The Bustle About Buses!

Our picto-graph: How We Travel Home

Do you remember, in the last post, I mentioned that the seemingly small things are big things in JK? Not much has changed since the last post. Though, this time, I`m speaking of buses. Every morning, there is much anticipation for the arrival of the bright yellow buses. Even the children in the EDP can relate, because when the buses start rolling in, the yard starts to get even busier.

Some of the "bus" books we have shared

We are so proud of our little people, who took a leap of faith and arrived at school in September on board their bus. There has been much much discussed and read on this popular topic, and many activities have been inspired as a result. Bus safety has been highlighted, but then more recently, our focus groups (*focus groups take place when 3 educators are in the room) rotated through activities that incorporate play into our everyday learning.

Through our name recognition, ABC books and Morning Message, letter recognition has been incorporated into daily practise. With our focus being on the big yellow modes of transportation, we were often encountering the BUS word in print. In upper case, and lower case. Children have been developing fine motor coordination and tracing over the key letters using yellow manipulatives they could scrounge.

 Recreating the word : bus

 Note the use of lower case letters

 This person opted to use the colours : yellow, green & red.

"The colours of a traffic light"

Creativity has been explored, and various art materials used, when the children took to painting a collaborative bus mural. The collaboration piece is essential when building a sense of belonging and cooperation in the classroom.

Our beautiful collaborative bus mural

School Bus by Donald Crews

Full of environmental print that inspired our signs

After revisiting the book, School Bus by Donald Crews   the children were noticing the illustrated stop signs, bus stop signs and traffic lights. This inspired the creation of signs for our dramatic play centre. There were many opportunities to incorporate writing into the centre. The children decided to write GO for green, STOP for red, and SLOW for yellow.

And of course, the children are becoming more comfortable in the classroom and sharing a bit more. A little person working at another centre overheard our discussion about traffic lights and shared, "When my daddy sees the yellow light, he says hammer it!"

Our "bus" dramatic play centre

Child created signs for the dramatic play centre

 Detail of the inside of the Donald Crew book. 

Note the SCHOOL BUS STOP sign in the illustration

Note the traffic light in the illustration

We continue to be inspired by the important things that are happening in our lives. In JK, this is how we are incorporating play into our full day.

Thank you for dropping by our atelier!

We Love Our Shoes!

Welcome!

 

Indoor shoes, lined up in a row.

The last two weeks have been spent settling into the "new" classroom, meeting new friends, and establishing routines. Each and everyday, we are growing more independent and our confidence is developing. Each September, I am reminded of how the seemingly small things are BIG things to a group of 3 and 4 year olds. For example, shoes.

Yes, shoes. Identifying the difference between "outdoor" shoes and "indoor" shoes. Which shoes belong to who? (*Thank you to those families who labeled the shoes! It makes a difference!) Which shoe goes on which foot? How do you slide the velcro piece through the little slot it came out of? (* What did kindergarten teachers & children do before velcro?!?) Where do our indoor shoes go? Where do our outdoor shoes go? How do you line them up, together, so they don't get lost or kicked down the hall. (*sigh)  We're getting there :) With the help of song, Pete the Cat and perseverence.

On our shared writing chart, we identified shoes as one of the independent goals we are meeting, and took a photo of our beautiful shoes all lined up in a row (seen in photo above).

Shared writing

We enjoyed the story, "Pete the Cat" written by Eric Litwin & illustrated by James Dean. The story features a cat named Pete, who struts down the street in his brand new white shoes. He proceeds to step in things that change the colour of his shoes. But does Pete cry? Goodness no. He keeps walking along and singing his song. The moral of the story: No matter what you step in, keeping walking along, because everything is good. You can find a live recording of the story by Eric Litwin by clicking here.

Pete the Cat, top / left

We are fortunate to have 3 educators in the room during a period of our day, and we have taken advantage of this to "break-out" into 3 different groups and integrate play and a learning focus. One of the fundamental principles of the FDK program weighs heavily on play. In the Ontario curriculum document it states, "Play is a means to early learning that capitalizes on childrens' natural curiosity and exuberance." Each of the three groups was given materials to "measure" their shoes. Limited direction was given ... it was a chance to explore.

