Skyscrapers Around The World

One of the interests shared by all of the children is their love of skyscrapers. It was one of the main reasons that we started our architecture project. Last week a few of the children decided that they wanted to stand on chairs and draw skyscrapers on an old dry erase board that was being used to display work. I told them that this idea would be fine but they needed to do three things.

1. Use the architecture books and the Internet to find pictures of skyscrapers that they found interesting.
2. Get a clipboard and pencil and draw a sketch of the skyscraper that they were going to draw.
3. Allow me to help them find information on the skyscrapers they picked, we must know the name of the building, height, and where it is located.

Needless to say the children had no problem with these demands and beautifully crafted a mural of skyscrapers that show the different architectural styles used around the world. It was not surprising that the skyscrapers chosen are some of the most well known and visual pleasing structures in the world. And most important to the kids the biggest! -Mr. Nick

Architecture Project #3

After our book reading we talked about a foundation and went to the basement of the school. The discussion was focused on the basement being the start of our school building, or the foundation. We worked our way up to the school entrance and then up to the gym, and finally up to the school's bell tower and on to a small landing outside the bell tower. In small groups the children came out onto the landing and looked at the ground below. The children noticed skyscrapers in the sky.
Excerpt: Daily Journal 3/11

Después de la lectura de nuestro libro hemos hablado de una base y se fue al sótano de la escuela. La discusión se centró en el sótano es el comienzo de nuestro edificio de la escuela, o la fundación. Nos abrimos paso hasta la entrada de la escuela y luego hasta el gimnasio, y finalmente hasta el campanario de la escuela y en un pequeño descanso fuera de la torre del campanario. En pequeños grupos, los niños salieron al rellano y miró al suelo. Los niños notado rascacielos en el cielo.
Extracto: Daily Journal 11.03

Right Foot Two Stomps!!

Friday the pre-k performed the Cha-Cha Slide as part of our schools fine arts showcase. Ms. Rachel Drummond is the kids dance teacher and she does a great job using dance to progress the children's physical development. Viernes, el pre-kindergarten realizó la diapositiva Cha-Cha, como parte de nuestras escuelas escaparate de bellas artes. La Sra. Rachel Drummond es la profesora de baile los niños y ella hace un gran trabajo con la danza para el progreso de desarrollo de la física de los niños.

Wiggle-Wiggle and BOO-HOO

I came across this clip that I wanted to share. The clip shows two of our students reading the book "The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything" The story is interactive and gives visual and text clues when to make certain noises. We read the story during the fall. This is a fun video that makes me laugh when I watch it.-Mr.Nick

Me encontré con este clip que quería compartir. El clip muestra a dos de nuestros estudiantes a leer el libro "The Little Old Lady que tenía miedo de cualquier cosa no es" La historia libro es interactivo y proporciona pistas visuales y de texto al hacer ciertos ruidos. Este es un video divertido que me hace reír cuando veo él.-Mr.Nick

Read Across America

Last week the third grade students documented Read Across America Day that was celebrated across each grade level at SVN Charter School. This is a great video that features the SVN Pre-K classroom. Great job third grade friends! -Mr. Nick

Ramps and Pathways #4

Today the kids were discussing their plans for their construction and a heated debate rose on the topic of building a ramp and pathway in the shape of a square. To settle this debate we had the kids who thought this could work draw up some plans and start their construction. After lots of trial and error and an extended amount time to finish their project, the kids found out a way that the marble could roll on the cove molding in the shape of a square.

Hoy en día los niños estaban discutiendo sus planes para su construcción y un acalorado debate se elevó sobre el tema de la construcción de una rampa y la vía en la forma de un cuadrado. Para resolver este debate que tuvimos a los niños que pensaban que esto podría funcionar la elaboración de algunos planes y comenzar su construcción. Después de mucho ensayo y error y una cantidad de tiempo extendida para terminar su proyecto, los niños encuentran una manera de que el mármol podría rodar en la moldura cóncava en la forma de un cuadrado.

Lunch Time

Today during lunch time I took a moment to observe the children in the lunch room. I was really amazed at the way they moved and interacted in the lunch room. Now usually pre-k students eat lunch in their classroom or have their own designated eating area. But because we are a pre-K- 8 school all, the pre-k eat lunch with the Kindergarten classroom. That means that the children wait in line for their lunch tray, carry their lunch tray to a table of their choosing, and eat lunch with a mixed age group of children. It was neat to see the children show so much physical growth as they walked with their tray to a table. I also enjoyed the interesting conversation the children were having at the tables, I heard cool words like "cove molding", tasty, and "I agree."

