Month: February 2021

Can you believe that we’ve had 100 days so far this school year?  I can’t believe it!  Every year my class celebrates 100 days of learning together.  Each year I like to switch it up a bit and have a different theme.  This year posed a few challenges to my plans, but with some brainstorming the “Escape Room 100th Day Challenge” was formed.

The class came into the room with decorations, 100th day bracelets and stickers, and a bag full of activities on each desk.

An envelope was at the front of the room with a QR code on it.  We scanned the code and found this video!

The kids were so excited to for this challenge!  The 100 minute timer was set and we were off. After each challenge was completed we opened the envelope that had a clue inside.  The clue led to a new envelope hidden in the room.  Each challenge earned the class numbers for the 100 chart.  Activities included secret code math, 100 exercises, puzzles, race to 100 game, building a pair of 100 day glasses out of the supplies given, building out of 100 materials, and counting how many of something you can do in 100 seconds.  Check out the fun in the pictures below!

  

Last week our school also celebrated Festival Du Voyageur.  The Festival is an annual event in Manitoba that celebrates the strong French culture in the history of Manitoba.  Our class learned Voyageur vocabulary and danced a jig every day when the whole school stopped, dropped, and jigged with a surprise announcement.  We also participated in a Voyageur whole school bingo.  We learned about Voyageur clothing and looked closely at the ceinture flechee.  This piece of clothing is like a woven scarf worn around the waist.  Many of the Super Kids choose to wear one throughout the week.  We then attempted some paper weaving as a class to simulate the weaving on the ceinture flechee.

Having snowshoed a few week ago, we noticed that the Voyageurs also used snowshoes.  Diving into our Arctic inquiry we also made the connection to the people of the North and how snowshoes are important to them too.  I challenged the students to design a pair of snowshoes using the supplies they had at home or in the recycling bin.  The class came with a bunch of supplies, ideas, and a lot of enthusiasm!  The Super Kids spent the morning designing their plans, talking about how to make something waterproof, and testing out their creations.  When something doesn’t work, the students had to rethink their plans.  Many realized that they needed some kind of a grip and made adaptations to their designs.  We then headed outside to test their designs again.  The class had to focus on a growth mindset through the process and many gave each other ideas and encouragement throughout the process.

Last week was full of critical thinking and problem solving. When something doesn’t work the first time, we think about solutions.  This is a HUGE skill to develop and the more opportunities kids can be put into that frame of mind in fun and exciting ways the better.

Oh and yes…I did turn the class into Super Heroes for our blog header!  I couldn’t resist.  Check out my boots! 🙂

Stay tuned for more adventures! 🙂

I don’t know about everyone else, but this week has been a bit over the top!  I know that we’ve had a mild winter up until now, but -40 with the windshield is just ridiculous.  This morning when my dog woke me up my phone said -50!  It’s a good thing the Super Kids are learning about the Arctic because it sure feels like we live there. 🙂

February started off wondering what the groundhogs from around Canada and the USA would predict.  Would we have 6 more weeks of winter or an early spring?  Manitoba Merv predicted 6 more weeks and we watched the original groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, make his prediction.

This lead us into why this annual tradition even happens and how we can predict what will happen based on the weather of the day.  We explored shadows and what causes them.  The Super Kids used flashlights to make their own groundhog shadows.

Each morning the class comes into the classroom with a new writing task projected on our wall.  Even before the announcements start, many kids eagerly write their responses down in their journals.  This soft entry into the classroom gives students time to adjust and get ready for our day of learning together. I give them 15-20 minutes after the announcements to complete their writing warm up and draw a picture to go with it.  Sometimes I have to remind them to stop for O’Canada!  They really do look forward to writing their responses and then turning to a friend and sharing their thoughts during our morning meeting.

 

The 1/2 cohort borrowed the divisional snowshoes for some outdoor fun.  Our class heading outside to try them out.  We talked about how this invention helps people walk in deep snow and brainstormed why that would be important for people living in the tundra.  A big thank you to our educational assistant, Mr. K, for coming outside with us and helping me put on 16 pairs of snowshoes on a very chilly day!  We headed inside to warm up with a fire projected on our wall to help us “warm up”. 🙂

 

We continued our Arctic inquiry by asking “What adaptations do Arctic animals have so they can live in such cold weather?”

Using lard, some Ziplocs, and a bucket of cold water we found out.  Blubber!  Many Arctic animals such as polar bears, seals, whales, narwhals,  and walruses all have blubber to help keep them warm.  We have been taking a closer look at many different Arctic animals to understand their adaptations as a class.  Each student has picked an animal that they are researching to “dive deeper” into understanding that animal.  The Super Kids are so excited to be researchers!

 

After reading “My Map Book” by Sarah Fanelli, we took a closer look at map of my heart page.  If you could map out your heart what would be in it?  Each student drew a heart and divided it into sections.  We brainstormed ideas together and created a big list.  Then each child added what was in their hearts. We added some watercolour at the end and took them home for our families.  I just love how they turned out.

With Lunar New Year approaching, we took a closer look at the Ming Dynasty vases.  The class loved looking at the detailed designs on these amazing vases.

We then created our own artwork inspired by these historic pieces.

On Friday we celebrated our friendships in the morning and the Lunar New Year in the afternoon.  With our school’s decision to not hand out valentines this year, due to our current situation, we had to get creative with our friendship cards.  On Monday, each student had a picture taken and we created our own friendship hearts with Post It Hearts to put on each large card.  These were handed out on Friday to take home.

Students came into the class with a bag of supplies and a challenge for them.  Create a love monster or a love bug out of the play dough and supplies.  Then they had to write about their creations.  What is their name? Where does it live?

Next, half the class coded a friend while the other played double trouble with a partner. Then they switched. Using our coding skills from Kodable, we did some unplugged coding with Valentine themed actions.

Practicing our doubles skills has been a focus in math.  This differentiated game allows students at different places in math to play against each other.

After recess we conducted a candy heart experiment using vinegar, soda, and water.

We read the friendship book Stick and Stone before learning the tradition Indigenous game of stick and stone. Each student brought home a bag with sticks and stones to show you how to play!

In the afternoon we learned about Lunar New Year, the legend of its origin, and created our own lions to perform our own lion dance.  One Super Kid even read us a book about Lunar New Year using our document camera for story time.

Super Kids Lion Dance Video

Enjoy the long weekend and stay warm! 🙂