Category Archive for "Classroom Corners" | Absorbent Minds Montessori School

February 2015 Newsletter

Posted on March 16, 2015 at 7:53 pm.

Classroom

The first week in February we had a blast talking about all the different types of farm animals and what each farm animal provides for us. We talked about where milk comes from and what else we can get from farms like fruits, vegetables and grains.

The second week of February the children learned about all the different types of pets and how to care for them. To wrap the week up the children made Valentine’s Day picture frames for their moms and dads out of popsicle sticks and puzzle pieces and had a fantastic Valentine’s Day party. I would like to thank all of the parents who made the party possible! It was very successful.

The third week of February the children learned how Washington was a great man, the father of our country, who led in war and peace. They discovered that Abraham Lincoln was also known as “Honest Abe”. They also talked about what they think life is like for the Obama family in the White House.

The last week of February we did a sorting activity with different pictures of foods with a dental hygienist. She explained that our teeth get sad and full of tooth decay from sweets and soda and get happy, shiny and bright from brushing and eating healthy foods. We talked about cavities and cut a hole in an apple to show us how a little hole in your teeth can get pretty yucky inside. The children also took turns brushing a stained egg with real toothpaste and it turned white again.

Kindergarten

We started out the month continuing with multiplication using the golden beads. The introduction of beads shows the kindergarteners a solid correspondence between the written symbol and physical quantity. We also discussed what tools could be used in the classroom to help with multiplication, such as the stamp game, multiplication bead board and dot board. We even talked about dynamic multiplication with exchanges (carry overs). We introduced fractions. We learned that we can divide anything as long as it can be divided into equal parts. Even our kindergarten class can be divided! We then learned about different shapes. We knew that a triangle has three sides but we learned that a triangle with three equal sides is called an equilateral triangle, with two equal sides is an isosceles, and with no equal sides it is called a scalene triangle. Any shape with four sides is a quadrilateral. Some examples include a square, rectangle, rhombus, trapezoid, and a chevron. We learned all about agons like pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, nonagon, and decagon.

Science

For the first week in February in science we took three raw eggs and placed them into different liquids (vinegar, water, and milk) we left the eggs in the liquid for a couple of hours to see the different effects the substances had on the eggs.

The second week of February Ms. Stacey did a science experiment with the students called dancing conversation hearts. She took 4 alka seltzer tabs and crushed them up and placed them in the bottom of a glass, then she took a few conversation hearts and placed them on top of crushed alka seltzer. After that she poured 1 cup of sparkling water over the hearts and we sat back and watched them dance. The students discovered that carbon dioxide was forming and pulling the hearts to the surface then the bubbles would burst and the hearts would fall until the bubbles formed again to pull them back to the top again.

The last week of February we inflated balloons using vinegar and baking soda and the children learned when you mix the two together it creates carbon dioxide and the gas rises up and escapes the bottle feeling the balloon.

Art (By Ms. Faith)

In art class this month, Ms. Michele had three great projects for the students. The first project was dealing with fears and what makes us afraid. The students drew what they were afraid of on a piece of black construction paper using oil pastels. After they drew what they were afraid of, Ms. Michele had the class draw themselves bigger on a separate piece of paper to show that they are bigger than their fears. She used this project to teach the students about how artists use the foreground, middle ground, and background in their drawings and paintings.

The next week, the students learned what a mosaic is, an image made up of smaller pieces of glass or other objects. Ms. Michele used cardstock for the base of the mosaic and brought in many colors of foam squares. The students could create any image they wanted using the small squares of foam to fill up the piece of cardstock.

For the last project, the students got to illustrate their own book. Ms. Michele showed the students images of large art works, such as paintings that take up a whole side of a building or a large sculpture of a stuffed animal bunny. The students were given these inspirations to create a book about giant things. First, they had to draw pictures and then the teachers walked around and wrote on the pages what was going on in the illustrations.

Music (Ms. Faith)

In the month of February, Ms. Lisa brought some review activities and some new activities for the students. To review, students had to choose when they wanted to sing in a loud or quiet voice and had to recall the musical terms forte or piano. Other musical terms the students got a review on are: adagio, allegro, and andante. These all refer to the tempo of a song; slow, fast, and a medium pace. Ms. Lisa brought in her electric keyboard and played songs from Peter and the Wolf for the students to remember which song was for which character. We were amazed at how well the students could pick up after not hearing the story for a month!

