, all coming out of the ground at the exact same time! Since this group was terrified of bugs, I thought I had better prepare them! I showed them videos and pictures of the cicadas and emphasized that they were very friendly and never ever would bite! They are just very big, friendly, noisy insects! Every day we checked to see if they came and started to worry they wouldn’t come to our school, but they finally did! Boy did they change their minds about insects! They started collecting as many as they could to look closer at them! <div><br></div><div><img id="id_fbf_4a11_2dfa_df0b" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/5KzHlbnxQ8WoEtLaQKYAlYwdNcnSAvehId3Bi3cCWH7BgezBETvs9JeDaEeIl9PKWAY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_8b90_e866_b483_f898" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/JdyKo16-4xebdGuoARnQE0qd3F-cc_L9L7EIODHPX7zO-eeulKF3-N4061brfYofBNQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_3fd5_6217_3d0e_f273" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/o2G5g3wi3yPu7_67sC_O9YLSE0hIOOkIvAxbM2VT_pThGRQcHNr_U8vQ9ggnal6TG-w" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_8b88_7433_4120_4be4" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/03i2qHW_tLGJFhTBhtc4aqojPitzcC7XXryJkKZPDkYvlekwoQwTXcvhB55ERM0xH50" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_ed05_4478_b40b_e06b" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/LOV3VHi6SrozifaEZLycUc6gRq2ZBzgMNRKhr2xeE6u_Lvao_cMBfbhKt0sh1JkojXs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1d53_4d15_749c_92cf" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CO7o7OagFeVEfYOO6p12ciCvaFw7P9Au7Ggck8Br7ad_IthbM3PHg9t0stzL_apNf7A" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b5f6_6a3d_996d_33a1" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/yOaB8e3nUhgr1s_yaM45YNYbdCMyoYyDYQfQ3U3edtfwOIPTtAWX9xZi5LocV9nqmC4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>After a couple days, the male cicadas started making the noises they are famous for! The kids were so excited to hear them! Now they were interested in al, bugs! Unfortunately we only had a couple days of school left! They started looking for ants and observing them! Then, they fel in love with honeybees! <br><div><br></div><div>We talked about how important honeybees are. To find out more, we read books and watched videos to learn all we could about them! We learned that they only sting because they are scared or protecting themselves, not because they are mean. All of the sudden, they felt empathy for these little bees! We also learned about all the delicious food we would not have if we didn’t have honeybees! Soon, they were searching for them so they could observe them taking the pollen from flower to flower! They were also protective of them making sure no one even thought of hurting them! </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_6413_f708_4d7d_7825" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/jgBNEBEI45eojInlZMBZaLeQNgzR7eVqP-zqSsL2XjVvgJxHuyOKPSx7SmodkM15C-o" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We did a small honeybee project since we only had a couple days!</div><div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_9dcc_1c1a_66ca_4bd" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/unJe6a3Cg9gxkO02IQgnVzG1490eU5XgxcsTmZs24CfdBn8uiUaIZdOLQ0SA892uStU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e1c8_8289_c5c7_c71f" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_aZd5D31sWFrcG_pWmyx6y5F_m4K4XBCYHv-ZWIOGSpU8SFx9rmEkV8xxH7mPztKTc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>We ended by eating a honey filled honeycomb! Almost all of them tried it! </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_9122_96f8_db7b_9c03" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/CbeKe37qSuWCVjnE9gqqC-pLmUHXEE6Croa9byiad5no2GHVifAvi_3aPdF_imkEdsU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>On our last day of school we had field day! We all had so much fun!</div></div></div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_8cef_6b64_9fbe_926d" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/lAFv7MqNQB6xaoV58EX-8W0eoFGPsYixl-qa4IAIiE-dTFxyABB-f9ZoOCB7HtbVVlM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2174_d5cb_749_5fd3" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/QlItjCU8ZL_NHfMnVOnyK-ERgjCJY_b0NyMyK5kbmar-xeFOvAWBYc81g1icWtUzgUo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9f39_5d14_1c68_7563" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/6XljJkf7SqVJDb60EkiDmBbxUSOjMkiGuggsWQYaH3nzbo9tHRzg3o_aWBggEME-hxc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_6339_9724_8198_96cf" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/L_NR_weCAaaYWrjeZlhiTO-LIsUsnGdc2zCc--EW4dCsUxpzgcaYZJrlhs4Rl3EQKh8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_a58a_cc32_c903_7cd8" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/k1HaP3BCSHLq4PoBDLqkFgA_RYCavfk679hCMIp9wujCqLXfhC8szbsCJRUrNxaIlXo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>And then we said our goodbyes. This group is very close to my heart! It was emotional for all of us. When you have only 15 kids, you have more time to build relationships with everyone together so we were an extra close-knit group this year! </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_c128_3e4c_e36c_9644" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/XaAoVrQmyWVSAnd5g8tZwX44E9KZ0la0XGYwH_wlMtswut-AppCt0reqozWWoCNouq8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>And so ends my 28th year of teaching kindergarten! 