It’s hard to believe that we are nearing the end of our second month together! The Super Kids have been busy learning and growing as a class. Since our last post we have had some events happen in Manitoba that are wonderful learning experiences for young kids.
Sept 30th is the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. Since the day fell on a Saturday our school recognized this day on the 29th. The concept of this day is a big topic that can be challenging for young kids to understand, but important to explain. The founder of orange shirt day was Phyllis Webstad. She has written children’s books to help children understand the importance of the day. We read several of her books and watched the following videos.
We then spend the afternoon painting rocks and putting words and messages on them that meant something to each of the kids. Truth, kindness, you matter, and love are some of their choices. We then placed them in the garden in the front of the school.
On October 3rd our province held the provincial election. This provided our class with a great opportunity to learn what an election is and what their family members were voting for. The kids came into the classroom and were told that they had to “register” to vote. They each printed their names on the sign in sheet. They then were told that it was election day and their vote mattered! They had to make a very important decision. Which cookie is the best…chocolate chip or an oreo? As you can imagine, they were very excited.
After scanning QR codes and watching commercials for both cookies to try to sway their vote, we talked about how this is what happens in an election. People who want your vote make commercials, send out flyers in the mail, set up signs, and even come to your house.
Next it was time to try each of the cookies before voting in our secret ballot. Mr. Brain, our custodian, even came by to vote. We helped him with the voting process and gave him a “I Voted” sticker. We then tallied up the votes by actually making tallies on the board. This was very exciting and you can imagine. Chocolate Chip won in our classroom by 5 votes. Oreo won in Ms. Goodbrandson’s class by 1 vote. This was a great way to explain how different part of the province might vote in different people from different parties just like we did with the cookies.
The Super Kids have been learning about their 5 senses by exploring the world around them and using science tools to help. We took magnifying glasses outside to look closely at our school grounds. The class has used their senses to describe things they hear, smell, touch and taste. The class is extending their understanding of the 5 senses by researching nocturnal animals and exploring their super senses.
Thanksgiving was a time for the kids to reflect on things that they are thankful for. The class created their own turkey art and had their first STEM challenge. After reading the book “The Turkey Escape” the class was challenged to make a turkey hideout where I couldn’t see the turkey inside using materials from the classroom. Part of the challenge was to work together in a group.
Reader’s Workshop is a time during our day were students rotate through different stations that focus on their literacy skills. One of the stations is working in small groups with me. Some activities include magnetic word building, decodable text reading, Boom Cards with word building on the iPad, Raz Kids, and much more.
Our 3/4 learning buddies came down to our classroom to get to know us better. Each group created their own rainbow of things that they had in common. We look forward to working with them this year.
We created our own pumpkin patch! Through a direct drawing lesson, students learned how to draw a pumpkin. They used both oil and chalk pastels to create their art pieces. They are hanging on the bulletin board and will be coming home for Halloween.
Take care and stay tuned for more highlights of our adventures together. 🙂