We are still happily cruising on our space route which is filled with inquisitiveness and aha moments! During lunch time we have been reading all our created/ documented stories over and over again. They are hilarious and worth a thousand reads. It is interesting to see them come with more imaginative stories to add to the already existing ones. Our classroom is flooded with the wonderful art of children and it is so hard to let the art go home. We feel like holding on to them forever! I bet it is way more special to them than it is for us.
Wanting to learn more about the planet Mars and creating one of ours, children chose to get set for the project...
Mars as per their imagination..
Glitter is a the highlight of space whether it be the sun, moon, stars, or other
galaxies, all shine and shimmer beautifully...
Hehehehe...Mars and the Martians! There they are...our acrylic painted aliens with big pebble eyes...:)
Friends wanted to know about the planets' homes and thus we spoke about orbits...
They enjoyed the concept, understood it well, and made orbits for each planet. They loved how everyone moved around the sun and had their own track. They had a great analogy for tracks. They said that if they would move here and there, they would crash like cars. So they have to follow their own roads. Isn't that smart?
P making the outermost orbit...
S and L choosing which orbit they want to trace
Teacher Richa got real freeze dried astronaut neapolitan ice cream for friends who always had thoughts of what astronauts eat in space...
After opening we figured out that it had the same colors, but the taste.............
......hmmm not that yummy...but when you are up there, it sure is a treat!
Also during the week some interest sparked on rocks and their origins...they were excited to know that our planet Earth's surface is home for many different kinds of rocks...Teacher Rosemary had just the perfect kit to bring and share with class...
Reading about the favorite rock that they liked...
Sorting and matching variety of rocks on the poster...
Pre-k friends were excited wanting to trace and color...so we worked on our own solar system/ orbits while adding fun colors...
They also loved doing patterns in shapes...
The petting zoo was a fun filled time where children showed their care and love for all the animals...they were respectful of the directions given and followed them very well.
After coming in, friends made their own pet animals and dictated their stories.
Another activity they loved was putting the tiny balls in a plastic folding vase. They got bigger when put in water and served as weights for the vase.
L looking at the picture and figuring out what to do...
Adding water and tiny balls...
We then made portraits of vases on glossy photo papers using sharpies...
Collages are always a hit and especially if the base is already an adhesive one, children can freely add a variety of chosen materials...
Contact paper collage
Garbage truck watch! The beauty of the photo is that the children are all standing in such a symmetrical position with their heights :)
With their growing age and interest, our school seems just the perfect cocoon for them to stay in their comfort zone while learning about the world outside and getting prepared to fly out one day beautifully with pride!
It's so hard to imagine a day without them. Thus, we'll keep seeing you around :)
Hugs,
Teacher Rashida
