Ask An Expert Day

 We are moving swiftly through our first research project here in Kindergarten. So far we have learned what animals live in Esterhazy, what animals do in winter to survive, and what the animals that live in Esterhazy do to survive during the winter. We have used books and the computer so far to answer our questions. However, this week it was exciting as we got to use our third research strategy which was to ask an expert. We had a visitor to the classroom who was able to tell us all about animals in winter and answered our questions about what Esterhazy animals eat. Myles also brought a real Coyote fur jacket so we could see and feel what a thick animal coat may feel like and how it keeps animals warm.

KA

KB

Animals In Winter

 As an extension to our research project, we have been chatting lately about the word 'change', and how 'change' effects not only us, but animals and the environment around us. This has led to some interesting discussions about how we 'change' to survive in winter, as well as what animals will do. We spent some time discussing that animals will do one of three different strategies in order to survive the cold winter. They will hibernate, migrate or adapt. 

We initially chatted about how animals will hibernate as a strategy in order to survive during winter. The Kiddoes enjoyed learning about true hibernators (i.e. frogs, snakes) and what I like to call 'fake' hibernators (i.e. bears, squirrels). It was fun to learn some big science words (torpor - animals who will wake from hibernation to eat & hibernaculum - what a ball of snakes are called when they hibernate).

Next, we chatted about migration and learned about a few animals who utilize this strategy in the winter. The Kiddoes were intrigued by the photo of Canadian geese and wisely asked, "Why do they fly in a v?" After explaining this phenomenon to them, out into the hallway we went to experiment ourselves with this amazing strategy. We definitely had a few laughs, but now carry a new appreciation for those animals that migrate in the winter.

Finally, we spent some time discussing the last strategy an animal may do in winter...... ADAPT. After discussing how we adapt for the winter (get different clothing, store garden food & bring out shovels) we talked about some of the ways animals may adapt for the winter. We talked about how they will grow more fur, may use camouflage, store food and add extra layers of fat for warmth.

Armed with all this new information, it is time to apply it to our research project and finally finish the after Christmas tree!!!

Reading Strategy "Looking for Chunks"

Throughout the year, the Kiddoes are going to be introduced to many reading strategies. One of the strategies they will learn is to look for ‘chunks’ inside words.  So far we have learned about squeely 'ee's', ghostly 'oo's', the bandaid letters 'ow', the quiet letters 'sh', the pirate letters 'ar' and the rooster letters 'er'.  I love how they are dissecting books and noticing words within their environment. Have you own hunt at home and see if you can find some together!!!

The Great Flower Experiment

 Perhaps one of the best things about teaching Kindergarten is seeing the "ah-ha" moment when a child figures something out and there is such excitement and life in his/her eyes. The past two days wwere one of those days. I showed the class a bouquet of white flowers and explained Myles (my husband) had brought them to school for me. I then proceeded to tell them that even though I really like flowers, my favourite kind of flowers are bright colourful ones. I went on to say I was trying to figure out a way to change the colour but decided since I have "the smartest Kinders in the world" perhaps they could help me figure out a "strategy" to do such a thing. I posed the question, "how can we change the colour of the flowers?" Quickly the response of, "colour or paint the petals" was heard. We quickly decided that would probably kill the flower and that was NOT our goal!  I posed the question, "if we can't change the outside, can we somehow change something inside the flower?" I passed around some petals and had the Kiddoes examine them and try to find the "lines". I explained the "lines" were in fact veins. Right away some said, "We have veins too". (Great connection) "Yes", I said. "Just like our veins which carry blood through our body, veins in plants carry water to all its parts".

And then it happened.... the moment.... gasps were uttered!

"What if we change the colour of the water and the veins carry red water, will the flower turn red?"

I proceeded to discuss the "scientific procedure" of making predictions, observing your experiment and recording the findings. We quickly (and very excitedly) sat down to begin our experiment. Every Kiddo received his/her own flower. They had a great time observing it, smelling it, comparing it and having some interesting (and funny) conversations with their friends. Then as a class we recorded our observations on "Day 1" and chose which colour of water we wanted to place our flowers. Our room is very excited to see where our experiment will lead!!!!

KA

KB

Family Literacy Day

Ms. Bogard, Miss Hozjan and I would like to extend a sincere Thank-You to all of the Kindergarten Families who joined us for our Family Literacy Night. It was such an honour to have you come and share your pictures and stories of those closest to you. We hope you enjoyed creating your book as much as we loved watching you and your families work together.

How Many Penguins Can You Get To Float On A Boat?

 One of the outcomes in math this year is the ability to use comparison language (i.e. longer/shorter, heavier/lighter, taller/shorter). In order to introduce some of this language, the Kiddoes were offered a challenge the last two weeks...... 'How many penguins can you float across the water? The Kiddoes were tasked with creating a boat, making sure it floated and then had to rest penguins on it without it capsizing. It wasn't long before the Kiddoes were using the language, "balance", 'heavier", "lighter", "stable" in their conversations, as well as working on communication, collaboration and fine motor skills! Often, after a boat capsized, they were quick to reflect and change how they placed the penguins on the boat, or even to change the boat itself. What amazed me  though was their ability to think outside the box and start to build intricately designed boats. Take a look at some of the learning taking place! Nothing beats the inquiry cycle!

KA

KB

The After Christmas Tree Project

 Last week in class, the Kiddoes and I read the story, "The After Christmas Tree" written by Linda Tyler. The story talks about how one family overcame the sadness they felt when the holiday season was finished. Instead of being upset, they decided to hold a winter party for their friends. Friends were asked to gather pinecones. They then rolled them in peanut butter and seeds and made popcorn and berry chains. Once finished, they "decorated" the tree outside and watched the animals come and enjoy the tree. It was the tree's second season of giving. When the story was finished, one of the Kiddoes commented what a cool idea the 'After Christmas Tree' was. We quickly decided this was something we would like to do. I questioned the Kiddoes about what we would need in order to accomplish this!

One of my goals before the end of the year is for the Kiddoes to realize if they have a question, it is within their power to find an answer. I introduced them to a K/W/L (what I Know, what I Want to know, and what I Learned) chart this week. We spent some time discussing the difference between what we know to be 100% true fact compared to what we think we know about animals and birds in Esterhazy! We quickly realized we didn't know very much. We came up with some pretty interesting questions to explore during our research. We want to make sure when we create our tree, we know what animals/birds may visit and what they eat so we do not harm anything.

Interesting to note.... After discussing animals we have seen in Esterhazy, we started to talk about whether we have seen them recently. This led us to our third question!!

Once finished charting, we discussed how we could find the answers to our questions. These were the suggestions by the Kiddoes. 

    

Today we started our research by using the computer to learn what animals we may find around Esterhazy. We discussed the terms 'search engine', and 'search box', the symbols for text/image/video, and also that the internet may not always have 'true' information, so we need to make sure to double check anything we learn. It was a really interesting discussion!

The next few weeks will be an exciting time in Kindergarten as we undertake our first research

project. Stay tuned!