The Table

Leave a comment

A few years ago, a senior student at NIS made a rather unusual table for the children in the Early Years. Since then, the table has travelled and lived in many different classrooms. The unusual design allows children to work and play in interesting ways while sitting comfortably on the floor. Although the table has been used with care, parts of the wood on the surface began to peel and break away. We decided to reach out to Mr. Matt in the Design Woodwork studio to help us solve the problem. Mr. Matt worked on the table while the older students were away discovering China.

We were excited to hear that the table was ready for collection. A group of volunteers went to the Woodwork Studio to collect the table. They were excited to see the table, gently touching the smooth surface while smiling and nodding to show their approval of the change. Then, they had to figure out how to bring the table back to the early years safely.

Together, they lifted parts of the table so it could be moved along the corridors. Everyone was happy to see the table.

The children decided to make Mr. Matt a card to show their appreciation for fixing their favourite table.  Mr. Matt was surprised to see the children return with a card, which he placed carefully next to his daughter’s drawings. 

The design studio for the older children was a fascinating place with many interesting spaces and lots of different tools, equipment and materials. We noticed the children’s curiosity as they walked through the different spaces.

Curious fingers touched Lego cars and recycled plastic creations that lined the walls. They began to ask questions about what the older students were creating and designing.

We wonder what opportunities may lie in this space for young children.

Math in Our World – Shape Hunt

One comment

Our Math Talk focused on two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes in the environment.

What do you notice?

The children began identifying the different shapes and discussing how they are classified and named according to their properties. We noticed that some shapes were not in the picture and decided to document these shapes on both sides of the image (in green).

Next, the children were introduced to an activity on Seesaw. We learned how to scan the code to log into the app on the iPad and follow the steps to complete the task.

As the children explored their environment to look for the shapes, they used the different features on the app to document their learning.

Through these experiences, they will explore the relationship between 2D shapes and 3D objects and how shapes are classified and named according to their properties.

Voting for 3 Minute Challenges!

Leave a comment

We have noticed the children are showing interest in the concept of ‘time’. Isabella and Adalyn have been thinking about what they can do in 3 minutes.

But how long was 3 minutes? We used an online timer to ‘feel’ the time pass by. The children sat patiently, thinking about the length of time that passed by.

We challenged them to think about the things they could do in 3 minutes. They drew to share their thinking:

  • Euno: Draw a heart, Take a photo, Talk and share 3 ideas
  • Isabella: Run 3 circles in the playground, Read 2 small books in the library, Put my socks on
  • Ethan: Go to sleep, Cooking a cookie, Eat snack
  • Archie: Go on a train to Africa, Come to school in 1 minute, Go to Japan in 5 minutes, Put my shoes on
  • Jacob: Make a paper airplane, Build a puzzle, Make a Lego car
  • Evan: Make a block tower, Eat lunch, Draw a house
  • Adalyn: Run 2 circles in the playground, Pack my backpack, Talk about a tower
  • Suzy: Eat an ice-cream, Build a tower with coloured blocks, Run 3 circles in the outside playground
  • Dahyun: Put shoes on, Draw a heart, Read 2 little bit small books
  • Sea: Read a book in the library, Wash your hands for lunch, Swim across the pool
  • Finn: Wash hands, Put on my jacket, Write my name, Put on my shoes
  • Riccardo: Write my name, Draw a clock, Eat a sausage
  • Junsu: Go a friend’s house with daddy, Read a big book in the library, Robots break the blocks

We gathered many different, interesting ideas and wondered which ones to try out. We decided to vote on each child’s ideas, using tally marks to track our data.

While discussing our next steps, we wondered if other children in the Early Years would also enjoy some of our challenges. The children believed that K2B and PreK-K1 could also do some of the challenges as they run fast and like ice cream because everyone likes ice cream!

We look forward to seeing how the children develop a plan to present these ideas to others.

PTA Birthday Cupcakes – Next Steps…

Leave a comment

Nest steps…

The team gathered to analyse the data they had collected through the survey. They noticed that many people received cupcakes from the NIS PTA, but a few didn’t. We made a list of all the people (or groups) who didn’t receive cupcakes. Then, the class took the information they had gathered to Ms. Hannah to plan their next steps.

 

Considering the children’s ongoing questions about the cupcakes, we suggested that the team speak to the PTA President to learn more about NIS Birthday cupcakes. The children brainstormed the specific wonderings they wanted to take to her.
  • Isabella “Why do somebody have cupcakes, but somebody doesn’t have cupcakes? How to decide on who has birthday cupcakes?” 
  • Jacob “Why does the PTA want to give cupcakes?”
  • Suzy “How did you make cupcakes?”
  • Evan “How many ingredients do you need to make cupcakes?”
  • Adalyn “Who made the birthday cupcakes? Did you make it by yourself?”
  • Sea “How many cupcakes did you need to make?” 

The PTA President came in to speak to the children about the cupcakes. The children gathered their notes to ask her the questions they had brainstormed. 

  • Isabella “Why do somebody have cupcakes, but somebody doesn’t have cupcakes?

We learned that the PTA had to think hard to plan and organise the cupcake distribution. At first, they wondered if they could deliver cupcakes every week or every month. They decided that it was better to share the cupcakes once a month with children, teachers and staff who had a birthday in that particular month.

  • Rebeca “When it is your birthday then you get a cupcake. Next week we will go to November so you need to check when it’s your month and then you remember and go to pick the cupcake.

  • How to decide on who has birthday cupcakes?” 

Rebeca “Every teacher and student receives a birthday cupcake. Not parents. All the children get the cupcake. We give to all NIS employees on the list, some of them belong to the facilities department like the bus drivers, so they receive their birthday cupcakes. The guards are not NlS employees so they don’t get a cupcake.”

Noticing that Ms. Hannah was on the list of people who didn’t get a birthday cupcake, Ms. Rebecca explained that perhaps Ms. Hannah was sick on that day or was not in school for some reason.

Rebeca “Some people don’t pick their cupcakes, and then we keep the leftovers in case they ask for them.”

  • Jacob “Why does the PTA want to give cupcakes?”

Rebeca “Do you like to get a treat when it’s your birthday? We thought that every child in the school liked to have a treat so we decided to give the children a cupcake.”

  • Suzy “How did you make cupcakes?”
  • Evan “How many ingredients do you need to make cupcakes?”

Rebeca “There are many ways to make cupcakes. You can use a recipe book. If you never made it before you can use this list of ingredients to make it. Egg, oil, milk, flour, baking powder, a tiny bit of salt. All together.

Then, you beat your eggs for 3 minutes, add oil and keep beating. If you don’t eat egg then tell us so we can make you a special cupcake. Then put the flour and baking powder and salt. And then you keep the dough for 3 hours and you put it in the oven, you make the tiny cakes and you wait for 20 minutes and that’s it. You can decorate the cupcakes as you wish. With cream, chocolate and candy.”

The children wondered if they could put gummy bears on their cake.

  • Adalyn “Who made the birthday cupcakes? Did you make it by yourself?”

Rebeca “Skyways are the ones that bake the cupcakes. They have a special place where they have a very big kitchen for professional cooks, chefs and bakers.”

Ms. Rebeca shared photographs of the kitchen. “Can you see how many things they have there? This is the place they prepare the dough. At the end of the year, we make 700-800 cupcakes. And then there are special tables where they make the dough and when they finish they need to put the cupcakes in a place where they can cool. There is an oven. There are 4 units as tall as the room. When they open the oven and take out all the cupcakes they put it in the tray. Then they decorate them.”

  • Sea “How many cupcakes did you need to make?” 

I think we make 800 or 900 cupcakes.

  • Hannah shared her wondering “If they forget to pick up their cupcake what do they do?

Rebeca “At the end of the day we send it to the teacher’s room so you can go to the teacher’s room you can pick it up.”

We learned that some people on the list did not receive a cupcake for their birthday.

We wonder how the children will use what they have learned to strengthen their relationships with the community

We look forward to hearing about their next steps…

The Bike Park – Safety and Functionality

Leave a comment

Over the last few years, different groups of children have worked on projects connected to bikes and trikes in the Early Years playground. We decided to share some photographs of the Bike Park to see what the children might notice about the bikes and signs in the play area.

The children quickly noticed that toys and gardening tools were not cleared away after playtime.

They noted that the bikes were blocking the walking path, and emergency exits, and that overgrown plants and bushes were making it challenging to park the bikes in the allocated spaces. Some suggestions for improvement:

  • toys need to be stored away in the correct places
  • bikes could be parked facing forward making it easier to write them away
  • store the sand toys on the sand table
  • clear the overgrown plants
  • Park the bikes along the fence
  • make new signs for the bike park

As they took a closer look at the signs that were made for the bike park, they realised that the wet and hot-dry weather had caused the signs to fade and get mouldy.

The children’s keen observations sparked conversations about the changes they could make to the bike park and play areas safer and more functional.

We decided to share documentation about the bike park from the previous years with the children, to help them understand and appreciate student-led projects that positively impacted the EY.

The children were excited to see some of the work past students had undertaken to make the play areas safer and more exciting for others.  

The children decided that they wanted to create new signs for the bike park. They wondered what materials would be most suitable for the purpose, considering the challenges with the weather and temperature outdoors.

They discussed the properties of different materials such as plastic and wood, providing interesting improvements to ensure the signs would last longer.  

We wonder what elements the children would consider as they move forward in planning, designing and creating new signs for the bike park.

Trees in the Playground!

Leave a comment

The children in the Early Years have been curious about the trees we have in the playground.

Fiona’s mum Elise came in to talk to us about some of the trees, sharing images and interesting information about these wonderful living things around us.

She began by talking about trees in the 4 seasons. The children noticed that some “Some trees have no leaves” during some of the seasons.

The Osmanthus tree has blossomed in fall. It is a tree that stays green all year long.

She shared a photograph of a camphor tree. It has a beautiful minty smell, like peppermint. She reminded the children not to eat the berries from them as they can be poisonous.We were excited to learn that wasps like to build their cocoons on the bark of the tree and that they protect the trees from pests.