2020 was not easy and was not much fun as we learned online, but 2021, when were were all exploring together in the classroom, was wonderful and turned into an absolutely amazing year with an amazing bunch of little friends! I will miss them dearly! I’ll end this post with my traditional picture of my easel with a years worth of art on it! Have a wonderful summer everyone!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_983e_1e36_c4a5_9f44" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/gtsaYNuWyjSWLr-pyWroD58UYxU5-lji0gmJMQ6C9AnfakxjDM14dHneLbesCFNfPo4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-2135225902862876362021-05-26T20:03:00.001-04:002021-05-26T20:03:08.409-04:00Spring in Room 201: Butterflies and GardensOur caterpillars came in while we were in the middle of our Space Inquiry! I made a space for them to look closer and learn more! <div><br></div><div><img id="id_6f15_49b7_7a17_1b02" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/4dlktC0RXZFjNHRK8GHaEBkKiBEVI-wu0ITM_kPsRJmZP1Bi3geIL6g5chJ16WGikkY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>They observed as the grew from tiny to big caterpillars! They looked through the books trying to figure out what they would turn into! A butterfly? A moth? What type?</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_6a78_f228_e9c_620a" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/v7V9W1L4bUTnzb3myIm2P2jwE_AdmoChO8vYf_lguht-_VfUjJ10--JsF9BwkKp7Zdg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>After a week they crawled to the top and became chrysalises! I took them out so they could take a closer look at them!<br><br><img id="id_8e62_11dd_eb88_ef84" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/7JiqtWG_-ge4M9Vs-m-Rl8_jAcRkzVvVdlZQEjFagYpBww2coAG1JaHEl8E97iWy1vg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c630_265_6bda_d7de" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/J8i7rYWhHsnpOraHn7vHPY39yJYud0suhhjDR-tPOSJHAwJbFvKbNMsm2hWYdr7h474" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They documented and researched some more!<br><br><img id="id_ee0a_7ad9_343a_e9f7" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/eLRud4L3NdcpeUVsrUNLjyD9btQlvNajPGMgZrBobu95hkdIGH8lRBA3OY5XyCnnOyE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Finally they came out! <br><br><img id="id_48d8_1d5e_ebbd_aea4" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/X-0omdsncQF651qXfKGGVfh7-ZyWmu0TFmCOwOXyefP1lxs4lAlD2hIQ_CHz1SgWbr8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Now that they emerged, they debated on what kind of butterfly they were! This went on for about two days. Some thought they were monarchs and some thought they were painted lady. Both types have orange on their wings. It wasn’t until one mentioned that the color of their bodies were brown like the painted lady not black with white spots like the monarch that they came to their conclusion. We had Painted Lady butterflies!<br><br><img id="id_bc05_3a93_848_497f" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/G_onj5Osvn5VTFXmQI1Y7zeWPjonLuSRV-RK7CDqPWahhUhYYqNPkRlMI-sUK2XYgYk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_423f_edca_92d1_ae7a" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/ldsK78X6OgadhBKZVbTSP11YDDk2lMptaDC03WU3ISouq_4HsT7ctttEtX-LYkzMv40" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They painted butterflies on the easel and using watercolor! Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of their beautiful art from the easels but here are their watercolors!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_d9eb_38e3_15c3_6970" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/YhvwXaL3mpfIfDyEgtr7kMLuvSZPp7frGtXyto7u72wwp9Ua_TCvNrm27pEEw_b4XSM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>One used a collage method to create a butterfly!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_3cc9_5e6d_19d2_1381" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Capumhp8nH28WtSbUk7rPNKlCTloT9wVD4BefRAEi8boCoQFBGXyJrkqH7WVIOrWoaA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Some used the light table to create their butterflies!<br><br><img id="id_208a_769_f025_adf4" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/HD2yFzL2qSBOP_j4jivLrY4GXHTO3hyk13QDaR_t9_igyfJVoFzL6Z45v6LBRo70bmg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>After observing them in their cage, they noticed how their proboscis works by sucking the juice out of the oranges like a straw! After a observing them for a couple days, we freed them into the wild where they could fly, find flowers and continue the butterfly life cycle!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_ccfc_21f2_bfcd_1b6a" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/J8fptvC9EkRhNxjPXPXqxn12JtKglGJP5F6lPEKdsAOFvMprGX0bhOdyaMXZiCsl22k" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>After we let them go, I set up an area for the kids to explore plants! We started by planting an herb garden and lettuce seeds! We researched what they need to grow. Good soil, water and sunshine. We put them close to the window to get the most sun!