Happy First Day of Spring!

 This afternoon we went to the playground to investigate the first signs of spring. Armed with our five senses, an investigation sheet, and a pencil, we made insightful observations of the signs of spring. 

We have been greatly enjoying our science studies this year. Let's look back at our science studies since the beginning of the school year. In the fall we learned to classify things into living and non-living. We then classified living things into plants or animals. Then we classified animals into vertebrates and invertebrates. We learned that we are vertebrates!  We began comparing and contrasting the characteristics of the five vertebrates: birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. We then began looking at each group individually. 

The first group that we studied was birds. We learned that birds have feathers, wings, and clawed feet. Birds build nests out of a variety of materials and lay eggs in the nests which hatch into baby birds. We set up several bird feeders around the building, giving us great views out of our classroom windows for some excellent bird watching! When winter arrived we talked a lot about animal adaptations for winter. We learned that many birds migrate south to warmer climates in the winter. Now that we are welcoming spring we are beginning to notice birds that have returned. 

We then talked about mammals. We learned that mammals have hair or fur and not feathers, they have four limbs, and their babies are born live. We looked at field guides of mammal tracks and then went outside to look for mammals tracks on our playground. We found some squirrel tracks and some tracks that were suspected to be either fox tracks or from a cat. 

After our studies of mammals, we talked about reptiles and amphibians. We learned about the differences between reptile's and amphibian's bodies and eggs. Our trip to the Children's Museum in Portland supported our studies of reptiles and amphibians with a wonderful hands on program. We got to examine one of the turtles from their tank and learned that reptile eggs feel similar to rubber balls. 

This week we began our study of the human body, because we are mammals too! We will be learning about our own body parts. We will be learning that we are omnivores and that we need to eat a variety of healthy food to keep our body healthy. We will be learning about classifying food into food groups and learn about the food pyramid.

We have also begun botany studies of seeds and the parts of a flower. We have begun our indoor planting to prepare for our garden!

 

Sur le pont d'Avignon

             "The Bridge of Avignon"

Happy 5th Birthday Parker!

We sang "Happy Birthday" to Parker in English.

We sang "Happy Birthday" to Parker in French.

Spring? Is that you?

The last few weeks we have been spending a lot of time outdoors. At Meadowbrook we have a natural playscape, which gives opportunities for children to explore the natural world and its affordances. The environmental affordances of the natural playground result in construction, cooperation, collaboration and imaginative play. In the spring long unseen loose parts are uncovered, such as the stepping logs, sticks, rocks, and hay. These open-ended materials are inspiration for many possibilities in cooperative play. The addition of water from melting snow promotes mud play, digging, and other purposeful play. Construction zones are created by the children. The pathways in the woods that have been carved over many years and with many small feet become active again.

We have also been returning outside in the afternoon to play cooperative games on the pavement in front of the classroom. The children enjoyed drawing on the pavement with chalk and playing hop scotch. 

This past Monday we had French class with Madam outside on the pavement and this afternoon we brought our yoga mats outside. Sun salutations are better in the sunshine! We listened to the sounds in our community during meditation. Some of the sounds the children shared that they heard were: birds, voices of people, a truck motor, and the wind.

                                             cobra pose                                       boat pose

Did you know that Dr. Maria Montessori often took her students outdoors for study and play at the Casa dei Bambini?

         

Frere Jacques

Field Trip to the Children's Museum of Portland