 

Camphor trees are some of the oldest trees some can be as old as 750 years. In some countries, this tree is considered a ‘holy’ tree.

We learned that camphor when it is distilled and cooked, can be used in cooking. You can also make jewelry with it.

The next tree she talked about was the ‘ginkgo tree’.  It has beautiful golden-coloured leaves.

The children smelled the fruit. It did not smell good, but she explained that the inside of the fruit tasted good. We found out that only the female trees bear fruit.

Next, we saw the cicada. They come around in the summertime. They sleep in the ground for 17 years and they drink the sap from the roots of the tree. They are protected in the earth.

– Suzy “They still need to grow up.”

We were surprised to learn that cicadas have five eyes! It can see very well when you sneak up on them.

We wonder how the children might explore the playground with their new understandings of trees and plants.

Guided Reading​ and Word Work

Leave a comment
The children are working in small groups to explore reading, working on developing their understanding of phonics and decoding (understanding of the alphabetic principle — the idea that letters and letter patterns represent the sounds of spoken language).
A small group were reading a pattern book with predictable text, making connections with what they already knew about the topic and learning new information from a text.
While reading we practiced reading behaviours that develop their reading identity. 
– caring for books
– turning the pages
– taking a picture walk
– connecting words with images
– following the reader by tracking words
– identifying the title, cover, pictures, pages, blurb at the back
– identifying letters, words, sentences
– practising word attack strategies 
– discussing information, making connections and developing comprehension
– listening to others read and practising reading
– waiting for our turn
– celebrating reading 
Zooming in to look for digraphs (sh), and vowel teams (oo) that make a long vowel sound in pattern books. 
We will continue to dive into fiction and non-fiction texts, to learn about and through books, to read, explore and celebrate the wonderful world of ‘books’.

Sight Words and Pattern Books

Leave a comment

Writers in K2 have been using what they know about letters and sounds to write words. They have been using inventive spelling to write labels and messages. We decided to pay attention to high-frequency (sight) words to explore how they can be used to write messages. High-frequency words are words that occur frequently in written material.

We know that writers who are learning to read benefit from books with predictable text. To explore this idea further, we created a sentence ‘I can see a … .’ using sight word cards and objects. 

 

 

As we read the sentence we took note of its features. The sentence:

  • had 5 words.
  • the first letter in the first word was a capital letter
  • ended with punctuation (full stop)
  • had spaces between words
  • letters were sitting on the line, some letters hung low and some were taller.
  • shared an idea or message.

Then, we presented the writers with a new option: a book with spaces for drawing and spaces for writing. They used the sentence starter to create their predictable pattern book, using inventive spelling to write new words to complete the sentence.  

The writers were learning how to:

  • identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book
  • follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page
  • recognise that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters
  • speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly

What is the significance of height?

Leave a comment

Adalyn and Finn were deep in conversation about their height. Adalyn believed she had grown taller over the long break. Finn believed this was also true for him.

Am I taller or shorter?

As Finn considered her observation, he wondered if he had grown taller than Adalyn over the holidays. Previously, the class had decided that Adalyn was the tallest child in the classroom. Adeline and Finn decided to compare their heights by standing against each other.

  • Finn “I am comparing my height because I think I am getting taller.” (in Mandarin)

They concluded that Adalyn was still taller. 

Ricardo watched and listened to the conversation between Finn and Adalyn. He noticed that Finn was not as tall as Adalyn so he wondered if he was taller than Finn. He decided to check if Finn was taller than him and invited Finn to stand with him.

After some checking, he realised that Finn was taller!

Riccardo thought for a while and then invited Susie to the discussion. He asked Suzy to stand next to him to compare their heights. This time, he was taller.

  • Suzy “How tall are we? Who is smaller and who is bigger?”

The children explained that they are taller or shorter depending on the person they are making a comparison with.

Over the last few weeks, the children have worked collectively to build towers that were taller than them. They have shown an interest in measuring their height using a ruler in the classroom. Through a collection of documentation, we have noticed that the children often emphasise ‘height’. We wondered about the theories they had about the concept of height.

What do you think about ‘height’?

  • Jacob “He is measuring who is taller and who is smaller? We need a ruler to measure how tall everybody is.”

(Standard: We use tools to measure the attributes of objects.)

  • Isabella “When we ride a rollercoaster, we have to measure ourselves. If our height is not enough, we cannot get on the roller coaster. If we can’t get the seatbelt on the roller coaster then they fall off.” (safety)
  • Suzy “If they are smaller, they are scared on the top.”
  • Isabella “When I go to play, I saw everyone they are screaming. They are scared.”
  • Archie “Me and my brother goes in the roller coaster I won’t be scared. I like the rollercoaster, I have to go with my brother because I am too tiny.”
  • Evan “I finished the rollercoaster I am very dizzy.”
  • Riccardo “I do roller coaster it is so fast. I didn’t scared. All the children are scared but not me.”
  • Isabella “I am not tall enough so I need to have my daddy.”
  • Jacob “When you are tall you are grown up. Be a daddy or mummy. Or you are still a baby. All tall people became daddy or mummy. And then grandpa and grandma.”
  • Suzy “If they will go older they will die.” (change)
  • Archie “My mum is scared of heights because she has a baby inside her tummy.”

What can you do when you get taller?

  • Jacob “You are a grownup, you can do something you want.” (choices)
  • Even “You can look at a phone.”
  • Isabella “It has phone numbers so we don’t know how to open it.” (pin numbers)
  • Jacob “You can drive a car.” (skills)
  • Evan “The mummy gets older when the baby gets taller.”
  • Shemo “So when will I stop growing taller?”
  • Isabella “You stop growing now because you are a grown-up.”
  • Sophia “So, when someone is a parent they will stop growing?”
  • Evan “Ms. Sophia will stop growing when she has a child. When you grow older you go to the sky. 100 or 200 years old you will fly to the sky.”
  • Isabella “It is heaven not sky.”
  • Evan “Heaven is a house in the sky.”
  • Isabella “When someone is 100 and they die then they maybe they will be a star. Because my friend said that.”
  • Dahyun “I think tall is many things. You get money.”
  • Sea “I have 2 money.”
  • Dahyun “I think cooking when taller.”
  • Sea “I can get bigger then I am better at drawing. My daddy is good at drawing. Mummy only a little bit.”
  • Dahyun “Maybe taller then be a teacher?” (jobs)
  • Junsu “I can be taller then be a police officer.” (In Korean)
  • Euno “I want to be just me. Like quiet time.”
  • Riccardo “If you drink cola you can get shorter because its not good for your tummy.”

We wonder how we may dig deeper into some of the emerging theories the children have shared:

  • people stop growing when they have children
  • as you get taller, you have more choices and opportunities
  • we change as we grow older

Exploring Aerodynamics with Paper Airplanes

Leave a comment

The children were invited to take part in a paper airplane challenge. We decided to ask the children what they already knew about paper airplanes. They began to explain how a paper airplane is made.

As the children shared the different steps, we wrote these down as instructions. However, when we read the instructions to fold the paper, the children began to see that the instructions weren’t clear.

Evan volunteered to show us how to make two different types of planes. We invited him to share the instructions through visuals and words. As he presented the steps, we made the paper airplanes.

WHY?

  • Isabella “On Friday we can fly the paper airplanes so we had to fold paper airplanes and then we tried to throw it.”

WHAT?

  • Adalyn “We made paper airplanes. We folded the paper. It was a bit hard.”
  • Riccardo “I am folding the paper airplanes. Someone helped me fold because I don’t know how to do the paper airplanes.”

How?

  • Isabella “We folded the paper in half and then we folded into a triangle.”
  • Suzy “Fold 2 triangles over the top. Fold it again.”
  • Ethan “2 triangles 2 times.”
  • Evan “And then you fold the paper again into 2 more triangles. The triangles are inside another triangle on the top.
  • Isabella “Flip it over. And then, fold it in half.”

NEXT

  • Evan “We did a paper airplane race outside with everybody.”
  • Isabella “We were throwing the paper airplanes into the hula-hoop.”
  • Evan “We throw the paper airplanes to knock the Ping-Pong down.
  • Suzy “Taiping knocked it down one time.”

While inquiring about paper airplanes, the children used their thinking skills to tap into their prior knowledge. They observed carefully, making connections as they followed the steps to create the paper airplane. They listened attentively when information was shared. They used their communication skills to clearly express their ideas and next steps so that others could understand and follow the directions to complete the task. We noticed how the speaker or presenter slowed down, giving others time to process ideas and information. The children developed their self-management skills by paying attention, listening and then following instructions. When they noticed that their friends needed help, they paused to support and guide each other, which created a trusting and safe learning experience.

When testing the paper airplanes, the children explored aerodynamics and concepts of design, lift and drag, gravity and forces through play and inquiry. 

How tall is the Tower?

Leave a comment

The tower in the block play area cannot be missed!!

It has been standing tall for a few weeks, with only its steeple toppling over on a few occasions when children pass by or try to adjust the blocks that support its design. We noticed the children adjusting the columns, replacing and testing out different shapes to see which ones offer better support. Through trial and error, the engineers developed and tested theories about balance, shapes and design.  

They were now more intentional when choosing the shapes for different sections of the tower. For instance, they realised that using broader, flatter shapes horizontally provided more foundational support and that they could make the steeple taller by using cylinders with a greater diameter at the bottom. Throughout the process of experimentation, the engineers discussed and negotiated ideas, looking for ways to work collectively to reach their goal, of building the tallest tower.  

Through inquiry, we explored different ways to measure the height of the building. At first, the children used non-standard units to measure the tower.

Then, a team uncovered the use of standard units and decided to measure the tower using a ‘flexible, long ruler’, a measuring tape.

The children shared estimations of the height of the tower.

Then, we used the measuring tape to measure the tower accurately. The children were excited to learn that the tower was 190 centimetres tall!

