Recently, I'd been hearing stories from the children about a new dog that joined the family, a cat that left a sticky fur ball in a bed, and also "wolf-dogs" that will soon be having pups (a live feed video will be set up to watch the puppies!). These tales were in the back of my mind as I was inspired to walk into Pet Smart last weekend and pick up a Betta. I introduced the fish with the story Not Norman by Kelly Bennett (see it read here on You Tube. )
Our new class Betta fish.
He didn't have a name, and the children seemed to have a lot of fun brainstorming ideas with you at home. Thank you for your assistance. We pulled a name from the basket earlier this week, and our Betta was dubbed, "Bluey".
A bulletin board in the reading centre, displaying the
"fish" names chosen by the children.
Inspired by the book, Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian (see it read aloud here on You Tube by Miss. Nona.), we started to keep a journal of Bluey's activities. Each day when he is fed, the calendar number is filled in. Then, we write the date at the top of our observation sheet, and someone scribes their observations. Finally, they illustrate a picture to go with it. Literacy and numeracy are "working" hand in hand.
Who knows - perhaps a class made book will be on the agenda. Bluey has already had some adventures. He was stuck in a tiny container for a few days (Perhaps you heard about the broken tank?) Now he sits on a shelf in his new tank (thank you - you know who you are!), with a beautiful backdrop painted by the children.
Bluey in his new tank, with a freshly painted waterscape in behind.
I'm sure the children will keep you "posted" on the adventures of Bluey, as he settles into our JK atelier!
