Dear Kindergarten Families:
To follow please find a copy of Mrs. McCrea's update, which includes important schoolwide dates for the month of May.
Thank you for the excellent preparation for your children's outdoor clothing and footwear during these past few weeks of tumultuous weather changes.
In Kindergarten we finished our first group run-through of paper-making using recycled paper, and will continue to experiment with different types of paper and both electric and manual blenders. The children are very excited to try to make our own recycled paper train tracks in the science centre.
THANK YOU FOR THE MILK JUGS - our construction looked excellent, but you may have heard that it had a collapse on one side at some point on Saturday, so we continue to work on problem solving for a sturdier structure. The children have accepted this "experimentation" vs. "failure" approach very optimistically, which I hope will continue with them through their school years ahead!
The children each designed a paper product (party hat) last Friday as an introduction to independence in "the design process" as outlined in the science curriculum. Most children were enthusiastic about taking their paper hats home, while others were stuffed unceremoniously into backpacks. Regardless of the state they reached home in, the process of printing and drawing the design, and their discussions with one another regarding structure, durability and the qualities of a great looking party hat were a wonder to behold that afternoon in the classroom. Also related to that theme, we have been working in groups to experiment with the best paper mache recipe to make a pinata, and several of the children shared their pinata construction (and destruction :) stories from home.
If you have a washable spoon and fork that could be designated for your child's lunch each day (when needed), that would be appreciated. We have used over 500 plastic spoons and 50 forks so far this year, and while I still have several hundred spoons, we'll try to save them for those rare occasions when the ones from home are forgotten (it happens to all of us!).
In math this week we reviewed our shapes by making bubble blowers of a variety of shapes, then tested some of them on Wednesday to see what would happen to the shape of the bubble based on the shape of the blower. We will do the same with three dimensional shapes. In math next week we will be doing graphing of a random event (raining cats and dogs!), and more combinations of numbers as parts of a whole.
If you have any questions or concerns, I welcome your e-mail/call/after school visit anytime. Thank you for your incredible support of your child's learning. The children's enthusiasm for learning is clearly supported at home, which is one of the biggest predictors of their future school success!
Warm wishes,
Mrs. Lorianne Butterfield
Kindergarten Teacher
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