During outdoor playtime, a group of children met Mr. Lee and explained that they had built a tower that was taller than him. Mr. Lee decided to check if this was true. As he stood next to the tower he asked, “How tall am I?”  

 

Survey Data

Leave a comment

A team of researchers have been visiting different spaces in the school to gather data using a survey, to find out who gets a PTA birthday cupcake on their birthday month.

  • Isabella “We asked people ‘Do you get a PTA cupcake?’ because we want to know did they get one.”
  • Jacob “Because we want to ask people because we want to know a ‘YES’, a ‘NO’ or a ‘MAYBE’.”
  • Isabella “We asked people and then and we wrote it down.”
  • Adalyn “And we want to know if all the school people and teachers have a PTA cupcake.”
  • Evan “Some people said yes, no and some said maybe.”
  • Suzy “We want to ask mummy or daddy do you get a PTA cupcake?”
  • Evan “We asked the office, the teachers and the bus drivers and now we know that some people get a PTA cupcake.”

Next steps…

What do we do with the information we have?

  • Isabella “Maybe we need to count on our paper.”
  • Adalyn “To see how many people said yes, no and maybe.”

The team of researchers have been documenting their learning, and sharing the information with the rest of the class. The process has helped the children better understand their research questions as they learn more about the community at NIS.

The team then used what they had learned about data and graphs, to transfer their data into concrete graphs.

We wonder what new theories the children have as a result of their research, and what decisions and plans the class might have as they move forward with their project.

Making Sense of Data

Leave a comment

We have been conducting surveys, and documenting data to answer questions that help us understand how objects and events can be organised differently. A group of children have also taken this further by creating a survey and interviewing the community to help them find answers to their ongoing questions related to their projects.

Our next step was to sort and organise the information in a way that made sense to others.

During Morning Meeting, we introduced the children to some tools and resources they could use to sort data.We decided to use Unifix cubes, an easy resource for children to create simple concrete graphs as they work with data.

Through this experience the children:

  • gathered information by asking questions
  • sorted and recorded data on a concrete graph
  • explained data using simple comparative language; more, less, all together, and difference

How might we use what we have learned in new situations to make sense of the world around us?

Measurement – Brady Bakes a Cake

Leave a comment

The children have been exploring measuring tools in the classroom, and discussing how these tools are used in our daily lives. We decided to read a story that talks about ‘measuring tools’ that the children had not yet mentioned during their conversations. In this story, ‘Brady Bakes a Cake’, The character shares the experience of baking a cake for his mum’s birthday. As we read the story, we paused to talk about the details in the pictures, to help the children explore the different ways authors communicate ideas with others. 

Jacob and Isabella noticed the recipe in the book and explained:

  • Jacob “I see the list for making the cake.”
  • Isabella “This is for making chocolate “
  • Jacob “How many he need, butter, flour, milk.”
  • Isabella “With a list you count it.”
  • Jacob “On the list, it tells how many you use the spoon.”

As we read on, they began to predict what might happen next in the story.

The author included pictures, numbers, symbols and fractions (half and quarter cups) to explain and show the quantities of ingredients used to make the cake.

  • Jacob “So he need two little cup to get it bigger. I made cupcake so I know. Two little spoons can make a big spoon.”
  • Archie “Vanilla is for putting in the ice cream.”
  • Jacob “If you have little spoon, you can add three times, big spoon you need one time.”

The children wondered if Brady was going to make cupcakes or one big cake. They began to debate and provide reasons for why they thought Brady was making a cake or a cupcake.

  • Archie “They are making cupcakes because there are some sprinkles.”
  • Isabella “It’s because the spoon and chocolate.”

Adalyn and Jacob thought he was one big cake. Suzy and Euno disagreed and said he was making cupcakes “because there are sprinkles.”

  • Archie “My mom made cupcakes, she use eggs and all these ingredients and makes the table yucky.” He said with a laugh, adding that they all helped clean up afterwards.
  • Suzy “Ms. Karen made cupcakes at school with us and she has this (mixer). I didn’t know my mom’s birthday so I didn’t make a cake for her.”
  • Archie “When I have a birthday, I will have a birthday cake too, and I will be in another country.
  • Riccardo “I made cake with my dad. He writes the recipe down before he makes it.”
  • Adalyn “I made cupcakes with my sister. That cupcake is chocolate.”
  • Riccardo “I and my brother help mummy in the kitchen. Daddy says what we need to take and do. And then we do it. Like something yummy and something sweet like cake.”
  • Evan “I can make just pizza. Some flour and red sauce and some sugar. Put some sprinkles on top, like cheese. And then cook it.”
  • Dahyun “Mummy going to the home and then cook. Mummy makes Korean rice. No chicken, no fish, no potato. I drink water. Water is yummy.”
  • Sea “We make pizza. She makes fish and soup. Pizza making I help. First pizza put the tomato. Then, jam and put the ham. Put in oven for little time. It is yummy. I like pizza.”
  • Euno “My mum makes soup and yummy food. Carrots and tomato sauce and soup. Little bit rice. Soup has chicken. My mummy makes cupcake, strawberry cake.”
  • Finn “My daddy and I go outside to the restaurant to eat. We eat rice.” (in Mandarin)

The children’s conversations revealed many interesting theories and ideas about measuring tools, ingredients and the process of food preparation. It also highlights the importance of real-life experiences as they explore and share important events with family and the community.

 

We wonder, what measuring tools you use in the kitchen, and how they help you prepare a yummy meal.

Tools for Measurement

Leave a comment

Over the last few days, we have noticed the children showing an interest in exploring the concept of ‘measurement’ through their play and engagement. 

How might we measure accurately?

During choice time, Jacob went over to the tower with a building log and began to measure its height. He said it was 9 or 12 logs high. As we watched him measure, we noticed that the block overlapped as he placed it from point to point making his measurement change.

He was invited to place the logs horizontally across the floor to see the length of 9 logs. While placing the blocks, he was encouraged to think about the reason for choosing logs of similar size.

Isabella, Adalyn and George were curious about a piece of documentation on the wall from the previous year that recorded the children’s height.

  • Isabella “We are measuring Adalyn’s and my height and George’s height. That day I was the same height as George but now I think I am higher than that.”
  • Adalyn “Good sleeping and good eating makes you tall. At home I am 1,2,2 (1 米23 ) tall. Because you wear shoes you are taller so you shoes off. I have this at home and my sister is. 1 米5几 。
  • Isabella “I am 112 tall.”

Isabella and Adalyn were also curious about the sand timers and wondered what they could do in a short time.

We decided to provoke the children’s thinking about ‘measurement’ by presenting the photographs and videos back to them. The children were excited to share their ideas about the measuring tools.

The first reference they made was to the ruler in the classroom. They explained the significance of the ‘numbers’ when measuring. We documented the children’s ideas on chart paper which we will use as a collection of reference points.

Over the next few weeks, we will look for opportunities to test some of the theories the children have about ‘measurement’ and measuring tools. We wonder how they might use different tools to share their observations which in turn helps them understand how tools could be used to measure the attributes of objects and events. 

Big Ideas-

– standard units allow us to have a common language to identify, compare, order and sequence

– we use tools to measure the attributes of objects and events

– estimation allows us to measure with different levels of accuracy.

Discussing Appearance: What does it mean to ‘be handsome’ or ‘pretty’?

Leave a comment

The children were deep in conversation about appearance while making a house for the panda.

  • Jacob “你觉得小panda是男生还是女生?” (Do you think the little panda is a boy or a girl?)
  • Adalyn “女生。” (a girl)
  • Jacob “是的，她是女生。”（yes, she is a girl.) “因为它看着像女生。” (because she looks like a girl)

Ms. Sophia “What should a girl look like? and what should a boy look like?”

  • Isabella “Boys look handsome.”
  • Jacob “Yes, boys look handsome and girls look pretty.”

Ms. Sophia “What is handsome and what is pretty?”

  • Jacob “I can’t quite tell you what is handsome and what is pretty.”

We decided to share the conversation with the class to see what they thought about appearance.

  • Jacob “She is pretty, she will use everything she makes to be pretty. Something beautiful on her face and her hands.”
  • Suzy “My mum, she puts drawing on her face.”
  • Isabella “I saw my mum, she draws on the nails. It is shining, it makes it pretty. People do it to make it prettier. I have it on two nails.”
  • Jacob “Handsome is cool. Use something on your face. Maybe something that is new. New shoes is cool.”
  • Evan “Like a new jacket. That is cool.”
  • Jacob “You will use fast things then you will be cool. You will run fast then you will be cool. And everybody looks at your shoes then she will be cool. He will have a long, long green things you will see on the shoes.”
  • Adalyn “When girls put makeup then they are pretty.”
  • Jacob “Put some decorations.”
  • Evan “Girls is pretty because her hair is long.”
  • Riccardo “People short hair is also cool.”
  • Sea “I think mummy and cat is pretty because I love mummy and so cute cat.”
  • Dahyun “Princess is beautiful because the dress is beautiful.”
  • Euno “I think cat is cute. Cat is small (kitten). I like baby cats.
  • Sea “Daddy is handsome because his eyes and ears. He has pretty eyes.”
  • Euno “My daddy is little bit big.”
  • Dahyun “My daddy is cute.”
  • George “Beautiful hair. My mummy has beautiful hair because it is long. My mummy is pretty.”
  • Ethan “Friends Dahyun and Euno is pretty because they play together.”
  • Suzy “I think Jacob, Riccardo, Finn, Evan are cool. I am pretty.”
  • Finn “My airplane is cool” (in Mandarin)

We know the ‘power of words’ and that the children’s words matter. The children’s conversations revealed many interesting ideas and theories about gender and appearance. They talked about products, styles and clothing that are used to enhance or change appearances. The words ‘cute’, ‘beautiful’, ‘handsome’ and ‘pretty’ were used to share these observations.

We wonder how we might challenge some of these theories about appearance and image to help us be more aware, open-minded, inclusive, accepting and appreciative of the people around us.

What can you do in 3 minutes?

