Curriculum description coming soon!

Curriculum description coming soon!

Today we explored how animals in cold climates have adapted to stay warm! From migration to hibernation, we discovered that animals change their behavior during the wintertime. We also discovered that some animals stay warm because they have a special layer of fat called blubber, and then we simulated how blubber protects against cold temperatures with “blubber mittens” and ice water.

Everyone became a Jr. Architect in class this week! We explored many types of building, from blocks on blueprint mats to foam block “bricks” with shaving cream “mortar.” We even tested the strength of different shapes of columns, placing weights to see which ones would stand the longest! Then, we practiced tally marks by taking a walking tour to count all the doors and windows, making observations as we went.

Today we tested the importance of balance! We started by experimenting with how we balance when we stand and walk, and then worked with a friend to carefully balance a ball on a piece of paper. We also explored how important balance is while building. We engineered trees, carefully balancing the leaves and branches on the trunk. We also built houses, using levels to see if our structure’s roof was level and strong!

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Being healthy is important, so this week we explored ways we can take care of our bodies and our health! We used pretend germs to demonstrate how easily they can spread from one person to another. Then, we practiced hand washing with special “germ powder” to find just how important it is to wash our hands well! We also experimented with designing our own “toothpaste” powder and practiced flossing and brushing plastic teeth.

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Building was the focus of this lesson, and we built with a wide variety of materials. In additon to blocks, we explored creating structures with playdoh and toothpicks, then challenged ourselves more by building strong structures and testing which size of ball was best for knocking them down! Our imaginations ran wild when we started building gravity-defying skyscrapers and structures!

How do boats float? Why do some things sink? We set sail to explore boat design, from building tin foil boats that could hold pennies, to designing boats with classroom materials that can more with wind power. After discovering which materials float, sink, or “flink,” we practiced positional words while creating an ocean scene and explored the names and purposes of the parts of boats!

Curriculum description coming soon!

Curriculum description coming soon!

Curriculum description coming soon!

Cars are always fascinating and fun, so we used them this week to explore physics! We used toy cars to test friction and inertia on ramps, adjusting the angle and changing the texture of the ramps, comparing the results as we went. Then we practiced numbers and directions to park our cars in special parking spots.

Who doesn’t like getting messy with fizzy chemical reactions? We explored acids and bases to make fruit fizz, inflate a rubber glove, and reveal hidden colors. Elephant toothpaste was the favorite experiment, producing a chemical reaction that erupted out of a bottle and made warm, sudsy foam! We even compared the temperatures of our different experiments, since some were cold and some were warm!

We analyzed the concept of opposites through activities all about clean vs. dirty! We compared coins before and after they were cleaned, observing how different liquids affected and cleaned the coins. Then we got messy ourselves by exploring water displacement with dirt and then building our own dog wash. Our engineering skills were used to design out own brooms and brushes from unusual materials found in our classroom, ending with a fun game using our new cleaning tools!

Curriculum description coming soon!

Curriculum description coming soon!

Curriculum description coming soon!

Not only are cookies delicious, but they can be a great tool for early math skills! This week we counted, sequenced, and graphed with craft cookies, practicing ordinal vocabulary and data collection. Then, we tested which cookies float or sink, making predictions beforehand to see if we could figure out why some floated while others sank.

This week we used our math skills to make a graph about the things we have in our rooms. We also compared the shapes of the moon to the shapes of other objects, matching and discussing differences. Stripey pajamas were our inspiration for creating patterns, and then we used shapes and other materials to recreate bedroom scenes.

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In class today, we all became paleontologists to study dinosaurs! We compared the enormous size of a dinosaur foot and dinosaur jaw to our own, practicing counting by 5s. Dinosaurs were sorted and categorized based on different features, and then we built some prehistoric volcanoes, complete with volcanic eruptions!

Taking care of the earth is important, so this week we explored different ways we can recycle, reduce, and reuse! We made our own paper, discovering how to use scraps of paper to create squishy pulp and make new paper! Then, we designed water filters, testing how well they worked by trying to filter different substances out of water. We also explored how to build with recyclable materials, reuse materials in creative ways, and understand how what we use impacts the world around us. Book:

Curriculum description coming soon!

