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Re-charged and Ready to Go!

After a rejuvenating break and a glorious time with my own family, I was elated to come back to class. I was curious to hear about their time off and wondered what had excited them over the past two weeks. After hellos and hugs we sat down to catch up on each other's lives. 

Over the holidays our frog died and we were wondering if the children would notice or ask about the frog. It did not take long before Cole asked "Where is the frog?" Dustin told them that the frog died and then the speculations began about how he died.

The following are a few snippets of our conversation....

Nico: I heard bad guys came. I heard them. They came and killed the frog. I am serious.
Cole: The frog is dead for real.
Zev: Maybe he swallowed a rock.
Chloe: Maybe he drank the water. Maybe he didn't have enough water.
Cash: Maybe he didn't eat the food.
Little Emily: Fish drink water

This last statement prompted a conversation on fish, the aquarium, sloths, sharks and a rhyme, Froggie the Broggie  Bryn). So....perhaps this will be an area of inquiry for this class.

On Wednesday, we will have a meeting to discuss if they are interested in studying fish and what they would like to know.

Over the holidays I was given a little kit to grow an amaryllis. I thought it would be fun to watch it grow at school so we planted it during first circle. The kit included a soil disc that swells as it absorbs water and this rather large bulb. We passed the soil disc around the circle. Colin said "It is very dirty", Nicolas exclaimed "It is very hard.", Zev panicked and said "It is breaking." and Kayla said "It doesn't feel good." When Dustin showed them the bulb, Nico asked 'Is that garlic?" I was thrilled with this connection. Chloe observed " It looks like sharp teeth.". The bulb went into the pot and over the course of the morning the children would periodically visit the pot to see how the soil expanded.








The children experimented with diffusing paper today. This fabric like paper blends colours easily and creates some interesting designs. Some children used stencils first while others simply put their own design directly onto the paper.








The children shared their enthusiasm for this activity as they were amazed at how the water "chased" the colour. Friends helped friends as they used the spray bottle and I heard many children asking their friends to look at their art for approval.  I find this interesting... the need for peer approval. Or is it really just the sharing of an activity, the notion of engaging in a collective experience?

Other moments....

Really using our finger muscles to cut deeply

Checking out the pattern this tool makes

Playing with magnets- a provocation-are they interested in learning about magnets?

Paper clips on the magnet wand- Zev was curious about how "they stick"

The procedure of flattening, rolling and twisting the dough was carefully explained to me by Loreli.

Crystal builders making a ?


Using a feather to write in sand

This is a very challenging maze that requires good fine motor, spatial awareness and logical predictions.

The other big event of the day was trying to come up with a name for our stuffed dog that will be sent home with a journal. Each child will have the chance to take the dog home, do activities with the dog, take photos etc. After a lively vote the name was chosen....Scratchy. We will post the journal on our blog so stay tuned!

Emily

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