Leave a comment

Isabella and Adalyn were wondering about the sand timers and the idea of moving sand:

  • Isabella “We are thinking can we can have a race with the timer to see who is the fastest.”
  • Adalyn “10 minutes race and 5 minutes race.”

  • Isabella “And then I saw the 5-minute sand is the fastest.”
  • Adalyn “Because the 10 minutes were more than 5 minutes. But the 3 minutes is faster.”
  • Isabella “I think the 10 minutes is faster because we can count to 10 more shorter. I think because it’s fast, we can count to 10 and it’s fast.”
  • Adalyn “The 5 minutes and 3 minutes, it’s 2 minutes short.”

Isabella agreed.

 

  • Isabella “3 minutes is faster than 5 minutes and then 10 minutes.”

 What can you do in 3 minutes? How fast is 3 minutes?

  • Adalyn “I can draw in 3 minutes.”
  • Isabella “I can run in 3 minutes, a circle outside.”
  • Adalyn “I can do it too.”
  • Isabella “I think 3 minutes is not long its so short!”
  • Jacob “I think 3 minutes is 100 seconds plus 200 seconds. Seconds mean you have to count.”
  • Isabella “You have to count 1 and then wait a little while and count another number.”
  • Adalyn “I think 3 minutes is three one-minutes.”

This has led to planning a race against time, to see what they could achieve in 3 minutes. We wonder what their research will reveal about time.

‘Fairness’ in Games

Leave a comment

The ‘Tug of War’ house event was exciting. The children enjoyed the spirit of the games, joining in to cheer the teams and their friends as they participated in the challenges.

They were eager to tug the rope with K2B on the opposite side. However, they were unsuccessful in winning the event. Adalyn and Isabella were deep in conversation after the event, exploring the reasons for the loss.

(Conversation in Mandarin)

  • Isabella “What a pity that we only had the Tug of War event once a year! Our class lost this game today and we cannot win back.”
  • Adalyn “I think K2B must have eaten their snack before the event started so that they got that much strength. And we had less children than K2B today.”
  • Isabella “Yes, we need Jacob and George who are not here today.”
  • Adalyn “We have 12 children in K2A today and K2B has 14. That’s why they won the game and it is not fair.”

Adalyn and Isabella decided to speak to Ms. Jacqui, Ms. Zhang and Mr. Lee to explain their thinking and to suggest a rematch between the two classes. They shared their idea with the class.

Teacher: But what does it mean to ‘be fair’?

  • Evan “Why do you have 2 cookies and I have 1 cookie?”
  • Adalyn “Some people need 12 then the other need 12 too.”
  • Jacob “Why do have a lot of candy and I have a little bit? You need the same and that is what fair means.”
  • Isabella “We need the same people or the other team would win because they have more people.”

We look forward to exploring the concepts of ‘fairness‘, and ‘inclusivity‘ when looking for ways to create contexts for participation.

3 Ways to Read a Book!

Leave a comment

Picture books play an integral role in the literacy programme in K2. A few times a day, we sit down to explore texts, to give the children opportunities to read to themselves or listen to adults read to them.

Often the children pick out their favourite books to retell the stories to each other. The teachers often observe the experiences children have with books to help them develop good reading behaviours.

We watched a video of Archie and Riccardo sharing this experience, using the pictures and what they recall of the story to read a book again and again.

Sharing this example, we reminded the children of 3 ways to read a book because we know that children learn to read by engaging in the act of reading by “Reading the pictures”, “Reading the Words” and “Retelling a Familiar Story”.

We used the picture book ‘Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me’ designed, illustrated, and written by Eric Carle in a mini-lesson, to practice the 3 ways to read. As we turned the pages, the children helped retell the story, sharing the character’s feelings and actions. We discussed the concept of ‘real’ and ‘imaginary’ ideas in the story and invited the children to explore this further in their stories-making.

We know that reading and exploring books helps children:

  • develop an awareness of print (understanding that print carries meaning, that books contain letters and words, and how a book “works” — such as identifying the front and back covers and that pages are turned)

  • develop phonological awareness (the ability to recognise and manipulate the spoken parts of words — including rhymes, syllables, and phonemes)
  • explore phonics and decoding (understanding of the alphabetic principle — the idea that letters and letter patterns represent the sounds of spoken language)
  • develop new vocabulary (using the words they hear orally to make sense of the words they see in print)

Observational Drawing

Leave a comment

The children have been curious about the flowering plants in the EY garden. Noticing this special interest, Ms. Hannah decided to present them with a provocation of a potted plant from the garden. She chose a plant that spread out across two tables in the Atelier. Its long, low-hanging stems had bunches of leaves and a few delicate flowers. Large thick paper was placed under the plant along with several containers of markers, as an invitation to think about how colours and shades help us experience and express the world around us. A magnifying glass was placed near the plant to see what details the children might observe.

Dahyun and Euno sat next to each other at the table, engaging in conversation as they began to draw. Euno picked up the magnifying glass to take a closer look at the flowering plant. At first, they drew objects from their imaginary stories.

Ms. Hannah invited them to look carefully at what was before them and then draw their observations. As they looked closer look at the plant, they became more aware of interesting details that they could draw. Dahyun decided to draw the stems, carefully adding leaves along the edge of the branch. Euno was drawn to the shape of the leaves carefully placing them next to each other on the stem she had drawn. They walked around the table looking for the shades of colour that matched the plant before them.

Isabella “When I saw the plant I thought ‘it is so colourful because there are so many different colours on it’. I first draw the stem because if we don’t draw the stem the leaves will fall down. I drew a straight line for the stem. Then I draw one leaf.

I draw the same colour of the stem because they are both green and green. Then, I draw a little spiky thing on the leaf. Then I draw a purple flower. There are many flowers on the branch. I like drawing flowers because they are beautiful.” Sea first paused to look at the plant from a distance. Then, she chose the colours she needed and began to draw. She was deeply engaged in her task, pausing often to check if her drawing matched what she observed. She explained that she drew the branch that was furthest from her view, offering her picture as an example of a different perspective.

Sea “I am making the drawing flowers. I like purple flowers. The flowers is lots. Flowers on the table at home. Munny put flowers because go to the flower shop. The flower shop so beautiful flowers. Mummy buy purple flowers.”

As Jacob looked at the plant, he was drawn to the pot and chose to draw that first. He noticed the shape of the pot, outlining it and then colouring it in. Then, Jacob looked for the different shades of green to draw the stem. His flower appeared bigger than the flowers on the branches. He explained that his flowers looked bigger as seen through a magnifying glass. He borrowed the magnifying glass from Euno to explain what he had imagined he would see through the tool.

Jacob “I want to draw the bigger flower because I like bigger flowers because they are beautiful. Flowers have a lot of colours. My flower is like a rainbow because it is beautiful.”

George followed Jacob to draw a pot and then moved on to drawing the branches, flowers and leaves. His branches were narrow and curved in different directions.

He carefully drew the flowers at the end of his branch, using different shades to share that he observed. Next, George drew a second pot next to his first drawing. He explained, “Two flowers on the table. I see two big flowers. It had water, I think Ms. Hannah put the water. My has flowers, she is looking and put water. I put water.”

The children’s drawings show the exploration of multiple ideas and concepts. While some of them focused on perspective, distance, colour and size, others shared interpretations of imagination and wonder.

Careful use of tools for a purpose was evident in the way the children explored and talked about the way they see the flowering plant through a magnifying glass.

The children’s explanations and illustrations show their capacity to view and share their theories about situations and objects in their environment through multiple representations. 

Taller than a Teacher!

Leave a comment

Over several days, Evan and a team of engineers have been building a structure in the block play area. The team worked hard to find solutions for the steeple as it kept falling over. Through trial and error, they explored different ways to make the structure taller. One afternoon, Evan was excited to learn that the block tower was taller than him. He wondered if it was taller than Adalyn (as she was taller than him). As Adalyn stood next to the tower, Evan could see that it was taller than her. 

Adeline and Evan wondered if the tower was taller than the teachers. First, Ms. Sophia stood next to the tower. She was taller than the tower. Ms. Shemo and Ms. Sophia were both taller than the tower!

 

The engineers went back to work. The tower was now taller than them making it harder for them to place the blocks. George looked around the classroom. He was excited to share his solution, “I know, we can get a chair to stand on then we will be able to reach that high.” (in Mandarin) The team carefully positioned the chairs, so they reach beyond the highest block on the structure allowing them to reposition and test their new ideas.

As they stacked the new blocks, the steeple on the tower collapsed. They persevered, trying many different positions and shapes, but parts of the tower continued to fall. Evan looked around for new shapes that could be used in the structure and noticed a block they had not used before. He had a new idea that he wanted the team to test, “We can add more flat pieces on the joint part and the building can be more stable and will not be that easy to fall.” (in Mandarin)

Isabella “I found more of this kind of green wooden pieces and I’m going to add them at the joint part of the block sticks.” (in Mandarin) 

Evan “We need to top the stick on the middle part of the two underneath. Because it will help the one on the top to stay more stable.” (in Mandarin)

They used all the green blocks that were available on the shelf. But there weren’t enough. As Isabella observed the structure, she realised the significance of the flatter, wider shapes that made the building more stable. The flat shapes held more blocks which in turn allowed them to go higher. She looked around for blocks that had similar characteristics and paused at the wooden cookies. She decided to test her theory.

Even though the building collapsed many times, Evan didn’t give up. He continued stacking the blocks, learning through trial and error that being more intentional about the placement of the blocks resulted in greater success. After many attempts, his tower was done.

He was ready to invite Ms. Shemo to stand next to the building. The team were excited to see that the building was as tall as Ms. Shemo!

As Ms. Shemo looked at the building she invited the children to think about the concept of measurement, “How can we measure the height of the building?”

Ms. Shemo was worried about the building collapsing before the children could have an opportunity to explore tools that help us measure. Therefore, she suggested recording the height of the building on the wall next to the structure. Isabella helped Ms. Shemo find a solution to gauge the approximate height. They used a coloured sticker to mark the position. 

