Sharing With The Class
We love how much our Nursery children love sharing items with the class that go with what we are learning about at school! This week, Mia shared her wooden snake with the class. She let all her friends have a touch and answered many questions that her classmates had. We (including Mia) found out that the snake's pattern and belly are in fact, different colors! When asked if she'd like to leave her snake in our class rainforest, Mia said, "I think I want to take it home!" :)
James also shared a rubber snake with the class and said his name was Sam. The children were interested in its colors and patterns and compared it to an anaconda or python and thought it was much smaller than those kinds of snakes.
Wesley also brought in a looonnggg snake from home to share with the class. When asked if it was an anaconda snake, Wesley replied no but that it was a poisonous snake! James asked why the its tongue was red and Wesley said, "So it can smell!" Everyone used their gentle hands to feel it. Thank you for sharing with us!
To go along with our ocean theme, Mya brought in a book called "The Singing Mermaid" by Julia Donaldson. Everyone listened so carefully to see what would happen next to the mermaid who was taken away from the ocean to be in a circus. We were relieved to find out that the mermaid returns to the ocean with the help of her friends. What a great book Mya!
Mina also shared some seashells that she and her family collected at the beach. She counted 24 of them and asked if she could put them in our class beach on the sand.
Light Table
As the children were interested in the rope light from last week, this week, we brought out some new light table toys (translucent light blocks) for the children to explore. The children did a wonderful job creating using their imaginations to create structures from houses, buildings, castles and even a chocolate factory. They were also very intrigued that they could see color and still see through the blocks!!
Rope Light
The children continued to play with the rope light this week. The children were very excited to see some of the lights off in the classroom as they entered it every morning. Some friends tried to twist and bend the rope in different directions while others just wanted to look at the rope (with mirrors underneath it) or feel it.
Reflection
The children have discovered the fun of looking at themselves in the mirrors, which they have learned is called a reflection. They like to look at what happens when they bring the mirror closer to their faces as well as when they distance themselves from the mirror. We have seen some very cute expressions and actions while the children have been looking in the mirror!
The children have also shown an interest in rainbow blocks (wooden blocks with shimmering water or color in the middle) and have built wonderful creations- animal homes, houses, buildings, etc. One of their favorite things to do is to look through the blocks and prisms to see what they can see and to combine different colored blocks to see what happens!
Shadows MAGNIFIED!
As the children have been intrigued by the rope light and light table materials, their teachers got a little old-school and brought out an overhead projector (OHP) for the children to observe. Anna asked, "What is this machine?" and James said, "Why is it in here?" After the teachers explained that, when they were in school a long, long time ago and that teachers used it to make small things big so everyone could see, the children were not as concerned and became more curious about what they could do with it. It wasn't long until they were piling wood pieces, colored blocks, plastic helmets, snakes, and transparent sheets to see what would result in doing so.
We also looked at a picture book called "Shadows and Reflections" and tried to distinguish differences between the two. The children seemed to find it easier to recognize a shadow as they all agreed that they all have a shadow and that they are either black or grey. They were unsure if shadows can be different colors and we will continue to investigate that soon. In addition, they began to observe that if they looked in a window or mirror they could see a reflection. They noted that sometimes, things can be a reflection and a shadow, for example, when looking into a puddle. After reading the book, many children were eager to show the teachers their shadows on the playground. We will continue to provide ample opportunities for the children to make these observations through their play!
Movin' on Up!
As many of you know, the children are VERY excited about the transition they will be making soon from Nursery to Pre-K. We have been talking about some things that may be different when they go to a new classroom and the children have declared that they are ready. As we talk about it so often these days, the children were eager to visit the Pre-K classrooms to see what it would be like and see what they have in their rooms. On Thursday we were invited to Teacher Martha and Teacher Rida's classroom to walk around and see what it looked like. They were also studying habitats and the children eagerly checked out each one. They also noticed things like a fish tank, bigger cups, and smaller Lego pieces. They loved the little garden on the terrace and the strawberries that were growing. The could have stayed for hours but returned back to their familiar Nursery class to talk about what they had experienced.
On Friday the children visited Teacher Julianne and Teacher Bushra's Pre-K class and were also given a lovely tour of their classroom. They are also studying habitats so four groups of children alternated to see the work the children had done, which was quite impressive!
After that, the children had a blast in Teacher Hillary and Teacher Masami's class as they were treated to a visit in their animal house. They also played in various areas of the classroom and saw some familiar faces. What a great treat to be so welcomed in all of the Pre-K classes!
After that, the children had a blast in Teacher Hillary and Teacher Masami's class as they were treated to a visit in their animal house. They also played in various areas of the classroom and saw some familiar faces. What a great treat to be so welcomed in all of the Pre-K classes!