Category: Online Learning (ECE/EY)

A Bridge

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Online Learning

Skills: Thinking Skills, Research Skills

Challenge: The Coin Bride

You will need:

coins

a chopstick

Instructions:

Gather some coins and use them to build a bridge. The chopstick should be able to pass under your bridge without touching the coins! How tall, wide and strong can you make your bridge?

Take a photo or a video of your bridge, reflect on (and share):

  • How many coins did you use to make your bridge?
  • What helped you create your bridge?
  • What other materials can you use to create different types of bridges?

Here are a few different bridges around the world. Feel free to share some examples of the different bridges you create!

Sophie has created a bridge using her toys!

The Bridge Test:

Leming and his brother Leyang were wondering which material would be the most suitable to create a bridge.

They wanted to learn through ‘trial and error’, this is the work of a ‘researcher’. 

They have gathered some materials to test their theories. They have paper, plastic and wood.

The Paper Bridge.

The Wooden Bridge.

Their Conclusion:

  • “1-wood 2- paper with more strength 3- plastic 4- paper with less strength”

You might want to try your own experiments to see which materials are best suited when creating bridges!

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

Thinking Skills

Analysing: Observe carefully.

Generating novel ideas: Make unexpected or unusual connections between objects and/or ideas.

Considering new perspectives: Ask “what if” questions, Identify strengths and areas for improvement.

Research Skills

Formulating and planning: Ask or express through play questions that can be researched.

Data gathering and documenting (audio recording, drawing, photographing): Use all senses to observe and notice details.

Bean Sprouts

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Online Learning

Focus: Communication Skills (Literacy), Self-management Skills, Research Skills   

Mung bean sprouts are a vegetable grown by sprouting mung beans. We can add them in our soups, stir fries and salads.

Here is a story about a little boy named Jack. Jack has some magic beans! What will happen when they start to grow in his garden? Watch and find out!

Let’s try to grow our own mung bean sprouts!

Follow the instructions in the video to make your own.

Remember that they need plenty of water to grow!

Here are some other suggestions:

@M the Scientist explains and demonstrates the process!

“I want to make the mung bean sprout. I use these materials: mung、gauze、plastic case and water. I need to wait.”

@M the Update…

I have  been documenting the growth my ‘Mung Bean Sprouts’. I kept a journal to record my observations. Note the calendar in the background to see the daily updates!!

@B the Gardener:

Listen to the instructions and then follow them carefully to grow your own bean sprouts. Remember to make sure your mung beans have plenty of water!

@B DAY 7:

@Ms. Shemo Day 3:

@Ms. Shemo Day 7:

Day 7

Sarah:  Day 7:

Sarah has been taking care of her bean sprouts over the past week.

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

 

  • observe carefully.
  • give and follow instructions
  • test generalizations, strategies or ideas
  • express oneself using words and sentences
  • choose and complete tasks independently

Not a BOX!

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Online Learning

Focus: Communication Skills (Literacy, Unit of Inquiry)

We have been exploring how ‘We can express ourselves through the Arts’. Read the story ‘Not a Box’ by Antoinette Porter.

If you have access to the internet, you can also watch the animated version here:

If you had a box, what would it be?

It’s NOT a BOX! It’s a…

Here is another story about a BOX.

Listen to the story ‘What to do with a box?‘ by Jane Yolen and Chris Sheban

If you have a box, what will you do with it?

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

  • express oneself using words and sentences.
  • use mark-marking to convey meaning.
  • express ideas and thinking creatively.

Shape Hunt

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Home Learning

Focus: Communication Skills (Mathematics – Shape and Space) 

Go on a shape hunt to see what shapes you can find. Have your child describe, photograph or draw the shapes they find. 

Observing and discussing details such as the number of sides and corners, helps the children notice that ‘shapes have characteristics that can be described and compared’.

Shapes are all around us, in our homes, in our playgrounds and in all our favourite spaces.

  • Do you see the hidden shapes?
  • Can you name them? 

Tyson used many shapes to create a showman. He used shapes to create his picture.

Leming and his brother were exploring and creating shapes using train tracks and other familiar objects. 

Can you name these shapes? 

Michelle created a ‘pyramid’ using lots of ‘loose parts’ in her garden.

