Another Sensory Tub Adaptation

         
       My husband created this board to fit across our sensory table. 
                      He drilled large and small holes.
        
                         The pom poms are various sizes. 
  The challenge was to see which pom poms would fit through which holes.
          
I included clothespins thinking they could use them to pick up the pom poms
 but instead they used them to help push the pom poms through the holes.
         
                                    So I added chop sticks. 

Worms, Worms, Worms

The day after we added fake worms to the sandbox I received an email saying that worms were waiting in the fridge at school.
          
I had reserved a worm composter kit from our district resource centre and thought it was coming at the end of April not now.  I’ve never done used one before and started reading the instructions. 
 
When I read that the composter need to be ready before your worms arrived made me panic a bit.  But with a willing helper we followed the steps and got it ready.

Compost, pumice, coir (soaked so it expands), shredded newspaper and food waste makes the bedding for our worms.  We dumped it into the tray and spread it around.
       

Now the fun part, opening the tub of worms.  They are red wigglers which are great for composting.  The question arose why not use the worms we find outside?  I found this answer on Red Worm Composting site; 
“I learned that most of my yard worms were of the “anecic” type – that is to say they were soil dwelling worms that create burrows and tend to lead a somewhat solitary existence (they need their space). The worms ideally suited for composting on the other hand are referred to as “epigeic”. This group tends to live in rich organic material (not soil), and are adapted to crowding and warmer temperatures.”
I commented to a parent that I learn so much at StrongStart.

            
       Opening the tub of worms drew a lot more children to the table.
Can we touch?  Definitely.
 
          Magnifying glasses helped us get a closer look.
       
Using one of the books provided in our kit we were able to learn which end
                                has the mouth.

       
The next job was to pick all the worms out of the material that they arrived in.  It was difficult, there were so many worms.  Even little white ones that we thought were young worms but I have since found out are a different type of worm.
       
Because it was taking too long for us to pick them out we transferred it all.
  
  The worms immediately wiggled under the bedding to where it was dark.

One last thing was to place newspaper on top and moisten it.
       
We’ll check our worms everyday to see that it stays moist and feed them when we notice that the food we have already added is being processed. 

                  What an adventure!  I hope they survive.

If you have had a worm composter before and have any suggestions please share them.

Finishing Planting a Promise Project

Our daffodils bloomed this week so it was time to do our last measure of
                                            the plants.
  
The plants grew so much over Spring Break that we needed to use two rulers to
                                get the full height.

    
After measuring we gathered on the grass to draw and paint what we saw.
 
         
I provided a heavier paper with wax crayons, pencil crayons and water paint.
 

When finishing a project I like to share it with the whole school and the
         easiest way is to post it on our bulletin board in the hallway.
 
   The pictures along the bottom explains our story from the beginning,
                                    November to today.
              
A big thank you to BC Agriculture for providing us this opportunity
                to learn more about the life cycle of daffodils.

Scrambling Eggs

         
This morning we made scrambled eggs.  The children took turns cracking the eggs.  For some it was the first time.  It was exciting to watch.

 
The first picture was taken just after she hit the egg on the table and I quickly got it into the bowl.  But some got on her and under the table.  The second picture shows his attempt at crushing, I mean cracking the egg.  You can see the mom behind still cleaning the floor.

                 
Some tried to squish the egg.  It worked for them after tapping it on the table.  But the squish was more of a squash.  We did find a couple of pieces of shell in the bowl when pouring the egg into the pan.

    
Love the expression on their faces.  One is surprised and a little grossed out while the other is very focused and confident.

     
Mixing the eggs with this handy manual blender was just as much fun.  It works by pushing up and down on the handle.

Overall I enjoyed hearing the grown ups gasps and laughter while the children cracked the eggs.  They were delighted and encouraging.

Sandbox Continued

               
The corn plants didn’t last past the first hour this morning.  But as I watched I learned that one child was digging to look for worms.  Luckily I had some fake worms in the storage room.
                
Adding the worms allowed me to learn more about the little boy.  He is shy with me, not much eye contact and no talking.  As I brought the worms out his mom explains that he loves worms and shared a few stories.  When I handed him a water bottle I received a big smile.  Then I heard him sharing ‘words’ with his mom as he enjoyed the play.
        
  Other children joined in, collecting worms and spraying the sand.
                
I have a surprise for tomorrow morning.  I received a message this afternoon that our worm composter has arrived and that there is a bucket of worms waiting in the fridge for us.  Can’t wait to open the bucket with the families.

Corn in the Sandbox

Yesterday I shared a picture of the plants that were growing in our sandbox.  The sandbox has been closed for two weeks and there was lots of moisture that allowed popcorn kernels to sprout. 
                       
       It gave us a great opportunity to explore plants this morning.
   
Carefully pinching the base of the stem and pulling it gently out of the sand.
            
We could still see the kernel plus the long roots that were covered in sand.
 
The children still wanted to dig so they carefully worked around the plants. 
           Although some did get pulled for investigation.
            
So others practiced their planting skills by poking a hole in the sand and placing the plant back in then patting the sand around it so it stood up straight.

I’m not sure how long the plants will last in the sand box.  My guess would be a day or two or until a small child comes along and pulls them all out.

I wonder if we should try growing popcorn kernels in soil to see if they grow just as fast.