The team continued to work on their tower, testing theories and ideas to make the tower even taller. After several days, they were ready to test the height to see if it was taller than Ms. Shemo.

They called Ms. Shemo to stand next to the building. The children cheered with excitement as it was much taller than her!

Evan quickly remembered what they had done the previous day, and brought a flat, long beam to help Ms. Shemo find the correct level for the new sticker. 

Ms. Shemo invited the children to reflect on the question she had about the measurement of the structure. “How can we measure the height of the building?”

We decided to share a photograph from the previous year which focused on the concept of ‘measurement’ to guide the children’s thinking.

The children quickly tapped into their memories from the previous year, recalling how they had explored height by creating a ruler.

  • Adalyn “He was seeing who is taller.”
  • Isabella “He is using his hand.”
  • Ethan “Edward is stretching his hand to his head.”
  • Suzy “I see some numbers.”
  • Evan “I see some colouring.”
  • Isabella “I see some drawing.”
  • Suzy “The numbers is for knowing who is bigger.”
  • Jacob “Finn is 33 tall.”
  • Evan “I think Edward is 20.”

As Suzy demonstrated how to read the measurement, Isabella reminded her that she needed to place her hand ‘straight’ (not at an angle) and read the number across.

  • Suzy “How can we know that because we can see a number over here.”

As we looked at the photograph of the tower, we invited the children to think about their wondering, “How tall is the tower?”

  • Suzy “I think the building is 56.”
  • Isabella “I think it is 57.”
  • “That ruler on the wall is 66” explained Jacob, recalling the highest number on the ruler they had created the previous year.  
  • Isabella “100 is too many!”

As the children shouted out their estimates, we recorded them on a table.

We look forward to seeing how the children will use their prior knowledge about measurement to find out the height of the new tower.

Base 10 Blocks

Leave a comment

A team of mathematicians worked together to solve a math problem.

We used Base 10 Blocks and place value mats to help us calculate. 

  • Ethan “Put 2 cubes for red.”

  • Suzy “10 blocks in the squares because there are 10 spaces.”
  • Archie “Counting the blocks to see how many blocks Sea has.”
  • Ethan “Ms. Shemo got the blocks every time there is 10.”
  • Isabella “Then, she gave one long one.”
  • Evan “10 in the long one.”

We played an addition game with regrouping 1’s for 10’s using one dice, Base 10 Blocks and a place mat. The children were excited to add the blocks each time and practiced grouping.

Big Ideas: the base 10 values system is used to represent numbers and number relationships.

 

The Game!

Isabella and Adalyn decided to create their own game using bricks, glass stones and sticks. The goal of the game was to earn lots of glass stones. You had to pass the ball to each other using a stick. Each time you shoot the ball into the goal, you get a brick. When you have 7 bricks you can trade it for a glass stone.

We noticed that the game designers revisited the rules of the game many times to make changes that made the game more exciting. They listened to each other and made changes through negotiation. The person with the most stones is the winner!

Creating a Plan for Data Collection

Leave a comment

Creating a Plan for Data Collection

The children have been thinking about the people in the community that they would like to speak to, to find out if they receive a PTA birthday cupcake.

They have been making lists and taking photographs of people in the NIS community to collect and organise their research.

As we thought about the task, we wondered about the ‘process of research’.

  • Jacob suggested that the children should spread out and speak to different people in the community, to make the process faster.
  • Isabella thought it would be better if three or four children went as a small group to speak to different people in the community.
  • Adalyn suggested that each group should have a teacher for safety and support.

The conversation went back and forth as the children shared many different perspectives and suggestions. The teachers decided to ask the children …  

  • How can we remember all the things we talk about?
  • How can we share or make our thoughts more visible?

A teaching Moment:

The children suggested writing down the ideas that were shared, to help us plan the next steps. The teachers scribed, drew and wrote as the children shared and discussed the details.

The teachers modelled adding details to illustrations to share information with others. We discussed the way illustrators choose colours and show action and key details through drawings. These are important techniques the children will be invited to practise and use when creating illustrations for different purposes. 

 

Creating a Survey

The children’s initial belief that everyone at NIS receives a birthday cupcake has been challenged!

A deep dive into our wonderings about the PTA birthday cupcakes at NIS has resulted in the children wanting to find out more about the cupcakes. They decided to speak to the community, to find out if this belief was true.

We discussed the next steps in our research. Perhaps a survey was required to gather the information the children were seeking. When this was suggested to the children, they recalled gathering data in a similar way, the previous year. They explained how they had done it, writing sentences down and seeking out people to find out what they thought. They recall recording their information on paper.

Isabella explained that a good question to ask the community would be, “Do you get a PTA cupcake?” The children agreed with Isabella’s idea. Next, a small group gathered to prepare the survey.

We began to plan our writing. Saying and stretching the words helped the children isolate the sounds and look for the letters they needed in an alphabet chart. Sight Word cards were used to help the children write the words that were harder to sound out.  We talked about leaving spaces between words and punctuation at the end of the sentence.  

The surveys were photocopied and clipped onto boards as they needed to ask many people in the community.

The researchers practiced conducting their survey by asking their friends and teachers in K2A.

Next, they will visit different people in the community to see what more they can learn from their research.

The team of researchers will bring their data to the rest of the class to share their findings.

We wonder what they might uncover through their research!

Respect for People, Spaces and Materials

Leave a comment

The Early Years space offers the children a range of materials in many different spaces, inviting them to engage, inquire and explore. During play and activity, materials can move around and be used in many interesting ways. One afternoon, we noticed that some materials had not been cared for after play.

We decided to photograph these spaces and present them to the children, which provoked a conversation about care for people, places and materials around us.

The children quickly identified the problem and began to discuss solutions. They considered the concepts of care and responsibility. Together they helped to clean up the spaces, preparing it for another day of play and exploration.

Storytelling through  Story Workshop

Leave a comment

What is Story Workshop?

Story Workshop is a classroom structure that is used to support language and literacy. The adults consider the space, environment, story materials, writing tools, books and props that invite storytelling.

Story Workshop is a hands-on approach that allows the children to create, talk about and use drawing and writing to share their stories.

We know that children enjoy creating with a range of materials and loose parts. It’s much easier to start thinking of a storyline when you have physical pieces in front of you. 

As the children manipulate, make, build and design their structures and objects, they begin to create the base of a story. Soon they are ready to add more details, a setting and characters which result in a storytelling experience.

The hands-on experience encourages creativity and imagination. It also helps the children revisit past events that are important to them.

Dedicated quiet times to observe and draw allow the children opportunities to carefully observe and document what they see. 

The adults in the space listen to the children’s ideas, offering suggestions and supporting key literacy skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing.

We wonder what stories live in these materials and how the children might use them to tell their own stories. 

The World of Shapes

Leave a comment

Story #1

Riccardo was exploring the kinetic sand in the Early Years to create shapes. He said, “I can show you something. I made a ball and I can turn this ball into an oval.”

Riccardo’s explanation shows his developing understanding of the characteristics of shapes.

Story #2

Throughout the day, we often gather on the carpet in a circle to share ideas, discuss wonderings, or explore new concepts. One morning, the children discussed their seating spots, triggering a discussion about the purpose of gatherings and the importance of a shape.

Jacob noticed that the class community didn’t make a ‘circle’ explaining, “This is not a circle, this is like a oval.” We drew a circle on a whiteboard and asked Jacob to explain the difference. He drew on the whiteboard to share his explanation, “A oval are the circle but you pull out the sides a little bit.”

We also used a beaded chain to demonstrate Jacob’s idea. This led to a discussion about the importance of the circular shape when we sit together, as everyone can be seen and everyone feels included.

Story #3

Euno, Dahyun and Sea were creating structures using different coloured cubes.

Euno counted the shapes on one side as she wanted to know how many shapes she had used in her design. How do we use shapes to make shapes?

Sea used her shapes differently, focusing on creating a rainbow pattern. We wonder how many more shapes she used each time her colour grew.   

Story #4

Evan, George and Jacob had created a house for Little Panda using different shapes. They were trying to figure out how many shapes they had used and estimated to solve the problem. Jacob pointed out that he saw ‘a square on each side of the structure!’ We wondered how many shapes they used in total to create the final structure and if we could identify some of these shapes.

We look forward to diving deeper into the ‘world of shapes‘ to learn more about them, to explore how shapes could impact the choices we make.

 

The Rainbow

Noticing the questions and wonderings the children had about Sea’s rainbow, we decided to print the photograph and present it back to the children.

What did they notice?

  • Isabella “I see coloured blocks”
  • Adalyn “It’s like a rainbow.”
  • Suzy “It looks like a rectangle.”
  • Evan “I see so many colours in the picture, six colours.”

We wondered how the children may represent what they see. They worked independently using lines, shapes and colours to represent their observations on paper.

Next, we gathered to look at each other’s pictures and share what we noticed.

  • Isabella “I see some small square blocks.” The children agreed with Isabella’s observations.
  • “It has colours like a rainbow.” Explained Ethan making connections with what he already knows about colours.
  • Adalyn “It has a rectangle!”

How would we draw a rectangle? What would we need to remember?

  • Evan began to explain his thinking, using gestures to show straight lines that are connected. We illustrated his ideas on the chart paper, “two sides are long and two sides are shorter.”

How many square blocks did Sea use to create her rainbow?

  • Isabella thought hard and decided to share an estimate (a good guess) “Maybe 100 blocks because it’s too many blocks we can’t count.”
  • Suzy began to count the colours with the rest of the class joining in to help.

2 red, 1 purple, 5 blue, 9 green, 13 yellow and 17 orange cubes were used.

We wonder how we might work out how many cubes were used in all.  

 

As the young mathematicians went out to explore the classroom spaces, we witnessed more rainbows scattered across the classroom.

Sea seems to have inspired her friends with her rainbow structure!

Pandas Playground – Collaborative Play

Leave a comment

Over several days, a team of engineers have been working together to create a playground for their characters. Many different loose parts and blocks have been used in their design.