The students got to participate in two new activities in music class yet. We played a game called Cat and Mouse. The students were all mice and the teacher got to be the cat. When Ms. Lisa played a song on her keyboard with high notes, the “mice” had to come out of their hole and play. When Ms. Lisa played the same song using low notes, the “cat” could then chase the “mice” and try to tag them. If a student was tagged, he or she would then become a “cat” as well. The students enjoyed this game and wanted to keep playing. Another new activity using Ms. Lisa’s keyboard, was to identify different sounds. Her keyboard has a built in synthesizer and can make many different sounds. The sounds the students had to identify were: birds, a telephone, a helicopter, and an audience clapping. The students loved making guesses for what the noises were!

Ms. Brandy & Ms. Beth’s February 2015 Newsletter

Posted on March 16, 2015 at 7:53 pm.

Written by Kelly Andamasaris

Weeks 23, 24, 25 & 26

Our first visitors from the 3 – 6 classrooms spent the week with us, getting familiar with the work we do and the opportunities we have to offer. Elementary students loved giving tours and sharing lessons with our new friends. By the end of the week, we were sad to see them return to their original classrooms but we also looked forward to the next week’s visitors!

The student’s end to preparing their leaf research for professional publication has come to an end. They learned about the editing process and why formatting across the board was important to obtain a cohesive book. The Elementary voted to keep the final bound copy in the classroom. We hope to make the bound book available at the next parent conferences so that you can see all of their hard work realized!

Reading groups have turned directions from reading current event articles to other connected activities. One group is working on a book about Clara Barton. These students have been really excited about her life and look forward to each meeting to read more. Another group is focusing on Creative Writing Techniques that writers use to grab the reader’s attention and aid the students in adding some pizazz in their writing. Some techniques discussed and tried out were Alliteration, Simile and Oxymoron.

While disappointment of snow days loomed over some of our plans, the snow did not stop everything! The Elementary worked extremely hard on individual and class Art projects for the upcoming Art Extravaganza and finalizing their proposals for the Science Fair. The Science Fair proposal is the most difficult part of the Science Fair project. In fact, the proposal is a working document for your student to carry out their entire study. Students came up with experiment ideas and, like in real science studies; had to make adjustments, do research and think outside of the box to ensure their experiments were designed in such a way to find results following the Scientific Method in a safe manner. Students listed detailed steps of their experiments to ensure replication by other scientists and wrote clear hypotheses to allow for trusted results to be found. They also had fun creating catchy names and listing their items needed for their unique experiments! Students also prepared different ways to collect their data from their experiments for analyzing and described why they were interested to their pursuit. We have some budding scientists preparing to become successful explorers in the research field!

Latin

In February the third-and-fourth grade Latin class started the month by reviewing cardinal numbers from one to ten. The next class featured a project involving Latin phrases appropriate for Valentine’s
Day. After using paper hearts to construct flowers, the students then decorated them with colored labels expressing Latin phrases and their equivalent meanings in English. In the following class the students learned the ordinal numbers from first to tenth. Finally, in the last class of the month students pronounced and translated a short story based upon characters from the Roman fort at Vindolanda in Britain. To supplement their understanding, the students watched a slideshow on Vindolanda and Hadrian’s Wall, teachers also like to help their student perform better with the help of health and mind supplements, and you can buy modafinil online for this.

The first-and-second grade class began the month by reviewing the major Olympian deities. In the next class the students completed the same Valentine’s Day project mentioned above. The following class featured a discussion of the Trojan War and the construction of models of the Trojan Horse and the city of Troy. In the final class of the month the students learned about Heinrich Schliemann’s excavations at Troy.

If Found, Please Return To Absorbent Minds Montessori School

Posted on March 5, 2015 at 1:55 am.

Written by John Kotradi

If Found, Please Return To Absorbent Minds Montessori School

I often reflect on my career choices that I have made throughout out my 29 years of life. I enjoyed my 9 years(part time) at Sears in the hardware and paint department, 5 years at Sterling was a “Sterling” time(pun intended), and my stints at Ameritech and Key Bank were pretty fun. I really did find myself when I was a stay at home dad for 5 years. The best part was getting an uninterrupted view and getting to know my two oldest children. They were ages 2 through 8 at that time. During this time I realized my true calling was not in the business world but working with children. Teaching does NOT feel like a job but more of a former of recreation I get paid. By the way, feel free to visit https://conquercollege.com/, it offers an amazing educational services which teachers and students can use for free just check it out Adelphi University. I am blessed to work with your children, getting to know your children As I did with my own children, watching them grow and learn to drive at best online traffic school california. Ahhh, life takes you through a complicated maze but I am glad I ended up where I am! Get student learning apps if you go to this site. This helps students to rapidly learn.

