Every week holds so much in store for us and the best part is we don't know what's going to come next! Friends always love to talk about the volcanoes and lava and even more about the lava lake. This inspired us to make a lava well using orange Jello. We stirred the jello in the hot water and after it all dissolved, we poured it into a glass tray which was our pretend "well." We put it to cool in the refrigerator and used it later as sensory.
We first looked at ourselves through it and found that we all looked creepy!
Later using a cookie cutter, we cut it into person shapes. Friends explored the consistency of the Jello Jigglers. They made their little shapes walk, they pulled them, they looked through them with flashlights, mashed them up, and even stuck them to plates to see if they would fall when turned upside down.
Here are some snippets of the entire process...
Some more of them working and exploring at the table...
We had prepared two trays, so we enjoyed eating one while we used the other for sensory...
Avalanche!
While we were reading many nonfictional books on volcanoes, we came across a reading that talked about an avalanche. Friends really wanted to know what it was and how it occurs. Nothing explains this science better than an experiment. As a result, we decided to create our own avalanche and learn a little science behind it!
At the beginning of the experiment we saw a few videos on real avalanches that have occurred around the world. Extracting from that knowledge and observation we collected a few materials that would get buried when the avalanche occurred.
We first set a board that was our mountain and arranged a protractor that we discussed all about by marking it to a 38 degree angle. This was news to all of us - avalanches can only occur at an angle greater than 38 degrees!
Here friends are placing materials and accessories like cars, animals, people, etc on the mountain, and even at the bottom of the mountain where our prospective avalanche was going to take place.
We learned by reading a bit about the old snow, new fresh snow, and other deposits, and accordingly friends started layering it out. We first used hard rock salt on the base which was the old snow...
Then we sprinkled a layer of corn meal powder which served as other material deposits. And in the end we poured some fresh snow which was flour!
We now raised the mountain to different degrees under 38, and when it hit 38 the avalanches occurred and things got buried underneath. We also learned about the "avalanche crown," which is the start line, the beginning of the avalanche.
Later friends played with it and created their own little avalanches in the sensory bin...
Bakery Creation!
One morning when our friends heard about J's birthday party, they all wanted to go ahead and make cakes. We facilitated their thought with a few open-ended materials and friends got super involved in creating cupcakes and cakes!
They created and decorated each piece with so much precision. They loved adding candles and icing. We gave them real rainbow sprinkles to use and they loved adding them to their cakes as well. We neatly placed our cakes onto a tray. Looking at that arrangement, friends wanted to open a bakery shop...
Tada! They named it Crescent Bakery! And had a message for everyone to just see it but not touch it for hygiene reasons :)
L even created a Bakery Menu, and posted many restrictions and rules for the bakery up on the wall :)
Another thing that fascinated our friends was transparent plexiglass painting, where two friends stood on the two sides of the frame and they painted each other.
Here A and G are totally engrossed in each others' portraits!
L and N making their masterpieces...
We promised that we will keep their paintings for three days and then wash it off giving another set of friends a turn! It seemed like a fair rule and everyone agreed.
Other activities we did during the week...
Coloring the other side of the puzzle...
Friends have got so much better being within the lines and having fine motor control!
Matching puzzle prints with wooden shapes...
Magnets with Galvanizer...
Friends explored different kind of materials with magnets...
K said that she is making a field...
D said he made a chair...
Painting on wet paper, and seeing colors blend and blot...
N used three brushes at a time to make his tracks...
A and L covering every space of their wet paper...
Disney/ Superheroes day!
Finally a Happy Birthday to J. Thank you for the yummy pizza and cupcake treat!
Keep seeing you'll around,
Hugs,
Teacher Rashida
