Learning About Symmetry Through Butterfly Activities

With all of the "butterfly talk" going on in our classroom recently, we had a perfect
opportunity to tie in the math concept of symmetry.  The children enjoying making designs on the light table (bottom picture)
as well as with craft materials and paint.

We Went To The Park For Our Jewel Jar Reward!

What a wonderful outing! We are fortunate to have this park so close by!

Farm Fun!

Our students became very interested in exploring farming after
seeing the awesome barn and tractors above in the classroom next door. Mrs. Johnston and Mrs. O'Donohue were kind enough to share these items and they are a hit! 
We are having a wonderful time talking about farm animals and experiencing new and classic stories and songs such as "Old MacDonald Had A Farm"!

Dandelion Growing Update

We are having some success with our 
growing experiment!
After an outdoor experience, the children 
wanted to "harvest"
and plant dandelion seeds. They are 
taking great care to water
their seeds daily.

Our Show, Party and Bonus Butterfly Release

We had an amazing turn-out on Monday.
Thanks so much for joining us.
The children did a fabulous job
presenting their musical numbers.
It was an incredible chance to show off
the dance number the children learned in the
dance classes with Miss Brittany from PURE
Academy.  The party in the classroom was a
ball! We are so glad we were able to share
the experience of releasing our butterflies
with all of our special guests!

Caterpillar Update

We had an incredible time monitoring our caterpillars last week! This post will walk you through our week!

DAY 1

Many children started recording their observations right off the bat! This student wrote "I see black and I see brown" on the first day.  These observations were made through the cup as the lids were closed!
                 DAY 2

             

Day 2 was extremely exciting as we took the lids off and found caterpillars! 

                DAY 4

As a student wrote in her observational booklet, the caterpillars were "hanging".  All of them had made their way to the top of the cups and were starting to suspend themselves on the lids. 

             DAY 5

We started Day 5 (Friday) with the excitement of finding that one of our caterpillars had already formed a chrysalis. We finished the day by taping the paper liner that the chrysalis was attached to on the screen for our aquarium. Mrs. Garrow took the rest of the cups home for the weekend to keep an eye on them! Two days later a visit was made to the school so all of the cocoons could be attached to the screen.  Now the waiting begins!

We Made Great Predictions On Monday!

Monday was a very exciting day! The children were extremely curious when we placed 8 cups out for them to investigate (without taking the lids off!).We talked about what could be in the cups. Right away, the children noticed the air holes at the top.  Some children noticed that something was moving. They made incredible predictions. The following day we opened the lids and found caterpillars! Stay tuned for more posts on this exciting classroom experience!

The Estimation Jar

The Estimation Jar is the take-home activity for our current Happy Helper round. The children fill the jar with no more than 30 similar items at home. On the special day, the Happy Helper shows the jar to the class and the children print guesses on whiteboards. This activity offers a great opportunity to work on number formation and quantity concepts. There is always lots of excitement when the items are counted on our big number line. 

We often place the items on our 10 frames as well.

Dandelions Are Delightful! The Rabbits Were Amazing Too!

The children thoroughly enjoyed spending time in our far schoolyard, looking for dandelions (especially the "wish flowers"). 

The children want to try growing dandelions in our classroom by planting dandelion seeds.

As we strolled through the dandelions we were lucky enough to spot a family of rabbits. What a thrill it was to watch them! We tried to stay quiet and still.  As you see in the picture below, the children were interested in every move the rabbits made.  We can't wait to go back and look for them again (we are taking carrots with us!). 

Dental Health Fun With Dr. Morand

We had another wonderful guest speaker in our classroom! Rowan's Dad, Dr. Morand came to talk to us about his profession of dentistry. Many children in our class have been losing teeth recently and it was very interesting for the children to hear why this is happening. We learned all about caring for our teeth and we saw dental equipment. The children loved trying on the special glasses! Thanks for the gift bags and the awesome presentation, Dr. Morand!

Maps, Maps, and More Maps!

The students really enjoyed finding their way around the school during the following recent activities:

1) our recent passport activity with our gr. 7/8 Big Buddies (visiting different countries and learning about this destinations through QR codes)

2) the hunt with our gr. 7/8 Big Buddies for the Seven Natural Wonders Of The World (using a school map)

3) the hunt for animals from Guatemala.

These activities lead into the idea of following directions and mapping.  Recently the JK/SK students have really enjoyed sending their peers on hunts within our school. They came up with the idea of designing a path for their classmates to follow and taping large Xs up in the school at the final destination.

Making treasure maps was also a popular activity

Pussy Willows

Harper and her family brought in a beautiful collection of pussy willow branches. The children enjoyed using their senses as they investigated the branches (it was especially nice to touch them!). We learned a fun song and made beautiful artwork. Thanks Harper! We always welcome items from nature into our classroom! Please keep them coming!

We Made Blossoms On Our Paintings With The Bottom Of A 2 L Pop Bottle!

A Hiking We Will Go!

The children had a ball heading out for hikes (in the hallway!). They packed up their backpacks at the "campsite by the volcano", grabbed their binoculars and went looking for 4 animals that are unique to Guatemala. 

Talented Artists

The children show great care and attention to detail as they sketch and paint "still-life" pieces. This has become a favourite activity in our classroom! They students are always so proud to show us their artwork!

We Made Our Own Islands

Our inquiry on volcanoes evolved into an interest in different landforms. The children designed islands that had landforms on them. They made maps with legends. Next, they made their own personal batches of salt dough. With their Big Buddies, they followed their island maps and created islands showing the landforms they had included in their plans/maps.  It was great fun painting the islands when the dough had hardened and dried.  Thanks to Pizza Hut for donating the boxes we used for displaying these incredible projects! 

Batches Of Salt Dough

Heart And Stroke Fundraiser

On Tuesday we enjoyed fantastic weather and exciting outdoor games in the FDK playground for our "Jump Rope For Heart" event.