My apologies Aspen families; we have had quite the cold making it’s round through the Aspen Classroom, and I got behind on blog postings. Therefore, this week’s blog will contain two weeks worth of Aspen Room fun! Our thematic topics were Pumpkins and Living or Non-living, and we had so much fun exploring both of these units! Here goes our blog(s)!!

The week of 10/03/22, Aspen learned all about Pumpkins! We explored the life cycle of a pumpkin, discussed the parts of a pumpkin, and then reviewed fractions and took a look inside a pumpkin. The Aspen children used all of their senses (except for taste) to explore and observe a pumpkin up close! At the same time, we practiced our estimation skills by guessing how many seeds were inside our small and large Pumpkins. All of the children had some great guesses! In order to check our estimated guesses we spent the week gooping out our pumpkins and then sorted the seeds from the pulp! We definitely discovered our larger pumpkin contained a greater amount of seeds; however, we have not arrived at a number as we are STILL counting pumpkin seeds! During the work period, the Aspen students engaged in a variety of pumpkin themed follow up work, such as pouring pumpkin seeds, spooning pumpkins, washing a pumpkin, sequencing the stages of a pumpkin life cycle, and exploring a Halloween themed classification activity. We also sang some pumpkin themed songs together!

During the week of 10/03/22, Aspen also had their ASL (American Sign Language) lesson with Ms. Lauren! We learned how to sing the Hello Song in sign language. We also learned how to sign No, Yes, Thank You, and how to sign some of our favorite animals! We had so much fun! Ask your child about their ASL lesson! They learned their signs so quickly that we impressed Ms. Lauren!

In Kindergarten during the week of 10/03/22 , the Aspen children learned all about land and water forms. They learned how to identify, name, and define island, lake, cape, bay, peninsula, gulf, strait, and isthmus. The kindergarten students also engaged in a variety of follow-up work where they practiced what they learned during lessons. For example, the Aspen students were given a presentation on how to use the land and water forms in class so that they could use water to create an island and a lake, gaining hands on experience with geographical definitions. In Readers Workshop the kindergarten students continued to explore the rules of the English language. The Cardinals reviewed their sight words (puzzle words), read liteary passages to find and circle sight words, reviewed number words, and then they used their knowledge to complete a pumpkin life cycle booklet. With these booklets, they had to read and then color the pictures the color specified in the text. Cardinals also discussed the concept of letters that create blends and learned new phonograms. The Chickadees reviewed decoding skills and then played the “Guess It, Write It” game! We had a basket of objects and each child got to choose an object . We then said the name of each object, sounded it out (decoded it), and then wrote it on a dry erase board! They were super sleuths! I couldn’t trick them at all! I am so proud of both groups and all the progress they are making! During Writers Workshop, the kindergarteners shared the books they have spent the past few weeks creating and then read them to their classmates!

This week (10/10/22 -10/14/22) our thematic topic was Living and Non-Living. The Aspen children have been discussing all of the spooky Halloween decorations they either have at home or have seen throughout their neighborhood. Some of the children expressed that some decorations were so scary that they were afraid! As a result, we decided to determine just how scary these decorations actually are. We learned what characteristics classified a living Organism or a non-living thing! Aspen’s overall assessment was that the Halloween decorations were non-living; they do not eat or drink, produce waste, have movement, respond to stimuli, develop and grow, reproduce, or breathe (respiration). Therefore, they are not as scary as we originally thought! They are fake replicas and are non-living things! After learning the above, we tried classifying objects and pictures by categorizing them into two groups, living or non-living! We had so much fun determining how to classify things into these groups. We had many laughs trying to apply living characteristics to non-living objects.

During kindergarten lesson this week the kindergarteners explored the five animal kingdoms: mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and amphibians. As they discovered the characteristics of each group, they also learned how to label the parts of an animal in each of these groups (horse, bird, turtle, fish, and frog). In Readers Workshop the Cardinals played the “Change It, Say It ” with phonograms, reviewed sight words from previous weeks, learned new sight words, and received a reader for their Book Buddy Bags! While reading the book together in Reading Group, we found our new sight words/high frequency words in the text, and began reading comprehension work and sequencing. The Chickadee Group continued their exploration of phonics with the “Guess It, Write It ” game and worked on activities in their Book Buddy Bags. In Writers Workshop the kindergarteners continued to explore literary concepts, brainstorming ideas , and refined their handwriting skills!

Next week our thematic topic is Skeletal System! We will learn how to name the bones in our body and will discover why having a skeleton is so important!

Scrubbing Pumpkins!

Using tongs to transfer pumpkins.