Alumni Visit

Noah came to read to the class and had a question and answer session afterwards. Noah goes to Tallmadge and is in the second grade in

Line Time Lesson

February we started off studying Internal Organs. We learned the brain is the control center of your body that sends and receives. Our lungs help us breathe, the heart pumps our blood and the stomach begins to digest our food with acid. The small intestines digest the food and send nutrients to the rest of our body and the large intestines push through the waste that creates our bowel movements. The children were fascinated that our kidneys process the body’s water and the liver filters toxins. The children learned where the organs are located with the help of our Living Internal Organ T-shirt. The shirt helped the children find the organs location by “velcroing” the organs to the spot on the t-shirt.

The following week we learned about George Washington and how he was our first president and how Abraham Lincoln came from a poor family and freed the slaves. We were introduced to Franklin F. Roosevelt and how he was president during World War II and how John F. Kennedy fought for equal rights. We then learned that Barack Obama was current president and the first African American president. The children were taught that the president’s wives are called the first lady and that the president lives in the white house in Washington DC, and flies on a jet called Air Force 1. We discussed what responsibilities the President has. The children came up with keeping us safe, keeping the world safe and running the country. Checking the statistics Hong Kong is the most expensive place to go to school it’s relevant news for all.
We went back in time to discover some ancient cultures. First we went to ancient Egypt and learned that their kings were called Pharaohs and when the Pharaohs died they used a process called mummification to preserve their bodies. We saw that the mummies on Scooby Doo were not the same as the mummies of the ancient Egyptians. The Pharaohs were sent to the afterworld with gold, jewels and treasured personal items. The ancient Egyptians built the pyramids and the sphinx and used hieroglyphics to write stories.

Cultural Subjects

The class has been counting to 10 in twenty six different languages, English (that is our native language), Spanish, Sign Language, German, French, Japanese, Greek, Arabic w/Lebanese dialect, Italian, Romanian, Russian, Hebrew, Swedish, Korean, Polish, Hungarian, and Tagalog, Hebrew, Korean, Hungarian, Polish, Irish, Kiswahili, Welsh, Dutch/Flemish, Serbo-Croatian, and Cebuano.

Kindergarten

We started out the month introducing addition using beads. The introduction of beads shows the kindergarteners a solid correspondence between the symbol and quantity. I also showed the students what tools could be used in their own classroom to help with addition, such as the table top rods, color bead bars and addition strip board. We briefly touched upon addition with exchanges (carry over’s). We then touched briefly on multiplication. I explained multiplication is simply adding multiple times. Introduced fractions the last week of the month. We learned that we can divide anything as long as it can be divided into equal parts. Even our kindergarten class. We divided our class from girls/boys. Mr. John’s, Ms. Kate’s, and Ms. Kristen’s class, and eye color.
We then learned about different shapes. We knew that a triangle has three sides but we learned that a triangle with three equal sides is called an equilateral triangle, with two equal sides is an isosceles, and with no equal sides it is called a scalene triangle. Any shape with four sides is a quadrilateral. Some examples include a square, rectangle, rhombus, trapezoid, and a chevron. We realized that the Greek language was very important when learning about the pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, nonagon, and decagon.

The Kindergarteners now can count to 10 in twenty six languages…English (that is our native language), Spanish, Sign Language, German, French, Japanese, Greek, Arabic w/Lebanese dialect, Italian, Romanian, Russian, Hebrew, Swedish, Korean, Polish, Hungarian, and Tagalog, Hebrew, Korean, Hungarian, Polish, Irish, Kiswahili, Welsh, Dutch/Flemish, Serbo-Croatian, Cebuano, Malay, Hindi

Enrichment

Science
For the month of February in Science class the children learned about buoyancy and Density all experiments were done with a tank of water.The buoyancy experiments were 2 clumps of play-dough exactly the same amount placed in tank at the same time by the children, one shaped like a cup and the other a ball which one will sink? The one shaped like a ball sank and the one shaped like a cup floated because the ball has more density then the cup.The other buoyancy experiment was done with 2 oranges 1 peeled and the other unpeeled what will happen when both put into the water by the children?The unpeeled orange floated and the peeled orange sank, Why is this? because the unpeeled orange has an air pocket inside it making able to float. In the density experiment 1 lemon and 1 lime were placed in the tank at the same time by the children what will happen? the lemon floated and the lime sank because the lemon has less density. As always the children have a awesome time in class especially when he flicks water on them from the tank and the all giggle like crazy.

