Tyranno-Tag

We sorted dinosaurs by what they ate today.  Each child was given a dinosaur and asked to classify it as a carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore.  Then we went into the gym to measure out the length of all our dinosaurs. Many dinosaurs were under 20 feet long, while one was 90 feet long.  We would switch dinosaurs and then go stand on the number of feet long our new dinosaur was.  After everyone was able to measure four dinosaurs we played TYRANNO-TAG.  I was the big bad carnivore Tyrannosaurs, and the kids were herbivores trying to run past me.  If they got tagged the had to be stationary carnivores trying to tag the other herbivores.  The kids had a load of fun and got some great exercise as they continued to learn that some dinosaurs ate other dinosaurs.  Have a great weekend.

Fossils to Radishes to Museums

        It was a very busy day here in kindergarten.  We started with a fossil hunt outside.  Yes, our little paleontologists searched for fossils in the courtyard.  They had to record where they found their fossil, predict if it was a carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore, and then illustrate their fossil.  The kids also went to the garden to harvest the radishes they planted earlier.  They were impressed to see the different colors produced by the Easter Egg radish seeds.  Then Farm Abby showed us how seeds start to grow when soaked in water.  The kids used toothpicks to take off the seed coat, carefully split the seed and then find a baby plant starting to grow.
        After a Maine Day lunch with a special dessert whipped up for us by Mrs. Erdman's fourth grade, we took our hand at excavating fossils by using a toothpick to dig chocolate chips from chocolate chip cookies.  The kids will never look at cookies the same way again.  They worked for a half hour slowly finding each chocolate chip in their cookie.  We ended our day with a trip to Mrs. Erdman's class museum to learn all about Maine.  The year might be drawing to an end, but the learning is still fast and furious.

Dinosaur Map

Today we met with Mrs. Burgess's class to talk more about dinosaurs.  We used an interactive map of the United States to find different examples of dinosaurs.  We were surprised to find an aquatic dinosaur in Nevada, a landlocked state.  That got us thinking about how our Earth has changed over time.  We also found a map of Pangea, when the world had just one super continent.  Then we practiced playing with the forms of continents to see how the shapes of the continents fit nicely with each other.  The class also learned a dinosaur poem and discovered several sight words in the poem.  Remember tomorrow is the field trip to the Botanical Gardens.  Send your kiddo with good walking shoes and socks.  Please apply sunscreen before they come to school.  Thanks!

If you want to check out the dinosaur map at home, try this link.
Dinosaur Map:  http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/dinosaurdiscovery/l/blstatedinosaurmap.htm

Checking Out the Plants

Today we took a break from our math assessment to go check on the seeds we planted.  Farm Abby took us to the school garden and we saw how our radish seeds compared in growth to some beet seeds planted by another class.  We also compared lettuce growing in a cold frame to lettuce growing in a raised bed. 

We also took a trip to the PIE sponsored Science Museum.  The kids loved checking out magnets, shells, a skeleton and sensory balloons.  The whole class worked hard today to get through a ton of assessments and I appreciated how quiet they were when they weren't working with me.

Remember:  Field Trip to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens on Wednesday, June 5.  Be sure to pack a lunch for your child.  We will be gone all day, please make sure to send your child with sturdy shoes as we will be walking a great deal that day.

Caddis Fly Creations

As we continue our look at the pond we have used pond animals and plants to help us break up syllables, learn verbs and adjectives, alphabetize, and understand life cycles.  Today we got a little messy.  The kids read a poem about a caddis fly and found all the adjectives.  Then they learned that a caddis fly makes a shell for itself from the debris at the bottom of the pond. The shell protects the caddis fly until is seals itself into the shell to begin its transformation into an adult.  The kids took pond debris we have been observing and turned it into a shell for their own caddis fly.  It was a fun, albeit messy, project.

Pond Compound Words

Today we made compound word pictures.  We reviewed what a compound word was, talked about how compound words are two words put together to make a new word, and then made a pond picture labeling all the pond related compound words.  You can help reinforce compound words at home by making your own list of the objects in your house that are compound words, like baseball, raincoat, or pineapple.  If you come up with a great list, send it in and we'll add it to ours!

Cattails and Alphabetical Order

Today we  worked on putting letters in alphabetical order.  We talked about how using an order helps us find things quicker.  The kids then put cattails in order from the shortest to the longest cattail.  We measured the cattails with a tape measure, after determining that would be the best took for the job.

Remember that NWEA testing is this week, so try to help your kiddos get good sleep and a great breakfast in the morning.    Also, we will be going to a farm pond with Farm Abby on Thursday.  Please be sure to send your child in footwear that is appropriate for walking in potentially wet areas.