Our Rotten Pumpkin Experiment

It all began when Miss Donna from the Library visited our classroom (in late September). The children were very, very excited about a book she shared with us called "Rotten Pumpkin". They were intrigued by the pictures of a decomposing pumpkin named Jack. They loved the pictures of insects and worms invading Jack. They wanted to know if we could make a pumpkin "go rotten". We got a pumpkin right away. They children guessed how many days it would take and tracked the progress on the calendar made by Connor. For some strange reason, the process was unfolding very quickly. It didn't take long for Jack to get slimy and soft. Before we knew it, Jack collapsed! 

Happy Holiday Weekend!

Our "Rotten Pumpkin Experiment" Inspired Some Pumpkin Fun In Our Classroom This Week! (Stay Tuned For An Extensive Post On Our Experiment)

Our Worm Inquiry

Stuffed Animal Day #2!

Our Box is Not A Box...It Is A Kindergarten Clubhouse!

We had 27 box designs to consider.  The children made designs for a rocketship, an airplane, a girls' fort, a boys' fort, a treehouse, a home, and many more.  The number of designs for girls'/boys' fort were equal so we decided to turn the box into a "Kindergarten Clubhouse" for all of the children to share and enjoy.

Not A Box! Our Box Design Project

Here are some design examples for the box. 

Our First Letter Collage For Our ABC Wall

Recent Math Activities

Introducing....Our Toad!

  I purchased a new screen for the top of the tank today so we are ready for all kinds of insects and spiders.  Feel free to hunt at home and send them in! The children will be happy to hunt at recess. I also bought some crickets to feed the toad on Monday. That will provide for some excitement!

Sorting Our Shoes On Shoe Day

On Tuesday September 30th, the children were encouraged to bring in their favourite pair of shoes.  Shoes had turned into a popular topic in our classroom!  It all started with Pete The Cat and his books , "I Love My White Shoes" and "Rocking In My School Shoes".  This interest in shoes inspired the creation of our "Kids Shoe Store" in our Dramatic Play Area.  It is full of boxes of children's shoes, labelled by size and ready for purchase for $1 per pair.  The children are having a ball measuring their customer's feet and helping their customers select the perfect pair of shoes from the selection of sports, dance, casual and dressy shoes.

We started Shoe Day off by sorting our shoes.  The children came up with excellent "sorting rules".  Each photo below shoes a new way that we sorted our shoes!

Sorting Rule: How does your shoe get done up? (velcro, slip-on, buckle, laces, zipper)

Sorting Rule: Colour

Sorting Rule: Sparkly/Non-Sparkly

Sorting Rule: Type of shoe (slippers, dressy, sandals, running shoes)

Another highlight of the day was our session with our Big Buddies.  We made a class book about our shoes based on the wording of Pete The Cat's "I Love My White Shoes" book.  This class book will travel to each student's home for your enjoyment.  We also measured our shoes and the shoes belonging to our big buddies' with snap cubes.

Terry Fox Fundraiser - A Huge Success!

Our Terry Fox Walk was held on a beautiful day.  The children enjoyed walking with their buddies on the path around part of Mudd Creek.  We are so very pleased to announce that our class collected donations in the amount of $397.00! Thanks so much for your support of this worthy cause.  

Jewel Jar Update

The jewel jar was getting close to being full at the end of September.  We had not discussed what we trying to earn.  The children offered some incredible ideas:
1. Stuffed Animal Day: We already a Stuffed Animal Day in September!  Apparently it was a big hit the first time!
2. Building Day: The idea was to have a day of designing and constructing.
3. P. J. Day: This sounded like a comfy way to spend a day.
4. Friends Day: This was an idea we had never heard before.  The idea was we would invite another class or groups of children from other classes to our classroom for a "playdate".  What an excellent idea!

You can see how the vote turned out!  Stay tuned for the date of Stuffed Animal Day #2.  The jewel jar is almost full!

A Gift For Rainbow Our Betta Fish

I purchased a "hammock" for our beta fish named Rainbow some time ago.  "Rainbow Day" seemed like the perfect day to add it to his tank.  Our Happy Helper opened the gift and we added the green plastic leaf with its suction cup to the tank right away. The children were very curious about this leaf and they made fabulous predictions and drawings about the function of the leaf (e.g., it would be a bed, it would be a surf board). 

Our Rainbow Experiment

We put out paper towels, cups, water, and 3 colours of food dye (red, yellow, and blue) and posed the question above.  We made the basic design with the children and talked about what happens when colours mix.  The students were very familiar with colour mixing as they had lots of experience with this during our colour days.  There was lots of chatter about the topic of "absorption" as this science experiment continued.  It was impressive to watch the liquid travel and mix to form our "Rainbow"!

Thanks for the Rainbow Shirts!

Two SK boys made tie-dye shirts in preparation for Rainbow Day. 

Rainbows of Fun On Rainbow Day!

Here is a sampling of some of the activities we did as we celebrated Rainbow Day on Friday, September 26th.

Sunflowers!

The Colour Boards Inspired Us To Have Colour Days!

Pete The Cat And All Of His Books Arrived on Blue Day!

A beautiful sunflower provided the inspiration for a classroom full of artists on yellow day! Their "real life" paintings are amazing! The children really enjoyed using "dainty brushes" to create lots of detail in their "dainty paintings".

Sorting Experts!

Mrs. Beselaere and I soon noticed that our new students and returning SKs had a keen interest in sorting in our beginning play experiences in September. They were particularly interested in sorting items by colour. This picture was taken on our very first day of school!

It didn't take long before Mrs. Beselaere and I decided to undertake a special project we called "Colourful Stuff". The children were given the special assignment to find colourful items at home. The children were thrilled to empty their paper bags and sort their colourful things. Thanks to everyone for sending in so many colourful odds and ends!

They knew their items were going to be used to make beautiful colour boards in our classroom. We spent a couple days putting these boards together and they turned out so well!

1000 Views! What A Great Way To Kick Off The 2014-2015 School Year!

 We are so excited about hitting 1000 views after beginning this blog in April! We hope you will visit the blog to stay up to date on classroom activities, check out important dates, and get a look at what is happening in Room 106. The Remind texting/email service will be used to notify you of new blog posts. Thanks for your support!
Mrs. Garrow and Mrs. Beselaere