Each day, the team gathered at various times to evaluate their design, make changes and improve on their ideas. As their initial structure began to grow, more loose parts were sought after.

The cats protect the money (glass stones) in the playground.

Each idea was considered by the group. Negotiating ideas took a long time. Members of the team listened thoughtfully, agreed and disagreed, and at times struggled with the challenges that come with working in large groups.

When emotions were high, members of the team paused to take a break. Together, they found ways to work collaboratively to build and strengthen their friendship.

Their conversations and ideas developed their language skills, helping them express their ideas and decisions more clearly when it was time to present ‘The Playground’ to the class.

Do you get a birthday cupcake?

Leave a comment

Euno and Ms. Shemo received a birthday cupcake from the NIS PTA. They were both excited to have their cupcakes at the end of the day! 

Jacob “But why do YOU get a cupcake?”

Ms. Shemo explained that she also received a birthday cupcake as her birthday was in August. However, Jacob’s wondering got us all thinking. Do ALL teachers get a cupcake?  

– Does everyone at NIS get a birthday cupcake from the PTA?

This led to a discussion about the community at NIS. The children tapped into their experiences at school to share what they knew about the different people who work around them. Some people we knew a lot about and others we didn’t. They decided to speak to people to ask them if they received a cupcake from the PTA for their birthday. We documented the children’s ideas on large chart paper to gather all our thoughts and observations in one place.

During the next few weeks, we will seek out opportunities to engage with the people the children identified in their brainstorm, as well as others in the school community, to get to know them and their roles at the school.

– We wonder how the children will document their thinking.

– We wonder what they might uncover through their inquiry into their community.

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

  • Use discussion and play to generate new ideas and investigations.
  • Engage in conversations.
  • Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas.

The Connection Between Reading and Writing

Leave a comment

Friendship and problem-solving are important concepts that we explore throughout the year in K2. We read the story ‘A Cat and a Dog’ by Claire Masurel and Bob Kolar, to help us talk about different ways we can help and support our friends and community in school. While reading the story, the children were encouraged to connect with the story, share observations and predictions, and look for ways the characters might solve problems to develop their friendship.

Over the last few weeks, the children have been creating the Morning Message, using pictures, symbols and writing. At this developmental stage, the children often use their phonetic knowledge to create messages and stories. As a result, words may be spelt incorrectly. It is important to honour the process of learning by giving children plenty of time to observe, notice and make connections to understand the relationship between letters and sounds in words.

A great teaching moment presented itself when we noticed that the author of the book had used the word ‘friends’ in the story. When looking at the word in the message, Evan was able to spot the difference in the spelling. He then rewrote the word with the correct spelling.

 

These mini-lessons help us make the connection between reading and writing more visible to the children.

We will continue to use books, literature and environmental print to explore concepts about print, to help the children explore and use these strategies and ideas in their writing.   

Introduction to ‘Writing Workshop’

Leave a comment

Noticing the children’s interest in creating stories and making books, we decided to introduce them to ‘Writing Workshop’. Writing Workshop is a dedicated time when we explore, notice and practice different writing behaviours and techniques while developing skills that help us grow as readers and writers.

We began by introducing the children to a mentor text, to help them brainstorm ideas about books. While reading the wordless picture book, the children noticed and discussed many different features of picture books.

We documented these ideas on chart paper, which we will refer to throughout the year.

The first observation the children shared was that the book had ‘NO’ words.

How can we read a book that has no words?  

The children began to tell the story, using clues in the illustrations. They noticed that actions, feelings and stories can be communicated through the illustrations.

Next, the children were invited to go to the new library space, to create their books. We hoped that the children would be inspired by the books around them, drawing ideas from their favourite authors, stories and characters to create their own stories.

  • Jacob “我们来画nis library吧。（let’s draw some pictures of the library.)”
  • George “我们不是已经画过了吗？（We’ve done that before)”
  • Jacob “我们上次是画的画， 这次是做书，不一样。”(last time, we just drew a picture of it, and this time we are going to make a book, so it’s different) 这是一个小故事.” (This is a short story)”
  • Ethan “I am making a haunted house story”.

It is helpful to have an organised system when creating messages or books. Therefore, the children prepared their ‘Writing Workshop’ folder, which will be used to collect their draft and published stories and pieces of writing. The ‘green sticker’ and ‘red sticker’ on the pockets hold their ‘ongoing’ and ‘completed’ pieces of work.

As the year progresses, we will learn more about our favourite authors and illustrators, to explore the techniques and craft moves they use to make their books more inviting, engaging, exciting and fun for their readers.

The Early Years Gathering

Leave a comment

Once a week, the Early Years community gather in a circle at the Piazza. We asked the children their thoughts about the activity and suggestions that will help us make this a special time for the Early Years community. 

  • Isabella “We sing some songs and we listen.”
  • Jacob “Everybody do singing and listening. “
  • Adalyn “We can play games there.”
  • Jacob “We can have a lot of fun.”
  • Archie “It was fun.”
  • Isabella “You cannot play everywhere. “
  • Jacob “You can not do things you WANT to do, because we are making a circle, listening.”
  • Suzy “I think no playing with our shoes because then teacher say we can’t remember to sing.”
  • Ethan “Teacher listening (listening to the teacher).”
  • Riccardo “No shouting because you cannot hear people talking.”
  • Jacob “We are not pushing or hitting because people will be hurt.”
  • Euno “No shouting.”
  • Dahyun “Listen to everybody.”
  • Finn “No hitting, no running and no fighting. Look at the teacher. Listen to the teacher. Put your hands on your lap”

During the next few weeks, we will continue to come together, to build relationships and connect in different spaces around the school.

The Language of Watercolour

Leave a comment

A small group of children visited the Atelier eager to explore tools and materials, excited to create and learn more about this design studio. The Atelier is a place that exemplifies the creative processes not just with art.

The creative processes are part of every language. The culture of the Atelier invites and encourages the different languages of expression.

These 100 languages of expression demonstrate a high degree of learning with equal importance and value placed on play, the product and the process of learning for children and adults.

Learning is always transdisciplinary, crossing boundaries between many different subjects. It is a place for active, independent and collaborative learning.  

Children develop a range of skills and knowledge through their research with materials, tools and the environment.

They test their theories and develop understandings about concepts such as artistic form, change, connection, creativity, appreciation, form, process, light, image, colour and technique.

The children transform into storytellers and explorers through the language of watercolour🎨. 

 

 

The children begin by choosing their paper and coloured tempera blocks.

Then, they get a pot of water and choose their paintbrush.

The space and task invite the children to make choices, take responsibility, and develop their self-management skills.

 

They learn about tools and materials that help them express themselves.

Healthy Snacks

Leave a comment

One morning, a group of children were having a discussion about food while eating their snacks.

  • Jacob “Chips is junk food. You shouldn’t eat too much of it.”
  • Adalyn “Let me tell you, you know what? Chips is junk food, but if you eat it once in a while, it is fine. Don’t eat it every day.”

Seeing the children’s interest in the topic of healthy food, the teachers decided to share a photograph of their options for snacks, to learn more about the children’s opinions and theories.

  • Isabella “I see some snacks.”
  • Jacob “I see everybody’s snack on the yellow mat.”
  • Isabella “I see different snacks.”
  • George “I see snack box.”
  • Suzy “I see the yellow mat.”
  • Jacob “I see little and big boxes and different food.”
  • Adalyn “Fruit is good for school.”
  • Isabella “I think it’s healthy.”
  • Jacob “Because in people’s inside it is healthy because you will be grown up.
  • Adalyn “We can bring cookies.”
  • Jacob “No chocolate because some people eat chocolate it’s not good for your teeth. And candy. No candy because it’s the same, some people eat so many and have so many teeth take out.”
  • Isabella “Bread.”
  • Evan “Potatoes.”
  • Jacob wondered about their first theories about chips. After some thought, he explained, “Potato chips are ok because they come from potato.”
  • Riccardo “You can eat chocolate in your home.”
  • Jacob “Eat little chips, because chips come from vegetables. Coconut is ok, it’s a fruit.”

The children’s conversation revealed their knowledge about food and their concern for the well-being of others and themselves. It was clear that their comments, observations, and suggestions were expressed to support and inform each other.

We hope the children’s dialogue inspires family conversations about healthy choices about food in maintaining good health.

We wonder where our theories about healthy food might lead us… 

Math Talks: Snacks

Leave a comment

During our Morning Meeting, we gathered to join in a Math Talk. A Maths Talk is a collaborative process where children’s thinking, ideas and strategies are discussed, shared and or exchanged. The routine reveals children’s understanding and misunderstandings and encourages dialogue about mathematical concepts.

The children’s thinking was provoked by an image. Questions were asked to help the children notice details in the image. 

– What do you notice? What do you wonder?

– Use pictures, numbers, or words to show or tell what is happening.

The children were encouraged to think about the image. Then, they documented their observations using paper and coloured markers.

Next, they shared their observations and thinking with the class.

Finally, they included their documentation in their Maths journals.

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

  • observe carefully
  • analyse and interpret information
  • notice relationships and patterns
  • listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas and listen to information
  • participate in conversations
  • understand symbols, use mark-marking to convey meaning
  • document information and observations in a variety of ways

Learning about a Space

Leave a comment

When we visit the library, we meet Ms. Mulder, Ms. Tina and Ms. Winnie. As the children had many wonderings and questions from their first visit to the new library, we decided to document them to help the children explore and learn about this new space.

  • Isabella “How big is it upstairs? What is inside the boxes?”
  • Jacob “I wonder, upstairs looks like what? What things are upstairs? What is there outside from the stairs?”
  • Adalyn “Why does the library have some games?’
  • Ethan “Where are the dinosaur books?”
  • Isabella “Where are the princess books?”
  • Riccardo “How long is it upstairs?”
  • Archie “Does the big library look like a square?”
  • George “Where are the airplane books?”
  • Evan “Where are the books about how to make a house?”
  • Dahyun “I want to know princess books.”
  • Sea “Where are the cat books?”
  • Euno “Where are princess books?”
  • Suzy “Where are the Elsa books?”

