K Blog 2017-2018, February 1st

   February is here, and with it comes our first Performance of Understanding, as well as Science Week, and Science Fair. By this time every year our classroom is in full swing and there is an established culture. Every year, and every group of kindergartners is a little different. This year there is a culture of kindness, helpfulness and compassion.  This class stands out as a class that cares for each other and for the school they dwell within. They love to be here and to be together and you can see it in the ever present smiles as well as the way they interact with each other.  Words of encouragement are abundantly available and passed between students freely. Every class has their own strengths, and this ones is love.

Whats Happening In K?

Reading
Popcorn words: run, he, she, come, look

• We shopped for new books.
• The Kindergartners practiced looking for word patterns in their books.
• We read books about winter.

Writing

• The K's began to write their first narrative stories in book form.
• We practiced thinking about our stories before we write, and then how to edit when completed. Then we added titles and cover pages.
• The Kindergartners were introduced to a strategy called "the story hand." Thumb = characters, pointer finger = setting, and the last three fingers represent the beginning, middle and end of the story.

Math

• We introduced the K's to the concepts of more than, and less than
• The kindergartners practiced counting all the way to 50!
• We learned to solve story problems using objects.

Social Studies

• We started to talk about the ideas of past and present.
• We explored further by watching a video about life for pioneer children.
• The kindergartners sorted objects like phones, transportation, and light sources into two categories; past and present.

P.E.


Recently, the Kindergarten class went to the Upper school to use the climbing wall. It was a wonderful class for everyone as upper school students helped the Kindergarten kids with their climbing and cheered them on.

Science

In December, Kindergarteners studied the five senses. They explored whether items made sound or not, and they tried to guess the sounds when they couldn’t see the source. Students then explored hidden objects (in a sock) and drew what they felt. Kindergarteners drew their favorite smells and then tried to guess hidden smells (lemon, oregano, cinnamon, and onion). Students also drew their favorite tastes.





In January, Kindergarteners began studying polar animals. They learned about blubber and how it helps keep marine mammals warm. They felt icy cold water with and without a blubber glove. They are currently learning about polar bears and have created a polar bear mask.





We watched the polar bears travel around the Hudson Bay using the polar bear tracker at Polar Bears International.





BPC Science Week is February 12-16! Students will participate in lots of lunchtime activities. Kindergarteners will be going on a walking field trip to Aquatic Park. Come see what’s been going on at the Showcase Thursday evening!





Looking for a fun family activity over February Break? Count birds! Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, The Great Backyard Bird Count is underway from February 16-19, 2018. All you need to do is tally the numbers and kinds of birds you see. On vacation? You can count from any location in the world!






Gardening (coming soon)