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_6401_e604_e2b1_37a8" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/J7q61CFU76P5wnGX9X2Qo_hzoqR3mxruL2FuMp6Hi_YQi-JegL9zsmTOAsDpmzw_7LE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_bdf0_bb7d_be86_a8a5" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/SNakWBzBYAEmq-sdMhXPwIO1pgU8HbGrEd23AFFBCLICo12OMJxfFVkIg7vOunPW0g0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_198c_e75f_4c52_eef2" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/6jf1vMShEgBoPRFUZQOSs9kv6weJfmck1WKZewyC-JzFLXQxNZyCYHYxksDk7LYIfKE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9870_fa00_dd5d_9cc4" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/c_UgtRVYUI-afrRzWroDSDAWyxPKE4cvorz0NYrLFulWO8SIP1IPzRbu3Srkv9bMoX4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9b04_14a9_db1f_e40f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/0tvWPuDDah4GFRmDzvvNl8QYXvEFCCI8GfNCb2JtAnTQD3CAGo5iIosSH7i6cjKOH3A" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_dce6_3398_ed0e_f32" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/w9eBpRLgb7hy4ceSOmM4PpFgQCQQXgynWQnOhLNHswfDo35ccPJBrx97LN-HZ84gEMY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_d422_3a2a_a744_6916" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7VZ9qXlsHY1Z7Ea7npTpkaWcsufc4FNLrapZpOEEyj1lTJo9HhpahrrqG6ZmPNUYpVg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I wanted them to touch and explore and look closer to see what they noticed! This is kindergarten right here! Actively learning and trying to figure out their world and how it works!</div><div><br></div><img id="id_8728_b069_56f8_d2d6" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Z9CZgwA7f6vZtoL6_DdzQU8aL-YP7FWIGeA9GjYccgdWhiJwkbV27BYnUDXkfYcluSg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_7593_a7f6_9909_ed84" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/R-7JzwIqrXtgddgL4W-XVcDTaLpNHwUlnuAxa8mzc75XbGuO6zUT8hsN2fDyxK4HTUU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Old pumpkin seeds were trying to take over our lettuce so we pulled them out to use for exploring! They liked this one that still had the seed connected showing the roots growing out of the bottom and the sprout from the top!<br><br><img id="id_622e_2893_fa6d_736b" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/0RWimIBDrqbznUbtTIpQmxnont7UVGY3triQWl7o6frL_5rb_w-VzwXI1O8Q5J8BYis" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9eb6_ef0d_e0eb_91cd" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/8N2_KZNOViEJTTFIVXqx5SGHZ4mobnqLaNRZp90bdXpFaGI1QDMGt0WxvxUBudpOrC4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><div>We read about the life cycle of flowers and they painted beautiful flowers at the easel!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_bb20_4504_ba8c_ebf7" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/EsBRkRrrHzdT4G9BRvnoDvdkKX5GM5pOe849aFP3sKM7eS2-i__T73tEIOzeYCKBN24" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Learning about flowers has grown into a lot of wondering about honey bees so we will start investigating them ASAP since we are running out of time!</div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-41780738873130916642021-05-16T10:00:00.001-04:002021-05-16T10:00:50.776-04:00The Kindness Ninjas Strike Again!<div>It had been a while since the kindness ninjas had done a collective Random Act of Kindness! </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_d258_58e6_9cf7_c6d4" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/aeQ-6HeP6BHLXHfTyoL1hNNg0U02Dn1jiaXrT6Ue8SdY0wU6Tcysahln1KU2DFyh2ak" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>An idea came to me as I was trying to simplify 27 years of stuff accumulated in my classroom closet. I had way more books than I ever could use so I put them out in the hallway for the other teachers. But after they went through it, I still had hundreds of books left! So I hatched a plan with my Kindness Ninjas and they LOVED the idea! </div><div><br><img id="id_2857_8f79_1288_ed71" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/APZS4fZj3XgnZ6K6v97eDfyHgXuSU4DCSAhJafHT0esQ94YHy27_06ru9FGp5UYsMIE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_be33_ccc3_1bfc_231a" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/ZHrNuWOKGKszLl8ehpG2-rAFkeErYzobEoKUbuvFfm3HNaXvH3B3jz0ADuzC_k9rQto" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We set up an area called Kindness Ninja Central. They wrote kind words on bookmarks, decorated them and tied a ribbon to each one. <br><br><img id="id_1a4a_b3f3_82e4_be7f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/BGlyTnxBSWtq-lCVNxyp7Op25feoyjDbQG6dgK09FP6uXu0C8nYeG2yepoknw6oIyZg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_8ff3_4936_2ae1_a80e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QXvpmvkCRxBp3S3kMyLMIOEVF-NSyKcibnhjBSLnj3H9H-SgPqpt1EXqPCqFem9Bjb0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_8dfb_248c_25e0_d57f" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/kzVpqFmkbGcT20-ZOx92Pt7b1z7ps3JRfGUqyJpBiSLlCGioxqQZNXX3nYls1IX1SiA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_340c_8221_7fbd_206d" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/agSdiNEUOAzkAuwdkjRp8KWl7sP4EZBF70PYYOuYlz9JVzOPySASh_hPZ7nCXcpq7Ec" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5b4c_7a9a_c5b4_ee54" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/uNtF8E6UDYAHCa8mvIHGGO3UPRsQfFguKCYsXUsxPvgLj5_XrTuEoy3UOXkbsbXB2F8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Then