The children’s questions and wonderings gravitated around the changes they saw in the new library. They were curious about the design of the space, particularly about the spaces they did not have access to, yet. They were also keen to know where their favourite books live in the new space.

Next, the children will take their questions to the library team to see what they might uncover about this amazing new space in the school, referred to as ‘The HUB’.   

Creating Agreements for Engagement, Play and Learning

Leave a comment

We invited the children to think about their relationships with people, materials and spaces by asking them, “What helps us learn and have fun together?”

  • Suzy “Be safe.”
  • Adalyn “Not push.”
  • Evan “Because people can be hurt. Take turns.”
  • Archie “You can say ‘please stop’ if someone is pushing.”
  • Adalyn “We can share the toys.”
  • Ethan “No hitting, then go to the nurse and everyone gets hurt.”

The next day, we provoked the children’s thinking by showing photographs of their interactions in different spaces and situations, to help them think more about their roles, responsibilities and the function of spaces.

First, the children documented their thinking independently. They were encouraged to share their ideas using drawings, pictures, words and symbols.

Then, they took turns to share their ideas with the whole class. The children’s suggestions for play and engagement were collated and documented on large chart paper.

 

The big ideas from the brainstorm reflected a need for ‘safety’ and ‘kindness’. ‘Sharing’ and ‘taking turns’ were highlighted as kind behaviours. Together, the class created the agreement to be safe, be kind and share.

Finally, the children signed the poster, showing their commitment to their collective agreement for behaviour and play.

During the next few weeks, we will refer to their initial ideas and agreements, to refine and change them as needed. 

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

  • listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas and listen to information
  • participate in conversations
  • negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers
  • use mark-marking to convey meaning
  • share responsibility for decision-making

The New Space: The Hub

Leave a comment

Suzy and her friend Aria used the blocks on the light table to recreate ‘The New Library’. Their structure led to an interesting conversation about new spaces at NIS.

  • What new spaces have been created around us?
  • What possibilities are there in these spaces for learning, engagement and fun?

Noticing the children’s interest in new spaces, we decided to begin our deep dive by sharing a video Ms. Hannah had taken the previous year when the children in PreK1B explored the ‘old’ library building.

The video captured the children’s surprise and initial wonderings about the space as most of the books and furniture had been packed away. It documented the children’s observations about what happened in this space before their visit.

Next, the children gathered in small groups to share their initial observations, recollecting their memories of learning.

  • Isabella “On the floor there are lines.”
  • Jacob “The library, we checked at NIS. We found many we checked.”
  • Riccardo “The library, Ms. Hannah said it.”
  • Adalyn “In the box there were books. The books have to move.”
  • Jacob “To the new library. Ms. Hannah said we will go to the new library to check books.”
  • Isabella “The library was knocked down.”
  • Adalyn “To make a new library.”
  • Isabella “To make it big, so many people can go in one time, I think it is huge!”
  • Adalyn “And we can use many space to read books.”
  • Riccardo “Have three spaces now.”

  • Jacob “I think some places can be a little bit scary. You can go to some space and feel a little bit more scared. I wonder if there is a zombie.”
  • Isabella “Zombie is not alive in our world, it’s just pretend. When I was at home I was very scared of darkness but now I am not scared.”
  • Riccardo “We can read books in the new library.”
  • Isabella “We have to be quiet in the library, we can only read books.”
  • Adalyn “We can’t run or shout.”
  • George “Tables, light, checkout counter. 我看到别人在找东西， 我看到Jacob。”（I saw some children looking for things. I saw Jacob.)
  • Suzy “红色的沙发。”（I saw red Sofas.) “在图书馆。” （In the library.)
  • George “我记得二楼有红色的沙发。柜子里面以前装的是书。I remembered there were red sofas on the 2nd The shelves used to have books in there.)”
  • Ethan “Bookshelf. It’s for library books. I like dinosaur books.”
  • Dahyun “I like princess books.”
  • Junsu “I like green.”
  • George “现在二楼应该没有书了，不一样了。”（The 2nd floor should not have any books now. It should be different now.) He saw the boxes in the Hub and said, “箱子里装的是玩具，书，这是给所有的人。”（There are toys and books in the boxes and those are for everybody.）
  • Finn “我看到视频里有Jacob 和 Riccardo。“ （I saw Jacob and Riccardo in the video.)
  • Euno “I see a classroom and some boxes.”
  • Sea “I see classroom, floor, drawings (on the floor).”
  • Evan “I see the floor got some picture, 一些黑色的图案(some black patterns). I think people was drawing on the floor. It was the old library.”
  • Archie whispered, “What’s in it?” As he pointed to the boxes.

It was time to visit the new hub, explore the different spaces and consider the possibilities in this new space. The children walked around, looking into boxers filled with books, resources and learning materials. They wondered about the different areas in the space, how the books may be arranged and if they had access to some of the ‘cool’ spaces at the centre.

  • George “去二楼了吗？是二楼的还是一楼？去年的图书馆是在二楼。是在大餐厅的二楼。 K2的餐厅” （Did they go to the 2nd floor? Are we going to the 2nd floor or first floor? Our library was in the 2nd floor last year, and it was up above the K2 cafeteria.)
  • Finn “去年我们去不一样的图书馆，我们需要坐电梯，我更喜欢新的图书馆。” （We had a different library last year, and at that time we needed to take the elevators. I like the new library more.)

As they gazed through the circular windows, looked for their favourite story books and watched students reading in nooks and corners around the hub, they began to see possibilities that may live in this space.

The next day, the children went back to the Hub with paper and black-line markers, to sketch their observations of the space.

The children met Ms. Jacqui along the way and asked if they could go upstairs to see the Hub. She explained that at the moment, as the space upstairs is used as a learning space for older students.

Then, the children chose a space to document their observations.

As they sketched, we noticed that the children were drawn to different objects and spaces in the library, had different perspectives about spaces and many new wonderings about the space and how it might be used. 

We look forward to learning more about the Hub as we wonder how community spaces might foster a sense of purpose and belonging.

The Morning Message

Leave a comment

The Morning Meeting is a special time for the classroom community. It is a time when we greet the children and adults by name and prepare to settle in to play, explore and learn together. Morning Meeting activities help build a strong sense of community and set the children up for success. The children are encouraged to listen, look at the speaker and manage their bodies, which sets the tone for a respectful and trusting learning environment.

Another component of the Morning Meeting is the morning message. The children read and interact with a short message written by the children and/or teacher. The morning message may highlight a task for the day or provide information on the day’s activities. Creating and reading the message builds language awareness.

A small group of children were invited to write the message. Their task was to create the first part of the message. The children were encouraged to listen to the sounds in words to help with spelling. They will use this strategy to write for different purposes and situations in K2.At this developmental stage, the focus is on developing an understanding of letters and sounds through inventive spelling. We will continue to add to our message over the next few days.

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s) 

  • understand symbols
  • understand that mark-making carries meaning
  • use mark-marking to convey meaning

Creating a First Memory!

Leave a comment

The children were invited to use paper and black line markers to create a memory of their first day in K2.

They documented their ideas using drawings and labels. The children drew pictures of their friends and playtime. Blocks, Lego play and outdoor learning experiences were some of their favourite experiences of the day.

We look forward to observing how they document their learning throughout the year in K2.

Growing Patterns

Leave a comment
The children were presented with 4 different images.
What do you notice about the images?
We documented their thinking using words, symbols and numbers.
We created a growing pattern together.
Next, the children worked on creating growing patterns using manipulatives in the classroom.
They explained ‘how’ their patterns were growing and changing.

Sharing Stories through ‘Writing Workshop’

Leave a comment

We have been using drawing and writing to share stories during ‘Writing Workshop’. We use a checklist to plan, create and improve our writing. 

  • Oliver “This is people are sad because they think NIS school they already played 10 years and they think it’s a bit boring and they want a new school. She wants to go to a new school but she don’t know where is a new school and a new country.”
  • Morning “It is a bunny, it is flying in the sky. And he is going in the tree house.”

  • Eunbyul “People shoot the ball fast and goal. I shoot and goalie is Beomjun. At NIS soccer. It is a Saturday, it is a sunny day.”
  • Oxford “One day, people want to play but no one to play. And the people play outside, he wants to play slide. People is there and feeling is not good.”
  • Eli “My story, this is I and daddy and a monster and we say ‘ah’ and the monster is so loud and other people say ‘ah’ too. The Monster is so loud it roars and the building in NIS is shake.”

  • Motong “This is one day I kick ball in the goal. I playing soccer at NIS with friends in Grade 1 and PreK.”
  • Lydia “I draw about today. Today is raining and have two people. Them to the outside and one is mummy and one is me. We go to outside and play.”

  • Jeongyoon “I am going to my soccer game and my team is waiting. I am playing with Beomjun outside in the playground.”
  • Wyatt “Monday I am grandma got outside play and I see the grass and I climbing the tree and I sit on the carpet and eat the fruits and I see the tadpole.”
  • Liz “A bird, is flying and bird is fall down and died. It is a sunny day.”

  • Beomjun “I am swimming on Tuesday after school. I am swimming with Oxford, Eli and Liz and Oliver and Oxford.”
  • Hana “I am drawing grass.”
  • Yui “A little girl playing football. She feels a little bit tired, then she rests and then plays football again. Then she goes home to change her clothes. Then, she has lunch. And then she goes shopping to buy some tomatoes, milk. Then she goes home. Then she takes a nap (In Mandarin).”

The Group’s Expression of Beauty

Leave a comment

The group were ready to create their final expression of beauty. They began with a blank canvas. They decided to make a beautiful picture on the large canvas based on their initial plans for their final artwork. First, they discussed the plan together and agreed to divide up the work.

Liz was responsible for making the grass, Lydia was in charge of the large flowers, and Yui handled the small flowers. After completing the initial picture draft, the group returned to the classroom and presented it to the whole class for feedback.