Music

In Music class this month Ms Lisa brought in her keyboard and played to them the instrument sounds from Peter and the Wolf. Children had to guess which instrument was being played and what animal the instrument belonged to.Then the children played a game called The Cat and Mouse, this is a listening game of low and high sounds. The low sound represents the cat and high sound the mice. When the high sound is played the children pretend to be mice and when the low sound is played they all pretend to be the cat. We also played another listening game called the Ball Game, they begin with one ball, while listening to classical music, pass the ball around in a circle and when the music stops the child holding the ball freezes still holding the ball until the music starts again and then the game continues. As the children improve more balls are added to the game. I must say that this game is a favorite because the ask to play it every week! Ms. Lisa does a wonderful job incorporating fun while learning Music!

Art

Our favorite project this month was called Dancing Fingers. Students learned about the artist, Monet. They dipped their fingers in many different color paints and with dancing fingers made picture creations of what ever they could imagine! Then they added white paint to their creation to add the tint. This shows light on a picture, just like they learned Monet would have done.

Academic Enrichment March 2015 Overview | Cuyahoga Falls

Posted on March 2, 2015 at 11:31 pm.

Written by Kelly Andamasaris

Our Academic Enrichment time is daily from 12:00-1:00pm. This time is specifically designed for our Kindergarten students to join together as a group to work and progress through the advanced materials and lessons in the Montessori primary curriculum. Throughout the school day in their classroom they are still working individually with their classroom teacher on these and other materials at their level.

3/2: Geometric Shapes and Constructive Boxes

Geometric Cabinet
Hexagon, rectangle and blue rectangle boxes, plus amazing candy boxes in portland or
Creating triangles, rhombus, trapezoid, parallelogram, squares, etc

3/9: Parts of Speech/ Grammar

Vowels, consonants and their rules

3/16: Parts of Speech/ Grammar

Introduction to nouns and their rules (name of a person, place, or thing)
Introduction to verbs and their rules (action word or something you do)
Vowels, consonants and their rules
Using worksheets, diagramming sentences and sandpaper letters

3/23: Parts of Speech/ Grammar

Introduction to the article
“the” hooks up with anything
“a” or “an”/ “a” hooks up with only consonants, “an” hooks up with only vowels
Using worksheets, diagramming sentences and sandpaper letters

Sight Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

3/02: write, them

3/09: then, out

3/16: they, that

3/23: have, this

Synonyms of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

3/02: WET, damp, moist, soggy, drenched, soaked

3/09: HEALTHY, hearty, athletic, sound, strong, fit

3/16: SICK, weak, unhealthy, ailing, infected, frail

3/23: MEAN, selfish, unkind, malicious, hurtful

Things to do at home this month to reinforce our themes:

Look for our words of the week when reading a story, cut out pictures beginning with the letters of the week.
Practice using the different synonyms of the week in a sentence together.

Mr. John will be sending homework home to reinforce these lessons. Please turn homework into the orange box outside of Mr. John’s classroom. Please email him if you have any questions: jkotradi@thesmarterkids.com.

Mr. John’s March 2015 Monthly Overview

Posted on March 2, 2015 at 11:27 pm.

Written by Kelly Andamasaris

Themes of the Week (in addition to Montessori Work time)

3/02: Ancient Rome

Roman culture and traditions
Buildings and contributions

3/09: Pollution and Recycling

What is pollution? Air, water, noise, littering
What is recycling? Ways to recycle
Ways to save energy
Arbor Day/Earth Day

3/16: Oceans

Ocean Life, Whales
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
Salt water, fresh water
Art Extravaganza I Friday, March 14th 6:00-8:00pm : school gym & classrooms

3/23: Landmarks of the USA/The state of OH-IO

OHIO, surrounding state, state flag, flower, bird, state seal, historical landmarks
Landmarks such as Statue of Liberty, Mt. Rushmore, Golden Gate Bridge, and Grand Canyon

Week of 3/30 SPRING/EASTER BREAK- NO SCHOOL

School Resumes Tuesday, April 7th

Letters of the Week: Try to find objects that begin with each letter wherever you go with your child.