Of course, the questions began. This is what we love! Inquiry from the children. What does "measure" mean? How do we do it? (...using the materials provided) ? This brief "break-out" session lended itself to several language and math curriculum strands.

For example, one curriculum goal is, "...demonstrate, through investigation, an awareness of non-standard measuring devices."

Measuring length, using pattern blocks.

The children explored length, then they spontaneously starting "measuring" the perimetre. We made connections to language ~ we use the word "perimetre" to describe the edge of the carpet when sitting down at circle time ~ and made the connection when measuring around shoes.

Measuring "perimetre"

Chart paper and markers were grabbed, and we started recording "data" in groups.

Overall, we were pleased with the direction our focused learning and "play" seemed to go in. Social interactions, fine motor practice, numeracy, measurement, and language skills (verbal and written) all seemed to blend together. Our "work" has only just begun!

Thanks for visiting our atelier.

 

New Beginnings!

My family and I are so grateful for the lazy days of summer, and the chance to recharge & refresh! And, with the end of summer, comes the much anticipated trek back to school. Usually, I relish the process and take my time preparing for the new year ahead. This year, I was thrown for a loop.

3 days to unpack, prepare and start anew in the renovated FDK room. Where does one even begin? It's been a journey that that I haven't travelled alone (thank goodness!). Family and colleagues have provided tremendous support, for which (and whom) I am grateful for.

Although far from perfection, I strive to create an environment that embraces the childrens' interests. It is important to me that the natural environment is reflected inside, and an atmosphere of "calm" is available for all persons who move about the room throughout the day.

With the commencement of FDK, there are so many changes to embrace this year. I look forward to the journey, and bringing forth the "voices of our classroom" with this blog.

The progression of classroom setup has been documented; stage by stage, from each of the four corners.

 

Corner 1 (Before & After)

 

 

 

Corner 2 (Before & After)

 

 

                                                

Corner 3 (Before & After)

                     

 

 

Corner 4 (Before & After)

 

 

What a relief it was to put the room together, and finally meet the new families and little people we'll be working with this year.  

 

The atelier awaits! 

Beautiful Butterflies

 

Again with a project that started a long while back. It has been a long standing tradition in the JK classes to raise butterflies and release them - our wonderful Parent Council made this possible again this year. Thank you!

When the tiny little caterpillars arrived, they moved slowly, and were the length of our baby finger nail. We mixed the nutritional mash for them (made from dehydrated stonefly larvae) and put them in tiny little containers with the mix. We poked holes in the lid for air circulation to ensure they could breath.

And there they sat, in their containers, at the centre of each table. Each day at snack time, there was intense observation. They were moving faster, growing bigger (longer and thicker), and getting hairy. Eventually, they formed a chrysalis and were transferred to the butterfly containers.

 

The picture shows one of the children holding up one of the plastic models

of the "butterfly lifecycle stages".

 

While the chrysalis were hanging from the inside of the butterfly homes, they were often forgotton, until one of them would start jiggling. And once one would start, neighbouring chrysalis would start jiggling too. One morning we entered the classroom to discover that many butterflies had emerged from their chrysalis.

 

The children observed and documented the lifecycle in their nature journals.

 

And finally the day arrived that we decided they could no longer be satisfied drinking Gatorade, cooped up in the "cage". They fluttered about wildly in their temporary home, and we knew that their little wings longed to dance in the sunshine. After several stormy days, our opportunity arrived....

 

We gently reached in the butterfly cage, and occasionally they would settle

down to land on a little hand.

 

 

They passed the timid butterflies from hand to hand.

 

Some flew away quickly, and were compared to hummingbirds

because their wings beat so fast.

 

Other butterflies were reluctant to part ways.

 

But in the end, they were released to continue their life cycle. While we were sad to see them go, we bid them farewell, and said good-bye butterflies. Flutter by.

 

I embrace emerging experience.

I participate in discovery.

I am a butterfly.

I am not a butterfly collector.

 

~ William Stafford

 

 

 

In the days that followed, we spotted our butterflies in the gardens. And one morning we arrived to another big surprise on the yard...

 

Grade 1 "Kite Day", featuring a butterfly!

 

Thank you for visiting our atelier. There is much to look forward to in the years ahead.

I am ever grateful this journey. Enjoy the summer!

