Writing the Room!

How JK children pick up reading and writing skills never ceases to amaze me. At the beginning of the year, many were learning their pencil/marker grip and practicing their "form drawing". We often do our form drawing when finished our snack, but this practise has evolved over the year. Recently I have noticed that the children are eager to demonstrate that they know how to write letters, numbers and words that are in our morning message, poem or chart (shared writing). We have now incorporated a new routine - writing the room!

       

This child has read the word "Mom" on the big chalkboard and written in on his whiteboard.

     

This little one found the number three on a bulletin board and opted to copy it out on her whiteboard.

This JK student is copying down the captions written underneath our Mother's Day 

show & share bulletin board. 

This little guy copied a word from a chart paper (brainstorming page) back from when we were 

looking at pets.

This child is copying down a word from a chart created when brainstorming things that grow

from seeds.

This little writer is also copying from a recent chart that was co-created, pertaining to things that

grow from seeds.

I share these wonderful samples (....and there were many, many more!) to simply demonstrate that the children are learning through what is modeled for them. When you write a grocery list, a chore list, or the weekly menu, you are modeling what writers do. I am overjoyed to see that ALL of the children are eager to "write the room" and demonstrate what they know. 

They know the letters of the alphabet, and many of the sounds associated with them. 

Most know how to pick up a marker. 

They know the difference between a letter and a word.

They know that letters are joined together to make a word.

They know that words contain meaning.

I am so proud of all of our little writers!

Thank you for visiting our atelier!

We've got the Springtime "Shoes"

The recent weather inspired many of our "read alouds" of late, and we shared an old favourite of mine, Big Sarah's Little Boots by Paulette Bourgeois. It is a story of a little girl who is excited to try on her favourite rubber boots, only to discover that she can't get her feet into them. She tries many different strategies to try and make them fit, such as filling them with rocks, watering them, stretching them, but to no avail. Sarah is resistant to buying a new pair of boots that fit, but in the end passes her boots down to her younger brother and settles for another pair that end up being just right!

This story inspired lots of "talk" about growing, and recent trips

to the shoe store. 

From here, the idea for our new dramatic play centre was born!

We brainstormed ideas, and you sent in the supplies! 

Thank you!

Our dramatic play centres have provided many opportunities to

slide literacy into the programme. The children created our OPEN/ CLOSED

sign that hangs in the "window".

And while it is very faint in this photo, note the sign on the

blackboard / puppet prop that reads:

Shoe Store

"boots"

The children also tried their hand at sorting the various types of

footwear that came in. 

"flip flops"

"crocs"

And more signs were created, using inventive spelling. We listened for the sounds that we hear when saying the words, and the children used letters they know to represent the sound they hear.

"flep flap, kroks, bits" = "flip flops, crocs, boots"

Well done!

"numeracy" at play

They also created a sign to identify the sizes available.

And this just in - a new pair of shoes!

Thank you for sending these in.

I wonder what sign these might inspire?

Meanwhile, please take some time to have a listen to "blues" song we've been working on, from composer Rob Sayer, titled: I've Got the Shoes.

Thank you for visiting our atelier.

Earth Day

I'd like to think that in JK, we celebrate Earth Day, everyday!

 

A few opportunities presented themselves, and we explored how we can be stewards of the earth. We started off the week learning a new song by local singer/songwriter: Chris McKhool from his album titled: Earth, Seas and Air .

 

https://soundcloud.com/jk-atelier/mother-earth

 

We followed up with a simple craft that involved scissor cutting and shape recognition. You may remember our little song....

"Open and shut

Open and shut

That's the way we cut, cut, cut

Fingers on the bottom

Thumb on top

Do not let the paper drop

Open and shut

Open and shut

That's the way we cut, cut, cut!"

After viewing pictures of earth from space (from varying perspectives: northern hemisphere, southern hemisphere), the children observed the colours seen: blue, green, brown and white. Using their critical thinking, they deduced that the blue was the oceans (*note how there is more water than land on earth), that the green was grass, and the brown was soil :)   Many agreed that the white must be the clouds. 

