This week, in anticipation of the ever-so-exciting petting zoo, the children explored all things animals. We talked about what animals we hoped would be at our school (pig, cow, elephant, jelly fish, horse, bunny and snake were among the answers). We read more books about animals and thought about whether or not it would be safe to bring some of them to our school (lions, tigers for example). And we also talked about what kind of weather we might need in order for the animals to feel safe and warm (the children said sunny weather or no rain). The day finally arrived on Wednesday and the children were so excited when they walked in through the front gate and saw some animals already set up on the playground. Our Nursery class started the day by going into Teacher Jean's office and peeking out her window to check out what animals we were going to be later in the day.
The weather threatened to put a damper in the day, however, it held up and our Nursery friends were able to enjoy the sweet animals and the fun! We were so fortunate to have everyone from our class present on the big day (this will surely be a big topic of discussion in the next few weeks) and the children had so much to say. The most popular animal, by far, was the snake! Even if friends did not 'wear' the snake, they definitely were interested in looking at it!
Click on the slideshow below to see more animal enjoyment!
Thursday and Friday involved a lot of reflection on the petting zoo, especially about the animals that were there. Friends said:
CLAIRE:
“I touched the snake but I didn’t wear it.”
EMMA:
“My daddy touched the snake.”
HAYATO:
"(I held a) Kame...turtle"
MIA:
“A rabbit was trying to hop over me. My mommy took a picture. She climbed up my back.”
MYA:
"The guinea pigs were so cute so I wanted to take a picture. They were so fast."
MICHAEL:
"Rabbit...jumped out of my hands"
WESLEY:
"I was petting the goat. He didn't eat my arm."
Additionally, we talked about other animals and the children's conversations sparked several questions and many possibilities for answers:
Where do snakes live? (Houses? In the forest? In a cage? In the water?)
What do cats like to eat? (Cat biscuits? Milk?)
What do pigs eat? (Mud? Trash?)
What animal was Eugene carrying at the petting zoo? (A mouse? A guinea pig mouse? A baby guinea pig?)
Where do squirrels live?
In addition, the children learned a lot of names for baby animals such as duckling, joey, chick, kitten, puppy, and cub.
Over the next few weeks we will continue to explore our questions and insights of animals and see what direction the children take this.
CLAIRE:
“I touched the snake but I didn’t wear it.”
EMMA:
“My daddy touched the snake.”
HAYATO:
"(I held a) Kame...turtle"
MIA:
“A rabbit was trying to hop over me. My mommy took a picture. She climbed up my back.”
MYA:
"The guinea pigs were so cute so I wanted to take a picture. They were so fast."
MICHAEL:
"Rabbit...jumped out of my hands"
WESLEY:
"I was petting the goat. He didn't eat my arm."
Additionally, we talked about other animals and the children's conversations sparked several questions and many possibilities for answers:
Where do snakes live? (Houses? In the forest? In a cage? In the water?)
What do cats like to eat? (Cat biscuits? Milk?)
What do pigs eat? (Mud? Trash?)
What animal was Eugene carrying at the petting zoo? (A mouse? A guinea pig mouse? A baby guinea pig?)
Where do squirrels live?
In addition, the children learned a lot of names for baby animals such as duckling, joey, chick, kitten, puppy, and cub.
Over the next few weeks we will continue to explore our questions and insights of animals and see what direction the children take this.
Have a fantastic weekend everyone.
-Julie and Natalie
-Julie and Natalie