they picked a book, put their bookmark in it and put it in the “finished” box. <br><br><img id="id_f78f_fca7_c44c_c67" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/owWij5A2PRGyFfyAoW1NyH8vHzhnM6ZtWWSkoSmKaQsJfoB9vd2VO8vt_4KRq_38gWc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e238_1f6c_1a70_46ec" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/TqpCOtMIBVMPylswdtWKcGpq2rJ9AynBnsE4xtqvNy1_G4sTsUKW5FOm1sU84DvRsPw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>When we had enough books for a class, we wrapped them in ribbon with a note and added a kindness ninja for their class. We put on our Kindness Ninja headbands and snuck to a classes door. Then we slid the books into their room and tip toe ran back to our room! Then they would do it again!</div><div><br><img id="id_b7f8_b37a_20bc_387d" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/KBx3duiKCFvx5KJIHVlRIffVRpf3wt-Hd-4WpN85oD-FoZufUIn3HOcvRlueM90KlIU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>When we racked a couple classes, we came in and saw that our kindness Ninjas was filled with so much kindness that he grew! Then after a couple more another kindness ninja joined us! They were so excited!! They left a note that if we made enough bookmarks and gave books to 6 more classes, another kindness ninja family member would join us!<br><br><img id="id_8fc9_564e_c9c_d8ac" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/fwfn2G3TnPyMBVY5RSYjYAXy0ut__3S874s7JR1aY1TMruFaT30In8pB3uHmraWhgiE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>One little friend wanted to know how they write us notes with no hands! <br><br><img id="id_7bbc_64b5_bf4a_793b" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/gxUgbu21FnOUTFTgPDLvYJwwrUtOIbMeHc290hhadNMD6QyeepLztvLKKkyemH5m-2Y" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We met our goal and a baby kindness ninja joined us! But he was sad he didn’t get to do a R.A.K. (Random Act of Kindness) with us and asked if we could do one more class! We did, and that finished off all the kindergarten classes!<br><br><img id="id_9d50_ce9b_ea79_5a02" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/H-8rmOSarJFCzsCTz53NFq2agfdyEBeth42Xs1PLAjf710bE3vrpdc5e2D69s5Wcrx8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Of course they were more than happy too! These special friends made 192 bookmarks and gave 13 kindergarten classes 192 books in one week!<br><br><img id="id_f4ce_d513_a31e_e9e0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/wBF1NzRNrKZ69YABtg0oxqkmCquSrguToosFYX9c62UUy2_Kn-9WzRIeu81igo0enDw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We got caught in the hallways enough times that everyone figured out that we were the kindness ninjas! We received all kinds of thank you cards and writing from other classes thanking us for their books and bookmarks. Kids came up to us all the time telling us what their bookmark said and what book they picked. The kids were so happy knowing they made so many kids in our school feel special and happy! This was a great Random Act of Kindness to end the year on and will be a special memory for them all!</div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-52900880181497322222021-05-08T13:01:00.001-04:002021-05-08T13:01:10.661-04:00Inquiring About The Sun Moon and StarsAs we were exploring the Sun, I wasn’t sure which direction our studies would go. Sometimes a sky inquiry goes into the water cycle, but the questions and things they were wondering had more to do with space. Since I follow their interests, we went in that direction! We looked closer at the sun through books and videos. They learned that the sun was a star and it looks big because of how close it is. They were amazed! They loved the closeup pictures that showed the reds, oranges and yellows so I set up an area for them to show what they noticed using spin art! A group also painted the sun in the hallway to show others what we noticed!<div><br></div><div><img id="id_4922_74a4_6ffa_eff0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/IpbUZl50w4cHgHysNipH3HGcF3MTirXBHw-0L6UGYN-Le4AM_AlHvAG-DUeUxNIQk54" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_84cf_d088_ae55_af31" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/3lA1biYlUV-ePZysuU57PdvzrotwGCwyv8dDd20rMLhHooRCDgftz1oVru86KzSb1sE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c14c_c4b5_257f_6dc" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/r9Xa5RIui8NiB56h9t6dKRhpSmMsnbOtkusUtrIFaLgIBQqo5Y7t-lhQaCpVOqLaj5M" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I also set up areas to explore the moon. They could make the phases using play dough.