3/02: Vv

3/09: Ww

3/16: Xx

3/23:Yy

Rhyming Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

3/02: BEN, den, hen, men, pen, ten, yen

3/09: BEG, keg, meg, peg, leg

3/16: BEL, gel, mel, nel, sell, well

3/23: BAC, hack, jack, lack, mack, knack

Things to do at Home this Month to reinforce our themes:

Look for our words of the week when reading a story, cut out pictures beginning with the letters of the week.
Play “I Spy” with items beginning with the letter of the week, or find things around your home that begin with the letter of the week.
What can you recycle at home? How can you conserve excess energy?
Take a trip to the Cleveland Aquarium together and explore ocean life!

Ms. Kate’s March 2015 Monthly Overview

Posted on March 2, 2015 at 11:12 pm.

Written by Kelly Andamasaris

What I will learn at school this month in Ms. Kate’s Class…

Themes of the Week (in addition to Montessori Work time)

3/02: All about Dr. Seuss

Making and eating green eggs and ham together with graph
Reading the “Cat in the Hat” and making a craft
Rhyming word activities, mystery word activities using Dr. Suess books
Silly Socks coloring graph

Afternoon Group Lesson: Reiterating the letter and calendar of the week. A variety of fun crafts and activities with Dr. Seuss.

3/09: Art Appreciation

Claude Monet and his use of pastels
Pablo Picaso and his collages
Jackson Pollack and abstract expressionism
History of Mosiac Art and sculptures

Afternoon Group Lesson: Reiterating the letter and calendar of the week. Learning all about art with Ms. Ashley

3/16: Rainforest

Location of Rainforest and Rainforest themed experiments, activities and crafts
Layers of the Rainforest (Emergent, Canopy, Understory and Forest Floor)
Animals found in the Rainforest
Products that come from the Rainforest

Afternoon Group Lesson: Reiterating the letter and calendar of the week. Learning all about the rainforest, animals and crafts with Ms. Ashley.

3/23: My Five Senses

Hearing with a sound match game
Sight observation and memory game
Touch mystery bag game
Taste test
My sense of smell game

Afternoon Group Lesson: Reiterating the letter and calendar of the week. Having fun with my five senses with Ms. Ashley.

3/30-4/7 SPRING/EASTER BREAK

Letters of the Week: Try to find objects that begin with each letter wherever you go with your child. 3/02: Vv

3/09: Ww

3/16: Xx

3/23: Yy

Sight Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

3/02: this 

3/09: they 

3/16: said

3/23: from

Things to do at Home this Month to reinforce our themes:

While reading a book have your child point to all of the letter of the week she/he can find. Have them do this with the sight words as well. Play I‐Spy using things that only start with the letter of the week/ sight words.
Make “Cat and the Hat” Cookies together! Follow this link: http://familycrafts.about.com/od/drseusscraftprojects/a/ CatHatCookie.htm
Create a family portrait together using the material discussed in class (oil pastels, mosaic, etc)
Take a walk outside or in your home. Talk about the different colors you see all around you. Then create a picture of the colors  and patterns you saw.
Is there a Jungle in your Kitchen? Follow this link http://www.animaled.com/actrain.htm to find how many items in your kitchen come from the Rainforest!

Ms. Courtney’s March 2015 Monthly Overview

Posted on March 2, 2015 at 11:11 pm.

Written by Kelly Andamasaris

Themes of the week for the month of March

3/2: Dr. Seuss/ Eric Carle

The children become familiar with the similarities in an author’s body of work.
The children will gain an appreciation for the word play and rhyme featured in the work of Dr. Seuss.
The children will identify, produce and extend patterns.

3/9: Insects

The children will identify animals that belong in the insect category and those that do not.
The children will learn there are over five million different kinds of insects in the world.
The children will identify the main parts of an insect.
The children will learn ways insects can be helpful and ways insects can be harmful.

3/16: Plants and Flowers

The children will discuss the four elements needed to grow a plant. Soil, seeds, sun and water.
The children will observe and describe similarities and differences in the appearance and behavior of plants and flowers.
The children will identify major structures of plants (seeds, roots, stems, leaves).
The children will understand the life cycle of plants and flowers and what they need to grow.
The children will discover that plants provide resources for clothing, food, and oxygen.

