cans

We're looking for cans!
Smallish cans -- soup can size or pizza sauce size (corn or mandarin orange size?). But not as small as those little tomato paste ones... We are making something special...... We can only use them if the rims aren't sharp -- i.e. if they have been cut off with a can opener that just cuts the lid out, not the rim off.....
We need them this week (by May 5) -- so if you have any cans that you are recycling -- please send them in!
We'll show you what we're doing with them next week :)
THANK YOU!!!

Introducing Bill, Ted and the Princesses!

We have a few new friends in the class! First are our new tadpoles, Bill and Ted (they are having a most excellent adventure). This year we have frog tadpoles (2 years ago we had toad tadpoles). They have just emerged from the mud and are ready for their metamorphosis into frogs!

These frogs hatched from their eggs last spring -- then spent last year eating and growing, then hibernated in the mud over the winter. Last weekend I carefully removed them from their pond (hopefully I will return them there in a month or so....). Now they are living in an aquarium in our classroom -- and we can already see their tiny legs beginning to grow. We were a bit worried that they weren't eating -- but today they started to eat! (they eat lettuce which I have boiled then frozen to make it a bit softer and mushier). They are about 3" long.

(I can't seem to get a better picture, sorry!)

Also from the same pond came some huge snails! Their names are Aurora, Ariel and Belle (named after some very popular Disney princesses). I have also seen quite a few small snails on the bottom of the tank -- I'm not sure how they got in there -- perhaps they were attached to a big snail? Or are they really babies? The snails in the pond (in London, Ontario) were up to the size of my fist! Our princesses are about golf ball size. I'm not sure if these snails are native to Canada-- or if someone has dumped their aquarium snails in the pond -- I'm still researching. They are similar to this snail (click here). They do seem to breath the air!


Noah named the water beetle "Love" but we haven't seen her today......

Some of the children pull up chairs and just watch the life in the aquarium...
Here is what they said:
"This is SO cool!"
"Better than tv! "

My only wish is that they ALWAYS believe that their natural curiousity and inquiry is better than tv :)

building

We love to build. Sometimes we use lego, sometimes it duplo. Mostly, though, it's good old wooden blocks!

Math Monday -- Measurement

Math Monday -- Measurement

Children need experiences:

• classifying, describing and arranging objects using language such as shorter than, longer than...
• describing time and temperature with terms such as longer, shorter, hotter, colder, warm...
• comparing sizes of objects by using non-standard units e.g. line up blocks beside books, count the blocks
• choosing a non-standard unit and using it to estimate, measure, compare, and order various objects
• Use a non-standard unit (link cubes for example) to cover the given area of objects. e.g. How many crayon boxes does it take to cover the desk?

The terms non-standard and standard are often used when describing prescribed learning outcomes for measurement.

Measuring with non-standard units means measuring things with blocks, pencils, hands, feet, etc. As long as the items used to measure with are all the same size, e.g. identical blocks or brand new pencils, they are suitable to use.

Measuring with standard units means measuring with inches, feet, yards, centimeters or meters, using rulers and other measuring devices.

How you can help at home:

Reinforce terms such as: taller, shorter, small, large, lighter, heavier, hotter, colder, warm and variations of the terms such as large, larger, largest, morning. Also afternoon, evening, today, yesterday, tomorrow, week, year

Cranes for Kids

(our colour and cut cranes -- they look pretty good, don't they?

We made 38 cranes to send to OshKosh. I explained a bit about the earthquake in Japan (please reiterate to your children that large earthquakes like this won't happen in Toronto). I explained that the ground shook a lot and that lots of people's houses fell down and that everyone had to run outside and lots of people now had to rebuild their homes. And that lots of people (children) had to leave their houses wearing only the clothes on their backs. That the clothing store/company OshKosh was going to send a piece of clothing to a child in Japan for each crane that we made. So that all of the children would have clothes to wear.

["What about the parents?" someone asked. "Other places are sending clothes for adults -- we're helping the children" I said. I hope that someone is sending adult clothes.... I'm sure that they are -- I know of groups sending socks and quilts. Surely the Red Cross sends clothes? Anyway -- I diverted the focus back to the children that we ARE helping.]

Each child who was at school (in our class -- a.m. and p.m. ) on Friday made at least one crane (and THANK YOU Teagan for making 3!). All of the ones that we made were sent off -- without anyone insisting that they take it home themselves! (I have more cranes for them to colour and cut this week if they want to make one for themselves).

A special thank you to Sheila Philcox who helped our morning class -- and folded an origami crane for each child to take home -- while she was supervising the groups of 5 children at a time! She was even able to be patient enough to help 2 students fold their own! (cranes are hard!)
And thank you to Ms. B -- our Student Teacher / helper in the pm class!

Popular Centres

The dinosaur playscape has been very popular with the boys AND the girls.


The girls play more often with the ponies.


The great part about this type of play is the stories that they make up.

Student "....and then the big giant snake came and bit off the little pony's head"
Ms. Brown "Oh, why did the snake do that?"
Student "Because he was hungry"
Ms Brown "Oh.... well.... what would happen if the snake didn't eat the pony?"
Student " Then the lions would eat him"

(that poor doomed pony :)

Outdoor music centre

We are making an outdoor music area -- and I am hoping to add a hanging xylophone. Does anyone have some scrap 2x4s hanging around? (and the ability to cut them and/or drill them?)(I can do it, but I'll need to take it all home and then bring it all back on the subway). I am trying to do what this preschool has done.


We'll hang it from a rope that is bungee corded between the trees (we have to take it down every day). Mr. Travers' office (and window) is right above the area, so maybe we'll test it out with some pre-made instruments before we invest a lot of time and energy into it.

How about any old metal pot lids? Old wind chimes?