This week in Aspen it was all about classification and sorting! Aspen learned how to sort or classify things into categories based on if they were living or nonliving things. However, in order to determine if a thing was living or nonliving, Aspen had to first learn the characteristics of living things. Aspen learned that in order for a “thing” to be living it needs to grow, have movement, reproduce, metabolize or use food/water for energy, respond to the environment, breathe, and get rid of waste. Therefore, in regards to growth Aspen learned that just like we are growing taller and stronger every day, all living things grow too! Plants grow from tiny seeds into big trees, and puppies grow into dogs. Growing is a special part of being alive. Did you know that all living things can move? Animals like cats and birds move around to find food and play. Even plants move! They turn their leaves to face the sun to get more light and water moves through plants to other areas of the plant for nourishment. Just like we need yummy food and water to stay healthy, living things also need food and water. Plants drink water through their roots, and animals eat different kinds of food to get energy. Breathing is super important! Most living things breathe in air through the nose or mouth. But, did you know that even plants breathe? Plants breathe through tiny holes in their leaves. Living things can also feel things and respond to their environment around them too! We are able to feel when something is hot or cold, and animals can feel it too. Even plants can even feel the sun! They will often grow towards it! Animals have babies, and plants make seeds that grow into new plants. It’s like magic! Living things will respond to what’s happening around them.For example, If you touch a snail, it might hide in its shell and plants can close their leaves when it gets dark. Just like we need to go to the bathroom, all living things need to get rid of waste too. Both plants and animals have special ways to do this to stay healthy to remove waste. Isn’t it amazing how all living things share these special characteristics? In order to explore the information we learned, Aspen engaged in various classification activities. We sorted objects and pictures into categories based on if they were living or nonliving. We also went on a living and nonliving scavenger hunt outdoors on our playground!
Kindergarten students are currently continuing their focus on segmenting phonetic words and combining sounds. Therefore, they spent the week word building with the Moveable Alphabet and the Phonetic Object Boxes. At the same time, they have also received introductory lessons with phonograms practicing sounding out words that don’t follow typical phonetic rules. Like words with th, sh, and the magic e (e at the end). The Aspen kindergarteners have also been focusing on the Decimal System and building large numbers with the Golden Beads. With these activities they are learning how to form large number quantities while engaging in memory training exercises.
Next week ,we will be keeping with the theme of the Halloween season by learning about the Skeletal System! The Aspen students will learn the location and names of the bones in the human body while also learning about Vertebrates and Invertebrates. See you next week!

Classifying things into categories based on if they are living and nonliving while practicing our cutting and gluing skills.

Sorting objects cards into categories based on if they are living or nonliving.

Hammering golf tees into a pumpkin! This is one of Aspen’ s favorite Practical Life activities!

Team Work classifying living and nonliving things !
Fun with the Lotto activity! Matching pictures while discussing the characteristics of living things!

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More sorting fun but with the Practical Life activities!