The children of room 4 at the Gilliate building have been working very hard to put together live versions of two classroom favorite books… The Stinky Cheese Man and The Three Little Pigs! To support this amazing work, we took to the studio to find materials to create a background for the play! The children used different mediums, manipulatives, and natural materials to create a multi-dimensional piece that will help them bring their productions to life!!!
The children in room 4 have noticed maps in some of the books we have been reading. This led us to make our own maps. The first one was the route in one of our favorite songs: We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. The children made houses (the starting point), a bridge, trees, a river and boat, and the bear in his cave (the ending point). The next day, some of the students worked on a community map which included their homes, the school (with classmates inside), a store, cars, and monster trucks..
Today in Room 4, the children added objects such as wooden beads, buttons, rice and beans to empty bottles to see what kinds of sounds they could make and which materials produced the best sound.
Today in Room 4 we read the book Not A Box, which is about a rabbit who imagines his box isn't just a box, but a rocket or a pirate ship. The children then worked together and used their own imaginations to turn a variety of boxes into things like cars, pizza delivery trucks, favorite characters, presents, and houses!
Room 4 has been talking about books and bookmaking. Last week Emma Overman visited our class. She has illustrated several books including one called Chumpkin, which she read to us. She told us what it was like to make the pictures for the book and how she did it (using colored pencils). Then Emma stayed and worked on books and pictures with the students!
Today in Room 4 we did an experiment to see which objects float and which objects sink. We tested items like clay, a paperclip, a button, aluminum foil (in a flat sheet and in a rolled-up ball), a popsicle stick, and a button. The children predicted if an object would float or sink, and then each child got to drop an item in the water to see if our predictions were correct.
The children in Gilliate Room 4 have been interested in different type of books, including pop-up books and sing-along books. Some children read a book that had envelopes with letters inside on each of the pages and decided to make their own book in this style.
With the unusually good weather, children have had the opportunity to learn, explore, and connect with the natural world each day. Children have become interested in insects (especially worms) plants, and gardening. This week we are preparing the front yard for our future garden. We mapped out our plans for our garden, and went to Dammonn’s Nursery and Garden to gather our supplies. We bought sunflower, cucumber, watermelon, carrot, lavender, and bean seeds.
We observed, drew, and discussed what we knew about praying mantis’s. Children asked to keep it as a pet, but was advised by Mr. Bryan to research what we needed to provide the praying mantis with. The children came up with a list of things they think we need in order to keep the praying mantis in the classroom. It includes, feeding him spaghetti, giving him a tiny bath, and feeding it bacon.
The cucumber investigation began when Ms. Candice shared she had a garden with vegetables and fruits. We asked her to bring a vegetable for us cut open, smell, and taste.