The children Loved the beautiful colours used for the flowers. The green grass and the shiny paper created a fascinating effect. They suggested including the sky, the sun and more flowers.

Incorporating the feedback they received, the group went back to work. They added a rainbow, more big and tall flowers, a sun, clouds, and other elements to beautify their artwork further.

When adding the rainbow, the group meticulously measured the curve and precisely cut it out to achieve the desired shape and proportions. Throughout the creative process, they provided each other with constructive feedback and helpful suggestions to refine the artwork.

The group went back to the class to share their artwork.

The children were excited to see that the team had included a rainbow more flowers and grass, all suggestions they had made to improve the creation. They explained that there was room for more improvement, perhaps including some clouds, birds, unicorns and butterflies would make the artwork even more beautiful.

The team’s final creation shares a collective expression of what is beautiful in the eyes of children. 

All Kinds of Boots

Leave a comment

 

What do you notice? What do you wonder?

We documented the children’s observations and questions.

See

  • Morning “Some shoes are small and some shoes are big.”
  • Motong “There are many different colour shoes and some are tall and some are short. I see 10 pairs of shoes.”
  • Wyatt “Many colours on the shoes.”
  • Oliver “Some shoes are fat and some shoes thin.”
  • Jeongyoon “There are 20 shoes.”
  • Eli “Some boots are for rain and some boots are for walking and some are for winter.”
  • Oxford “One is green. Some are made out of feathers and some are not. Some boots are in the ice. Some boots have no stickers in the front.”
  • Beomjun “3 little shoes and big shoes is 3.”
  • Eunbyul “Big, medium and small boots.

Questions

  • Jeongyoon “Whare there have the shoes and the boots?”
  • Wyatt “Why has many coloured boots and shoes?”
  • Motong “Why are there black shoes?”
  • Oliver “I know that the boots are used for walking or snowing for but what else are they for?”
  • Eli “Why do some have a name on the front and some don’t?”
  • Oxford “Why do we need the stickers?”

We counted our shoes to see how many pairs we had all together.

We had 11 pairs!

Task:

– Create your own 2’s collection using objects in the classroom.

– Count in 2’s using your objects.

Challenge: Use collections to share more ways to skip count!

The children develop an understanding:

– that the operations of addition and subtraction are related to each other and are used to process information to solve problems

– of how number operations can be modeled in a variety of ways

– that there are many mental methods that can be applied for exact and approximate computations

The Egg Carton Problem

Leave a comment

We began by asking the children what they see, think and wonder about the image. We documented their observations using words, numbers and symbols.

See

  • Eunbyul “I see eggs.”
  • Wyatt “Egg box and eggs.”
  • Eli “Six eggs in the box.”
  • Oliver “I see words on the box. There are holes on the box. 6+6 is 12.”
  • Motong “There are six eggs and there are no six eggs. There were 12 eggs and it only 6 eggs.”
  • Jeongyoon “I see a table.”

Think…

  • Wyatt “I think this is a bird’s egg.”
  • Liz “I think its chicken eggs because birds’ eggs are not big.”
  • Oxford “I don’t think this is not a bird’s eggs, this is eating eggs.”
  • Lydia “The chicken egg is for the people to eat.”

Questions:

  • Wyatt “Why there have eggs?”
  • Motong “Why there are only 6 eggs but 12 spaces?”

We modelled another way to arrange the 6 eggs in the box. We used manipulatives and drawings to share many ways to represent our thinking.

Then, the children were invited to share multiple solutions to a problem.

If you had 6 eggs left in your egg carton, how would you place them?

Share your sorts using pictures, numbers and symbols.

Egg Problem Template

The children develop an understanding:

– that the operations of addition and subtraction are related to each other and are used to process information to solve problems

– of how number operations can be modeled in a variety of ways

– that there are many mental methods that can be applied for exact and approximate computations

The Mint Tea Shop

Leave a comment

Oliver has been growing mint in the Early Years Garden. The mint is ready to harvest. Oliver decided to make mint tea for the community. He approached Ms. Hannah as he recalled making mint tea with her the year before. He hoped to recruit Ms. Hannah as she knew how to make ‘great tea’!

 

The Plan

Oliver began by planning his tea shop. He decided to make a sample cup of tea to ask his friends what they thought.

Then, he would be ready to offer the tea to others in the community.

 

Preparing the Sample Tea:

Taste and Flavour Test

Oliver was ready to make mint tea with Ms. Hannah. They sat together to talk about his plan, then moved to the kitchen to prepare and test the tea.

They made 5 different samples to test the strength of the tea. Oliver chose the strongest mint tea to share with his friends as he loved the strong mint flavour.

The mint tea was left to brew overnight. Oliver wrote a message to let others know the tea belongs to K2A.

 

How do we promote the tea shop?

Oliver shared his process with the class.

He wondered how to inform the Early Years community about the tea testing. The teachers shared a sample community coffee shop promotional video to explore possible ideas.

Oliver was inspired to create his promotional poster, inviting the community to test his tea.

He also made a short video to invite his friends and teachers. Oliver set up his tea shop, preparing the cups and getting ready for his customers. 

He gathered some customer data to determine if they liked his mint tea.

  • Wyatt “The smell of the mint leaves was good.”
  • Lydia “And the drink is yummy.”
  • Eli “I think Oliver should put more leaves in there because if you leave the leaves I think the tea will be stronger.”

Children from the different classes in the Early Years and teachers who passed by the space were invited to try the tea.

As Oliver had a few cups left over at the end of the day, He decided to continue with his tea shop during lunch playtime the following day.

The children gathered to try out his tea again. He was excited to hear some of the children say, “I love this tea it makes me feel so calm.”

Inquiring about Silkworms

Leave a comment
  • How long is a silkworm?
  • How does he eat the leaves?
  • What is in his stomach? 

The children continue their inquiry to learn more about the silkworm.

Ms. Jo brought in a silkworm to help us answer some of their questions. We used a microscope to take a closer look at the silkworm, to see how it moves and eats.

 

We measured the silkworm, it was about 7 centimetres long!

The children were curious about the shedding skim. We watched a video to see how the silkworm ‘moults’.  

We watched a second video to see how the silkworm spins its cocoon. 

We continue to add to our research, documenting new and interesting information we uncover about the silkworms. 

Non-Fiction Books: Learning Through Books

Leave a comment

Learning about Worms and Silkworms

The children have been exploring and playing with worms and other living things in the earliest playground.

In the last week, we have documented their questions and observations about silkworms.

Considering the children’s ongoing interest in living things, we read a nonfiction book about earthworms. The children were amazed to read and learn facts about earthworms, how they survived and how they help us. While reading the text, we identified the different features of nonfiction books:  

  • The cover of the book has a title that tells us the topic. It could have a picture which helps the reader understand what the contents of the book might be about.
  • A blurb at the back of the book gives us a brief indication about the content of the nonfiction book.
  • There is a contents page which helps the reader find specific information.
  • The pages are numbered to help the reader find the information quickly.
  • Photographs, drawings and diagrams are included on pages.
  • Information is shared about a topic.
  • Labels and descriptions help the reader understand information about images.

Next, we noted all the information the children knew about worms and silkworms. We decided to organise the information into two columns, similarities and differences between worms and silkworms.

Key ideas and observations that the children shared offer opportunities for an in-depth study into worms and silkworms. In the coming days, we will reach out to experts who can give us more information about these living things.

Creating Bird’s Nests

Leave a comment

Over the last few weeks, the children have been observing the birds in the Early Years garden (nature). They have been concerned about the mother and baby birds after noticing the broken eggshells scattered on the playground equipment (causation, survival). The children have been discussing ways to help the birds in the playground (safety).

They decided to make nests that they could position around the playground for nesting birds (action). They discussed using a variety of materials including wood, plastic, grass and sticks to create the nests (materials). They began drawing their ideas on paper, using marks, words and pictures to share their ideas with others (organising ideas, making plans).

We wonder how the birds might react to the homes the children create through their project work.

The Display Stand

Leave a comment

@Y began to envision her craftwork display where she would showcase her handmade creations. She started by sketching a design.

Ms. Eileen had collected several boxes from the IT office for the children’s project work. @Y decided to use some of them for her structure. @Ybegan to arrange the boxes according to her plan.

While playing with ideas, @Y noticed that the boxes were relatively narrow and not very suitable for placing her items.

She decided to tape two boxes together to crate a wider surface area for her creative display. @Y moved the boxes around and then arranged them in the desired manner.

As her stand was made up of recycled boxes, the print and colour on the boxes were dull and unattractive. Ms. Eileen invited @Y to think of alternatives. @Y experimented with different ideas and coloured fabrics for the base of her display.

After careful consideration, @Y settled for the red fabric.

She was drawn to the softness of the material and the shade of red. She believed that her artwork would be more visible with this background effect.

@Y was actively engaged in all stages of learning including thinking about and planning her display stand, then testing ideas and modifying to construct her final creation. As an artist, @Y’s process shows her developing understanding of how colour, shape and texture interact with each other in unique ways, and that this can have a profound effect on the observer’s experience of art.   

Where do we go from here?

Leave a comment

The team conducted their research, then collected, analysed and presented their findings to the class. Their presentation showed how they have uncovered a broader definition of ‘beauty’. It was time to plan the next steps in their project.

How can we share OUR expressions of ‘Beauty’?

Lydia was excited to find a piece of tinsel paper. The children explained that it was ‘beautiful’. They were attracted to the texture, colour and feel of the paper. They wondered what they could make with coloured tinsel paper. Lydia, Liz and Yui decided to draw pictures to document their ideas. They wanted to create a collaborative piece of art using all of their ideas.

Morning noticed the beautiful pictures and asked to join the team to create the art. She used several colours to draw peacocks.

Morning explained that peacocks were ‘pretty’ because they had colourful feathers that had diamond shapes. As Morning tapped into her prior experiences, she recalled memories of seeing beautiful peacocks on her travels with her family.

1 2 3 … 19