Curriculum description coming soon!

Curriculum description coming soon!

This week we leapt into action as brave Firefighters! Fire safety was explored with a chemical reaction to “extinguish” our pretend flames. We practiced numbers and counting as we knocked down stacks of cups. Then, we worked hard to engineer our own ladders from craft sticks and tape, testing how to build a ladder that’s strong and long!

We know that we can get food from a grocery store, market, or restaurant, but where does our food actually come from? Today we explored the journey that fruits, vegetables, grains, and other foods go on in order to become the meals that we enjoy. We sorted food into different food groups, played a “farm to table” matching game, and used measuring skills to determine the sizes of containers.

We hopped into the world of frogs to practice early math skills through counting frog eggs and catching bugs with our special velcro frog tongues! This week’s hands-on experiment was all about absorption, simulating how frogs absorb water through their skin. We also discovered the life cycle of a frog through sequencing cards.

This week our explorations went inside our own bodies to discover how our hearts work! After finding our pulses, we explored stethoscopes to listen to the heartbeats of our friends. We even tested how to make the speed of our heartbeat change by listening to a resting heartbeat and then comparing it to the heartbeat of someone who had just done jumping jacks! After charting different exercise choices, we also explored circulation through a fun movement game.

Colorful jewels and crowns were the theme this week, and we used them to practice math skills, create beautiful patterns, and match numbers and letters. We also explored the hygroscopic properties of salt by making a colorful, shimmery piece of art. Then we experimented with acids and bases to create a fizzy that reveals a shiny gem when it dissolves!

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Light and Rainbows were the focus of all of our experiments this week! We explored how to make our own rainbows using prisms, mirrors, water, and flashlights. As we observed how light bounces and bends to create rainbows, we also experimented with shiny soap bubbles. We then took the colors of the rainbow and created imaginative “deconstructed rainbow” sculptures.

What types of objects are magnetic? Why are some things pulled to a magnet, but other are pushed away? This week we explored how magnets repel and attract by testing the magnetic properties of different objects. We used our discoveries to make a chart, a magnetic maze game, and make art! 

This week we used our math skills as we explored mail! Mail was sorted by color and size, making patterns with different envelopes. We also used unique measuring to determine the size of pieces of mail. We also explored balance while we delivered and stacked “packages!”

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As we get bigger, we will need to make more and more choices! Just like the grownups going to vote this week, we practiced understanding the differences between options so we could make a choice. After sorting options into categories, we also worked hard on our math skills by creating charts, practicing tally marks, and counting votes for favorite snack and more! 

Bendy or snappy, smooth or rough — different types of materials and their properties were the focus of the experiments! We mixed up paint of different textures to compare how different it looks. Stretchy slime was made from scratch so that we could compare a stretchy and smooth material to some of our hard and bumpy materials. Then, the strength of different fabrics was tested through a weaving activity.

Today our class measured everything we could find! We used unique measurement tools like popsicle sticks, plastic spoons, and balls to determine the length of our tables, the size of the room, and more! We even measured the sizes of our hugs using streamers and explored with measuring cups and spoons.

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The ocean is full of incredible creatures! Using pieces of yarn, we measured out the length of different ocean creatures to compare their sizes. Then, we practiced using rulers to measure fish and sort them by size! Everyone had fun exploring saltwater and freshwater during our taste test and then creating a shark mouth with rows and rows of teeth.

Curriculum description coming soon!

Are you taller than a penguin? This week, we discovered just how tall penguins can be, measuring their height and comparing it to our own. Since penguins love to slide on their tummies, we experimented with friction on small sheets of ice, testing just how easily something can slide. We also explored how oily coatings can repel water, simulating how penguins are able to stay warm and keep their feathers dry! Book:

Why are some animals pets and some animals are not? Today we explored the difference between them! We engineered homes for our pets with recyclable materials. Then we turned our classroom into a toy animal hospital, using charts to keep track of our patients. We also explored math, matching, and patterning through fun activities!