These last two weeks, the kindergarteners listened to a story called The Frog Went A Travelin. This story is Russian folktale about a frog who wants a different life and decides to travel south with a flock of ducks. The frog’s pride gets the best of her when villagers notice that the frog is traveling with ducks. She wants to fly lower for them to see and ends up shouting that she is the one who thought of the idea, and ends up falling and landing in a pond.
The kindergarteners practiced reading the underlined parts of the story aloud with me. They are improving in reading on their own and knowing when to read their part. They also completed art and writing acitivities.
What will happen if we put vinegar and baking soda in a sandwich bag?
We put vinegar in a sandwich bag and added baking soda, and the zipped sandwich bag popped!
Mixing vinegar and baking soda causes the sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to react with acetic acid (vinegar) releasing carbon dioxide gas and making sodium acetate. The CO2 gas production caused the ziploc bag to pop.
Fire Resistant Water Balloon
What will happen if we put a flame under a balloon? What will happen if we put a flame under a balloon filled with water compared with putting a flame under a balloon with no water? The balloon without water popped when a flame was placed under it. The balloon with water in it did not pop when a flame was placed under it.
The thin balloon allows the heat to pass through very quickly and warm the water. As the water closest to the flame heats up, it begins to rise and cooler water replaces it at the bottom of the balloon. This cooler water then soaks up more heat and the process repeats itself. In fact, the exchange of water happens so often that it keeps the balloon from ever popping! The carbon was deposited on the balloon by the flame, and the balloon remains undamaged.
Paper Towels vs. Diapers
-Absorption “ To take something in”
What will happen if we pour water in a container containing paper towels and another container containing Sodium Polyacrylate(the stuff in diapers)? Which will hold more water, paper towels or Sodium Polyacrylate?
The container with the paper towels absorbed some water but not all the water. Some of the water spilled out of the container. The container that had Sodium Polyacrylate absorbed all the water. None of the water spilled out of the container.
The Sodium Polyacrylate holds more water than paper towels and is therefore, more absorbent.
Magic Milk Rainbow
Surface Tension
“A property of a liquid keeping an object from going into the liquid”
What will happen if we put drops of food coloring on the top of milk in a bowl and place dish soap in the middle of the milk?
We placed the drops of food coloring(green, red, and yellow) on top of milk in a bowl and we put dish soap on the end of a Q-tip in the middle of the milk.
When we dipped the dish soap soaked Q-tip in the milk the food coloring swirled!
Food coloring is less dense than milk so it floats on the surface of the milk. When the dish soap touches the milk, the milk’s surface tension changes and the milk begins to move in an attempt to keep normal surface tension. This movement causes the food coloring to mix creating a milk rainbow.
Pop Rock Expander
-Chemical Reaction
What happens when we mix Pop Rock candy and soda? Should we ask Mikey?
First, get an entire package of Pop Rocks into a balloon using a funnel and place the balloon over the mouth of a bottle of soda. Grab the balloon and dump the Pop Rocks into the soda. And then the balloon was inflating!
Both candy and soda contain pressurized carbon dioxide gas. When the Pop Rocks are dropped into the soda, aome carbon dioxide is able to escape from the high fructose corn syrup of the soda and, because the carbon dioxide gas has nowhere to go in the bottle, it rises into the balloon.
Dancing Spaghetti
-Carbonation
What are the bubbles? What will happen when we put cooked spaghetti in a fresh glass of baking soda/vinegar mixture?
We made a “batch” of baking soda/vinegar mixture(2 cups of water and 2 cups of vinegar). We dropped several strands of cooked spaghetti into the baking soda/vinegar mixture, Add 1 tablespoon of baking soda to the water/vinegar mixture.
The spaghetti sinks to the bottom of the baking soda/vinegar mixture. Then when the baking soda is added bubbles are produced lifting the spaghetti throughout the liquid.
The carbonated bubbles rise to the top “pushing” the spaghetti towards the top of the bowl creating dancing spaghetti,
Tea Bag Hot air Balloon
What will happen when we set fire to an unused, empty tea bag?
First we cut the unused tea bag and discarded the tea leaves and then made the tea bag into a shape of a cylinder. Mr, John set fire to the tea bag, As the tea bag burned, it began to float up.
When the tea bag burns down it gets lighter in weight and the air around the flame gets hotter. Hot air rises and once the burnt tea bag is light enough it gets carried up with the hot air.
Suspension(chemistry)
-A state of matter “A fluid containing solid particles”
What will happen if we mix cornstarch and water?
We mixed cornstarch and water and slowly put our finger in the mixture. We quickly hit the mixture.
