The Earth has Music ...

Every year, for the last 10 years, Castor Valley has created an art gallery for Education Week. The theme for this year's gallery was inspired by a quote from William Shakespeare:

"The earth has music for those who listen."

We went on a nature walk around the school property, and listened for the sounds of nature. The children heard geese honking and the wind blowing through the long grasses and tree branches. Then, the students noticed the bird houses mounted on each fence post.

They were dismayed to see the houses falling apart, knowing that the birds could no longer nest there. Maybe if the bird houses were fixed, the birds would sing. Then the bird songs would be the music of the earth! Aha! The project was born... the bird houses inspired our gallery display.

We took some bird houses down from the posts, and brought them inside to see if they could be salvaged. We took the pieces apart to inspect, and clean. They need to be cleaned every year in order to attract birds. The wood needed a little bit of weather proofing, and we looked in our bird house book to make sure that we could safely paint it.

The children helped screw the pieces back together. They loved using the "Red Robbie" and soon we had another centre set up with chunks of scrap 2x4, wood screws and screw drivers. We also integrated some literacy, when we compared nails to screws.

We also worked on creating some collage song birds, to add to the visual effect of our gallery installment.

With some help from a local farmer, we acquired some posts to put our refurbished bird houses on display. And voila!

                                                     

The children hope to hear the song of the swallows, as they make their new homes in the bird houses. Soon, we will be taking these houses back outside and we will listen to the music. In the meantime, the display sits in our sunny foyer. So much learning went into this project! It was a wonderful process - process art.

Thank you for visiting our atelier.

La Cabane à Sucre

This spring, the maple trees have an abundance of "extra" sap to give to those who are willing to put in the long hours of collecting, boiling and bottling. The children have been coming to school telling us tales about their weekend visits to local sugar shacks, and spending time with family and friends who continue the tradition of tapping sugar maples. It is an exciting time of year, marked by the warm days and cold nights that ensure a steady flow of sap.

At school, we have turned our water table into a maple syrup evaporator. Our sap pail hangs within reach, as the children count to 40 and little hands steadily fill the bucket, only to dump it into the evaporator again. It takes a whopping 40 containers of sap to boil down to 1 container of syrup. 40:1

We explored the spile, that gets hammered into the tree. We were curious ....

How does the sap get in the spile?  Ahhh. There is a hole.

Why is the hole on the bottom?

The children turned to their neighbour to "talk" and share ideas. We never underestimate the critical reasoning of a 4 year old. The sap rises up from the bottom of the tree! Ask them to demonstrate! (*early concept development of xylem and phloem - highschool biology!)

And since the children can never get enough of the block centre, we took a look at the design of a few sugar shacks. What do they have in common? We spoke about the difference between smoke and steam. Because there is so much evaporation that happens, the steam needs to escape the shack. The children broke into 'focus groups' and designed their own sugar shacks, keeping in mind the need for a vent, to allow steam to escape.

And of course, if you give a JK some maple syrup, chances are, they'll want some food to go with it. 

We brainstormed ideas for the kitchen, and we're impressed with their culinary skills! 

We love to see their creativity at play.

Thanks for stopping by the atelier!

Dino - might!

A few weeks back, we were able to take part in a workshop offered by Scientists in the Schools. Our Parent Council has been generously supporting this endeavour for a few years now, and we are very appreciative. This year, our workshop was titled, "I Can Be A Scientist". The children tried their hands at being Astronomers, Chemists, and Paleontologists.

While talking about our (then upcoming) field trip and exhibits at the Canadian Museum of Nature, the children renewed their interest in dinosaurs again, and the Paleontologists got to "work" with loose parts.

                                     

A stegosaurus footprint became the focus one morning, and we took advantage of the opportunity to revisit "tally marks" and "area" and "data management".

A display offered inspiration for the children to search and match characteristics of specific dinosaurs. The attributes of these different types were described, and oral communication was embellished with lots of adjectives. These detailed conversations will only enhance their writing down the road.

The dinosaur "exhibit" continues to be a hit...

... and encourages creativity.

Thanks for stopping by the atelier!

Wonderful Weaving

Working with the hands is an essential skill for developing fine motor skills, persistence and perseverance and brain function. While sorting through my basket of ribbon, I came across some that resembled netting. I grabbed the ribbon, and went searching for the yarn we had just used in another project. Paired together, the materials enticed the children ...

To play.

To explore.

To observe.

To create.

When the children pick up the materials to weave, they further develop creativity, dexterity and appreciation for aesthetics. 

The art of weaving also branches into other curriculum strands. The spatial sense that is exercised when stitching the yarn through the netting, is an important math skill.

It is often said that confidence is born of experience and understanding. When we gain insight into how objects and art are fashioned, I believe we connect with the items and materials we use. We have not lost sight of the fact that when interesting materials and opportunities are presented; and the children are drawn to them, they are empowered to confront a challenge. We are so proud of their creative responses.

Thank you for visiting the atelier.

Movie Mania!

We suspect that over the holidays, many families went to the theatre. The children were talking a lot about movies, and from here, we decided to open a new dramatic play centre.

In terms of materials needed for new centre, popcorn was a high ticket item. We gathered up some kraft paper bags, writing tools, and white tissue paper. The children were once again, encouraged...

To play.

To explore.

To observe.

To create.

Literacy is immersed into the program, as the children sound out the word popcorn and record the letters they hear. 

The tissue paper was balled up to form the popcorn!

In order to purchase items from the canteen, the children put their creativity to work, and made purses.

The children enjoyed selecting the movie that they wanted to watch - recorded on sheets that were displayed in the centre. With tickets in hand, popcorn bags and 3D glasses, our theatre was hopping with activity!

Thanks for visiting the atelier.