Scientists in the School

We are grateful for the parent volunteers who were able to spend some time with our budding scientists, a while back. With Scientist Cindy at the helm, our "Scientists in the School" day was a whirlwind of activity, learning and fun. A special thank you to our Parent Council and the Kindergarten levy, which made this event possible.

Initially, the children thought they were camping at the "astronomy" centre. Little astronomers learned about constellations. When the flaps were closed on the tent, the dome turned into a mini planetarium.

The "chemistry" centre saw the children dress up as chemists, with lab coats and protective eyewear. They practiced fine motor skills with pipettes, and experimented with mixing colours. Another discovery component had the children experiment to see which substances dissolve in water. 

Experimenting at the water centre, the scientists explored the similarities and differences between various materials, as these materials demonstrated different behaviours, or characteristics in water. Some materials floated, while others sank. They came to the conclusion that heavier objects tended to sink in the water, though it was determined that weight was not the only factor. Principals of buoyancy were explored as volume was displaced with various items.

"Paleontologists" tried their hand at using various tools to uncover fossils. They also got to try create one of their own! Once they dried, the children were thrilled to bring these treasures home.

With Scientist Cindy, the children explored tools used by "meteorologists" and they created their own thermometre. They discovered what happens when the temperature rises! With spray bottles and sponges, the children loved the opportunity to revisit the water cycle!

I have had the pleasure of working with Cindy Ross for many years, and when she was putting away the centres that day, she mentioned that she had written a children's book. We made plans for her to come in again and read with the children. 

The class was thrilled to have a celebrity reader in their midst, and interacted with Scientist Cindy, as she shared her beautifully illustrated book. 

The book presents itself in poems and riddles, and captures the readers' imagination to explore local animals that hibernate, migrate and adapt. Truly, the children were SO engaged! It is no surprise that this book is nominated for awards!

Cindy signed the book for the children, "Stay curious!"  A big shout out and THANK YOU to our friend, author and scientist : Cindy Missen Ross!  Our class library was gifted this beautiful book!

Thank you once again for your support for Scientists in the School. You too, can add Scientist Cindy's book to your own personal library through the contacts above. It is a treasure that will be reread time and time again. There are a few riddles that might even stump some adults!

Thank you once again, for visiting our atelier!

Lovely Lilacs

One morning, not long ago ... one of our friends ambled off the bus and presented me with a lovely bouquet of fresh lilacs! They were a lovely surprise, as the tree in my back yard had not yet blossomed. Of course, on the drive home it's all I could see! Lilac bushes were in bloom EVERYWHERE! How had I NOT noticed? My friend had given me a silent reminder to take time and smell the flowers.

I had already thought that the vase of lilacs would make a great provocation in class the next day. I suspected that the scent alone, would attract a following. But as I drove home, I felt that it would be important for the children to have a guided inquiry and really NOTICE the details of the lavender coloured lilacs that were popping up like weeds across the rural countryside.

With the wheels set in motion, the tables were assembled and ready. As a class, we took the time to really observe the lilacs. We noticed the petals. Specifically, we observed the shape, and the number that made up a blossom -- 4. We noticed that the blossoms are comprised of varying shades of purple. We noticed the shape of the leaves -- they are shaped like hearts. And the smell was amazing!

The children were excited to grab a paint brush and get started. They wanted to be scientists and record their data! There was some explicit teaching that took place at this point, and the artist were given direction to use a sponge to create a dark purple shape on their paper. Because the shape was to be the backdrop for the blossoms, we observed the shape of each bunch, or stem of lilacs. We decided it looked like a triangle or a hat.

Ready to add details, we remembered that the blossoms consisted of 4 individual petals. They looked like an 'X'. What could we use to paint the petals? It was decided that they could use a small paint brush, or a Q-tip. White and purple paint were delivered to the tables and the children leaned in to mix the colours, interpret what they saw before them, and record -- with flourish!

Lilacs continued to come in, and we thank you for contributions to our atelier. With one "lesson" under their belt, the bouquets were an attractive and compelling provocation.

The paintings are each a beautiful representation of what the children saw in nature. We marvel at them daily, on display in our classroom and our school foyer.

Thank you for taking the time to smell the flowers, and visiting the atelier!

Novel Nests

During one of our walks in early spring, we went out to explore the changes taking place before our eyes. Snow was melting. Grass was turning green. And the birds were returning from their migration.

The buds weren't yet coming out on the trees, and we discovered that we could see bird nests nestled in the shrubs. Because the nests had been abandoned and left to the elements, they were falling apart. And of course, the question we all waited to be asked emerged : What are nests made from?

Back in class, we broke into our focus groups and examined what nests were made from. We just happened to have a collection in our science centre.

As a large group, we shared our findings. And the inspiration flowed... Would the birds like us to build a nest for them? Could we build a nest? Could we help birds make a nest?

We noticed that the other nests contained some fabric. In lieu of fabric, we wondered if  yarn would be a good a good material to build a nest with? One of our parents had kindly made a donation. We made our way back outside and left a gift for the birds. Our hope was that the birds would make good use of the yarn when they returned to make new nests and lay their eggs.

Time passed, buds grew on the hedges, and we returned to the same spot to see if the yarn was gone. To everyone's delight, we noticed that there was a nest in the tree!

We approached the honey locust tree cautiously, so to not scare any wildlife. What we discovered inside the nest was beyond exciting!

This got us excited about nests, once again. We collected the materials necessary to build nests, and got to work!

The grass, corn cob material, leaves, small twigs, fabric, clay, mud, garbage, and the sort, were dumped on the table and sifted through. Some paper pulp (leftover from our paper making project) was added to the mix, and we attempted to contain the mess to a bowl.

When the mix was just right ( not too runny, and not too thick ), the children picked up a gob to cover an upsidedown apple sauce container. 

The old screens that were utilized for the paper making project were used again for the nests to dry on.

Upon closer examination, the inside of the nests weren't very cosy for an egg. We went out on another excursion to find some "soft" materials to line the nests. Our Chief Custodian nearly panicked when he saw the whole class marching towards the the classroom door, each with a fluffy cattail in hand. 

While assembling the nests, the children were asked what birds would think of the nests. 

"It's going to be nice and comfy."

"They'll think it's fluffy."

"The birds will be comfy and out of the wind."

This project is ongoing, and we are in the process of determining the best way to transport the cozy nests home. We have a few ideas up our sleeves, so stay tuned! Also, we need to go on another excursion to observe the bird that hatched from the nest we discovered in honey locust tree!

Thanks for visiting the atelier!