Fire Fly

Inspired by nature around us, the children often bring in items to show their friends. Great discussions have emerged and I am so delighted that the children are so keen with their observation. Certainly, there is no evidence of "nature deficit" with this group of children!

One morning, a firefly arrived via little hands, a Tim Hortin's cup, and an eager smile. A box was sacrificed for some serious learning...there have been a lot of boxes stacked up in the room for packing, in anticipation of the renovations that will happen over the summer.

 

The fire fly was placed in a dark environment - the box.

 

We shared a story.

 

 

We took quick peeks at the fire fly to see if it would glow.

 

 

And our ticket out the door consisted of a Venn diagram comparing fire flies to butterflies.

 

 

(We did end up adding that fire flies glow, and butterflies do not glow)

 

 

I hope that the children continue to use their skills in observation over the summer, and make connections to world, to books and to their own experiences.

 

And as always, thank you for supporting our learning over the year. It has been tremendous journey, and I am grateful for all that you have done as a parent community.

 

Thank you for visiting our atelier!

Quirky Quail

 

 

It was a few months back that "Jack-Jack" the rabbit visited. The children loved having animals in the classroom to study, and soon after, a few feathered friends made their brief debut. Smaller, and more fragile than the rabbit, pictures with each of the children were not easily attainable.

 

"Coturnix Japanese Quail"

 

At 3 weeks old, their feathers were just starting to come in.

They sang "cheer-up" as they ran around our circle.

 

 

As these little creatures timidly strutted their stuff, and we brainstormed names for the quail, that started (fittingly) with the letter "Qq". Quinn? Quinton? Quackers? Queenie?

 

We studied the lines on their faces - distinct "V" shapes were observed. Their sweet little faces inspired our display for the school's annual Art Gallery.

 

The portraits of our quirky quail were a mixed media creation,

using oil pastel and feathers.

 

A few weeks ago, when I started the task of clearing out the classroom, one of our JK friends gasped and panicked when she noticed that the quail were no longer there. In fact, they hadn't been present for a few weeks. She must have been absent the day we bid them "farewell" - they had been relocated to an outdoor "habitat" where they were (are), happily laying eggs. I had said that I would bring some of the eggs in to show her, but with the many projects that were underway, I regretfully never got around to it.

 

Here is my little update....

 

I collected three tiny eggs from the quirky quail tonight. The hens lay one a day. Usually when it starts to get dark. I love that no two are alike, and they have beautiful brown spots all over them.

Tiny spotted quail eggs in my fridge.

 

They make the cutest little fried eggs, but if you're going to substitute them for regular chicken eggs in a recipe, you need about 6 little eggs to replace 1 regular egg. They taste the same as chicken eggs, but because they are so small, they are tricky to crack open.

 

I am sure that the quail would like to revisit my

 kindergarten friends in the fall!

*We just won't let them drive the bus!*

 

Thanks for visiting the atelier.

Survey Says....

With the end of the school year around the corner, we've been reviewing skills in the JK class. Surveys are one of the text forms we haven't visited in a while, and we decided to take a look again. We used to write our names under one of the columns (rows go across, columns go up & down). We've taken it one step further, and now we're working on taking a tally and looking more at number sentences.

When the children came down to the carpet after snack, they of course gravitated towards the whiteboards. It was apparently decided that they wanted to create surveys of their own. I was very impressed with the variation of questions that the children developed, without prompting. All of our whole group survey questions have started with, "Did ..." and they ran with that. I volunteered to scribe their survey question for them, and I was pleased that the children went ahead and made the T-chart for collecting the data, on their own. In the beginning, I was printing Yes and No for them. What was I thinking? 

With all their experience under their belt, writers asked if they could write 

Yes and No for themselves. Of course! 

Never underestimate the determination of a 4 year old!

After circulating around the classroom, they asked friends their survey question 

and proceeded to record the data, in the form of tally marks.

And some felt confident enough to write their own survey question.

When I caught up with these two children, they had progressed to the point where 

they were calculating their totals! 

Note the numbers circled at the bottom of the T-chart.

Their creativity never ceases to amaze me! On this rainy morning; with no outdoor play, whiteboards and a connection with their peers is what they desired. Through their own direction, numeracy and literacy were embedded in "play". 

Thank you for visiting with us at the atelier.