Shoreline Clean-Up

I just wanted to remind everyone that the Shoreline Cleanup at Remic Rapids is happening this Saturday May 31st at 10:30 am. Our class is full of children who are passionate about the environment and this would be a wonderful opportunity for them to take part in conserving it. In the mornings we have recently been discussing the food chain and why all livings are important.It's quite amazing to see the powerful connection children have to the natural world. 

Thank you Anita for organizing such a wonderful community event!

What should I bring to my cleanup?

Come prepared to clean! It’s very helpful to bring whatever materials you can, and preferably those that are environmentally friendly. This includes garbage bags, recycling bags, gloves (canvas are best), and pens or pencils to record your findings. 

Also be prepared for any type of weather. As an outdoor event, we recommend wearing closed-toe shoes (i.e. no flip flops, sandals or bare feet) and bringing a few extra layers of clothing. Also consider what drinks and snacks you’d like to have on-hand during the event, and take some along. Litter-less is best!

 For more information visit: http://www.shorelinecleanup.ca/

Tradansa

This past week we spent the first part of our mornings participating in Tradansa workshops. Tradansa is a Montreal based company that offers multicultural dance education and instruction to school age children. Our instructors name was Eliane.

Eliane brought her globe to give the children a better perspective of where the dances originated from. She first pointed to Ottawa and then moved her finger across the ocean to Denmark.

Before each dance, Eliane would introduce the song and we would practice the moves with our hands. Eliane would explain the steps and use gestures to teach the moves. We would practice with Eliane singing before we would try it out with the music.

Eliane introduced several dances to us that originated from France, Denmark, Holland and Quebec! All of the songs were sung in French.

This dance was similar to a musical version of "Simon Says". The children followed Eliane's instructions that ranged from tapping her feet to putting her chin on the floor. 

It was amazing how quickly the children got some of these dances.

In this dance the children had to hold different positions for varying lengths of time.

Practicing mirroring.

Funky moves!

The big day! During our last workshop, the children were seated against the wall where they would be sitting during the performance. 

Eliane giving a little pep talk!

The children were very polite and well behaved during each of our three workshops!

Our last practice before the big performance!

The dance that we were to perform for the sharing was a traditional Quebecois dance about flipping an omelette. The dance was tricky as you had to go in a specific direction in order for the omelette (the circle) to be flipped. The children (and I) had to listen very carefully for the cues. I took dance lessons for 12 years and I still kept send the children in the wrong direction.

Children benefit from learning to dance in a number of ways. Dancing is highly physical and is a great way to stay healthy. Dancing improves strength, stamina, flexibility and balance. Children that are active are more likely to continue to be active as teens and as adults. 

Children that learn to dance have the opportunity to enhance their self esteem and confidence through practicing and performing. Successfully learning a dance routine gives children a sense of pride and accomplishment and shows them what they are capable of. Performing in front of a crowd is a very common fear but when children have early opportunities to experience performing it can make it easier later in life. 

Dancing as a group provides the children with a sense of purpose as they are an important part of the group. Teamwork is an essential part of dancing as a group. Children are also required to use their listening skills as there are many directions and instructions to follow when learning a routine.

 Learning and memorizing a dance requires children to strengthen their memory and use their coordination to perform the actions to the beat of the music.

Here's a link to see some clips from our workshops and our final performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z0JKMWLvpc

This was my first attempt at using iMovie so bear with me!

Green Thumb

Planting and caring for our Mother's Day sunflowers was very exciting for the children. They each got a chance to decorate their pot, fill it with loosely packed soil, and carefully plant their seeds. Each morning they would gather around the window to check their pots hoping to see signs of sprouts. 

Sunflowers are one of the fastest growing plants. When we returned again the next Monday, some sprouts had already begun to pop through (and some not at all). We determined that not all plants grow at the same rate. Observing the different stages of plant growth allows for the children to gather new knowledge naturally, add to what they already know and change or develop new hypothesis or conclusions based on what they're learning.  

