Snails in Kindergarten

 You have probably heard about our new class pets!  Personally, I prefer pets who are cute, fuzzy, and cuddly, but fish and snails are part of our curriculum.  So, we are loving our new pets even though they don't really have personalities!

 

 

Most of the kids will let the snails sit on their hands.  (Yes, we have them wash!)

 

The snail races are... well.... very slow going. I don't think it really qualifies as a "race" but we get to watch how they move.

 

Today we watched how they eat too.  Hmmm... now I know where all of the lettuce in my garden goes.

I can't remember the names the kids call these snails, but it was something like Swirly and Shelly. (The snail that was accidentally stepped on today, will now be known as Crush.)

 

I'll bet you didn't know that when snails are frightened, they make bubbles!  You learn something new every day in kindergarten.

 

 

Be sure to ask your child what they have learned so far about snails!

Happy Earth Day!

 

Happy Earth Day everyone!

 

Today was a fun day in kindergarten!

 

Ms. Cook had the kids planting flowers.

 

 

We planted Pansies.

 

What a glorious day we had for an outdoor Earth Day activity!

 

They were planted in recycled deli containers too, in keeping with the Earth Day theme.

 

We hope your child's flower will find its way into your garden at home! 

Water Table

It started with corn, moved to wheat, then sand, and now....

 

 

The water table is open!  Oh, this has been a highlight over the past week!  We've been giving kids the chance to explore at the water table.  We have boats, funnels, large and small cups, eye droppers, turkey basters, and tubes.

 

We encourage the kids to explore capacity, objects that sink and float, and experiment with the way water moves.

 

If you volunteer in the classroom during our center time, I will probably ask you to supervise the water table.  The kids LOVE it but, as you can imagine, it can get a little out of hand without an extra pair of eyes. 

 

As the weather warms up, especially when it gets to be pool season, I would like to encourage you to break out the measuring cups and other plastic kitchen utensils for kids to experiment with!

 

Happy water play!

Our New Friends

We'd like to introduce you to a few new friends in our classroom!

 

This is Goldie, Cutie, Carly, and Tiny.

 

 

Our new friends are part of our Animals 2x2 science curriculum (and they will be looking for new homes at the end of the year).  We've been writing about our goldfish every day.

 

We are learning to observe like scientists and draw exactly what we see.  Sometimes it's really hard, when you're in kindergarten, to not draw a blue goldfish or a fish with stripes.  We are learning to make observations.

 

 

We've been labeling the parts of a fish.

 

We've also been researching all of the things fish need to live. 

 

I'm pretty sure the fish are the highlight of the school year so far.  It has been a lot of fun and a fabulous learning experience for the kids!

 

(Wait until they find out that live snails and worms come next!)

 

Oh, the fun we have in kindergarten!!!

Three Days Off

Hello Families!

It's conference time, and I've been busily meeting with a few families today.  While, I'm here working, many of you are at home with your kids.  What will you be doing on these days off?  (If you're stuck at work, like me, just keep thinking that it's almost the weekend.)

If you do happen to be at home with the kids, and you're looking for something fun to do, I always recommend the zoo, aquarium, or science center.  If you're looking for something a little less expensive, like FREE, then I'd like to suggest a trip to Bothell Feed Center. (by Fred Meyer's at Thrasher's Corner)  We have a pet bunny at home.  This is Cookie.


I buy everything we need for Cookie at Bothell Feed Center.  I'm a farm girl at heart, so making the trip to the local feed store just feels better than going to a big chain pet store.  Anyway, I was at Bothell Feed Center last week and can you guess what they had there?  BABY CHICKS!  I was soooo close to taking a few chicks home and telling my hubby he had to build a chicken coop. 


Heading to Bothell Feed Center would make a GREAT field trip over the next few days.  As an extension, here are a few questions you might want to ask your child:

What is something that you can do that a baby can't do?
What are some ways we take care of babies until they can care for themselves?
How do you think you would care for a baby chick, or another baby animal?  (This would be a great question to ask at the feed center too.)
Where did you sleep when you were a baby?
Where do baby animals sleep?
How do animals stay warm at night?
Where do you think a bird might sleep?
How do you think birds make their nests?
What do you think they use to make their nests?

The conversations could be endless!  I love to talk with curious kids.  They are full of wonder and excitement about learning.  Turning a simple trip to the pet store into an inquiry project is really exciting for kids.

Here are a few books you might want to track down too:









Here's a great idea for helping the birds too!



And here is the link to the original post, if you'd like to read more about it.  By the way, Bothell Feed Center has an excellent supply of wild bird food, if you're interested in feeding the birds.


Have your kids create a stuffed animal play area in your house.  Encourage them to show what they know about how animal parents care for their babies.

The possibilities are endless!  I hope you're enjoying your time with your kids and finding some wonderful learning experiences to fill your days!  We'll see you all on Monday, and I hope you have great stories to tell about your days off. 

Happy Field Tripping!

Bees Please!

For the last couple of weeks we've been learning about insects. The kids have been really fascinated with bees. We have watched a short video about bees. We've also read a few books.

As great as it is to read and watch videos about something, it's nothing like seeing the real thing. We are so lucky to have Mrs. Zayats working in our classroom, and she just happens to be a bee keeper. She and her husband have two bee boxes in their backyard. Today, Mrs. Zayats brought in a few frames from her hives to show us the bees' work up close.

This frame shows how the bees cap off an area to let the baby bees mature.

Some of the baby bees didn't make it last year. We removed some of the combs and saw the baby bees inside. (This was a frame from last year, so the bees weren't actually alive.)

This frame shows the way the frame would look when it is covered with wax and filled with honey.

This was such an interesting experience for us! The kids were really amazed and nature's busy work!

Thank you Mrs. Zayats!

How to Grow Paperwhites

This is a post I did for my home blog last weekend. We are growing 3 Paperwhites in the classroom as well. I thought you might like to see this post, in case you are interested in growing beautiful flowers, indoors, that smell amazing!

It's time to plant Paperwhites!

I stopped by my local garden shop last week to pick up my Paperwhite bulbs. Once upon a time, when Costco carried Paperwhites, I would give one to each of my students to observe in the classroom. We loved watching the roots start sprouting. Then the green would shoot up out of the bulb, grow buds, and eventually flowers. It's magical for a five year old to see how an ugly brown bulb can bring such beauty. Well, Costco doesn't carry Paperwhites anymore. Sadly, I can't afford the price of Paperwhites for all of my students. $25 at the garden center is a lot harder to swallow that $9.99 at Costco. I do love to grow them with my own kids, though.


If you've never grown Paperwhites before, it's time to start! They are really easy.

 

Choose a container. Any bowl or dish will do.

 

Fill it with rocks.

 

 

Add a little water and a few bulbs.

 

 

 

Before you know it, you'll have beautiful flowers. Happy planting!