Growing Dendrites

We have been busy studying about the ocean and the animals that live in and around the ocean.  While living in Florida and vacationing there for the past five years, I have collected so many beautiful seashells to share with the students.  Last week, we spent time looking at shell pictures and identifying the shells we have.  The students lined up the shells that looked the same, but were different in size.  This helped them to see how the shell grows over time.  We learned why some shells have holes and that inside is an animal.  One of our students was quite scared once she found out an animal lived in the shell.  We sorted, weighed and counted shells.   Now they are sitting in the back sensory table area for the children to observe during free choice time.  The students played a counting and probability game too!  Which shell does the crab like best?  We rolled the die 20 times to see which number came up the most.  The children practiced recognizing numbers 1-6 and counting. 

Thanks again to Fred Meyer for helping us with our science lessons.  They gave me half off on a full crab!  I used the crab to show the children the different parts.  They had a chance to touch the crab and see how the pinchers work.  This week we are learning about sharks, whales and manatees. 

We are borrowing a lizard from outside to observe it for a few days.  It's the Northern alligator lizard.  The students have been searching for bugs to feed it.  On Wednesday, we'll release it back to the playarea.  Today we looked at a dead garter snake that was found outside.  We didn't look at it for too long because it already had a rotten stench.  It fell out of the container when Ms. Lindsay was carrying it back outside.  She screamed and the kids laughed.  Also, we have noticed a baby eagle flying with it's parents in the late morning. 

Last week, I read Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle.  The story sparked so much conversations about dads.  That entire morning Ms. Brianna and I got an earful about the dads.  Maybe just a bit too much info.  LOL LOL.  The beauty of books, they strike up all kinds of conversations. 

I love all the feedback I receive from parents.  To know the children are sharing what they have learned at school with their parents is AWESOME!  Even my little Savas has learned so much in school.  Last week, he sat in the back of the car adding numbers.  All on his own.  Our balanced, child-centered program encourages children to be curious and seek knowledge.  Each day they are growing more dendrites, making more connections with prior knowledge from the moment they wake until they fall asleep.


Just a reminder, I will be out  for the next week and a half.  I will probably blog along the way.   If you have any questions or concerns you can phone Ms. Lindsay at the school or my cell phone at 425-269-3184.

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