The children were very excited to water their plants. So much so that some of the seeds and sprouts needed to be rescued from drowning (some more than once). Learning how much water a plant needs comes with experience and with hands on gardening opportunities like this one.

We discussed why it was important not to shake the plants. Learning how to care for and respect plants connects back to how we need to care for and respect all living things.

Once the sunflowers were sent home, our window sill became very bare. So, we decided to try and grow some organic fruits and vegetables! The seeds we used are from a local organic seed supplier called Greta's Organic Gardens.

We decided that we would try to grow some fruits and veggies and use whatever grows in a big, group salad! Children can be very picky but if they are directly a part of the process from seed to plate they are more likely to give things a try. Also, children are much more likely to try new vegetables when all of their friends are trying them too. 

The children had a choice between organic dill, parsley, pumpkin, swiss chard, kale, beets, huckleberries and watermelon. Most of these fruits and veggies were new to the children, which made the process even more fun! The more often children are exposed to new foods the more likely they will want to eat them!

Double spooning it.

Watermelons are often seedless nowadays so many of the children weren't sure what the seeds would look like.

We also are doing a science experiment testing out predictions. Each child choses a vegetable or fruit to plant and then they predict how long they think the seeds will take to sprout. The children have to check on their plants and mark an "X" on their chart every day until they see sprouts! 

Prediction pose.

The children also got to predict what they thought their seeds would look like. 

We are growing our wonderful plants in newspaper pots to have the least effect on the environment possible. Many gardening practices (like the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides) can be detrimental to the soil and to the nearby water ecosystems. Organic gardening is healthier for both the planet, the animals that we share it with and for our own bodies. 

We will keep you posted as our plants begin to sprout and grow!

The Worm Poop Song

We were down in the in Back to Nature looking around for signs of spring, when I heard one of the girls calling my name. I immediately thought that someone was hurt but when I got over to where the children were huddled everyone seemed fine. Without even a hint of disgust she proudly announced that a worm was pooping on her. The other children stood next to her, squeezing in so they could catch a glimpse. I saw that the worms brought out interest, wonder and curiosity in the children.That day we had some unexpected slimy guests in our classroom and we picked up a few books from the library so we could expand our knowledge on the squirmy little guys.

And that's where it all began.
______________

Over the past two weeks you may have heard your child singing a bluesy tune about worms; more specifically about worm poop. You may have looked over at your child astonished, surprised and disgusted that they would be singing about something so terribly gross (probably not though).

The song is called The Worm Poop Song by Birdsong and the Eco Wonders. I found it online while perusing for a good song about worms. Here's a link if you would like to take a listen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xs5cdlT9Ec

The Worm Poop Song has a very different feel to it than other typical children's songs. That being said, the children had no trouble at all learning the melody and the lengthy, complex lyrics that went along with it.

I worried at first that this song might be too silly for the Kinders. The first day that I introduced them to the song I expected there to be endless giggles. However, the children were very mature when it came to the song. They focused on the facts and even turned to their giggling friends to ask them to stop. Each morning the children requested to practice the song, remembering more and more lyrics each time.

This Friday, we decided to share our wonderful song as well as a short video that we made of some of the children sharing knowledge about worms (and other interesting things).

Please take a moment to enjoy the video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k79JmOdiI6c

(If your child was not part of the video they may have decided not to be in it. There was also some technical difficulties with the different clips as this was my first attempt at editing/producing a video)

And here is are a few still shots of the children performing at the sharing! (Our class was at the back of the group)

Take a look at those faces! Those are some proud faces!

Shorts and T-shirts

The weather this past weekend has been absolutely beautiful! This is just a reminder to send your child to school with full sun protection. We spend 45 minutes outside from 10:45 - 11:30; just when the sun starts to get it's hottest. Please send sunscreen that your child can apply themselves before we go out each day. Sun hats, shirts that cover and protect their shoulders and water bottles are important for the hot, sunny days ahead. It may be hard to believe but shorts and t-shirt weather is finally upon us and now is the time to start protecting our skin from harmful UV rays!