Using tweezers to sort and count pumpkin seeds.

Practical Life fun pouring from cup to cup!

Sorting objects into two categories, living or non-living!

This week it was all about color in the Aspen classroom! Aspen dove into the world of color by learning all about the primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. We experimented with color mixing, explored variations in colors with shades, tints, and hues, and learned the names of the colors in Spanish. During our lessons on colors, shades, and hues, Ms. Lindsey taught us all about the color wheel and the concept of warm and cool colors. We learned that if you add black to a color it creates a shade and if you add white to a color it creates a tint. At the same time, we learned many new vocabulary words such as monochromatic, analogous, and complimentary. As a follow-up work to this lesson, the Aspen children worked with a variety of art appreciation activities involving color classification and famous works of art. Upon further exploration of the above, we applied what we learned about color with our Color Mixing experimentation activity and the creation of suncatchers to learn about absorption.

In Kindergarten lesson, the kindergarteners have been focusing on the classification of their environment from largest to smallest (for example: galaxy, solar system, planet, continent, country, state, city, street, house). The kindergarteners have also been practicing learning their address. In Readers Workshop, the Chickadees continued their work with phonics playing the “Change It” Game and practiced combining groups of “sound clues” to form words. We then changed only one sound in each group of sound clues creating fun word combinations. The Chickadee group also read the book Fox in Socks together paying close attention to similar sounds and rhyming words. At the same time, we focused on the placement of our mouths, tongue, teeth, and lips when we repeated the sounds while rhyming. The Cardinal group focused on color words, number words, and sight words. The Cardinal group Kindergarten students then applied their knowledge of the above on a worksheet. The Cardinals also read the book Fox In Socks where we searched for phonograms (vowel teams, blends, and e at end words). In Writers Workshop, the kindergarteners finished their informational books and will read them aloud in class next week to their classmates.

Next week our thematic topic is Pumpkins!! We will learn how they grow, discuss the life cycle of a pumpkin, and have fun exploring our pumpkin filled Practical Life area! Speaking of pumpkins, thank you to all of the Aspen parents for making our field trip to Ramseyers so special and fun! You are all amazing!

Using an eye dropper and watercolors to create pictures with water!

This week it was all about apples in Aspen! We learned all about the life cycle of an apple, where they grow, how they grow, and practiced labeling the parts of an apple. The Aspen class engaged in a variety of follow-up activities such as apple slicing, apple classification, labeling the parts of an apple, and exploration/observation of apples with our botany tray. At the same time, we took the opportunity to learn about fractions and used apples to demonstrate whole, half, and one -fourth. After learning about fractions, the Aspen children took turns learning how to safely slice apples. We then used their sliced apples to create apple prints for an extra special art project with Ms. Lindsey. Aspen also created their own taste testing science experiment by seeing if Red Apples, Green Apples, and Yellow Apples taste different! The Aspen children discovered that each type of apple had its own distinct taste. Ask your child that type of apple was their favorite!

The kindergarteners have continued their exploration of Geography and North America by focusing on Ohio and the States that surround it. The kindergarteners also learned many interesting Ohio facts and practiced identifying states on a map. In Reading Workshop, kindergarteners continued their lessons on phonics, identifying sound clues, and combining sound clues together. The Chickadee Reading group practiced the above and played the “Change It” game. We wrote words on a dry-erase board and then changed one of the sounds to see if we could create a new word! Chickadees also practiced slowing down and paying attention to each letter sound in a word. We all tried very hard to not get tricked by paying close attention to each sound! The Cardinals Group practiced the above a well, but they also focused on sight words and words that don’t always follow your typical language rules. The Cardinals now know five sight words: of , the , and , a, and once (a super silly word that does not follow the rules having an o making a w sound)! The Cardinals also practiced tapping out their sight words and then worked on identifying colors words. In Writers Workshop the kindergarteners continued creating their own books and some even started a brand new book! Each kindergartner received instruction involving the proper formation of the cursive letter r. They then applied what they learned independently through various writing activities in Writer’s Workshop

Next week our thematic topic will be color! We are going to explore the world of color by learning the primary, secondary, and tertiary colors; we will discuss the gradation of colors (shades); we will engage in color mixing activities; and we will investigate the colors used in various works of art.

Completing patterns using apples and then creating our own apple patterns.

Creating apple prints from the apples we sliced during our fractions lesson. Note the pincer grasp being used to hold the apple! Each Practical Life activity is designed to indirectly prepare the hand for future handwriting activities!

Tweezing Sunflower Seeds at the Peace Table! A great way to relax and refocus!