3/23: Butterflies and Caterpillars

The children will discover that butterflies go through stages of growth & changes called life cycles.
The children will design a butterfly of their own using shapes and creativity.
The children will create a mobile to represent each stage of the Life Cycle of the Butterfly.

Letters of the week

3/2: Uu

3/9: Vv

3/16: Ww

3/23: Xx

Things to do at home this month to reinforce our themes:

Talk to your child about their favorite Eric Carle or Dr. Seuss book and why they find that book interesting.
Visit your local library for a Dr. Seuss or Eric Carle reading.
Take a walk and see how many insects you can spot.
Plant a flower or garden.
Visit the Cleveland Botanical Gardens.
Take a walk and see how many butterflies and caterpillars you can spot
Make dinner with foods that start with the letter of the week.

Academic Enrichment March 2015 Overview | Tallmadge

Posted on March 2, 2015 at 11:10 pm.

Written by Kelly Andamasaris

3/2: Geometric Shapes continued

Introduction to geometric shapes and constructive boxes
Geometric cabinet
Hexagon, rectangle and blue rectangle boxes
Creating triangles, rhombus, trapezoid, parallelogram, squares, etc.

3/9: Parts of Speech/ Grammar

Introduction to nouns and their rules (name of a person, place, thing or idea)
Introduction to verbs and their rules (action word or something you do)
Vowels, consonants and their rules
Using worksheets, diagramming sentences and sandpaper letters

3/16: Parts of Speech/ Grammar

Introduction to the article (a kind of adjective always used with and gives information about a noun)
A definite article is the word “the”
An indefinite article is the word “a” or “an”
Using worksheets, diagramming sentences and sandpaper letters

3/23: Articles

Rules of the articles
Worksheets, grammar symbols, diagramming sentences

Synonyms of the week

3/2: WET, damp, moist, soggy, drenched, soaked

3/9: HEALTHY, hearty, athletic, sound, strong, fit

3/16: SICK, weak, unhealthy, ailing, infected, frail

3/23: MEAN, selfish, unkind, malicious, hurtful

Letter / Sight Words

3/2: Uu / he

3/9: Vv / go

3/16: Ww / we

3/23: Xx / in

Things to do at home this month to reinforce our themes:

Look for our words of the week when reading a story, cut out pictures beginning with the letters of the week.
Practice using the different synonyms of the week in a sentence together.

Ms. Courtney’s January 2015 Newsletter

Posted on February 6, 2015 at 2:53 pm.

Written by Courtney Owens

Classroom

We kicked off January by talking about polar animals. The children enjoyed making fake snow out of hair conditioner and baking soda and playing in it to build snowmen, igloo’s and snowballs. The students also enjoyed waddling around the classroom like penguins.

The second week in January we learned all about ocean animals. We learned about things that exist in an ocean habitat like sand, small shells, smooth stones, seaweed, coral etc.

After having Martin Luther King Jr. Day off we talked about how he was a hero because he was brave and honest (noble). We shared who are heroes are and who we’d like to be like someday with the most popular answers being either Mom or Dad. We discussed how MLK made a speech and worked hard toward peace because back then people were treated badly if they did not have the same color skin. Each child made a picture of what their dream was and wrote about it to create a class book for the library.

The last week in January we took an imaginary trip to the zoo and sang all about the tigers, lions, chimpanzees, kangaroos etc. Some of our friends even invited their favorite zoo stuffed animals to school to spend the day with them during work time, line time, recess, lunch and snack.

Kindergarten

The kindergarteners have been working so hard on their journals. I hope you enjoyed the ones they brought home! They also started practicing writing in cursive. I can’t believe how they cruised through learning addition and multiplication with the golden beads. We have even been working on more abstract materials like the stamp game and dot board to solve our problems.

Science

For the first week of January we were curious to see what salt would do to ice so we froze a block of ice. Then took turns placing spoonful’s of salt onto the ice. It was interesting to watch the salt create holes in the ice. After the holes were created we took turns dripping primary food colors into the holes and the colors mixed together to form new colors.

We made waves in the bottle and discovered that on our planet waves happen when our earth spins on its axis and water is pulled by gravity across the geological formations of the ocean floor. When we moved the bottle we got to see the energy move through the water to make waves, just like out in the deep blue sea!

