9 Days :(

This week we discovered that our Lima Bean plants really DO grow!! Each child has been recording the day their seed sprouted roots or grew a stem. Now some children's plants even have leaves! I wish I had a photo to share, but stop by our windows and check them out.

We also spent some time learning about the different parts of seeds, location of seeds and sorting seeds. On Wednesday we made predictions regarding the color and location of pomegranate, strawberry, banana, kiwi, blueberry, kumquat and tomato seeds. After the predictions were made, we opened the fruit under the document camera and zoomed in on the seeds so the children could see them on the monitor.
In Math with Kara, the children began exploring repeated addition and multiplication. They LOVED multiplying numbers by zero!This Friday was our Fun Run! Thank you Ans and Kate for providing us with yummy oranges! Can you spot your child in the video below?

Ready.... Set..... Fun Run! from Lisa J on Vimeo.

Enjoy the long weekend and I hope to see you at the Author's celebration on Tuesday.

What A Week!

During Writer’s Workshop the children are in the final stages of illustrating their How-To Books. We hope to see you at our Author’s Celebration. The children also began writing letters to orphans in Africa. Jen F. (Kai’s mom) has a student (Matt) who is connected to the orphanage in South Africa. Matt enlisted our lovely kindergarten cuties to help bring a smile to the orphans faces through their letters, drawings and crafts. There are 47 orphans and it is our goal to write a letter to each orphan. 19 down, 28 to go!

In Science we have begun our plan study. Early in the week we “planted” seeds without soil and made predictions on whether or not they would grow. Each child was responsible for making their prediction and explaining why. My favorites were “It will stay alive because the flowers we have (in a vase) are still alive.” and “The will die because soil is important.” Three children predicted that they would grow, while 16 predicted they would die.
After learning about stems, the children placed a single flower in colored water and made predictions about what would happen. If you have the chance, stop by Room 5 and see what happened to our white flowers! During our root study we had a root taste test with taro chips, radishes, beets, carrots and cassava root (to name a few). If you would like to participate, please feel free to bring roots, stems or leaves for community snack.
In Math the children have mastered reading the clock and measuring with centimeters and inches while continuing to work on their addition and subtraction facts. Next week we will begin our formal assessments in preparation for our end of the year reports. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child and how to keep them reading/writing over the summer please let me know.

Constellations and Comets!

Has it really only been 3 weeks since the break? Time is flying by, and as of Friday the 13th there are only 18 school days left! Yikes! Your children have been absolutely amazing and absorbing everything like little sponges. For the two weeks following our break, the children were learning about planets and constellations with Kara. Towards the end of their study, they created their own constellations and stories. If you have a chance to visit Room 5, they are on display in our library area. Here is a sneak peek at two of them.

The children wrote their stories, drew an illustration and finished up by placing tracing paper over their drawing and making a constellation complete with an alpha star.
The children also had a chance to create their own planets. K.S created a planet called “Wizard 101. A planet made of magic, where wizards live and you can learn new spells.”
Here are a few examples. These are also on display in Room 5.

Last week the children finished their second drafts of their How-To books and we are waiting for the arrival of their Bare Books to publish and share them. We are hoping to have an Author’s Celebration in the next few weeks and will keep you posted. Our final unit of writing will be their All About Kindergarten books, which the children have already begun working on.
This week the children began learning about plants and we will likely be integrating this theme throughout the next few weeks as we work on assessments and winding down the year.