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_8259_9fec_534_c5f1" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/eDq_fn_qpTdoxHt_j8XeEfT37Zk2-SdcNw4-p3tBtvZ1bY9tpToWOlWRFILicuoL_yk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here was an opportunity to create stories involving the moon!<br><br><img id="id_601c_e4a3_d9b6_8780" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/eHe6MD2AI_GbzSR6xKdFbt1pdy7fWiVXxgwbRazZtwF8t9tij7ZdXvFPLXY6-sYDRuA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They loved showing the craters by pushing a bottle into a mixture of flour and paint. <br><br><img id="id_9196_ff87_a6ae_73b5" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/3eAjJx_f97QvocU3vGMTKuMp4x2Qw83e1aKseqlOC6xbwfRmaFpDcpqFyBP9afcs8hE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c3cb_dc3_16a5_8d4f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/TCk67lE1a1oi-HPS12Mp1RZ5izqSH9x5PM-WaW_qcuHCYv6B2Ifi3-V3ZOetO74raa0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This was my favorite invitation for them to show the different phases of the moon!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_74b7_1d52_23a6_34a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fK8UYVs81q2-bo2SoPok-UV7uusG3fDYUyzBYHS8S4U31tuOv17YJymwrR76yiEPGE8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_264c_699c_22af_21d2" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/q2ohPncK8O73pwK4wU4WnnNBGeEVpdVn69TgXfxJLuMuRZ9EwMyH2FlU20K-H209JJ0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We did a directed drawing of an astronaut and then they personalized it.<br><br><img id="id_8536_bcdf_d248_454e" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/wtFQvGMh7Yk3RCW16hlpOL0uV8aYMxahlMxgxIi9lQXudBxR2MeAKIRXJADn73mbiMI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c8ce_9009_2784_7a61" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/TRRcx7qjiY65UR2hAjQz6KrZy4NTJZUDPUdnx-LO2hWIv-9LGrlrmjZp0VJgXC4XoCE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_dbf8_e9f0_a17_eeff" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/XMSo9Jxskisp9VyP0FHQvcJY7Pgg9V9T3MDaoTUp6wdUoKho48I-KL84WP4GMMymS3Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>The created Spaceships to travel to the moon and beyond using recyclables. <br><br><img id="id_9195_2862_fec8_fc50" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/UjTd11Rlo7mGibm7ERMzTLQuZq-8BhtjSeq-lWtbiOqFBpkwx13Ktl7pEmjk5Vk-yQA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5dae_610c_cdf4_7672" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/ynqGCFwt5QI2xAnZvLou-jMsJXb3Czd4CagHNBWgsvB8bDM8v1gDL2s-ZlSTGJIamG8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>The Moon team made the most beautiful mobile showing the phases of the moon! We used a lid and air dry play dough to create the phases. <br><br><img id="id_8cc8_9f09_ea23_dcb0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/M3_cGcSIgmjezKuoocqtQFr074HRfYAx6TPUJ2QJhBiA8eY1bW-xtFdIZH5QfsLwaMc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Then used beads to create craters. <br><br><img id="id_5791_17ce_534f_7f93" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/TKDESgj9_IWmYymeelLTRALbNWl_d6KpJMC_R_qpcjoNln4kCMLdo3Y1wy-o4NsgZ7s" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e73f_8b1e_88b2_9cec" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/AeqIvLfjpbqx95k96QP9A4rKFw6VIerAPVFf3eMmjRylPmbcVUQEWt4v9PuZek0DKDo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I think I will keep this displayed forever! I am never taking it down!<br><br><img id="id_bf6e_6ae7_d8bc_f0b7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/U6IEnQu7J9WKg5dUPz6qfalqUJhA8JTyVq80_Ff-EqK6lBkR_8XiKX7zkFaageKj-uE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We explored the stars and learned that they can be yellow, white, blue, red and brown! Blue are the hottest and red are the coolest! I set up an invitation for them to explore stars through books and create constellations. </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_bb44_c5dc_3c85_3972" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/qabG7kdDMfOjQi_YPygYwXpSilk9Y1NQ_sIcegpKX9kgF_Gexb_SfTRtTZO0Y3KT8Wc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_15b7_bab6_ebc6_36f7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/34iZ_SodJ_WabuKgPXYw6NDyZ9yzmupNyCACV0Hp1RhFopI8s3Juw9Nj0K6PO3o4Uy0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They loved the beautiful colors of the galaxies and nebulas so I gave them an opportunity to create some in our art area.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_8c21_4fa5_6965_73ad" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/meeYhueFyWK33kZSEUs_NXNww1zm_Ys2uH7T-hjKJEYPMxXoKM2fDkWVk4AN7msqerc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>We used stars in some of our learning stations! Here they picked a sight word, wrote it, then used a push pin to turn it into a sight word constellation! <br><br><img id="id_df28_ea1b_176e_d5c9" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/HiiMoGgXPWuun6Nwb5DjZuhTZ-SGRGRw61-KinfxTvribI4MhvW4pzRWbw7xMU3CDmM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e59a_4d74_4cf5_db2e" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/WV8JGRwu0F0QaXuHLXrOPkPM1WjJ41ZcuvgIcB8RLJBHoVS0jTtyW-FoZkDyIQPDQl0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2f69_d0a8_9723_62b5" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/gRHJBymXEWD_-UpXcOUjTg_PsLLR-E8Rrh3xvxFoJ2CUloQ6kzkXoP293Dp50XYCUbA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>They searched the stars for sight words and recorded the ones they found.