For science we also took two eggs one white the other brown that have not been cooked and compared their similarities and differences on the outside and took a guess as to whether they will be the same or different on the inside. We determined even though different on the outside, they were the same on the inside, just like people!

Milk goes great with a lot of things: cereal, cookies, cake, and pie. So we decided to mix it with a bottle of coke. The milk and coke separated when the phosphoric acid molecules attached to the molecules of the milk which increased the density and separated them from the rest of the liquid. The remaining liquids had less density than the phosphoric acid and milk molecules so they float on top.

Enrichments by Ms. Faith

Art

For three weeks of January the students worked to create an imaginary creature with Ms. Michele. This project is always enjoyed by the students and brings more whimsy into the classroom. To start the lesson, Ms. Michele talked to the group about mythical creatures and showed some examples of artists’ renditions of the creatures. After this, each child got to pick three pictures of animals and had to choose one part of each of the animals to use in drawing a new creature. The next week, the students then got to create an armature out of foil, which is the base structure for their sculpture. Once the armature was in place, the young artists formed clay around the foil and the creatures began to come to life. After the clay animals were baked, the class got to paint their creatures. The students loved making up their own creature and letting their creativity soar. To end the month, Ms. Michele started a new series where each week she will introduce a new artist and we will complete an artwork in the style of the individual. The first artist we learned about was Claude Monet, who is very well known for the Surrealism movement. Surrealism style is soft and blurry, which some believe to be caused by Monet having poor eyesight. To recreate this style, Ms. Michele had the students use their fingertips to make dots of different colored paint all over a piece of paper. Once the colors were blended together by their fingerprints, it created a blurrier look just like Claude’s. We are all in suspense to find out who the next artist Ms. Michele will introduce us to next week!

Music

This past month in music class, Ms. Lisa shared the story of Peter and the Wolf by Sergi Prokofiev. The story is a musical symphony that was commissioned by the Central Children’s Theatre in Moscow in 1936. Each character in the story is represented by a different instrument; the flute is used to copy the sound of the bird, the cat is represented by the slinking sound of the clarinet, the oboe plays a smooth sound that reminds the listener of the duck swimming gracefully on the water, the character of Peter’s grandfather has a bassoon which plays low and slow notes, and the hunters’ melody is loud and in a marching tempo with the woodwind instruments and timpani drums. Now the villain of the story, the wolf, has a sharp sneaky song that is played with the French horn, and last but not least, Peter, who is the hero, has the stringed instruments to play his triumphant and heroic theme. The students enjoyed the story and learning about the different instruments and their sounds. I was amazed at how well the children could recall which instrument played for the different characters each week. Peter and the Wolf is a very exciting symphony, which captivated the students’ attention and was able to expose the group to many different instruments.

January 2015 Newsletter

Posted on February 6, 2015 at 3:44 am.

Written by Kate Case

The winter months are flying by and hopefully spring will be upon us soon! This month the children have been enjoying our different themes and working hard on all of the works and our different practical life activities!

For the first week the children learned about whales. I introduced a whale book to them and then we started a chart called a “KWL” which stands for “What We Know, What We Want to Know and What We Learned.” It always amazes me how much information the children already know about a particular subject and the questions they come up with during lessons. They are fantastic questions! Some of the questions the children wanted to know were, “How far can they swim? What are some of the things whales eat? How many babies can they have? How long are whales?” At the end of the week we had a discussion about everything we learned. For example, the Blue Whale is the largest whale and is as long as a football field. And the humpback is as long as a basketball court! The children also learned about the whales’ blowholes and how they have one baby who stays with the mom for up to a year.

During that week the children did two science experiments. The first one was about how such a heavy animal like a whale could stay afloat. This activity reinforced how salt water is more dense than fresh and helps objects stay afloat. The second activity was all about blubber. We took two zip lock bags and filled one with lard and covered that with the second bag. The children then stuck their hand inside the bag and dipped it into ice-cold water. The children noticed that their hand never got cold. We discussed what blubber is and what it does for animals. The last day we discussed the different types of whales such as the Toothed Whale, Baleen Whale, the Blue Whale, and the Humpback.