The children "painted" their earth using a tool other than brushes. Straws were used instead. We covered some basics first; such as, we blow OUT of the straw.  (Not IN)  And some preferred to scratch the paint across the paper instead, using the straw. It's all about discovery!

We also had a lot of fun being at the Recycling Station last week! Thank you for sending in items for our Show and Share. Many eager volunteers grabbed a marker and paper to create labels for our bins.

 

The children took great pride in presenting their recycling, telling us what the product was and then what the packaging was made from. It really made them take pause. You should have seen the kerfuffle that the egg carton created. "Paper!?"  "What!?"  Voices were falcetto!

A drink bottle hits the plastic bin.

A soy sauce bottle makes its way into the "glass" recycling.

 

 

An infant formula lid from a "glass" bottle made its way into the

metal bin. That took some by surprise too -

"The lid from a glass bottle? But

it's glass?!"

I missed the photo opportunity of two of our friends dropping

their banana peels into the vermiculture bin.

"Hello Compost!"

 

And, I love surprises. One of our friends brought in an old cell phone. It didn't

fit into our tidy little labeled bins: glass, plastic, paper, metal, compost.

 

E-Waste.

 

This cell phone came with a recycling package from Rogers / fido. According to the package, in exchange for sending in your old cell phone, a donation will be made to a Canadian Food Bank. I haven't done my research about where the e-waste goes and how it is broken down, but the cause itself sounds good to me, and worth checking out this link to Phones for Food.

 

Perhaps as time passes, the children will continue to think about the materials that products are made from, and how recycling impacts our environment. It starts small ...

 

Thanks again for visiting the atelier. 

 

Easter

As warmer weather approaches and the snow piles melt, I often feel that time steps into "fast forward". Thankfully, the long weekend allowed some of us time to "unwind". And while Easter has come and gone, I want to share some of the fun we had in JK, before our little holiday.

You no doubt heard, Jack-Jack the rabbit made his kindergarten debut in kindergarten. We have one of our friends to thank for bringing in his dear pet. Our wonderful presenter answered many questions (e.g. Why isn't he talking? [referring to the rabbit] ) and we learned many interesting facts (e.g. rabbits have teeth that will keep growing, and chewing keeps them short ). 

 

 

We also read an emergent reader together (see Easter folder that went home) titled What Hatches? The children are becoming quite skilled at tracking (lifting and placing their finger under each new word) as we read the sentences on each page.

We decoded some new words, using the picture clues, and letter/sound associations. The class was divided on whether or not this page read, "alligator" or "crocodile". By being letter detectives, we were able to determine that since the word began with the letter "c", it was "crocodile" and not "alligator". Critical thinking at play!

And finally, like Jack-Jack, rabbits do not hatch out of eggs.

We did, however, record a song about eggs just for you!

 

(Check out our sound file below)

https://soundcloud.com/jk-atelier/colour-the-eggs

Thank you for visiting the atelier!

3 Billy Goats Gruff

Continuing with our tales of three, we have visited "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" - a Norwegian folktale.

Pretend play evolved when revisiting the picture of goats that one of our friends brought in for "show & share" and retells have been hilarious as the children give the characters "voice".

Inspired by the story, the children have intently building bridges. I printed up some pictures for the children to look at, and we briefly discussed bridge building.

These photos inspired some very creative structures and critical thinking.

This little engineer explains about his structure:

"I put it [the piece of drift wood] so the animals can go across.

The troll can not eat. And the big one [goat] can smash him

in the water."

The duo who built this bridge tag team each other in their description:

"It looks like a wooden bridge."

"First we line the square pieces [pointing to the bottom blocks], 

then we lined up the rectangle pieces."

"We put the rectangles in lines"

"The Troll lives under the bridge and then when someone comes

across the bridge he says, "WHOS THAT TRIP TRAPPING OVER MY BRIDGE?!"

By means of an explanation this builder shares:

 "My bridge is a little bit short and a little bit wide, like in real life."

"The Troll lives under the bridge."

"Maaaaaa [goat sound]! I want to cross the bridge."

"There is green grass [on the other side]. That's why he's crossing."

Making use of materials at the train table, these builders commiserate:

"This [bridge] is for trains and goats."

"The Troll lives under here."

