November, 2016

Courtney Owens

Primary Room

During the month of October the class learned about all the changes that happen during the beautiful Fall season.  For the first week we discussed leaves, how and why they change, and different types of leaves.  The kids also enjoyed collecting their own leaves for leaf rubbing.

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The second week of October the students learned about apples.  They got to taste test several different types of apples and vote on what was their favorite kind.  We discovered what the inside of an apple looks like and how they grow.  Some of the students even brought home beautiful paintings using apples as stamps.

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Next, the class learned all about pumpkins.  We were able to explore the inside of what pumpkins look like by digging out the insides to separate the seeds from the pulp. The next day, the class was able to bake a pumpkin pie and try it. The students even made a Venn diagram comparing pumpkins and apples.

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The fourth week of October we turned our attention to bats.  We learned about different types of bats and even found out that there is a bat that is as small as a bumblebee! The class discovered how and where bats sleep and that they find their food through echolocation. Make your next corporate event one to remember!

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During the last week the class learned about different body parts. The students even learned about the lungs and heart and made their own models. We introduced our anatomy apron and the children enjoyed learning about the organs and where they belong by attaching the fabric organs to the apron!

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I wanted to thank all the parents who helped out with the Halloween party.  It was definitely a success, and the kids enjoyed all of the crafts, games, and delicious food. We could not have had a more successful party!

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If you haven’t already please sign up for parent/teacher conferences, they will be held  on November 14th.

 

Academic Enrichment Group Time | Kindergarten
We went over telling time to the hour, half past, quarter after and quarter till. The kindergartners have been working hard and doing a great job on their journals. We will begin telling time to the minute the week of November 7th. Please review our updated overview.

 

Reading Group | Kindergarten
with Ms. Faith

Our kindergartners are gaining such great comprehension skills by participating in the Junior Great Book series. In October, we read The Frog Went A Travelin, Night Into Dawn, and The Tale of Two bad Mice. Within these stories, your kindergartners are learning higher-level comprehension, by having discussions to analyze the stories. Some of the activities the students get to complete are drawing parts of the stories, writing responses, writing poems, and even acting out parts of the stories. When they complete a picture, or writing response, the kindergartners are able to share with the group. I enjoy hearing their responses to the discussion questions, and seeing their detailed drawings. I am excited to see how their reading comprehension will improve by the end of the year. Thank you parents for reading with them over the weekends, and helping the kindergartners write their questions to share with the group.

 

Science
Over the past month, the students have been learning about the science behind the changes we see during fall.  We found out that the leaves change color because they are not receiving enough chlorophyll to keep their color green.  The students also learned the life cycle of apples, pumpkins, and bats.

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We also enjoyed some science experiments we turned milk and vinegar into plastic by mixing milk and vinegar together, then straining out the clumps to mold. The lumps left behind by the strained milk are called casein. Casein is a material that is produced when the protein in the milk reacts to the acid in the vinegar. The casein separates away from the acid and forms the lumps. It is plastic-like, but true plastics are made from polymers and not milk and vinegar.

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We dissolved sugar cubes in both hot and cold water and discovered that the cold water wasn’t able to dissolve as much sugar as the hot water. The hot water dissolved more because it has faster moving molecules which are spread further apart than the molecules in the cold water. Since the hot water had bigger gaps between the molecules, more sugar molecules were able to fit in between.

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We also transferred water using ‘capillary action. We took two paper towel ropes (or wicks) and put one end into two side glasses with water and the other side into an empty glass in the middle. The wicks started getting wet after a few minutes and after about an hour we noticed that the empty glass was starting to fill with water, and it kept filling until there was an even amount of water in each glass.

Lastly we made a hovercraft with a balloon, bottle cap and CD. As the air flowed downward out of the balloon and through the bottle cap, it built up air pressure under the CD. That air pressure lifted the whole hovercraft off the flat surface as air began to escape evenly all around the edge of the CD. Making the CD float on the cushion of air.

 

Music
This month Ms. Lisa focused on songs with manners and character building. We sang a song about having a choice about being kind and how to act when they are mad or upset. The students also played a game of rolling a ball to each other while singing a song about sharing. The class got to practice their listening skills by listening to different animal sounds, and then guessing what animal they were hearing. Throughout the course of October, your children got to use some different instruments, such as bells, tambourines, and egg shakers. They learned the rules of playing like a band. They had to wait until everyone had an instrument, and when Ms. Lisa told them to, they could pick up their instrument and play with her. This teaches the students self-control, and how to be patient. The young musicians have improved their ability to follow Ms. Lisa’s lead, and wait so patiently. Along with learning important musical terms and skills, we got to sing some old favorites like Skinamarinky Dinky Dink, and Skip to My Lou.

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Art
In the month of October we Ms. Michele taught us about some great artists, and techniques. The first week we got inspiration from an artist named Charlie Harper, who in known for his artwork with birds and animals. Ms. Michele had the students pick an animal to create out of construction paper shapes. They glued the shapes to a piece of construction paper to create their animal. We had lions, flamingoes, lizards, and much more. The next project was dealing with mood in art. Ms. Michele based the lesson off of Edward Munch’s painting The Scream. They saw happy paintings, sad paintings, and mad paintings. They then used oil pastels on black construction paper to draw themselves screaming and what was making them scream. The last week, the students got to make their very own playground. Ms. Michele showed the class pictures of different playgrounds from around the world. Before starting, Ms. Michele reviewed her rule of using liquid glue, which is, “Just a dot does a lot!” Each child was given a piece of green construction paper and the twisted, crimped, or made shapes to glue together and make their crazy playground.

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