A Balance Becomes A Catapult

From Balances

From Balances

During lunch last week D.BC mentioned to me that he would really like to do an activity with seesaws and catapults. I discussed this idea with Kara (whom had recently finished teaching them all about balances) and our lesson was formed. We began by reviewing Kara's lesson on balances with the children and letting them use anything in the classroom to make a seesaw. After a quick brainstorming session on what could be used for the base and beam the children were off and creating their seesaws with triangles, blocks, yard sticks and rulers. To see more images click on the photo to view the Picasa album. Below is K.H testing his seesaw while D.BC & D.B using their seesaws to catapult their marshmallows.

K.H Balances Marshmallows from Lisa J on Vimeo.

A balance becomes a catapult from Lisa J on Vimeo.

Three Little?!

The children have been busy working on a variety of versions of The Three Little Pigs. After reading tales such as "The TRUE Story of the Three Little Pigs" and "The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig" the children were excited to create their own stories. Here is a sneak peek at what they have been working on.

Huff and Puff

While almost half of our class was at home huffing and puffing from an awful cold, friends in room 5 were doing their own form of huffing and puffing. This week we read the classic version of "The Three Little Pigs" and the not so well known tale of "The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig." On Tuesday the children participated in a Huff and Puff experiment where they had to predict how many huffs (and puffs) it would take to blow a lego, marble and a piece of tissue across the table (see video below). On Friday the children constructed towers that had to withstand my huffing and puffing. Each child's structure had to use at least 10 objects and could only be one foot high. I was quite impressed by their structures (and pretty lightheaded as well).

Huff & Puff from Lisa J on Vimeo.

CGI on the WSJ

Here is a great video that may help you better understand the value behind CGI (Cognitively Guided Instruction).

Long Ago....

Last week we looked at pictures of La Jolla from long ago. The children discussed the differences between the way La Jolla looks now (a lot more buildings and better roads) to how it looked then (a lot of dirt and not a lot of color). We saw photographs of businesses in La Jolla, people golfing at Torrey Pines and playing at La Jolla Shores. Here is some of the feedback we got when we asked the children what life was like 100 years ago.

One Hundred Years Ago…..
K.S. “Long ago, they had slow cars.”
C.F. “They horses that go fast.”
A.DR. “The cars had no windows.”
R.MA. “There were dirt roads.”
E.G. “They had horses and carriages.”
N.L. “There was no sun.”
R.W. “A lot of people died.”
D.B. “The train has circle windows.”
L.S. “The cars can be on water.”
E.G. “ They had house boats.”
A.O. “I think they had black and white T.V.”
M.M. “There is no food.”
A.R. “The film is black and white.”
L.F. “Cars looked like tractors.”
E.K. “They rode horses.”
K.F “The road was dirt.”
D.B. “The carriages were motorized.”
K.H. “The film was black and white.”

What is a Community?

Last week we focused on the meaning of community, and the role jobs and businesses play in our community. It is always nice to see the world through the eyes of 5 and 6 year old children. Below is a peek at some of the adorable responses to a simple question.

From Avenida de la Playa

From Avenida de la Playa

From Avenida de la Playa

From Avenida de la Playa

From Avenida de la Playa

Did You Know….

“We have hair cutters in our community, because if the boys have too long hair it will be in their eyes.” ~A.DR
“We have store clerks in our community, because they let us buy food.” ~R.W
“We have presidents in our community, because they say what the cities have to do to help the world.” ~E.F.G
“We have police in our community, because burglars steal.” ~M.M
“We have police in our community so everyone behaves.” ~D.B
“We have teachers in our community, because they teach,” ~R.MA
“We have police in our community, because they keep people safe.” ~K.S
“We have fire fighters in our community, because they put out fires.” ~A.O
“We have train engineers in our community, because they drive trains.” ~D.BC
“We have doctors in our community, because if we get sick I know they can help us.” ~L.S
“We have presidents in our community, because they make good choices.” ~K.F
“We have doctors in our community, because they can help us stop bleeding.” ~A.R
“We have veterinarians in our community because my cat has to go to the hospital today.” ~E.K
“We have doctors in our community because people get hurt.” ~L.F
“We have fire fighters in our community because they save people and they make fires disappear.” ~C.F
“We have ballerinas in our community because they dance so pretty on the stage.” ~E.G
“We have squishy sellers in our community because if kids don’t have toys to play with they will be crying all the time.” ~N.L
“We have fire fighters in our community because they save people.” ~M.L
“We have store workers in our community because we buy our food.” ~K.H

Our Visit to La Jolla Shores Market

From La Jolla Shores Market

On Tuesday we visited the La Jolla Shores Market. Taft (the owners son) took us on an amazing tour through the freezer, behind the deli counter, into the refrigerators and around the market. After our tour we were each treated to a delicious apple.

La Jolla Shores Market Freezer from Lisa J on Vimeo.