Our story retells have come alive these last few weeks. The children continue to gravitate toward the bowls that contain 3 goats, 3 fish and a shark, 3 pigs and wolf dog, and most recently Goldilocks and the 3 bears.

Thank you for visiting with us at the atelier.

Tales of Three

Welcome back from spring break! Our week started with the 3 Little Kittens, and although they lost their mittens, they didn't need assistance from our Vet Clinic, which is still running strong! ( A "python" and a "dragon" came in today for some medical assistance).

We made a chart on ways that we could represent 3, and "spring boarded" from there into the tales of The 3 Little Pigs.

I am excited to show you how the children have been practicing their story retells. And I have to share that as I was driving into school one morning, I spotted a small load of hay that was dropped on the side of road.

That day I was inspired while reading our second version of the 3 Little Pigs, and being the scavenger that I am, that pile of hay made it into school the next day and was our provocation....

To play.

To explore.

To observe.

To create.

The hay adorned the house made my the first little pig.

Sticks were selected for the house made by the second little pig.

We then talked about how bricks are made. Clay? I just happened to have a package of clay sitting in my arts supplies, awaiting an inspired moment. What shapes are bricks? Rectangles, you say? The children got to "work".

Using a popsicle stick to help cut and shape the bricks.

Bricks are prepared for the house of the 3rd little pig.

The work of junior kindergarten is often tactile and stretches the imagination. I know the children will be excited to bring home their creations for a retell, but I am eager to have them displayed on our school bulletin board for a while. 

As always, thank you for visiting our atelier!

Dramatic Play

Knowing that the children relish dramatic play in the classroom, their interests and tangents are constant inspiration. While "Winterlude" was in full swing, the Hot Chocolate Shop was (and remains) a hit.

Two friends prepare for a day of business,

setting up their cups in the correct placement and order.

 

I had to work the crowd in order to get this photo opportunity.

Hot Chocolate and donuts are a "hot" commodity at this venue!

 

 

As the Hot Chocolate Shop remains popular, a new interest is emerging. I mentioned in our previous post about our fish, "Bluey", that stories of adopted dogs, sticky fur balls and wolf-pups inspired a recent transition from snow studies to animal interest. Perhaps it was also influenced by our read alouds, "Owen and Mzee", a  true story about the unlikely friendship between a 130 year old tortoise and baby hippo in Kenya, or "Little Pink Pup", a story about a piglet adopted by a dog and her litter. (Stories about animals that demonstrate kindness and caring =Valentines).

 

 

The animal interest remains strong with this group of children, and our recent "Show & Share" (which is ongoing), had the children bring in photos and stories of their beloved animals. I almost wish that we had started the year with this "unit", as the children are so keen to share. Who knew that cats love to drink from the toilet? Or that big dogs "toot" when they sit down? It is a non-stop comedic adventure! As the pictures and "tails" roll in, our bulletin board expands.

One board designated to "documenting"

the childrens' interests - their animals. 

 

Our morning message and letter/sound association has piqued the interest of some who are learning letters and some emergent readers (each at the perfect pace for them). When we sat down at circle with these emergent readers, "Animal School", I was so thrilled to hear them read......"I see a dog." "I see a pig."   You need to know that the ONLY thing I'd done is hand the books out! I hadn't modeled or read a word! I am so excited for the children to bring the book home to you.  



Our emergent reader, "Animal School". 

 

In the meantime, we also read a community workers book about veterinarians. This inspired our next dramatic play centre, and we brainstormed ideas.

 



Our chart stand featuring the childrens' ideas for

the development of our next dramatic play centre.

 

Some got eager with the creation of the sign.

I pulled some resources from the tiniest closet ever

(it sometimes reminds me of Mary Poppins' carpet bag)

 

 

We have so much play to look forward to with the development of our newest interest - the Vet Clinic. X-rays, nurses scrubs (can you believe someone actually said, "scrubs" as an item they'd like to have in the clinic?!), and stethoscopes are a big part of the dramatic play that will be popular in the class next week. You can be sure that there will be lots of opportunity for numeracy and literacy also.

 

Thank you for sending in photos of your pets, and inspiring our atelier.