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_a1c_be28_2f47_6d26" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/hHo7VO4ib2oN-iZPuWjPWFfbgixCro5MmwCHdoGd5es8N5YYyK6SaPjNjNwGkS3HY2I" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>The star team created a starry universe for our spaceships to take off in!<br><br><img id="id_2ded_a1_8fc2_624a" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/NUFO7zjM7oHvXt3gE9Yv2C8gI73qNKykN8Tnlgx3wFOmN0VMm_Z-ng1k4Pkkisdc-mU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_eccb_e5d2_1f53_2ad2" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/xk5sbSP-0lwHzkxZ1DyhfSp1s2It4dPH7jU2If77836vE46aZK3hDLZMgxh2310Uk60" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I set out an area for them to explore the planets and create their own galaxies! They mixed black and blue paint on the plate then flicked white paint onto it with a toothbrush.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_6efb_9556_31d5_a8d" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/TaQ3U7BwiNtBtDBerah5E1Xru4OpndWIy0xL1j3I4mhfyLV19pyxR6Jt9He3_CoZxNU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They researched planets though reading and then used droppers on cotton rounds to create their planets. I wish I could remember where I got this idea from to give them credit! The kids loved this!<br><br><img id="id_cb62_612a_e957_8286" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/uacCDDLS7zEYoGiOqesPCA7PBIByHJitR_TqtAl6baDsyH3NlfQdv3PrKTArQlrE6OI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here are their Spaceships blasting through Space!<br><br><img id="id_8144_8317_ff06_e03e" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/bQ00ssL9TK8KLFXmboUMpdGn-eZVrHH4BXTFN1HgVvYUPK2O-OnPs4y5pBcs7iF1srU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>The kids really enjoyed this investigation! Our next project is top secret! You’ll find out in my next post!</div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-74035800051478317242021-05-08T11:34:00.001-04:002021-05-08T11:34:21.364-04:00Looking Closer at the SkyIt started with a rare warm week at the beginning of April!<div><br></div><div><img id="id_c96e_58fd_b2b5_802b" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Zqcq7VXFV9-QZNnZEBiCaZxzQEvAAsHK27Wj9LDcF1FVHPMksolwtKhdt5LeWwvB5Pk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br> We studied the sky.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_d773_5976_109a_e0ca" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/D425eGKciaHLPZWoycdDbhyig_XcAstR5TIqoL25umryCCTNcK5nL512v-l6A32zrDg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_fbd5_459e_e5a6_4752" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/3U0BV5q-_bS194cP8UtCXTgoFFCN9H3LCkWPf9SmB9zioBg4_YUEkfcZXIiuj9mIac0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We found out the sky can be all the colors of the rainbow! We used art to to show what we noticed.<br><br><img id="id_5b99_9de8_7e5d_a926" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/bmbb73WR8KxXUxGgf1VUWszix0vCQDIKVSrVMHZEBNszMLaMnU6s3xAu3kTLa80bt_Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_fcf6_5d60_40fc_eb3a" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/YPTZR_3sIblu7dW8G0eL7UcGXUHavLHykIlFAwfTBTfpRM4Uz120eTT14x1MviYkZFU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_10d5_4007_f5ca_f8ea" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/RPmfG2dlgnHBfwl9Jhz-bh5Vdg9DteH-sLPHutV4NqR6AKs5_cXQgxmuZykIgkpBNls" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><br><br>We studied the clouds and made a beautiful display of the different kinds of clouds. Unfortunately I did not get a picture of the finished display!<br><br><img id="id_f253_fdb3_86b_6bc9" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Gtyjy9Wf-ek44aXCk5kLD8EBvQWRuU6CkHF5tVio43KyW112CjztVppKNT05_YJCnVM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_14fa_d378_2018_ce6c" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/4UUFbEjlZuATC1Bx_7UJXu-xbXnFigDxv5TiH6YN4r0m2Mk8INYVDZmcEmwFfv-o5fg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4fdb_33f0_9c6a_5c15" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/SqfGtcryXNzarsUJ5pika4Q3hjZ-Ew7KzOdsqvhqS-VWs6GMhneASxqkKgFmuLAoaFw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><br><br><img id="id_9e2a_2c85_b975_5f15" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/JdK0ljwOQ3ggdKVgmD77ahTErj7FNWRLC_gzkT4yJHX3WSUfu4MslJRZZjtcBVrYlJo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2137_92c9_ff5b_c002" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Hdd9r5D-QihV-i-fh9hZIRzzxObAKf3p6NjjSn8f75g8a4-IWfz2ke8rQdDo5TdWEUA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We studied the wind and made art by creating our own wind by blowing through straws.