The second week sparked a lot of interest in the children. We learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The first activity we did was called “Being Treated Equally.” Now, before I lead any type of discussion I passed out a snack to just the boys. I then started reading the book, Happy Birthday Dr. Martin Luther King. All through the book the girls were wondering why I wasn’t giving them any snack, and a few became upset. I didn’t explain to them why I did what I did until the story was over. I then asked the girls how they felt not receiving a snack. Sophia said, “I really felt left out.” Another child yelled out, “I felt mad when you didn’t give us anything!” I then talked about how at one point in our country’s past, African Americans were not able to do the same things that white people were able to do and further explained that this is how they felt. I then shared that a man named Martin Luther King changed all of this! I loved this activity because I think it really got the children interested in who he was and how things were back then.

The second activity was called, “We’re all the same on the inside.” This was a simple exercise on how we can look different on the outside, yet are the same on the inside. I first showed the children a brown egg and then a white egg. I asked them to describe what they saw. I then asked what they think each egg will look like on the inside. Almost all of them said the brown egg would be brown in the inside. I then cracked open both and the children were amazed to see that both eggs looked the same. After the activity we talked about how all of us look different but we think and feel the same things on the inside! It was an awesome activity!! The next day we discussed Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement. We also listened to a song called “We Shall Overcome,” a powerful song about what Martin Luther King wanted for himself and others.

We also did a fun project called “I have a dream hand-prints.” The children dipped one hand in brown paint and the other in pink paint and then made prints looking like two people who are holding hands. We then placed a heart in the middle of the hand-print. Afterwards the children wrote down the dreams that they have. On the last day I showed a clip of the “I Have a Dream” speech. After the speech we discussed what was said and what he wanted in life. It was a powerful week!

The third week we discussed Alaska and different types of Polar animals. The first day I came in dressed in my winter coat, boots, mittens, flashlight, a protein bar, a polar bear stuffed animal, and a map. I then had the children to guess my destination. I was going to Alaska! I showed the children a map and showed them where Alaska was located. I then provided Alaska coloring pages for the children to color while I read them a book about Alaska. Throughout the week the children learned fun facts about polar bears, walruses, and seals. The children learned that a walruses’ tusk are made out of ivory and are about two to three feet long.

The last week was all about Penguins. The first day each child had to pick an animal name card and keep it a secret. Once everyone had a name card they were able to walk around the room and make their specific animal sound. Once the child found their partner that was making the same sound they had to stand next to each other and be silent. Once everyone found their partner, I explained to them that in order for penguins to find their partner among hundreds of other penguins they must call for each other and locate them by their sound. Throughout the week the children learned that the Emperor Penguin is the biggest penguin and is about the size of a six year old! They also learned that they form groups called Rookeries and that they only lay two eggs except for the Emperor that lays only one. We also talked about molting, why they fly, how they swim, incubation, and how the male penguin pretty much looks after the egg while the female is gone for two months hunting for food. The children loved learning about penguins! I hope everyone stays nice and warm and we will see you in February!!!

Ashley’s corner

Music

The month of January was a fun packed month with learning about different instruments through the story of Peter And The Wolf. The children had an opportunity to listen to all the instruments while connecting them to the different animals in the story. They loved hearing all the beautiful sounds put into a exciting action packed story. The children loved hearing the entire story put together and enjoyed the happy ending.

Art

This month in Art class was based on using their imagination and making their own mystical imaginary creatures. Ms. Michelle talked a lot about a famous artist that goes by the name of Yoko D’ Holbachie. He loved to take different animals and turn them into a mythological creatures. This art project was intended for the children to dig deep and use their imagination to make their own creature. They first painted their creature, then sculpted it with clay and finally painted it. It was so neat to see their great ideas used to make such an awesome piece of art!

Science

In Science class this month, Mr. John conducted a fun experiment using a diaper! First he displayed his materials: a diaper, measuring cup with water, measuring cup without water, and paper towels. Then, he placed a paper towel in the empty measuring cup, and poured three ounces of water over top of the paper towel. He asked the children to form their hypothesis and determine if they thought the water would stay in the paper towel if he turned the measuring up upside down over his head. It poured onto Mr. John’s head! The paper towel could not hold all of the water.

Next, he placed the diaper into the empty measuring cup, and poured water over top of the diaper. Did the water stay or pour out onto Mr. John’s head? It stayed! The diaper has a special chemical that absorbs and holds water. After this demonstration it allowed Mr. John to explain to his scientists the properties of absorption.