Our New Theme of Study: The Human Body

After our initial discussion on our new theme of study, the following day props were brought in to engage the children in their new found interest.

Oliver brought in a model of a human body, a model of a skull with a brain, and a model of the hand and eagerly shared it with the class. He explained to us that “in the hands there are these muscles that help it move” and in the skull “there’s a brain and when you take it apart it tells you the names of the parts in our brain.” His presentation stirred up a lot of great questions.

Sania too brought in some materials. The Kindergarteners quickly turned the Kitchen/Dramatic play Center into a hospital and used some of both Sania’s and Oliver’s props to perform surgery on a patient. Using the human body model to guide their operation a plastic knife was used as a “machete to get into her intestines” and a procedure for “checking her brain to see if she’s alive” was performed. On another patient, “a new eye ball” was inserted.     

In another corner of our classroom was the X-Ray room. Alicia had shared with us her story about her toe that needed to be straightened and a pin was inserted. Wow! You really can see the pin on the x-ray print. Ouch!

All these activities, stories, and games sure brought up a lot of questions about the human body. Let us know if you would like to come in and answer some of our questions on the human body. Here is a list of our questions so far...

Why can we hear our own voice?

What happens to the food after you eat it?

Why do we have bones?

How does our heart beat so fast?

When your nose is running, why does it just keep coming out?

Why are there so many layers in your body?

How come we have feet?

Why does our heart look different than a Valentines heart?

Why does your heart keep beating and it doesn't stop?

Why do we need a brain?

How did our body get put together?

How many days does it take for the food to get all the way down to your tummy?

What is a scar?

How do my bones stay strong?

Why is my brain so important?

Why does our heart beat so fast when we are scared?

What makes a cut heal?

Why does our heart beat fast when we run around?

Why do we have itches?

Why does our food turn into poop when we eat?

How does the blood move to the rest of the body?

Why do we pee when we drink water?

A Theme of Study Emerges

As we commence a new year, the Kindergarteners have embarked on a new theme of study. A simple question posed by Hayden has led to an intense interest in learning about the human body.  One afternoon during lunch Hayden asked, “Why can we eat strawberry seeds and raspberry seeds but we can’t eat cherry seeds?” One kindergartener replied, “I know. That’s because they’re too big to swallow than you get a tummy ache and you die.”  Another chimed in , “You don’t die. You just get very, very sick and go to the doctor.” One of the teachers responded by saying that it has to do with our bodies and how certain foods are easier to digest than others. Well, this answer evoked one Kindergartener to ask, “What does digesting food mean?” And, so our new journey began. When we asked the Kindergarteners if they would like to learn more about how our bodies work a unanimous roar of approval was heard.

Kimochi Feelings Dolls

A child’s social competence is a critical developmental achievement for later social success. An important aspect of prosocial development in the early years is the ability to learn to develop healthy relationships through positive interactions. But, let’s face it conflicts are inevitable simply because we are all different. We all have different thoughts and ideas, different solutions, and different ways to approach problems. As a result, we have decided to create a safe space in our classroom to invite and encourage the Kindergarteners to resolve conflicts peacefully.

Because our job as teachers is not about telling, but rather by guiding, we have generated the “Peace Bench” to guide the Kindergarteners in becoming effective problem solvers. We invited the children to decorate the bench and then added soft cushions for a comfortable feel. We then spoke about the use of a “talking stick” that they can use when “negotiating.” The purpose of this stick is to give each participant the opportunity to speak as only the person with the stick can speak and no one may interrupt or speak until the stick is passed to them.

Along with the talking stick, we have also included some Kimochi Feelings Dolls that were generously donated to our classroom by the McGeehan family (Cara’s family). Kimochis are small pillows with a feeling (happy, sad, angry, etc.) printed on one side and a corresponding facial expression on the other. These little plush characters help the Kindergarteners express their emotions in a fun and comfortable way.

After a quick discussion on how to best use this space and its props, we role-played different situations that the Kindergarteners might experience in the classroom. It was so comforting to hear the positive solutions each Kindergartener came up with. Go ahead. Facilitate a conversation with your family to include a scenario for a typical problem and encourage your child to share her/his positive solutions.

Yoga

In connection to our brand new study of the human body, and in connection to our work with moments of silence and mindfullness, we have begun to practice yoga together.  We follow a playful and developmentally appropriate DVD called Yoga Kids.  We guide the children to do the poses in a way that feels comfortable.  It is important to pay attention to how the body feels when stretching so that we may avoid injury.  We have talked about how yoga helps us focus our attention, makes us stronger and healthier, and helps us feel more relaxed and happy.  The children were having so much fun doing yoga that even our beloved Director of Lower School Crissy got into it too!

Skittles Math!

This week we have been continuing work with our 10 frames in math.  We are working on being able to accurately determine quantities up to 10 without having to count.  10 frames have a unique way of developing mathematical skills.  When there are 7 spaces filled, it can be seen as 5+2 and 10-3 simultaneously.  We have also begun a very exciting human body study, and we will begin a unit on measurement that will connect to this study.  We will fill you in with more details next week...

A new Year!

Welcome back!  The children have transitioned back to school life beautifully.  They are a happy and engaged group.  On Monday, during our Writer's Workshop, they wrote about their Winter Break in their journals.  At this point in kindergarten we are hoping that all students can identify beginning and ending consonants.  Some children in kindergarten can spell many words correctly while others are figuring out how to correctly form letters.  This is normal for this age.  Some children at this age become exhausted after writing a few words, while others can write many.  We are encouraging the children to stretch the sounds out in the words they write.  Many still need help isolating individual sounds in the words.  We encourage phonetic spelling at this point.  "I PLAD W MI FRND"  (I played with my friend) is an example of good kindergarten phonetic spelling.  Many children need reminders at this point to leave spaces between their words.  We call them "finger spaces", because it helps them to put their finger down on the paper to mark the size of the space.  By the end of kindergarten we hope that the children will be able to write beginning, middle, and ending consonants, as well as beginning to correctly use short vowels.  

Giving your children practice with writing at home can be fun and helpful.  It should be a casual, no-stress event.  Ask them to help you write a few items on a grocery list, or a note to a friend or teacher :-) 

Activities coming up at Briar Bush Nature Center!

Join us for Campfire, S'mores and Animal Adaptations
Saturday, January 12, 2013 

7 pm to 8:30 pm

Enjoy hot cocoa and treats by the cozy fire while you learn about how animals adapt to the cold winter weather. Members are free; non-members $10 for adults and $5 for children.

  
And...

Winter Fun Day!

      

 

  

Saturday, February 2, 2013, 1-4 pm
FREE!
Spend Groundhog Day at Briar Bush. Crafts, games, animal programs, snowy occupations (if we have snow!) and more when you visit Briar Bush for Winter Fun Day.