<br><br><img id="id_2e75_2bf_124a_d9c2" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/9TB4vyPP6XFtKvrZZS9YnfGf1Di9GQmMRby_tiBW-QWcsbBXyTbZmsq45Tka-6k2Pkg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_6dc_6adb_f134_29d2" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/pFAvOs969oUwGUc_FkfDLEJEJY2sVR6r76sdyoFGYaPa-87B11dxgIUKk9Boqf9a4Qk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4243_b78_38e8_cfad" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/HfdJqVt3Pg__qx4qJ7eW77uv_WOS6SG-btdgUXTsi_hQ8s8OP6m2gWhTowa90-C4_DY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We made weather vanes to show what direction the wind was blowing.<br><br><img id="id_fad3_6fbd_8fd_5c1b" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/tyymqUh6nywb766OHxtlECVYxz_lY4FVgHHRBx2YINmBHNPK7liuVEn48KXhpRVfM-E" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We studied the sun by reading books and doing an experiment on a cool sunny day to see if the sun had enough energy to melt the chocolate chips, even with the cooler temperatures. It was hard to wait!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_cd43_a31e_91ba_a6a2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/UhMUmBUtHeMVnOnjYVIR2_e1F6d2NWfQDo47eSNyTRAQvRhAqs4EKRdAjAVe9Lnt8O4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>The sun did have enough energy!! We had a sweet and salty snack with pretzels and chocolate chips!<br><br><img id="id_19b3_d24d_7a62_d3e0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/1PslkP9NXK3hdyYpLofXJPiTEnZjl8oVw1JT2caJGYZCBc2gbCh-jJi5UzVpGCT52mE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Studying the sun led to interest in space! See how we explore space in my next post!</span></div><div><br></div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492136136099278542.post-45422712844095372632021-04-10T15:36:00.001-04:002021-04-10T15:36:58.041-04:00Kindergarten Geology- An Inquiry of Rocks, Minerals and Crystals <div>I was so glad that this group was interested in rocks and crystals! My group last year was also into them and we had just started investigating when our school buildings were locked up and we were thrown into teaching through a computer in a pandemic. Well, this year, these kids have been showing me rocks all year and wondering about them so I brought out my huge rock, mineral and crystal collection again. I am a total rock geek and have collected them all my life! I showed them some during our whole group meeting and told them the memories that went with each one. Every rock I had told a story of someplace that I went and the people I shared the experience with.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_27cd_5f0c_1ab3_e990" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/E7zssJtJK1YY1yDM9SuCDQaNEbbXEBxiYZu7yODHNiAVYD4MhBCGU1i1mPutHe1SCbA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_25_d64c_1ff_5ab2" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/xKSaWlvwbywGbbZ684F8IvS6aRzQdzRFWlGTpybaVBCPl51NOEVWlVmGSOK70X-EJlg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_ea1b_4827_acdf_e5f5" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/g6-7DjwiCDWXuQC-0aj5yfwYnU7SuUbUfa-5wWnPe3aOp6hp30UESo2c09hH1njlRmk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_6de5_68e7_e1b4_d980" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/3fvB3r2-xDi8OAvaZZSF4CGZhWvlH4MSJVLr-2cjGmxmk9Z9hiJFsozcWwykUBxiGfk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>So many math and science standards were used and practiced as they explored! We build math vocabulary by practicing our learning standard of comparing sizes and noticing which were taller/shorter, longer/shorted, and heavier/lighter. <br><br><img id="id_f28b_d50c_3118_370" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Jlz4JO7M2oYxLHnsBarz2NW9AMzzxqBWdRDtgWkZKR7ZsWjS80wWvZDuCdGII6owc0A" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_20b0_4093_b51f_2afe" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/CsZs54bSoZG2P5qbYnvt2ckQSlDfIYIawtX8Mh78wTF7kB286yI2JxDgEFx9bokCFv4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e3b8_f69f_592e_b938" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/0gRRLdROdOHi2DaKojRE-Qdvx7_MuFSJAhf9jH-zu6hB37VutbJsa-rG4v40p9WHcmc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_575d_e98d_417_dbfb" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/ton2NObt00rQYVCw_kqB1KtOWgXbFjIjmL_KdUSAXve8_FcGeJPbKLqhEHLMgmc4QSM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e9e7_469a_8c2e_2afa" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/E3bXrFKGsoiksB3Nsxp-XSasNhbsuPQmtG8FysdUPi6qzy2Xc4Qj6iQpjTzVJbPwy9E" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1618_7158_9178_8eab" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Quu1plAMuiEq_7ZnFsDY391kXqR9wO0RLewYxJ39hpcacX0SWedNIWDu3OpkoSymhUo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>We also sorted by attribute. Here they sorted by color, but they also sorted by size and type. They put them in groups that were similar such as crystals, geodes, lava rocks, fossils, etc. They also sorted by texture such as rough/smooth.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_6137_2ac4_521f_7cfe" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/4MkJLMtXpdywXFfQr5_zoCatqnEoEPZ36xTlT1e2_YfBrOquIRvpf3bJb6c340TV7s0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>It took them a while to figure out what salt is! A friend looked at it through a microscope and declared they looked like crystals! We investigated further by using the iPad and found out salt is a crystal and a mineral. They thought it was weird that we put crystals on our food!