A Nature Walk to Lanspeary Park

We had a great time during our Nature Walk to Lanspeary Park today. The children were able to be reporters and scientists observing the wonderful animals, insects and all the beautiful things that grow in the environment. Everyone was excited to have their own clip board, pencil and tally sheet when we left on our adventure.

Their job was to find the items on their sheet of paper and make a tally mark each time they found one. When we were done they counted to see how many different things they found. 

 

During the walk, the students were also given a "duct tape bracelet" and were able to personalize it by collecting some of things they found. 

It is only Wednesday, and we have explored and learned so much...

Moments I was able to capture..

Links from the math kit make beautiful jewellery

Community Visitor -- Dairy Farmer

Mrs. Wright shared information about her dairy farm discussing the process of producing milk from cows, the value of eating local foods and other key points of living on a farm.

I was very proud of the students during the question and answer period.  All students asked questions!!! 
Some of the questions asked were:
 - Are all cows black and white?
 - Does it hurt when you remove the cows horns?
 - What are boy chickens called?
 - Do you have pigs on the farm?
 - How do cows have milk?
 - Do rabbits eat carrots?

The students enjoyed experimenting and mixing colours with the ice cubes.

Glue, Salt and Water Paint --A 2 Part ART Activity

1st day -- Design a picture using white glue, then sprinkle salt over top of the wet glue. If you look carefully the salt reacts with the glue and makes it puff out.

2nd day -- Paint over top of the glue and salt mixture

Mixing colours in shaving cream

tadpoles

Having fun = memories that last forever!!

Snow Inquiry

Our students REALLY enjoyed playing in the snow during the outdoor play time. Mrs. Kelly and a few students decided it would be a great idea to explore snow inside the classroom. A few students went outside to bring snow into the school.

Snow was explored in Mrs. Kelly's room and Mrs. Taylor's room.

In Mrs. Kelly's room, the students were interested in the fact that the texture of the snow had changed now that we had brought it into our classroom. While we were playing outside, the snow was light and fluffy. We tried to build snowmen, but we couldn't form large enough balls with the snow. Inside the classroom, the students noticed that the snow was heavier and that we could form it into shapes.

Brooke said, "I made a triangle pizza."

 
Dalida said, "I made a little snowman."

After lunch, we noticed that the science table was now filled with water. 

WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR SNOW? 

Trenton said, "It melted."

Aaliyah said, "It turned into a liquid because it is too, too hot in our school."

In Mrs. Taylor's room, Harmony and Maggie were interested in changing the colours of the snow. Blue, yellow and orange were added.

The friends in the water table wanted to dump the snow into the water table. We made predictions of what they thought would happen.

Lucas said, "The snow would melt".

Alex said, "The water would freeze up".

Lydia said, "All of it would turn into ice."

Elijah said, "The cars would get stuck in there."

Lucas also added, "The snow would melt because we are in the school."

Finally, after many predictions, Alex said very excitedly, "LET'S TEST IT!"

What the student's noticed --

Lucas said,"It's turning green!"

Lydia replied, "It's changing colours. The water is colder."

It was only a few minutes before all the snow melted in the warm water.

What happened to the snow?

Lucas said, "I don't see any ice. No more snow. It melted."

Our students enjoyed bringing the snow into the classroom.  During our next outdoor play period the students asked to bring in small chucks of ice into the classroom to watch it melt.  So we did!!!

The chunks of ice took much longer to melt in the water table, and the water was very cold.  Gracie said, "Her hands were like ice cubes -- freezing!!!"  

　

　

　
SCIENCE Curriculum Expectations:

2.1 pose questions before and during investigations

2.2 make predictions and observations before and during investigations

2.3 select and use materials to carry out their own explorations

2.4 communicate results and finding from individual and group investigations

Personal Hygiene

This week we discussed personal hygiene. We talked about the importance of keeping ourselves clean, ways to prevent the spreading of germs, and the different tools to use for cleaning ourselves.

Some of the recommended tools:

face cloths

shampoo and conditioner

body wash or soap

nail brush

hair brush

nail clippers

Q - tips

tooth brush

tooth paste

dental floss

mouth wash

Students created germs and bug hats.

Discuss with your child some of the ways to

prevent the spreading of germs.

- cough into your sleeve (like a vampire)

- blow your nose with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the garbage immediately

- wash your hands while singing The ABC'S

- wash your hands before and after you eat

- wash your hands after you use the bathroom

- wash your hands after you play with an animal

- wash your hands after you play outside

EXPERIMENTS

We rubbed "Glow in the Dark" cream on our hands. We then washed our hands at the sink. The students then placed their hands under the glow light to see the common areas that are missed while washing hands (back of hands and between the fingers).

We rinsed our mouths with Agent Cool Mouthwash that tints plaque to show areas on our teeth that need better brushing.

Also, we conducted two experiments, using eggs to represent our teeth, to show the effects of liquids on our teeth.

1. We discovered an egg placed in vinegar for 2 days loses it shell and becomes squishy.
This experiment demonstrated for the students that if you do not brush your teeth properly the acid in your mouth will create holes (cavities) in your teeth.

2. Hard boiled eggs left in a cup with some common drinks (milk, pop, Gatorade, juice) created holes (cavities) and tinted the eggs different colours.
This experiment demonstrated for the students the effects of eating and drinking items that are high in sugar.

Feeding the Birds

This year at Prince Edward the Kindergartens have taken on the responsibility of feeding the birds throughout the winter.  We have received a generous donation of bird seed from Home Depot.  We truly appreciate this donation.

On Thursday, Mrs. Taylor and Ms. Palmer's students fed the birds for the first time.

The Ontario Full-Day Early Learning Kindergarten Program states the importance of learning to demonstrate an understanding of the natural world and the need to care for and respect the environment.
Specific Expectation  3.3 - identify ways in which they can care for and show respect for the environment (e.g. feeding the birds in winter: reusing and recycling: turning off unnecessary lights at home:walking to school instead of getting a ride)

After the holidays, we will further discuss the importance of feeding the birds, create our own bird feeders, and discuss other ways to care for the environment we live in.

Some of our friends created a birdhouse using foam blocks early in the week.

Is it Goop or Slime?

The children had a great time working with Green Goop in Mrs. Olafson and Mrs. DeYoung's room today. We mixed cornstarch with water to make the Goop. We decided it would be better to add some colour so we mixed yellow + blue = Green. The  children found it fascinating that it looked like liquid, but it felt slimey when you first touched it. The students were also amazed that you could grab a ball of the goop and squeeze it, and then as you release you hand it turns back into slime.