Hoy, durante la hora del almuerzo me tomó un momento para observar a los niños en el comedor. Yo estaba muy sorprendido por la forma en que se trasladó e interactuaron en el comedor. Ahora por lo general los estudiantes de pre-k almorzar en su salón de clases o tienen su propia área designada comer. Pero debido a que son un pre-escuela K-8 de todo, el pre-kindergarten de almorzar con el aula de kindergarten. Esto significa que los niños esperan en línea para su bandeja del almuerzo, llevar su bandeja de comida a la mesa de su elección, y almorzar con un grupo de edad en común de los niños. Fue agradable ver a los niños muestran un crecimiento tanto físico como caminaban con sus Trey a una tabla. También disfrutaron de la interesante conversación que los niños estaban teniendo en las mesas, escuché las palabras frescas como "moldura cóncava", sabroso, y "estoy de acuerdo."

The Feast

In pre-k we have been reading a book titled Feast For 10. The book is a counting book that tells the story of a family who cook together and host a feast for family and friends. The book was so popular with the class that we decided that we could cook and host our own feast. We planned our feast by making a web that detailed what we wanted to cook, ingredients, tools, and who would attend. After cooking all day we hosted a feast in our school's salon and invited various members of the school staff as well as our family.

En pre-kindergarten que hemos estado leyendo un libro titulado "Fiesta para 10". El libro es un libro para contar que cuenta la historia de una familia que cocinan juntos y organizar una fiesta para la familia y amigos. El libro fue tan popular entre la clase que decidimos que podíamos Director de Operaciones y de acogida nuestra propia fiesta. Planeamos nuestra fiesta haciendo una web que detalle lo que queríamos para cocinar, los ingredientes, herramientas, y que asistiría. Después de cocinar todo el día se organizó una fiesta en el salón de la escuela e invitó a varios miembros del personal de la escuela, así como nuestra familia.

Bambini Creativi Studio

Pre-k invited 2nd grade to Ms. B's Bambini Creativi Studio last week. The 2nd grade kids had a blast working with the great materials at the studio.

Bambini Creativi is an Early Learning Educational Preschool that practices the Reggio Emilia Approach and believes in the great potential all children have, giving them every opportunity to explore and find new questions and discover new answers.

http://www.bambinicreativi.com/

Pre-k tienes que invitar a 2 grado de la Sra. Bambini Studio B Creativi la semana pasada los niños de 2 º grado tenía un gran tiempo de trabajo con los materiales grandes en el estudio.

Bambini Creativi es una de Aprendizaje Temprano de la Educación Preescolar que las prácticas del enfoque Reggio Emilia y cree en el gran potencial de todos los niños, darles todas las oportunidades para explorar y encontrar nuevas preguntas y descubrir nuevas respuestas.

http://www.bambinicreativi.com/

Block Play = Learning

The following information on the importance of block play comes from National Association of Young Children (NAEYC)

Socially -- Blocks encourage children to make friends and cooperate. Large block play may be a young child's first experience playing in a group, while small block play may encourage an older child to work with others in solving problems.

Physically -- When children reach for, pick up, stack, or fit blocks together, they build strength in their fingers and hands, and increase eye-hand coordination. Around two, children begin to figure out which shapes will fit where, and get a head start on understanding different perspectives -- skills that will help them to read maps and follow directions later on. Blocks help kindergarten and primary grade children develop skills in design, representation, balance and stability.

Intellectually -- Blocks help children learn across many academic subjects. Young children develop their vocabularies as they learn to describe sizes, shapes, and positions. Preschoolers and kindergarteners develop math skills by grouping, adding,
subtracting and eventually multiplying with blocks. Older children make early experiments with gravity, balance, and geometry

Creatively -- Blocks offer children the chance to make their own designs, and the satisfaction of creating structures that did not exist before. Beginning at the age of two, children may use a variety of blocks for pretend-play. Children may become life-sized actors in large block structures, or use figures to create dramas in miniature landscapes.
Children value their own block structures whether or not they represent specific things. Rather than asking a child, "What did you make?" say, "Tell me about what you made." This will encourage a dialog and offer the child new opportunities to explore.

Resources:
Hirsch, E.S. 1996. The Block Book.(Third Ed.) Washington, DC: NAEYC. #132/$5.
NAEYC. 1993. Block Play: Constructing Realities (video). Washington, DC: NAEYC.#838/$39.

Parachutes

At our Friday playdate with our friends in the primary grade, we worked together to move a giant parachute ball up in the air by using only the parachute. It took all of the kids working together to keep the ball in the air.

En nuestra Playdate viernes con nuestros amigos en el grado de primaria, hemos trabajado juntos para mover una bola gigante de paracaídas en el aire usando solamente el paracaídas. Tomó todos los niños que trabajan juntos para mantener la bola en el aire.