Flash Mob

A couple of weeks ago, I showed my munchkins a video of a flash mob at a mall (they have been really interested in dancing). They were thrilled and decided that they should do a flash mob too. So, we started to do some research. They learned that flash mobs usually have a purpose. Our purpose was going to be to make the other students join in, create something that everyone can do together, and lessen the chances of bullying in our school. We chose a dance and got to work. We practiced for a week or so and here is a small bit of our dance. Almost half of our school joined in (yes, we have an incredibly small school!) and many parents came too! Nobody knew what was going to happen except our class and our principal. It was such a huge success!

Bubbles

Bubbles - round one

We are having some fun with bubbles this week. Today, we asked the children to find things in the class that we can use for bubble blowers. When asked what do they need to have to make a good bubble blower, we got some interesting responses. 

D.T. "It has to have a stick."

K.M. "It's got to be circle, not square"

S.H. "It needs to be a long cylinder"

After collecting items, we went outside and laid them all out on the ground.

Then, they began picking them out to start blowing bubbles. Oh, I forgot to mention that these bubbles were made from dish soap and water. 

Some worked and some did not.

Some learned to use their own hands to make the bubbles.

Some also learned that the trick is patience in order to make them work.

Afterwards, we went inside and had a discussion about our bubbles.

Outdoor play

I have always had a hard time as a teacher letting the kids "just play". However, at a recent workshop I attended,the guest speaker talked about some amazing things that can come out of "just playing". So, I decided to give it a try today. Normally, our play involves the children planning out what they want to do, going to different areas of the class, me coming around and asking them questions that require them to think deeper. Today, fifth period, we went outside to "just play". Of course, I had different intentions. 

What an interesting time we had. We went outside, met under the shade tree and discussed the rules. "You must stay on the climber, in the sandbox, or under the shade tree. That is it." As they left to "just play" I sat on the bench and watched. The only toys they had were the climber and a skipping rope (brought out without my knowledge). Wow, were my eyes opened. Here are some of my observations:

1. Kids don't need a bunch of store bought toys. In the sandbox, the children used sticks for digging, piled sand, and rocks and ended up creating a castle. 

2. When left without adult intrusion, kids plan their play, organize themselves, solve problems, and regulate themselves.

3. Kids can follow rules when they know there are consequences. I told them they were only allowed in those three areas or I would have them sit out of play. They all stayed in those areas no questions asked, even when another class came out and got a bunch of toys out.

4. Children are imaginative and curious. 

5. Children know how to share and love to share with each other. 

6. When we looked around, EVERY single child was engaged in an activity. Some were playing in groups. Some were alone. Some were playing with partners. It was amazing. They were not arguing. They were not asking us to solve their problems. They were proud of their games and the things they were making. It was inspiring for me.

So, I have now learned a valuable lesson myself. It is ok sometimes to "just play" because when they are "just playing", they are actually planning, organizing, getting along, learning how to be friends, solving problems, and being creative. 

Under the Sea

Now that our turtle is gone to a new home, we have a blank spot in our class. After looking through our documentation, we noticed that the children will talk about the ocean and showed a lot of curiosity about the ocean when I showed them pictures of my trips. I decided that maybe I could bring in a movie that I have about under the sea.

I told the children that I was going to put this on our smart board. If they would like to watch it, they should grab their outdoor journals or a clipboard and paper. They can write down things they really like and might be able to create an inquiry station in the class. It was a hit. 

Here is some of their work.

D.T. wrote "I wonder what seals eat?"

 

 

 

A.C. wrote, "It is what I saw in the movie. It was pink. The fish looked like a hippo. It is a big fish."

E.R. decided to make a list of names of the fish that the narrator talked about. She said, "It is tricky sounding out names of fish and watch the movie at the same time."  This is what we figured out from what she wrote. 1. Water snake 2. (not sure) 3. Garden fish 4. (not sure)  pig pish, cargo gar fish

L.M.W. wrote " Some fish look like coral. (We cannot figure out the second line! Oops!) Sting rays shake in sand to hide so they can eat."

 

Today, I brought in some shells and coral and added them to the inquiry station. J.S. And K.M. went straight over there as soon as thinking and learning time started. Ey were admiring the different pieces of sea life. 

K.M. :"Look at this one. It has a pattern."

J.S. :"This one has cool colours!"

Ms. Stacey: "Do you think you could sort them out so that they are easier to look at?"

The two of them got started. 

Ms. Stacey:"How did you sort them?"

J.S.:"These ones are cool ones."

K.M.:"these are big. These are small."

J.S.:"These are like bones."

K.M.:"And Hesse are pointy ones."

Ms. Stacey:"Maybe we should write them down for everyone to know."

I wrote them down on paper for them. Then they decided that maybe it should be in their own printing so they copied them over.

J.S. Is also very curious if our picture on the wall is a painting or a drawing.