Signs of Spring

We are so lucky at Churchill to have access to the Back to Nature area. It is an quiet oasis full of mystery and life that provides opportunities for some pretty special learning experiences. When I told the children that we were going back there that day they were bouncing around with excitement. There is something so special about the love the children have for nature and to be able to walk 200 meters from the school into our own private forest is pretty spectacular.

These photos and stories are from both our visits to Back to Nature and the one day where we couldn't find the key and had to explore the yard instead.

On this excursion into the Back to Nature area, we set off in search for signs of spring. The children were provided with clip-boards, pencils, magnifying glasses and binoculars as well as a scavenger hunt. 

One child found a buds growing through the fence. 

We talked about the importance of staying on the path and having as little impact as possible on the environment around us. We also demonstrated to the children how to find bugs without disturbing nature too much. We carefully lifted small rocks to unveil worms and beetles and made sure to put the rocks back when we were finished. 

I had the children split off into small groups on their own which made for some very interesting groups. Children that don't often play with one another paired up and worked really well together. I observed some very funny conversations between the groups.

"Hey I see a bud, it's you!" - A

This was a great group. The stuck together the whole time and shared the materials between one another. Without any guidance or facilitation they were able to work as a team searching for bugs. Their conversations were very complex and they used lots of wonderful conceptual language (longer/shorter, bigger/smaller, dry/wet). There was no need for behaviour guidance; the boys self-regulated to extend the play.

She found this leaf that had survived the winter! At first she wasn't sure what it was.

Spending time in nature is very therapeutic for children. Many school yards across Canada are receiving funding to become more green to provide children with more natural spaces. I think that most of the children would have been happy to dig for worms all day long.

We talked about the ability to camouflage and what makes it so important. The children had so much prior knowledge which allowed for them to take on the roll as the teacher. Hands-on, engaging play experiences like visiting the Back to Nature to search for bugs are relevant educational opportunities that allow for extended learning. When children already have knowledge about what is being taught, they draw back on those memories to make new hypothesizes and conclusions.

A beautiful little sprout! 

We found a lot of worms!

I was racing around with the camera as each child discovered something new. I got a lot of exercise that day.

We provided the children with apple sauce cups so that they could observe the worms. The children explained the need to add soil so that the cups would represent their natural habitat. We listened to what the children new about worms and later provided books to expand on their knowledge.

A wonderful tendril vine!

It took some pretty great eye sight to find a slug in an all brown environment. 

And then, there was this little guy.

He was so excited to find this beetle. He spend ten minutes letting him crawl all over his hands and jacket. At one point it even crawled up his sleeve!

Most of the children were very comfortable holding the worms.

He was showing us his collection of acorns from his pocket that he found at the park near his house.

We decided to bring the worms in for a visit into our classroom. The girls decided to share their lunch with them.

In one of the books we found, the Gippsland worm from Australia is 3.7 meters long! And that isn't even the longest. One of the longest is 6.7 meters long from South Africa! Not sure I would be happy to come across those!

During free play we set the worms out on a tray with the magnifying glasses so the children could take a closer look.

We kept the soil moist because we learned that worms need moist soil. But not too moist; they drown in too much water!

The children bravely picked up the worms and examined them closer.

He spent ten minutes gently coaxing the worm into the dropper. He was very gentle and only guided the worm every so carefully. Providing children with hands on experiences with living creatures can help them to develop empathy and compassion for all living things and teach them how to use a gentle touch.

He thought he would try it too. He was very careful!

At the end of the day we set our worm friends back into the garden so that they could get back to eating soil. We discussed why we couldn't keep them or take them home and the importance of leaving nature in its natural habitat. 

The experiences in the Back to Nature area have had a positive impact on all of the children. You can see a sense of wonder in their eyes and you hear the love in how they talk about it. One child refers to it like a backyard and says it is like the backyard of the school. We plan to spend more time back there throughout the remainder of the year digging, exploring and maybe even planting.