Monday at the Pond

This week's visit to the Pond had us searching for bugs.

I started with a book.

Some Bugs by Angela DiTerlizzi and Brendan Wenzel is full of descriptive words

and helped us think about where we might find bugs.

The families were enthusiastic to look all over.

They looked through the grasses, lifting rocks and

under logs.  As well as in the water and trees.

They found worms, spiders, slugs and lots of roly poly wood bugs.

We also saw a white moth and a few other flying insects

but they were too quick to catch on film.

One parent spotted this wood bug that had shed it's outer skeleton.

Carpet Toys

Trying different toys for carpet play.

CD Scratch Art

When you were a child did you ever make scratch art using crayons?

I remember spending so much time colouring a sheet of paper 

with so many colours then covering it all in black.

It took a lot of crayons but when it was done it was so exciting to see the 

colours show through when you scratched images in the black.

This CD scratch art is the same concept but a lot less work.

I found the idea at wimp.com

First you paint old cds with black paint.  The website said

to use acrylic but I used tempera.

Then let the children use toothpicks or skewers to

scratch the paint off.

As they scratch and move the cd, the light will shine on it and they may

see a variety of colours shine through.

Moving Day for our Spuds in Tubs

Our potatoes have been growing since early March.

They are tall and skinny and trying to grow to reach the sunlight past 

the window.

Today we got them ready to move outdoors.

We transferred them easily on scooter boards that I borrowed

from our gym.

Once they were settled in our garden space

we filled the watering cans and gave them a good soaking.

We'll be back in a couple of days to see if they have filled out.

Our Big Buddies' Simple Machines

At our school the grade 5 classes do a yearly project around Simple Machines.

This year they designed them around the theme Carnival Contraptions.

They were built at home and brought to school this week to share.

And since they are our big buddies we got a tour

and demonstrations.

The big buddies were able to describe how their contraption worked

and point out the simple machines they used.

The little buddies were enthralled with listening to the big buddies

and playing each game.

A bonus was that the games had edible prizes.

Well done, Big Buddies!

Book Play with Goodnight Gorilla

 Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann is a minimal text story.

It lends itself well to children reading the pictures to explain what is happening.

 
Sharing a story and then retelling it are important steps in learning to read.

Adding props encourages interest in the book and can lead to further 

language development.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   For example this child who noticed one animal had a tail, she then searched each animal and discovered they all have tails.

Reading together is a wonderful way to spend a few minutes with your child

and can encourage a life long enjoyment of reading.