When we slowly put our finger in the mixture it went into the mix like a liquid. When we quickly hit the mixture our fingers stayed dry, out of the mix. It felt like a solid.
By mixing the cornstarch and water we created a state of matter known as suspension. When we hit the Cornstarch Suspension it felt like a solid because its molecules line up. But it looks like a liquid and acts like a liquid when no one is pressing on it because the molecules relax.
This week we talked about what a portrait and a self portrait means in art. Each of the students drew a picture of themselves using crayons and colored pencils and then we made a “silly” self portrait similar to Pablo Picasso famous cubist art! The students loved talking about their silly portraits and what crazy things they were adding to their faces!
Week of May 7th
The students enjoyed making clay pots a few weeks ago so we got out the clay and created some goofy monsters! Watching them use their imaginations to create something only they could envision was so much fun. Each one was truly unique!
Week of May 14th
This week we talked again about self portraits and how we could make a portrait more “life-like”. Using construction paper, the students created 3D portraits that resembled themselves. They really enjoyed finding ways to create hair that stuck out from the paper!
Week of May 21st
For our final art class in Tallmadge I created art stations that involved some of the students’ favorite mediums. We had a really fun sculpture station, a chalk and oil pastel station and a watercolor/paint stamping station. Giving the students time at each one to explore and create was the perfect way to end the school year!
This week we learned about ending punctuation. We discovered the period and when using is just kind of gives a statement without much excitement or emotion. We learned more about the explanation point and when used there is excitement and emotion! Finally, we learned the question mark is at the end of a sentence when a question is asked. These children are smart, right?
It is hard to believe that the year has come to an end and some of you will be moving up to the elementary program, going to new schools or returning next year. I want to let everyone know it was a great year, and that I enjoyed every moment of teaching all of you. We made a lot of great memories with a lot of jokes and silliness. I hope you feel the same and that you will take what you have learned this year and build on it as you continue your education. If you are not returning next year, please come back to visit all your teachers, because we will truly miss you!
“Imagination does not become great until human beings, given the courage and the strength, use it to create.” – Maria Montessori
This week we spent most mornings sharing different creations. First graders shared their astronomer and planet research, second, third, and fourth year students shared their Imaginary Islands and the history of those islands, third year students shared their “Build My Block” geometry projects, and our fourth year student shared his Early Human Research Report that he has been writing throughout the year. It is wonderful to see the difference in quality and imagination in projects, as well as with public speaking, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.
We had SO much fun at Field Day. Thank you, parents, for making an event like this possible! We couldn’t have done it without you. Although it is sad to say goodbye to some friends for a few months and some for a little longer, it is such a pleasure to spend so much time with all of your children. I learn something new every single day from your children and know they are going to make our world a better place. Have a wonderful summer!
I can’t believe that this is our last classroom blog😢I have to say that this has been an incredible year! I am just so fortunate that I was able to watch your kiddos grow into such great, loving, and kind people. I am truly going to miss seeing their faces, watching them be silly, and seeing their amazing smiles. Also, thanks to you too for being such awesome and wonderful parents. It’s also sad to say goodbye when I’ve made some pretty incredible friends. I hope all of you have a wonderful and safe summer!
Flashback:
Have a wonderful summer!! Please come back and visit!!
We just wrapped up our final full week of the school year! We can’t believe it! This week the first years started a chart to share all their knowledge of the external characteristics of vertebrates and invertebrates. The second year students completed their polygon and circle studies. The third years are compiling their knowledge of the internal systems of vertebrates and have completed their “Build My Block” geometry project. The fourth years completed their study of fungi and are ready to share their Early Humans Research!
A Peek At Next Week
Next week we will present many of the projects we have been working on. Our fourth year student will share his Early Humans Research and Tools. Our second, third, and fourth year students will present their Imaginary Islands. Our first grade students will present their planet and astronomer research with the help of a kindergarten friend! We will continue to work on estimating length, geometry command cards, and fourth years will finish studying fungi!
REMINDERS:
NO SCHOOL – Monday, May 28 – Memorial Day
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL – Thursday, May 31
This is also Field Day. Please refer to your email for the schedule of events and the changes in the event of rain. Please let me know if you are attending if you haven’t already.
Friday, June 1 – Kindergarten Graduation
*****I am also still looking for a family to take Vinny the Guinea over the summer. Splashy will also need a summer home. Both animals are very easy to care for and I will provide all of the materials that you need! Please let me know ASAP if you can help our classroom!*****
Our last official weekly lesson was on Capitalization. You children now know that the word at the beginning of the sentence it is always capitalized. When you refer to yourself with “I” the I is always capitalized. Also, any proper nouns are capitalized.