The After Christmas Tree

Today 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 asked, "Ms. S. Can we make an after Christmas tree?" “Sure”, I said. “What do we need?”

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 today. 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 Regina! 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 need to eat so we do not harm anything.

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

The next few weeks will be an exciting time in Kindergarten as we undertake our first research project. Stay tuned!

PS.......

If anyone still has their real Christmas tree, and are looking to be rid of it, could you please give me an email. We need a tree for our project! Cheers!