We've been busy bees in Kinder this first month of school! Our Science units have been so much fun with lots of exploration and project based learning! Here are some examples:
Gingerbread Man Traps
The students were worried about the Gingerbread Man running away, after he escaped and made us run around the school looking for him, so they used problems solving & critical thinking skills to create traps for gingerbread kids. The students observed the materials available, then sketched a plan for their traps, and executed their plans. They had a great time describing how they'd trap them!
Sinking and Floating Wood
We've been studying the properties of various materials, including wood, by comparing and contrasting different types of wood, as well as experimenting with how wood interacts with water. In class, the students worked cooperatively to try to get wood to sink by adding paper clips attached with rubber bands. They had the best time! We were so engaged, I forgot to take photos during the process, but the sinking wood center was available for Friday Free Centers, and again, they had such a great time exploring.
Our Brain, Our Five Senses & a Taste Test
We spent a lot time learning about how our brain is in charge of everything we do, and is what keeps us alive. It sends messages to parts of our bodies along nerves, which is how our senses work. We learn about the world around us through our senses. The kids loved conducting a taste test and mapping where we taste certain things on our tongues. The kicker here was convincing them that the unsweetened baker's chocolate would not taste like a sweet candy bar, but bitter. They were just too excited and popped the little pieces in their mouth anyway, quickly learning that it was bitter, and not what they expected! What is your favorite taste? Sweet, salty, sour or bitter?