<br><br><img id="id_83f9_9110_7e44_411b" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/jd_E_J7vA_lCW0kVO9AgoYJV2sIxdcEKQICCpub9OOutsVKIiOrYhozVFyDG1ORl6rc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_30ee_13a3_8696_84d6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fzAPGVu8I-THnJjlBMtigTCSnsMKBJwUvaDFgmc5cBIWTjkNoEmoOecY1JB5pMYJYJM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>This group was very fascinated with the geodes so I put some agate out for them to explore and inspire some art! They loved putting the salt on the watercolors!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_3753_96a1_a1da_ef13" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/YuGRsb4ApNXoGXtCn94VW7qn4c2qWbbz8QY-Y94nDioyi6ozIp5DyiroHWnLzyplftk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b707_f251_6a8d_7769" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/77hMCXEsp_tgD2L_dq7bO_ZJnGp3vakCPxK5bsKxejMq_2bLEyrRLEN0Pqi0oTMAscY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_ab7e_ece5_33b_825a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KvyjrrHmE_Sny8_n8IHh4sfwiv7JWX6yjfQZoM1-v6DA4i9Nv1qPGzWXs0b5O0gTutY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1cba_481e_7c50_bb59" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/NSSR8TAKjwZ4J6VMokMCwmEZ67QlWmlADVXkm8ph-JW58-vjRLf1pWOhmE9Eupsi9GE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1a65_211c_f1cf_d0d2" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/4BnMTwiTO0OdgGNIMvdzSWeHnfpM48CFIDGktOfGJ6plqcZc0TKJ-5YDKEBNXSd66t8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Some were interested in volcanoes so I set up an area for them to create stories and investigate volcanoes through some books. <br><br><img id="id_b077_81e4_e9cd_9523" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/YCgjpoQcF-KniDtVF2tX-JmMp_CUUqmbhHLhM6yX3m0UV9sxhhEcM_iwuLpItujSXLQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1e9c_9f59_56aa_73a3" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/09lfivyvx95GVn4GCCQvoHfciwQ8cdAIti6WFNOlTDD2w8KGrXcguVpU-FPsaFyb-nM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Some kids had a rock collection but many did not so we decided to start one by making some scribble rocks! Their favorite part was washing and scrubbing the rocks they found in the dirt on our playground. <br><br><img id="id_8320_2f34_f5e_1284" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/bcFlcm0r9x5k_UVe5GLzd_7dwMJ394m7UNdHxf-WwL9oLFZ3D4NXjIe4wHaAN3SXOtI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>They used acrylic paints to paint designs on them. <br><br><img id="id_869a_5d7_9ca3_e8aa" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Axed8ln-PW0BT78rDMWHnVKgNee4qnU_0f7O2eOjcW1aK3PntXpOSXodLRT3S2mq1Kk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Because of their love of geodes, I ordered some small ones on Amazon for them. We took them outside and each friend got to break their geode open with a hammer! <br><br><img id="id_3ddb_cbf9_1327_d9e1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jZdpH9LjfgBZGdvIAOFlCFWSfQl4zdU9IFGZqjmldg1IB9UY9PHalUNJIgzz5t-dJfc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2580_75af_6302_d794" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/yY5r1Q0Rx36oh0QCh9uEAMLjKzfFZ015V2tA4p57u5ezmRI1s9DGumZxFSot6guDKFw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>Every geode was filled with crystals inside!<br><br><img id="id_20b2_2646_9fd9_be3" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/GGsgTG6nfkmbBt4uTpOUx7yDXHZ9cUbs9x5Cq0MmUgcXqzI9NqgnVgcYhpbyZM3KhiI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>During this inquiry, they had collected a few rocks. We kept them in a bag and at the end of the inquiry, talked about the memories/stories that these rocks had! The painted rock would remind them of their kindergarten friends who painted the rocks together. The fool’s gold would remind them of when the leprechaun visited out class room and mixed everything up, then left us the fools gold in our traps! The rose quarts would remind them of me, their kindergarten teacher, and the geode they would remember the experience of breaking them open on the playground with a hammer and the joy of finding the crystals inside! Now they all have a rock collection started that they can add to as they make more memories!<br><br><img id="id_b87c_6ebc_3e24_aa8d" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/kw7B1LguA3QYHIwUWv9BxaBE7QGzZa5Ng_-44aeg-lrzWcusxzLNfmHj3kd6HTd8C6w" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_3995_3214_3d49_2eca" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/BL-1PQfle9akcVwdnyVR51dedh1mmh-U-9oUU-7JHOOsckvnf5IN853UgDTsGw0fILg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 812px; height: auto;"><br><br>I only get a group once in a while full of rock hounds so I’m always very excited when it happens! This was a very fun investigation! Next, we investigate the sky....stay tuned!</div>Mrs Myers Inquiring Mindshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280387662860144101noreply@blogger.com0