Reflecting upon September

 

Reflecting upon September 

Painting with various objects and on various textures 

The children have been experimenting with different items to paint with. So far we have explored painting with string, cotton pads, cotton swabs, coffee filters, and fabric pieces. We have discussed the differences in lines and marks the various materials make. The children also have experimented with painting on a variety of different surfaces such as coffee filters, aluminum foil, white paper, and easel paper. 

Teaching Strategies Objectives Met: 

Physical 

7. Demonstrates fine-motor strength and coordination 

a. Uses fingers and hands 

b. Uses writing and drawing tools

Cognitive 

11. Demonstrates positive approaches to learning 

a. Attends and engages 

b. Persist

The Arts 

33. Explores the visual arts

Researching and replicating roads 

We noticed that when the children were playing in the block area, many of the children placed the long rectangle blocks in a line, then drove their car on top of the blocks. To extend the children's thinking and interest we placed black lined construction paper on top of the blocks to represent a road, and then projected a video of a car driving on a road. The children discussed what they observed in the video and what they could add to their own road such as road signs. The next time we explored the roads, we printed out several common road signs the children would see when they are traveling in a car with their families. 

Teaching Strategies Objectives Met: 

Cognitive

11. Demonstrates positive approaches to learning 

a. Attends and engages 

b. Persist 

c. Solves problems 

d. Shows curiosity and motivation

e. Shows flexibility and inventiveness in thinking

Social Studies 

30. Shows basic understanding of people and how they live 

31. Explores change related to familiar people or places 

32. Demonstrates simple geographic knowledge

Experimenting with Ramps 

During self-initiated play, we placed several triangular wooden ramps in the block area with several cars. The children were interested in pushing the cars up and down the ramp. To build on the children's interest we created and implemented several lessons exploring how the height of the ramp impacts the speed of the car, how various objects traveling down the ramp differently, and how the texture of the surface of the ramp impacts the speed of an object. 

Teaching Strategies Objectives Met: 

Cognitive 

11. Demonstrates positive approaches to learning 

a. Attends and engages 

b. Persist 

c. Solves problems 

d. Shows curiosity and motivation

e. Shows flexibility and inventiveness in thinking

Science and Technology 

24. Uses scientific inquiry skills

26. Demonstrates knowledge of the physical properties of objects and materials 

28. Uses tools and other technology to perform tasks