Bruce created a picture using shapes. He used an app to draw a rose with several triangles!

Bruce discovered a face with many mosaic little squares!

@Felix’s Project:

“Yesterday we were at IKEA and bought a new shelf for Simon’s room. I was very busy to build it. When we were almost ready I recognised some shapes in the shelf. Circle, square and rectangle. The box comes with Playmobil.”

Play Dough

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Online Learning

Focus: Self-management Skills, Research Skills

Make play dough with your family. Post a picture of something you created with your play dough!

Recipe: PLAY DOUGH🌈

👉🏼YOU’LL NEED:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup table salt
  • 2 tbsp cream of tartar
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • Food colouring

👉🏼INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Combine the flour, salt and cream or tart. Mix well.
  2. Add the oil
  3. Mix a few drops of food colouring into the boiling water and add to the bowl.
  4. Mix everything very well and massage with your hand until it is no longer sticky.

💡Storage: Wait for the play dough to cool completely. Wrap in plastic and place in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 6 months.

………..

Felix and his family decided to make play dough. Here are the ingredients and equipment they needed. They didn’t use cream of tartar. Instead, they used citric acid.

Felix and his brother had a lot of fun!

They decided to make yellow, green, blue and pink play dough! They used tools to cut and mould their dough. 

You might want to use a pair of gloves as you add the colour 🤭!!

A pond, ducks, trees, balls and a bridge! 

Measurement: Length

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Online Learning

Focus: Communication Skills, Research Skills (Numeracy)
Choose 10 moveable objects around you (writing tools such as pens, crayons, pencils, books, cutlery etc.) Organise them from shortest to the longest object. Take a picture and post it on Seesaw.

Sarah takes on the challenge!

Bruce decided to take his learning outdoors. He has been working on a few different projects. If you look to your left, Bruce has created a little home for the nuts using rocks. Bruce has also organised a row of stones and a row of nuts by size. He is working on counting the number of stones he has used.

Leming has used tracks and other objects complete his activity. He has organised his objects by length too!

Michelle explains how she has sorted her objects from the shortest to the longest. She used her shortest object to compare it against the other objects she had chosen.

Bruce bought a ruler. He was excited about measuring his toys. He recorded his findings in a journal.

Learning Objectives:

  • understand that numbers are a naming system
  • understand what numerals represent a specific quantity
  • understand that measurement involves comparing objects and events
  • identify, compare and describe attributes of real objects

Names and Words

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Online Learning

Focus: Communication Skills (Literacy)
Build/create your name using ‘loose parts’ (Lego or other toys, natural materials such as stones, leaves, sticks, objects in the kitchen etc.). Take a picture and post it on Seesaw.
Some children might like to extend this activity by writing the names of other family members, and even other words that they know. The children have been learning that in English, letters have both an upper case (capital) and a lowercase form. In school the children have been noticing how their names and other words can be written with both uppercase and lowercase letters.
Jiwon is in Korea! She created her name using using ‘loose parts’. Jiwon is learning how to write her name in Korean.

Felix met his aunt and cousins and the children created their names using loose parts! 

Simone, Felix and Jonas created their names with ‘loose parts’.

Julia and Katharina created their names with ‘loose parts’.

 

Bruce is in Japan! He created his name using ‘loose parts’ too!

 

Tyson is in Canada! He created his name using using ‘loose parts’ and toy cars.

Sarah created her name using using ‘loose parts’.

Yoochan has used magnetic letters to create his name!

Charlotte has created her name using ‘loose parts’ and Lego!

Michelle has used many different types of pens, markers and even a hairband to create her name! 

Through these experiences the children:

  • explore the difference between letters
  • recognise and name the letters in own first name
  • position capitals right-side up
  • can point to and name capital letters
  • position lowercase letters right-side up

The Photograph

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Online Learning

Focus: Communication Skills (Literacy), Thinking Skills
Take a photograph of something you notice on your next walk/through the window. Upload the picture to Seesaw and tell us why you chose to take that particular picture. 
15th February, 2020
For those of you around the world, here is the view from my window. A beautiful morning in Nanjing! I can hear the birds singing, feel the cool breeze on my face and see the branches dip with the weight of fresh snow. I wonder what the day would bring.
Wishing you all a wonderful day!
Ms. Shemo in Nanjing, China
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